From debt to freedom...

Kitten868

Just to say i said navy as it's what my husband does. They do relief work for disasters and have to be practical in all kinds of ways to help people. Another option being the RAF. Always worth a look and plenty of people to ask about it to see what he thinks.

Honeysucklelou2

It was payday yesterday so I spent a couple of hours checking and rechecking the budget for the coming weeks. Diesel has gone up in price , the current price locally is 137.9p a litre. I drive at least 30 miles a day and have been allowing £60 a week for diesel costs. I think I need to allow for £70 and any left over can go into a car maintenance pot.

Council tax was paid yesterday as was the quarterly water bill. The rest of the main bills should leave my bank account today by direct debit. I did make one slightly bizarre purchase yesterday. I bought a push mower. Last summer, being the first that the ex and I had separated, the grass had been cut by DS1. The mower we had used was one the ex uses for his business So DS1 was able to use it on a day when the ex saw the children. I don't want to be dependant on that arrangement this year and I prefer to keep the grass at a length that is best for the toddler to be able to play. So I've researched the options, including checking Freecycle and ordered an old fashioned push mower. I won't have the worry of having to keep petrol here to put into it, nor struggle to pull a cord to start an engine. Trailing wires won't be an issue either. The only cost to run will be grease in the Autumn. It'll be an exercise work out and a mower in one :rotfl:. I'm looking forward to getting the grass cut later! The other advantage is that I will be able to cut the grass areas at the allotment too.

I have also put aside £80 in an entertainment budget. In June there is a county show that the children and I enjoy going to. It's one of those days in the year that costs quite a lot to get into but it's worth it for what we get to see. Given that we don't go on holiday, it's a day out I'd like to keep:).

Cherryfudge

Honeysucklelou2 wrote: »

DD1 ...buying me a present of a chiminea. We had great fun putting it together and for the last 2 nights we've sat around the chiminea and toasted marshmallows. I do enjoy having a cup of tea in the garden at dusk but this allows us to sit for a little longer and not get cold. DD1 also found these logs to go in the chiminea, that are £1 a go and burn for ages. A really unusual and thoughtful gift!

What a super present! Hopefully one to enjoy with the DCs for many years to come, and possibly one of those things they will start inviting their friends to share - a MS activity.

Honeysucklelou2

Another bonus is that it gets the teenagers away from their screens and actually talking to each other - wonderful!!

Honeysucklelou2

The mower arrived and we've had a go at cutting the grass. It did make me chuckle as the children were queuing up to have a go and declaring it to be great fun:rotfl:. Hope they still think that next week!

Today was a NSD, hopefully the first of many in June.

Honeysucklelou2

We spent today on a beach a little further afield, but with friends. It was a beautiful day and a nice way to spend the last few hours of half term. Unfortunately it was not a NSD as the parking cost £4.20 for 2-3 hours. DD2 joined us later so a grand total of £8.40:eek:

Last Friday we visited a small beach that had a National Trust car park nearby which meant that we could park for free all day as we have a family membership, I think we will go back there over the summer holidays!

Honeysucklelou2

Today we all had the day off, apart from DS1 who had to sit a GCSE exam. All but two of the children came with me for a day out to a county show. It cost us just over £40 to get in but worth it as we were there for about 9 hours. I had put £80 into the entertainment budget and allowed it for today. I did treat DD1 to some unusual peanut butters and we all had a brownie from a bakery stand. The only other stand we visited was a clothing one that does beautiful yet robust children's clothing. The bargain end of line bin yielded a zipped fleece jacket that will be ideal for DD4 for summer evenings and as a jacket for the Autumn...total cost £10. Other than the bit of shopping we looked at the huge variety of animals there and some horse shows before coming home. One stand that I visited was the Woodland Trust. I had no idea that they have woodlands around the country, of which 2% are ancient. These woodlands are available to visit but are without the cycle paths/cafe/play area type recreational woodlands that are often well known. It has given me a few ideas for the summer holidays...!

This last week has been very busy at work and home. On Tuesday DD2 decided that she wanted to run the Race for Life, at the opposite end of the county. She did well and I'm glad we were able to go to cheer her on.

Next week looks to be as busy as DS1 finishes his exams on Friday and we get used to the routine of DD1's working hours.

Cherryfudge

Honeysucklelou2 wrote: »

One stand that I visited was the Woodland Trust. I had no idea that they have woodlands around the country, of which 2% are ancient. These woodlands are available to visit but are without the cycle paths/cafe/play area type recreational woodlands that are often well known. It has given me a few ideas for the summer holidays...!

What a good idea! Mobile older children and adults should be able to cope with that sort of terrain. There are small wooded areas near us which are lovely to walk through but I might look at the The Woodland Trust for more ideas.

Honeysucklelou2

I spent a fair amount of time on completing tasks for work, this morning. I had 4 children at home with me and 3 of them wanted to go back to the county show for a second day. It was tempting, especially given that after a certain time, entry is half price. I really struggled with wanting to take them, as they had been so good whilst I was working and not wanting to go as the extra money would mess up the budget. In the end I caved in and we had started to drive there when the heavens opened and the rain was so heavy it caused rivulets to flow down the roads. At that point I exxplained there was no point spending money to go and dodge the rain with hundreds of people. Fortunately the offer of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows ( both of which we had at home) was enough to make any disappointment melt away! At least the money saved could then go on eking out the food budget.

Honeysucklelou2

Had a little exercise workout mowing the lawn this morning. I'm so pleased with this little mower. A weekly cut will keep it all neat and manageable. The younger children were still keen to help me!

Lots of work to plough through this afternoon and hoping to get as much laundry done as possible. DD1 has had to work today so clock watching a little to remember to pick her up. Her weekday hours are much better as they tie in with our existing school and work route and times.

Kedgeree for tea so not too much to prep for. The budget for the rest of the month is quite tight as I start paying DD2's car insurance this week. It's a monthly payment of £106. Shame it's not £106 going off a debt but I know she needs to be able to drive in order to get to work.