Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally

HairyHandofDartmoor

Thank you for delurking and for the hugs Toomuchdebt.

It is hard when your children go to uni and you can't afford to visit them very often, but video chats are a blessing.

I was worried about DS3 yesterday as I hadn't heard from him all day, but he finally replied to a message at 11.32pm, so at least I could go to sleep without worrying something had happened to him .

HairyHandofDartmoor

I feel like I'm having a bad today today. The weather is dark and drizzly and I'm tired after yesterday. We are short of money too.

One client should have paid us £300 yesterday but his mum died yesterday, so we don't like to remind him . We can only afford our food shop tomorrow because DS1gets his ESA and will give us £40 plus £20 he owes us. That £60 should cover our weekly food bill anyway.

Another customer owes us £500 but always pays late. We're not owed any other money yet until work is completed, but customers are dragging their heels over giving us the information we need to complete the work .

I spent an hour and a half in the office with DH this morning helping him compose a very long To Do list and was in tears by the end of it, as I felt overwhelmed with stress and misery . So DH said he'd finish it on his own.

jwil

Sorry you are having a tough day. I hope the customers pay up soon.

Take care xxx

Dorastar

Sorry the to-do list had that effect, hope you can take a bit of time to relax today and that the money gets sorted sooner than you think.

HairyHandofDartmoor

The sun came out at lunch time which made me feel a bit better.

I forced myself to wrap up DS3's cheaper presents, write in his card and put them in a box. Then DH and I took it to the post office. It cost £6.50 to post first class recorded delivery :eek: but I want him to get it by his birthday. It's his first birthday away from home.

We got the post office to weigh the poker set and it would cost £13.14 by Parcelforce. We need to package it in cardboard, weigh it and measure it, and then I'll see if Parcel Monkey can recommend a cheaper way of delivering it.

I'm glad we've posted DS3's presents anyway, that's a weight off my mind.

HairyHandofDartmoor

jwil wrote: »

Sorry you are having a tough day. I hope the customers pay up soon.

Take care xxx

Dorastar wrote: »

Sorry the to-do list had that effect, hope you can take a bit of time to relax today and that the money gets sorted sooner than you think.

Thanks both. I always get miserable when the money runs out, but I feel worse at the moment, of course, because of my mum and DS3 being away.

[Deleted User]

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

The sun came out at lunch time which made me feel a bit better.

I forced myself to wrap up DS3's cheaper presents, write in his card and put them in a box. Then DH and I took it to the post office. It cost £6.50 to post first class recorded delivery :eek: but I want him to get it by his birthday. It's his first birthday away from home.

We got the post office to weigh the poker set and it would cost £13.14 by Parcelforce. We need to package it in cardboard, weigh it and measure it, and then I'll see if Parcel Monkey can recommend a cheaper way of delivering it.

I'm glad we've posted DS3's presents anyway, that's a weight off my mind.

I feel sure Parcel Monkey can find you a cheaper price. I've always found Parcelforce to be exceedingly expensive:(.


Sorry I haven't been back with more info on couriers:o. I see someone recommended Parcel Monkey which is a good place to start:T

An elderly friend (an ex colleague even more elderly than me:eek:) phoned me very late on Sunday night to say her husband is in hospital and had a relapse and she had no way of getting there. She lives as rurally as we do, no taxis or near neighbours, definitely no buses nearer than 3 miles away and then only a couple of times a day and not exactly to where she needed to go. Her only son lives in Canada. She is still driving but is awaiting a cataract operation and has been advised in no circumstances to drive as any accident and her insurance would be nullified and the insurers wouldn't pay out. She's very independent, they both are despite their age. and she definitely wouldn't have asked for help if she could have got there under her own steam. I know she was tempted to drive as it was very late at night and she thought there'd be little traffic about and she could risk it. I'm glad common sense prevailed.

I've told her to phone me anytime, day or night as I'm only too happy to take her to and fro. I'll be eternally grateful for her kindness to me when I was going through a bad patch several years ago. It's good to be able to partly repay it.

I hope your late payers do the decent thing and get the money to you a s a p. It's so unfair to have someone spend time and effort doing work and then not to pay them promptly:(.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Thank you Carboot. Of course you needed to help your elderly friend who needed you. She is lucky to have a friend like you and I hope her husband will be okay.

I'll definitely look at Parcel Monkey for cheaper quotes.

elizabethhull

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

One client should have paid us £300 yesterday but his mum died yesterday, so we don't like to remind him . We can only afford our food shop tomorrow because DS1gets his ESA and will give us £40 plus £20 he owes us. That £60 should cover our weekly food bill anyway.

Another customer owes us £500 but always pays late. .

Why do customers/clients assume you have a gigantic float to cover their late payments ? I don't suppose even one of them actually thinks you might be struggling with such basic needs as food.

I make to-do lists as well, but then find 6 things I haven't even thought of rush in and take precedence over all of them !!

It's the same with replacements and repairs - you think it might be nice to get a new back door as the old one lets in mice, wind and leaves (!), and before you even start looking at doors, eg the fridge breaks down. I just think you have to assume life is always like that. I told DD1, when she & hubby bought their first house, that there would ALWAYS be an unexpected something every year, some years more than one, and the sooner they got planning for these, the happier they would be.

Toomuchdebt

Another one here who has used parcel monkey. Definitely worth it over 2kg. Under that I find the post office is cheaper.