2014 - keep crunching away

DebtFree2012

Morning

Not so positive this morning!

Car's got issues but hoping it is resolved with a fuel filter to be installed today. More money I don't have.

Old gas and electric bill has to be paid - another £250 I don't have.

Had to fill up and put it on CC - haven't had to do that for ages.

Need groceries mid week - will have to go on CC too.

Had to take money from kids savings as expected. will replace of course.

Pay day is ages away (it seems).

Good news is vet's bill was £5 as I'd joined when they were doing 3 for 2 on annual jabs and that can wait until pay day.

Also I don't feel quite as bad as I'd expect given all of the above, shock maybe!

We've agreed a plan of action with regards to the house and what we're doing this year which I feel more comfortable with.

I've decided to hang fire until Argos have another sale before buying any furniture that I want as it's almost double the price it was before at the mo.

I'm back on my healthy eating again today which makes me feel better after the 1st few days.

Getting to cuddle my hoss' tonight always makes me feel like it's worth it.

Re the G&E - found out where the problem lies. Useage gone through the roof since my MIL started coming to mine to look after DS. I can only compensate by ensuring our use is down which we were trying already but last night put extra measures in place. I will of course ask her to be concious when using it but seen as she's doing it for free I don't want to be seen to take the pi$$.

I closed the curtains front and back last night and shut internal doors that we didn't need to be in, had wood burner on (foraged) and heating off and it made a huge difference to not having draughts. Also all lights, inc fish tanks, and TV stand bys, everything went off last night. We're clamping down until July when she doesn't come any more and then hoping to see a reduction in the bill, or a least level it out until then.

Also I wanted to think more about growing our own but I just feel at the moment I'm struggling for time. The garden needs tidying after the winter and I don't know what (cheap) things would go in at this time of the year.

DebtFree2012

My car insurance was the other thing - I need to find £600 by next month. I didn't want to go back to paying monthly but I might have to. Obviously I'm going to shop around first but I opened that on Sat and wasn't too pleased.

DebtFree2012

On a great note tho - my mobile bill is finally what it should be - I always manage to invoke some sort of expense, picture message or something (own fault yes) and this month it's base rate - YEY!!! So figures are right and don't need to be changed for that cell on spreadsheet

DebtFree2012

Morning

Loads better today

The car cost me £15 to fix thanks to family and seems to be working ok so far touch wood.

I had a great night sleep despite the cough I still have and so I'm feeling quite chirpy this morning.

Had a nice session last night, DD rode little pony very well considering it's been a week since she rode properly due to illness. Pony is in my good books He also popped 80 no problem with an older girl on him, he has a lovely jump, just needs the confidence to come. He's fine with rustic poles, put a plank in front of him and he likes to disect it before clearing it. :rotfl:

Rather anally I have been keeping a daily eye on the gas and electric and the gas use is right down and the electric's heading in the right direction. No one is complaining in the house so I'm good to proceed!

I'm going to start putting the SC on 4 days a week (like my steak on a Fri night so not then) and that should keep the gas down too. I need to batch make some mash and just heat it up in the micro but I'm guessing the blast in the micro will be expensive too - gotta do it someway tho.

I guess i could do one pot's in the SC then I wouldn't need to heat the mash up but I loooove mash lol.

Anyway - moving on! Finances are the same this morning which is good.

Diet wise, now I'm feeling better I'm back on the weight loss. I've not put it back on so that's good. I'm off the boose until the end of March now which is when we go away for a weekend. Looking forward to that.

Thinking about growing my own again, tomatoes and strawberries are something we can't get enough of in the summer, also lettuce. Lettuce is cheap as chips in Aldi so I might not grow that but I'll do the other 2. They will grow in my greenhouse thing but I still need something for our tiny veg plot outside.

We eat alot of sweet potatoes but I don't know if they are easy to grow. Brocolli too (never had luck with this) and other green veg....I'll have a think.

House wise, I am happy with how that's going and one decision is that the things we're changing now - eg furniture we're buying, will be able to come with us opposed to built in. However i've decided to leave the things that are already built in (I don't like them but other ppl do) so that when we move, the next people don't have to worry about bringing all their own furniture.

So the future is a bit brighter today, despite still having the annoyances of yesterday - after all, it's no longer Monday morning

DebtFree2012

My car is still ok - few.

I've been and put the slow cooker on, need to get into the habit of doing that on a morning.

No spends for today - yey.

I wish there was something I could do now to save / earn money!

DebtFree2012

Morning world.

Middle of the week

Going to Aldi tonight to top up. Looks like I'll have to use CC again but have no choice as we're running so low again. Not to worry tho - I'll make it up.

I've not spent anything else nor will I.

The chickens have started laying again so hoping I won't have to buy eggs now. Tonight, depending on the chicks, will be omlette for DH, kids always have curry on Wed as they like it and I will have cereal probably.

My neighbours are moving and we've had a really "Midsummer murders" type letter through the door saying that the buyers aren't who they say they are - very weird.

Right, well I need to earn some pennies. I'm in late as it's half term so we don't rush as much on morning.

DebtFree2012

Being on a diet is helping my food budget as this week I've been having fruit for lunch instead of the salads and things.

I was talking to my BF and I've decided to use the bread maker once a week to make HM bread for the kids as a treat breakfast and then with their soup for lunch. DH and I are off bread whilst on diet but I think this is a little change that will be well received as we're getting a bit boring with our meals, I used to do all sorts of HM stuff. Although I don't buy processed stuff now (very often) it's still not as excitable as it used to be.

I might try lasagne in the SC after pay day - again for the kids.

DebtFree2012

Morning diary

DH is in a strop this morning and it looks to last. We're off together tomorrow too - typical. I can't be done with that but I guess I need to take into accout his feelings and try and mellow him.

I've got someone to do the hoss' tomorrow so I don't need to go down which will be nice and not - nice in that I can get on with things without having to rush round like an idiot but I miss them when I don't see them.

I'd like to get my washing done tonight and tomorrow so I don't need to worry about it over the weekend other than weekend washing. Also the housework the same.

I'm going home at lunch time as I don't want to be here at all today.

DebtFree2012

Feeling a bit better now. DH is basically feeling like I don't have enough time for him so now I know I can work on it. He will still be grumpy for a while.

No money spent today so that's good.

DebtFree2012

Morning

Pay day tomorrow meaning I can get balanced again! I can't pay the CC's until the statements are produced or the DD is taken (whichever is applicable as I have 2 with DD and 1 manual).

I had to get a food delivery on Saturday on the CC but I will throw all I can to it as normal and get that cleared asap. Getting back onto the straight and narrow after Xmas etc.

I have bought some bread flour to make the kids bread for a weekend as we don't eat it during the week. They can have it with soup for a nice change.

I'm hoping the food delivery will last a while and I can get back to basics with my shopping again.

The heating saga continues, I'll be ringing them at lunch time.

Looking forward to Easter which will be my next time off. Plan on taking a few days around the bank hol to have a couple of 3 day weeks maybe. No time off planned in March and we have a couple of bank hols in May to look forward to. I sound like I'm wishing my life away which I'm not at all, I just like to plan and it helps me feel like there will be an end to this mess.