One frugal year = freedom and choices

mum2one

I did the £5 ebay voucher as well, got some mini yankee candles, only only to pay £1.30, for 4, there going for mothers day off dd for nan, and mums ebay account, she paid 99p - so I have some flavoured coffee for mothers day off DD.

Love the sound of the blue light...

Def be intrigued to se how the cheese knives go! xx

brizzledfw

Hi LL

How's you keeping? Like the no holds barred approach to EBay..Hear its a free listing weekend this weekend..

Brizzle

mum2one

don't forget the free listings weekens - good chance for the cheese knives!! xxx

lobbyludd

thanks both.
been rubbish the last few weeks.

"my name is lobbyludd and I am an impulsive overspender"

my roll-call of shame includes:
take-aways
£50 of plants at T&M (cashback plus 20% code and includes plants to keep the cats off the borders but still)
horrible expensive lunches bought at the garage across the road from work.
not noticing that atlantic have refunded month 13 into my account and thinking I *somehow* had extra cash, hence all of the above which is spending that *extra* many times over
still smoking.

I have frittered an enormous amount.

I've not ebayed a thing, they are all still in the box, so that is tomorrow's task.

good things I've done:

made 5 cards and sent.
I have requested my overpayments from atlantic, fix is over so swapped to npower, will mean an increase of approx 5 per month on my direct debit which isn't too painful, is nowhere near as good as the old fix I was on, but £250 a year cheaper than atlantics standard tariff- did via simply switch so £40 cashback at some point.

3 *yawn* surveys today.
T&M survey yesterday but not convinced it will come through.
should cash out sb in a few days to start and build up amazon vouchers again. I would like a mattress that fits my bed, there's one on amazon for c.£140 so that's my goal - to earn that in vouchers by christmas.

good things that have happened: friend came over with 2 bin-bags full of clothes for my kids from hers (both hers are 2-3 years older than mine and same genders). Am contemplating taking ds's birthday clothes from next back now (will be vouchers back, but could use that for mum's birthday in May).

lindsaygalaxy

LL, glad to her from you, I was wondering where you had been. Try not to feel bad, we all hit bumps in the road. Yesterday I was determind to look at our finances and really start saving for a deposit, a few hours later I ordered take away. That's the problem with 'cold' turkey, sometimes it makes you want to just have a crazy time out. Maybe you should factor into your budget some 'sod it' money, then you won't have to feel bad, and if you don't spend it you can save it as extra.

Chin up, tomorrow is a new day. x

mum2one

def agree with the sod it money, we had pizza 2ngt, did go mse and collected it, treat for me + dd, but £9 that could hve gone somewhere else, but prelightbulb would have had it delievered plus sides etc, so its a happy medium. xx

Cherryjack

so awful to read the ex said that with referance to the glasses.. what a wicked man.. bad karma on its way to him hun xxhugsxx
Keep at the good work.. weve plenty of months left in this year to make a difference

lobbyludd

thanks all, you are right

much more MSE day today, ds (8) woke me up at 6.30 (arghhhh!) with breakfast in bed (ahhhh bless him!): cereal and water for mother's day, they had both made me cards and i've had the loveliest day. Been pottering about the house, made tents in the back garden, more kitchen science with ds (all seems to involve vinegar and bicarb) and painting and planting seeds with dd. She's filled a large pot with very little "mud" and tipped lots of random seeds in it so not holding out much hope for hers, but I've planted sweet peas, verbena and lady's mantle, the latter two I saved the pods from last year so if they do grow it's completely free and the sweet peas were seeds left over from last year.

Have also hung some of the kids pictures in the kitchen in frames that I had in the loft, put a table cloth on the table in there and made a make-shift tie-back for the curtain from some lovely fabric, it's much more "us" now, ex was all safety beige, hard edges and no soft furnishing, I'm more colour and textiles, and didn't cost anything, so fab.

haven't ebayed, done beggar all washing, but we have enough clothes for the beginning of the week, but I've had a lovely day.

CM was due last wednesday, no sign of it yet, sent a reminder on thursday, to which there was no reply, so it appears a) he is charging me for the sunglasses and b) they were BLOODY EXPENSIVE: cm is supposed to be 220 a month. On the off chance that the money is in transit, but delayed, I am going to email him monday first thing to give him another chance to explain, but if no reply by 3pm I am calling the CSA. Idiot. 1 week before DS's birthday.

I've not had next year's council tax bill yet, when do they usually send them out? felt sure I'd usually had one by now...

Happy Mother's day to all who are, or have, or have had, Mothers

millionaire_in_training

I read so many posts on here from women struggling because exes will not pay their maintenance and it makes me :mad:. Mainly because I have massive empathy with them as I have an ex who sees it like a game of cat and mouse. I just heard he has moved jobs yet again so no doubt my payments will go up the swanny again. Where do they get off doing this? Ultimately it's the kids who go without. I just wish there was more that the government could do about it and far quicker than they do just now.

My fingers are crossed for you that the money is in your account tomorrow x

mum2one

millionaire_in_training wrote: »

I read so many posts on here from women struggling because exes will not pay their maintenance and it makes me :mad:. Mainly because I have massive empathy with them as I have an ex who sees it like a game of cat and mouse. I just heard he has moved jobs yet again so no doubt my payments will go up the swanny again. Where do they get off doing this? Ultimately it's the kids who go without. I just wish there was more that the government could do about it and far quicker than they do just now.

My fingers are crossed for you that the money is in your account tomorrow x

I have one of those lovely ex's as well, but he can go to Barbodos on holiday! x