The Ultimate Incentive muddles along

Dinah93

I have a flat bed press as coasters are something we make for a lot of museums and promo events - no one will be chuffed to get more as we have so many rejects kicking about from orders

OMG EE are making it hard to cancel. I have next to no voice and need to do the school run in 25 minutes and I can see me still (very quietly) saying 'no I just want to cancel!)

As you can tell Ben napped today, which means I got a lot achieved. Or feel like I have anyway. Had to take cold and flu tablets for the caffine hit to stay awake and the pheny-whatever-that-sounds-like-a-pureed-telebtubee to clear the sinuses so I could lean forward and pick up paperwork without my sinuses exploding.

FacelessNumber

Sounds like you're getting the big wins sorted which is great to see! Once you get your SOA balanced then you can start focusing on the smaller stuff and really see the numbers come down! Do you have a smart meter? I believe they're free and will help you to reduce energy costs even further


Good luck

Dinah93

Energy already on cheapest supplier - energy club still had my old details. On the one hand, yey, not overpaying, on the other booo... wanted it cheaper!

Dinah93

Hmmm. Job has just come up in a very nearby town (10 minutes drive) in my old field. £31,288 salary. Full time. Take home after student loan £1808.32 a month. However we currently get £799 a month in tax credits (part of this is nursery fees). We would lose this if I got the job as well as my swanky £62.10 a week in carers allowance, and Ben's nursery fees would go up to £1192 (£858 effective increase in costs after tax credits) a month and £75 a month for Grace's after school club. So I make that £2001.10 a month we'd be down by if I got the job, aka it would cost me £193.10 a month (before travel costs) to go to work on a job earning £4788 a year MORE than the average national wage. What kind of madness is this?! The madness that made me set up as self employed around the kids at least until they are in school full time. And the obvious problem that I was made redundant on the grounds of reliability around needing so much time off for Grace's health, which has improved but still need appointments at least fortnightly, so I'm probably going to be back in the same position of !!!!ing off a new boss.

I always said I didn't want to work full time before they were in school because our personal feeling is would sacrifice the house before we had a small child in full time childcare (7am-5pm type days), but with our situation as it is I saw this and was giving it serious thought ... until I ran the maths. I admit I had fun geeking out on those numbers though.

wendz86

So good to see you so focused and great that you managed to make a debt payment today.

It's madness the whole work and childcare thing. I get some tax credits towards childcare but if I get a payrise those would just decrease so I wouldn't be any better off.

I have messaged you about the amazon cashback thing.

archersluck

Amazing work Dinah! You sound so focused. That's nuts about the tax credit thing, where is the incentive for people to improve their wage. Hope you're feeling better soon x

Tete_en_l'Air

Wow I've only been AWOL for a couple of days and I've missed so much! Well done on getting everything straight in your head and making so many savings already!

I think I'm too late to suggest this but on the subject of free things to do - making dens, etc - my mam sometimes used to get a yellow sheet and a blue sheet (back in the 80s when colourful bedding was in vogue I suppose) and make a 'beach' and decorate it with shells from my collection and I'd play quite happily all day in my cossie, just using my imagination.

Also, I think you've already done away with the 'international calls' part of your package, but surely everyone uses skype and facetime for that now anyway?

Will PM you now about the Amazon referral

It is PEEING DOWN out there. I'm painting the kitchen today (it's taken me three days to paint the ceiling and I was losing the will to live!)

Dinah93

Kieran's grandparents don't have a computer, so while he uses whatsapp to call his mum, his dad actually prefers to call him back rather than use an app, but grandparents we will need to use a pre-dialer.

It's MISERABLE isn't it! Grace is at Forest School today, don't envy her. Also it's due to hail today. At least it was nice last night for fireworks.

NIMs car repairs are £200+, we do just about have that right now, and thankfully he has some work expenses coming at the end of the week that are closer to £300.

I'm fine with a playing at home day, NIM tends to get more and more stressed the longer he tries to keep them at home, as they do get quite messy and destructive, so outside the house for a bit of the day gives structure and helps him. He managed yesterday though, which was reassuring for both of us since I'll be away training for a week in December and we're both quite anxious about how both of us will cope being here/away.

Tidying up first of all, if it builds up it becomes far too big a job, then at some point today I need to plan my lesson for tomorrow (assuming I get some people coming), put a shout out on facebook to remind people about the class, reply to the email regarding hiring the studio for fridays from January, do some baking for tomorrows class, homework with Grace, send cake pictures to lady doing bens christening cake, reply to a couple of yoga emails, email my ebay lady just to check in ... would like to get some matched betting in there too but don't think Ben will nap today as he got up later.

Dinah93

Forgot yesterday, annual no kids mum and daughter day out yesterday. Lots of fun, love spending time with mum, treated to a new top and dress, spent £21 of my own money - £17 of which was in poundland getting top ups for the kids craft cupboard and stocking fillers. The other £4 was on a brio wooden train of Gordon, which Ben has wanted for ages and I've refused to spend £10+ on... so now it's a Christmas present. That £17 in £land is annoying me though, it's a lot of money. Should mean stockings are finished though except for an orange and a selection box each.

Dinah93

£4.57 spend by NIM at tesco, milk and yoghurts for the kids, his very expensive lactofree milk and coke, which I've given up on cost grounds but NIM can't quite seem to quit yet.