NST;September Squirrels

PheoniX

Hey gang :wave:

Ive been missing in action over the last few days, spendy action at that I have over a week off work now which is much needed and have spent every day so far! Mostly on food (must update signature), car brake bulbs (hadnt realised I was driving around with no brake lights!), cinema and on a microwave.

Due to the flat move falling through and me still having to share with housemates (and their other halves a lot of the time!) I went and bought a secret microwave for my room :cool: I have also bought a food stash that I have also hidden away, such as 'dry' tins of tuna, microwave rice, sponge puds and a spud .. At least I can whip up something quick after a long day at work without having to fight for the cooker

I have kept a beady eye on all your posts. Sending well wishes to your mums lilt and SOA. Hope you are taking care of yourselves. Hugs xx

Hope AM junior is on the mend with shingles

Laters gang :wave:

MagicCat

Hello all,

Nothing very exciting for me today - lots of sorting/unpacking of boxes and decluttering, so house is looking a bit better. Some grocery shopping - but forgot milk, so will go and get it later as determined to have a SFD tomorrow! I did remember my stuff for the food bank though so will drop off at church later.

Luckystarr - I know what you mean, it is hard to remember debt and stay focussed! It sounds to me overdraft and loan would be priority if you're sure it's OK with your mum, can you pay loan early with no penalties?
Loveadove - yay for start date!:j
Nannyg - glad you had a good holiday, so annoying about CC.

Lilt - glad your mum is doing OK and you got to chat with her.

Stewby - sounds like a lovely plan for the day , hope you enjoyed it.

SFD – 5/15
Groceries £150.36/£180
Petrol/parking £50.04/£90
Personal (prescription/toiletries etc) £13.43/£15
House £124.40/£25 (£80 plumbing):mad:
Birthdays £41.86/£50
Car Tax £145/140
Social £0/£40
Exercise 7/25 Steps 69786 /186000
Mindfulness 11/30
Foodbank 3/3

apple_muncher

Fmess - any news on the mattress yet? Saw a couple on my local freecycle/freegle sites and thought of you.

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for dd's lovely ballet teachers, for a working washing machine, for dd being well enough to play out and run around like a loony, for fresh air, for ponderation time.

And I am also super grateful for mothernerd for running the thread! Where would we be without you, leading us by example, inspiring us, encouraging us.

mothernerd

liltdiddylilt wrote: »

Hi everyone

Mothernerd I may have strangled DS2 by now. I admire your patience! I would have told him he HAD to move out on Monday as your toyboy was moving in... :rotfl:

lilt think I cross posted with you yesterday, I did look to check but didn't see your post until today. Glad your mother is improving and long may it continue.

AS I have explained before, there is a reason DS2 lives in the other house. Poor DS3 had walked away from him so many times when he was being argumentative, but was no longer prepared to back off.

However for the time being it suits me if he remains there. Even a couple of months with extra income coming in, he could pay me some (:jall:j:rotfl:) of the arrears, pay off his overdraft and be in a much stronger position (and sort his furniture as well as the rest of his possessions). Will wait and see.

stewby wrote: »

However, that is another 6 hours pay. Then another problem hit at work and I now have an extra dayshift next week which will be working with brilliant staff so I am quite excited about that.

Excellent news on the extra income and a helpful OH :j:j.

PheoniX wrote: »

Hey gang :wave:

Due to the flat move falling through and me still having to share with housemates (and their other halves a lot of the time!) I went and bought a secret microwave for my room :cool: I have also bought a food stash that I have also hidden away, such as 'dry' tins of tuna, microwave rice, sponge puds and a spud .. At least I can whip up something quick after a long day at work without having to fight for the cooker
:wave:

Have visions of secret spy microwave wearing a hat and dark glasses or inside a cardboard box wallpapered to match the rest of the room or upholstered to look like an armchair (sorry I don't get out much) - note to self , add purple microwave to toaster for DS3's Christmas present (funds permitting).

nannygladys I agree with the others, it may be worth a polite call to the bank. DS3 recently had a letter from our bank (usually reasonable) saying he had gone overdrawn, but as he did not often do this they would not charge him if he corrected the position asap and it did not happen again within 30 days.

Christmas mini challenge I haven't talked about my own plans. Gift list is very short nowadays mum, her partner and the boys.

Mum and her partner get toiletries (particular range but I buy them whenever I see them at bargain prices and do my own 'fancy' gift wrap - I'm good at it, have been interrogated as to how much I had paid for it). mum's hands were very bad last year so I made it so that the whole thing unfolded with one pull on the ribbon bow (and a discreet bit of masking tape underneath). Their gifts were purchased this afternoon. I want to complete the set of embroidered cushions I have been making for mum
- some of the pieces she has seen, others are a surprise (but need to get to having somewhere clean and clear to work).

Mum and her partner always go to various of his children and grand-children although they have settled for just a couple of 'events' and quiet times at home in recent years. This year they may be away for a wedding down south on the 23rd, so gifts etc will be done well in advance.

I don't buy for the boys' gfs as this creates a 'cycle of obligation' (See Big Bang Theory, Sheldon, 'Spock dna' episode if you don't understand). Bought a present for DS3's gf one year - they have been together for over 5 years. Her family can only respond to any problem by throwing money at it and bought him a very expensive walking stick. I felt guilty that I had only bought a 'token' present'. DS3 banned me from buying any more gifts. They celebrate Christmas here sometime in November (early December once but probably not now she is working). he either spends Christmas with her family or spends most of Christmas in his room.'talking' to her on the internet. He will accept Christmas dinners if provided. Quiet Christmas for me which, after the few years I spent as a churchwarden - Midnight Mass followed by clearing up, waiting for everyone to go before locking up, then cleaning before unlocking for the Christmas morning service (extra fun when you have flu - slept for 2 whole days one year, living on bowls of turkey broth).

DS3 chooses a large present, I buy him something 'for his bottom drawer' and lots of white chocolate and cakes he likes and i am not tempted by- all gift wrapped and hidden (he ate the ones I put in the cupboard). DS1 and DS2 may not get anything if they are not good (or move without giving me their address. DS2 is usually not good (and has expensive tastes). When he was 2 he was still riding his tricycle up and down the landing (couldn't do anything downstairs or in the bedroom) at nearly midnight (well he knew he hadn't been good). When he finally fell asleep I (pregnant with DS3) set up all the downstairs presents, then did the stocking, smuggled them into bedrooms then got all of 10 minutes sleep before they awoke (OH saying so what have we bought them). Went downstairs - they were too young to write down who had given them which present - until 7am then kicked him out of bed and had a couple of hours sleep before starting dinner.

So Christmas for me is candles - love candle-light. I am allowed to play my Christmas songs as much as I like during December and I have one hour a day with music on and only candles (no tv or computer). Also candle-light means you can't see all the bits that still need doing when you sit/ lie down so you don't start again until the hour is up - keeps me calm, keeps me sane. I like a real tree but will compromise. Love little lavender plants - all the bushes we have now (and the ivy) started as tiny plants used as window decorations.

Have spent money today and I am not sorry - will tell you tomorrow as this post is long even by my standards.

Fmess

apple_muncher wrote: »

Fmess - any news on the mattress yet? Saw a couple on my local freecycle/freegle sites and thought of you.

Currently I'm using old towels over the springs that are poking through and that seems to be working. If I could make it to 25th November, I should have enough to buy a mattress without going into debt. I have some tescimo vouchers which I'd like to use towards it and hopefully if their clubcard boost is still on, their value will be doubled

Very spendy day today as odd humans animal food shopping, got another dog bed and had my takeaway of the month It was yummy! Also did one hour of walking and some cleaning but did visit a coffee shop 😞

speakingofart

Well, been paid at last - one good thing about my bank is that anything that's going to be credited or debited on a monday shows on saturday morning, so I've been budgeting this months income and playing around with YNAB - new budget amounts are below. Trying to stay busy (going to clean windows today) and am getting excited about finally paying off my debt on tuesday, and heading into the city centre to close the account on saturday!

Groceries: £21.43/ £150 (till 15th October)

Fuel: £0/60 (till 15th October)

Daily Exercise: 8/18
SFD 7/18
Food Bank 0/£3

apple_muncher

fmess - you got a new DOG bed, but not one for yourself??!! Lucky pooch!

soa - what are you doing up - and posting - at silly-o'clock??

mothernerd - love the candles, music and sitting/lying for an hour!


Dh has already gone to do PA/video link up stuff at church, dd is bouncing around on her bouncy hopper whilst watching Little Princess. And I'm about to do a workout under her supervision! 12 mins of 10 burpee + 10 pistol squats = jelly legs, here I come!

Hope everyone has a peaceful Sunday - we are nearly at the half-way point.

mothernerd

Okay confession time - but still not sorry or regretting anything.

I have a little bit of money to 'play' with - not so much for fun, more a bit of 'wriggle room' in an increasingly tight situation. The stairs, hall and landing are being carpeted on Thursday. They wanted a deposit (which mr and mrs builder collected from mum and took to the carpet people, saving me 2-3 hours of bus hopping). The balance is payable when the job is done on Thursday.

I phoned mum, who is financing the remaining improvements until the house is sold, and she brought the balance on Friday when we went out for the day. However she had either misheard or misunderstood me and had brought more than the required amount. I was quite pleased as I bought paint last week, most of my £21 spend at the pound emporium was 'cleaning up after renovations/ preparing for house sale' rather than normal cleaning and more things are required. Trying to strike a balance between just-in-time and making sure things are there when needed (especially as 'popping' out to get things is no longer an option - trips need planning carefully).

NOTE I did tell mum the correct amount and it the money she has paid out is written down - reading it back I realised it sounded as though I had taken her money without saying anything.

Uncertainty of if/when/ for how long DS2 might be paying me and when DS3 gets any more income isn't helping.

So yesterday nothing much was getting done and the fridge smelt like something had died in there (was turned off for one full day and part of two other days). Was reluctant to lose a SFD for buying bi-carb so wrote a list of all the house bits needed (eg new door handle for bathroom, old one was saved but at some point I must have needed the spindle somewhere else). Decided to try to get everything from Wilkos but was tempted into a charity shop.

It was thinking about Christmas - mum usually gives me money, most of which goes into housekeeping/ debt paying but I try to pick some bits to unwrap on the day. So I have bought a J*sper Conr*n jersey wrap dress in a multitude of cherry/dk green/pale aqua and cream triangles (will have to get used to this - I don't do patterns) and a brightgreen/ turquoise batwing, boat neck jumper (synthetic but 10% mohair). £8.99 for the dress and £5.99 for the jumper. Also bought 2 l'occit*ine soaps (for me) and an 'age-defying cream' (mum) for 99p each - not the same one but similar to the one that was £16 a throw when mum was requesting it. Plus a jug (plain white, good classic shape) and a tiny mint sauce jug and saucer (unmarked but will go with my cabbage leaf plates). So £22.93 in total.

I am in the clothes challenge but had only bought 2 pairs of socks and three dress patterns so far this year. Yesterday's clothes spends mean I have used nearly 1/4 of my budget of £100 for the year (losing weight bonus is that all my 'good' bras - bought when I last lost weight, about 5 years ago - are starting to fit).

So on to W's where I got nearly everything on my list (need a can of neutral paint but too heavy so will get that on Tuesday when I house sit, whilst mr and mrs builder look at the boiler). Which came to £48.57 out of the 'carpet' fund (put it on card and will pay cash into bank - keeping everything afloat until boys work out what they are doing). This also included 2 antiperspirants (in chosen range) for mum (she had run out recently and asked me to get some so this should take her into next year) and large aftershave for her partner (both on offer so saved £3.61) so Christmas shopping nearly complete.

Think I will pick up a catalogue and make DS3 IOU cards with pictures of a microwave, toaster, basic dinner service etc and then he and his gf can pick their own when they are ready to move in together and house is sold (maybe next year:j:j:j - then buy a caravan and don't tell them where I have gone). Read somewhere that it costs an average of £8,000 for a couple to equip a new home - I supplied most of what DS2 needed by giving/ lending a couple of pans (had bought him a frying pan as a Christmas gift) etc plus things he had when he went to university. DS1 had pick of the furniture - he had so much stuff a lot of the wardrobes, little drawers and cube shelves ended up in his room and then he 'assumed' ownership of them. Poor DS3 is always trailing behind - he should have something nice.

Well fridges to scrub, skirtings to paint - better go do something.

speakingofart

Spend free day today, need to knock out a few more this week and avoid the junk at work - been very naughty this week! Applemuncher, chronic insomniac I'm afraid - gets worse when I'm stressed! Hoping for better things tonight as I'm trying to avoid napping, which just sets off a whole cycle.

Groceries: £21.43/ £150 (till 15th October)

Fuel: £0/60 (till 15th October)

Daily Exercise: 8/18
SFD 8/18
Food Bank 0/£3