This is it *ping* lightbulb!!!

Kennedy2408

Hi


I have enjoyed reading your thread so far & will try to keep doing so. Your reasons for sorting your finances out are very similar to mine. I have 2 kids 8 & 4 and hate having to scrimp & save for every little thing, even harder with holidays coming up. Nice to see how you are tackling it. I have used ebay, gumtree & facebook selling pages to get rid of all our clutter & it has really helped although not so fun now there is nothing left to go as that means no extra cash :-(

kindofagilr

You are doing so well Avogirly 15% of your debt already paid off!!! That's fab, u should def give yourself a clap for that xx

Hi Kennedy, thank you for reading, I am pleased you are enjoying it so far I know it's really rubbish thinking of all the great things my kids could be doing and aren't able too it's them that's made me want to knuckle down and work harder at getting rid of it, so we can do things like swimming lessons etc. Have you got a diary?

kindofagilr

We are very lucky, and the inlaws bought us a large chicken and a beef joint, and we have a haunch of vension in the freezer, so thats 3 sunday dinners (and mon and tues dinners sorted for the next three weeks) so that is def going to help our grocery budget this month

I submitted meter readings to G+E at the end of march (I have made a sheet on my bills spreadsheets to note down the readings) and they have prouduced a bill, and while the DD is going to stay the same (£139 a month at the min) the bill included a graph and comparing Jan-March this year with last year we have managed to half our electric usage and shave a 1/4 off our gas usage weve only been being REALLY careful the last couple of weeks so more of that and our usage should go even further down.

We have an aincent back boiler and desperatly want to change it to a combi boiler but currently dont have the money to do so, that is def the first job to do when we have the spare money, and then when we do that, we would like to get a wood burner in the fireplace

In laws were round the other day and me and OH have been talking about blocking the sitting room in as all the heat escapes upstairs, and when they were at the house mil mentioned it and I was like well actually lol we want to do it, so I think OH and FIL might do that at some point this summer which will be great for winter. xx

Kennedy2408

Sitting at work this early reading about your lovely sunday dinners is going to make for a long morning until my lunch hour!!! I love having things like that in my freezer especially like you say it does a couple of other days as well.


I don't have a diary (only just figured out how to do a signature) but enjoy reading other peoples as it makes you feel less like you are the only one struggling :-)


Easter holidays start here on Friday & we are off for a week with the kids but lack of money means we wont be doing too much. We are lucky enough to have a national trust castle a couple of miles away & everyone local just goes in the back way so its a great cheap day out & kids love feeding the ducks & swans, treat of an ice lolly wont break the bank so weather permitting that will be where we go.


Will be nice when kids are older & you don't have to panic about letters coming home wanting money for school trips or that they will need new shoes out of the blue.


We are going to Flamingo land on holiday in September & its great as once you are there it costs as little or as much as you want (we just go to the local Morrisons & stock up on food for the caravan). Grandparents usually give the kids a few pounds each to take with them so they can treat themselves & im putting as many 50p as I can in a jar for treats as well.


How are you enjoying the allotment? I have a small veg patch in the garden which I don't get much from but this year we have planted peas, cauliflowers, brussel sprouts, carrots & I dug up another bit for potatoes. Nice when they are all ready & you can add them to your sunday dinner or make a nice big pot of soup.

kindofagilr

LOL I know I end up making myself hungry thinking about food lol

Well done on doing your signature I know what you mean about reading other peoples diaries, it really does help.

Yes DS last day of nursery school is this friday, then they go back on the 22nd, me and OH are off from 9th April till the 22nd so we need to think of nice cheap things to do lol, we will probably go to the allotment a lot tbh

DS loves feeding the ducks, so I will def do that with him (thanks for that tip)

It does seem like Im always having to give money to the school and he isnt even in reception yet!

I love Flamingo Land and Lightwater Valley I love all theme parks, I am a civil servant and we can get 50% off the ticket prices, for theme parks and zoos etc, so we are hoping to go to Edinburgh zoo over the summer, I dont think I will need to pay for DD as she will only be 1, so that should hopefully be nice and cheap

I am really enjoying the allotment, I hope we manage to grow something lol, OH is talking about getting chickens, he used to have chickens years ago on the allotment but as its really the inlaws allotment now it depends on if they would want chickens there, but free eggs would be great

We have a little veg patch and I mean little lol in our garden, we grew raspberries, baby carrots and herbs last year, not sure if we want to grow anything in it this year cos of the allotment or if we will just put flowers in there, I love flowers

I hope you get lots of lovely veg from your veg patch, all the veg sounds yummy xx

Kennedy2408

Edinburgh zoo is fantastic, we went last summer. Another good place is Blair Drummond Safari park. We love it & if you take a picnic then everything is free once you are in & under 3s are free, they have a sea lion show & a boat to chimp island plus a big play park. We just tell our kids we forgot to pay on they way in for the rides & they don't bother although our DD is 8 so might need better white lies in future.

Takes a little imagination but it's amazing the fun you can have on a budget. We wanted to go camping at Easter but finances won't allow so husband is camping in the garden with kids & they are very excited!!!

This way when they are older & actually need their parents to have money for things we will, right now they are too young to notice (I tell myself this all the time to keep me going).

kindofagilr

Ohh I will have to check out how far away that it (we are in the north east of england) thanks for the tips

Aww that sounds very cute that they are going camping in the garden

I tell myself that as well, they are young at the minute so now we are sorting it now then when they are older (DS will be 8 and DD will bw 5) we can give them everything (starting with a holiday to disney florida lol)

Ive had a rough couple of days, been feeling very low, ive been getting home from work and been very tearful have had to take myself off to cry upstairs for 5 or 10 mins.

I feel ok today, Ive been in pension credit training for ten weeks, Ive brought my notes home to type them up ready for consolidation starting on monday, I am hoping that the "rules" from training to "real wolrd" havent changed if that makes sense, many a time ive been on a training course which I think I understand then I go into live work and its all different!

I exchanged some swagbucks points for £5 amazon voucher today, I am due £20 amazon vouchers from shop and scan next week, so that should be enough for 174 pampers nappies which is nearly a months worth, and 10 packs of huggies wipes, all for FREE yay I need to step up my swagbcuks again, I used to be able to make £25 a month, which would be great now cos that would pay for the nappies and wipes every month.

Looks like I am going to make at least £7 on ebay as well, I am selling some of DD clothes, all of them have lots of watchrs on so I am hoping for a bidding war at the weekend lol xx

brizzledfw

Well done on all the surveys and Ebaying..great to see you so determined...:)

Easter hols have rather crept up on me..not sure what I am going to do with the kids as OH and I are both working but MIL is helping out some days..and may ask the neighbours...but may need to take some time off I guess..oh well tomorrow's problem!

clearmydebts

Hi Kindofagilr,

Really interesting diary and you sound so determined. I also have 2 little ones, DS is 4 and DD is 2.5yrs and I a want to get rid of this debt asap so they have good financial role models.

Have subscribed!

kindofagilr

I know brizzle I'm not 100% sure what we will be doing over the holidays, were lucky in that the in laws and my mam have the kids on the three days I work so we don't need to sort childcare out! OH and I have taken from the 9th-22nd off (I need to go in the 16th but that's it) DD turns 1 on the 9th eek I've no idea where that year has gone!!

I need to ring the leisure centre and find out how much swimming lessons are for DS I had to wait till he was four to add him to waiting list so I need to do that I will figure out how to pay for it somehow

Thank you clearmydebts I was worried it would be boring to other people xx