Half Way There

wannabee_in_credit

Morning again all :hello:

Managed 2 nsds on Friday and yesterday. Today will not be a nsd. I was really pleased that I managed to get through 2 days barely leaving the house. We dropped dd's friend off late Friday afternoon, then watched a DVD in front of the telly.

Woke up yesterday feeling really awful. Like I had a hangover but had nothing to drink the night before. It was 11am before I could face anything to eat at all and I just sat and felt sorry for myself for most of the day. Well, as much as a mother ever does. 2 loads of washing, housework, making lunch etc.

The boys went off to football and had a thoroughly good time, even though it was raining and they lost... Me and dd baked a couple of cakes. Then we had some people round from our local cat rescue charity. Both of our cats are rescue cats, and my dad has a cat from the same place, and my friend got a couple of kittens from them. I donate old clothes and books etc to them, but have been keen on getting more involved. I don't have a lot of spare time (full time job, 2 kids etc) to give, but they are desperate for foster carers as they are so overrun with unwanted cats at the moment. So we've signed up to be foster carers, and are collecting a cat this afternoon. DD is madly excited. Neither of our cats are very cuddly cats, and she really wants a cat that likes a cuddle. I've tried to explain to her that rescue cats have sometimes been badly treated so aren't cuddly - we'll see. It feels good to be able to help in some way.

We're also out for lunch today at the football stadium. When we got married last year, we got a voucher for a 2 course Sunday lunch to be used within the first year. Lo and behold, 2 weeks before our first anniversary we've not been. So we're going there the 4 of us, then off to the cat rescue on the way home. I've spent £82.05 on shopping, which will be delivered at 5pm today, and should pretty much see us to the end of the month.

Thanks for the advice about the NT stuff Brizzled. Best have a good look through my book that arrived...

Have a good day all

wannabee_in_credit

Hey

Well, one of our cats hasn't come home this morning, and I feel pretty bad about it. They both went out as usual last night, but one one arrived for breakfast and there's been no sign of the other one at all. It's not like him to be gone for so long so I hope he's just in a huff and gets himself home really soon.

We ended up bringing 2 foster cats home yesterday - a mum and her kitten about 6 months old. They're both gorgeous. Mum is really cuddly snuggly and kitten is so playful. I can't believe someone didn't want them. Needless to say though, both of our cats have been pretty freaked out by the whole thing, and I think that's why one has chosen to stay away for the time being. The kids are devastated - especially my eldest. She's like me, can't do the patiently waiting thing, and just wants him back now or sooner.

Popped out this morning for what I considered to be an essential spend. A litter tray with a roof. The foster cats are not allowed outside, and they'd made a heck of a mess with our old litter tray last night as well so I went straight out and spend a tenner on one with a roof. For my benefit entirely I have to say as litter cleaning is my job.

Then got a couple of jars of coconut oil from H&B - 2 for £15. Which soounds like a fortune for cooking oil, but I really do love the stuff and it's meant to be good for you as well as long as it's used sparingly.

Was going to take the kids out this afternoon to soft play (we have a voucher) but dd is refusing to leave the house until the cat comes home. So nothing else planned for the day - good job actually as I have a headache starting to niggle.

wannabee_in_credit

Oh out poor little marmalade cat. :(:( He hobbled home just after 5pm yesterday with blood pouring from one leg. Put him straight in the car and straight to the vet. He has a deep puncture wound, although the vet is unsure what caused it as there seems to be only 1 wound (so a bite seems unlikely). The vet said we were quite lucky that he'd managed to find his way home as lots of cats die of shock when they are injured like that.

I feel so sad :(:( he is the most placid cat ever and I can't imagine him ever fighting or anything like that. Poor thing. The vet gave him 3 separate injections and I have to take him back this morning. Thankfully he's really picked up overnight and seems lots better this morning.

Needless to say the budget is blown. I've just had one too many emergencies this month on top of my being off work sick last month - the broken toilet, the expensive car repairs, and now a vet bill. It's £48 so far, with whatever today costs. We have a £70 excess on the insurance so it's only really worth claiming if it gets a lot more expensive.

I actually had to ring my mum and borrow money. Which I hate doing, but I don't get paid until next week so I just ran out of options, my emergency fund is empty. It was either that or ring Stepchange and do token payment this month - but my mum has the cash and I will pay her back as soon as I get paid. Might be time for me to have another declutter and another try on eBay. I just never seem to get going with it.

I'm really tired this morning. We kept all of the cats in last night, and our two are not used to it, so the one that isn't ill was rattling around playing during the night. Plus I had to get up at 2am to give the sick cat some meds. Think the longest uninterrupted sleep I got was about 90 mins.

We're now also totally out of cash this month so it'll be a quiet day. I have the voucher for the softplay, but dd seems much happier being the cat's nurse.

Think I just need to make it to 9pm and bedtime.

dawnybabes

Aw poor cat - hope he's better soon. Perhaps a down day will help everyone.

wannabee_in_credit

Another £66 at the vets this morning :eek: . She's really pleased with his progress and so am I.

She's asked us to try and keep him in for 3 days but not at the expense of him going to the loo (we left a litter tray out last night but he refused to use it). So we let him out to go to the loo and the little so and so went straight over the fence. He's obviously feeling lots better.

He also has a weeks worth of antibiotic tablets, which I'm dreading having to give him. I've never successfully gotten a worming tablet into him yet - I've always caved in and gone for profender.

We're just having a slobby day around the house. We genuinely cannot afford anything else other than picnic and NT and I'm way too tired.

pennywisepoundstupid

Pleased that the cat is a lot better

Could you do some ebaying since you are at home, I take pictures of stuff on my phone and then list from my phone in an evening whilst slobbing in front of the TV, doesn't seem such a ball ache then.

Take care PWPS.x

wannabee_in_credit

Well, a good night's sleep has left me feeling a lot more rational today than I was yesterday. I've given up trying to keep the cat in - he prefers being out and about and I managed to get him to take the antibiotic tablets surprisingly easily. Wrapped in a little meatball of expensive catfood. Fingers crossed that he doesn't get what I'm doing any time soon. He seems back to his old self.

Tried again to let our two have a look at the foster cats. Still very early days but neither of ours are interested. I hope they come round to them, because I've secretly fallen in love with the mum cat and I want to keep her :shhh:

Plan for today is to definitely taking the kids to the play centre with this voucher. They both want to go for ice cream too and have offered to pay for it out of their pocket money so I will let them.

I need a little list that I can come back and tick stuff off later, so I know I'm being at least useful.

count money in my purse and figure out exactly how much money I have left this week.
count my 50p/20p money box
start a new sealed pot for building up my emergency fund
find out what I can do with the money I already have in moneybags from saving change (can I just take it to the bank?)
Take kids to play centre and for ice cream
Plan something nice for dinner
Wash and dry a load of washing
Read NT book and plan things to do
List at least 5 items on eBay (thanks PWPS)

I'll be back later to tick things off...

wannabee_in_credit

Gah, it's half four and I've barely started.
Someone let it slip to me that teachers can access the GCSE results the day before they are released to students.

So, whilst the kids were at the play place I was online...

wannabee_in_credit wrote: »

[STRIKE]count money in my purse and figure out exactly how much money I have left this week.[/STRIKE]
count my 50p/20p money box
start a new sealed pot for building up my emergency fund
find out what I can do with the money I already have in moneybags from saving change (can I just take it to the bank?)
[STRIKE]Take kids to play centre and for ice cream[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Plan something nice for dinner[/STRIKE]
Wash and dry a load of washing
Read NT book and plan things to do
List at least 5 items on eBay (thanks PWPS)

I'll be back later to tick things off...

Well, I counted my purse money and donated £2 coins to £2 box, 50p/20p coins to their box, and 5p, 2p, 1p to my new emergency fund. That left me with £23 exactly in my purse.

As promised the kids bought their own ice cream, and I called in for a bottle of wine on the way home, because the exam results are better than I hoped and I want to celebrate tonight. Hope I run into one or two of the kids tomorrow to congratulate them in person (even if I have a hangover). Hardly got anything on the list done because I've spent all afternoon online looking at exam results.

Hopefully I'll get the cash counting done now so I know how much I have 'lying around' in pots in the house. Have 2 sealed tins with not much in them but I'm not opening them. Then the £2 box, the 50/20p box and the emergency fund box.

We are having chicken curry for dinner :D:D:D

wannabee_in_credit

Well I sorted out the cash and counted it. I have a little over £122 in various pots about the house. I bagged up £88 and then promptly left it on the table when I went out this morning.

Washing is finally done.

I went into work for about 20 mins this morning to try and catch a few of my students picking up their results. I saw some, but not all the ones I wanted to.

Took the kids to the park, then my sister came round this afternoon to meet the foster cats. Still struggling to get our female cat anywhere near them though. She's really not happy at all. It's a shame because I really, really want to keep the mum. But we can't even entertain the idea if it's going to be all hissing and growling.

Tomorrow should hopefully be picnic in a park meeting a friend and her kids. I'm hoping for a low or no spend day. Things are getting very tight.

wannabee_in_credit

Just checked my bank balance :eek: - it's even worse than I thought. August has been such a tough month with the extra expense for the car and the cat - so far that is just short of £400, and not taking into account all the family days out we've had.

I've completely lost track of my spending this month :o:o I was going to write it off and start again September, but there's still a whole week of August to go, so no point putting it off. The spending diary is out and I will account for every single penny.

I still have £23 in my purse and £54 in the bank. On Tuesday I get my child benefit which is £134 something. No DD's or payments due to leave my bank. I am visiting a friend today (may need to put £20 petrol in to see me through), and have set myself maximum budget of the £23 in my purse for spends. We normally go out for lunch but obviously it's a bit cheaper if it's just me on my own rather than with the kids. I'll see how she feels about maybe we cook something together at her place. You never know.

Tomorrow should be a nsd. No shopping needed this week, our cupboards are full, and I'm going to see my mam (weather permitting). Sunday I am having an evening out to see a show with a friend. Tickets are already paid for and she still owes me £20 for hers, so I think that'll cover me for drinks and the bus home. Monday, hangover dependent, I will be meeting up with my friend and her son. What we do will depend on the weather.

Tuesday - one foster cat to vet to be neutered (no charge other than transport), and my poorly cat back for a check up to make sure he's on the mend (I'm hopeful that will cost nothing, but suspect it'll be about £12 consultation charge).

Wednesday - I'm desperate to take the kids late raspberry picking if our 'local' farm (an hour away) has any.

Thursday - Hopefully meeting up with a friend from work

Friday - two separate doctors appointments. One about my general health and whether I'm fit for work next Monday, and one with the nutritionist I see about being so darned fat.

Saturday - my first wedding anniversary. Have booked mum to babysit, and we'll probably go out for dinner and drinks.

Sunday - fret about work

Monday - back to work. :cool: