Earthgirl's Final Battle

earthgirl

Feeling quite emotional today. Refuse to see my life as a glass half empty and would rather look st the positives.

My youngest was showing me videos from our Christmas holiday which was just amazing this morning. It made me feel bad along the lines of ‘I’m sorry that I don’t earn enough to take you on fancy holidays every year’. I know it’s stupid it was just the look on his little face when he was showing me his very rough and ready videos of his holiday. Just emotions though!

My glass really is half full, and rather than focusing on the things I maybe can’t do (although I’ll not stop trying!) I’m going to focus on the things I can do. We have a lovely house near the beach that’s almost paid off, we have enough food and clothes, we have each other, and friends. In fact we have everything we need.

edinburgher

EG, the lengths you go to to make sure your children are happy and secure never cease to amaze me, don't be so hard on yourself :grouphug: <<<--- rolls out the dodgy hug smiley

earthgirl

Hi Ed!! Thanks for the hug hate it when my emotional response trumps my rational one. I’ve always believed that if you work hard enough you can achieve anything.

So a good day for income: got my first job app thing so 50p in Vouchers (it all adds up!) got a ms for Sunday but we will do it as a breakfast date. Got a few more good surveys done, and paid in cash from tutoring in November, December and January £380 in. Enquiried about online teaching this could be a good possibility of earning when the children are in bed.

£50 in groceries this week but it’s to last 10 days.

Great burns day here

themadvix

You have a great life now EG - you seem to have an excellent nose for finding free activities for the kids and, just remember, if you pay that mortgage off this year, as you intend, you'll be able to afford more of the more expensive holidays too - just at the age that they boys will really be able to appreciate them. Virtually nobody is in that position when they have children the age of your two - be very proud of what you're doing (for them and you)!

User1489

£11k - wow. That feels so achievable and tangible. At this point any extra you pay must feel like it’s really making a difference!

Keep going. We watch with antici......

MvM x

Cherryfudge

earthgirl wrote: »

In savings I have started to review my spending every week. I’ve boticed grapes are really expensive, and quinoa is expensive and can be substituted with potato’s and rice.

Seasonal and local is the way to go - but incidentally while potatoes have vitamin C, white rice has almost nothing of nutritional value (brown is a lot better with fibre and vitamins and stuff) - but quinoa is a complete protein, so you do get more for your money.

If you have a garden, plant any sprouted spuds and by the autumn you will have a load of freeby tatties. Meanwhile if you eat Weetabix I think their vouchers towards cheap fruit are going for about another 5 weeks, though they are specific to particular weeks so the longer the offer lasts, the less it's worth.

Karmacat

I've been wondering about quinoa - we're encouraged to use it as a carb, but the packet I bought as an experiment describes it as seeds .... hmmm. Thanks cherryfudge.

earthgirl

Thanks for the replies. Cherry I really don’t know enough about my food. I didn’t know quinoa was a protein, and it is therefore cost effective I have got a book out of the library about the science of food.

I do have a veg patch and I’m itching to get started again.

Rasputin yes the end is in sight. Have to admit going on holidays motivates us as a family more, and the kids respond much better to me saying ‘no we are saving for a holiday’! But still it’s good to be working towards both, and I’m determined to achieve both.

A difficult couple of days, no heating (ongoing) one child very naughty on Friday (I was fuming, he won’t do that again for a while!) a play day here yesterday was a bit of a nightmare. Boys didn’t want to go swimming, just felt too cold I think, but they had never been to Macdonald’s and they are 5 and 7, so I thought I’d take them to warm up, we used the questionnaire voucher trick and spent £5.

But I did manage to pack up a musicbird order to get the free £5 I hope, and I also reorganise kids wardrobes with lots to either Ebay or recycle for cash.

I hope that I might be able to get another side earner teaching (thank you lovely friend on here). Oh will have to take over cleaning. Also thinking of doing fog sitting here. Oh has not been able to take any salary this month so we are down on our overpayment schedule, but not out!

earthgirl

themadvix wrote: »

You have a great life now EG - you seem to have an excellent nose for finding free activities for the kids and, just remember, if you pay that mortgage off this year, as you intend, you'll be able to afford more of the more expensive holidays too - just at the age that they boys will really be able to appreciate them. Virtually nobody is in that position when they have children the age of your two - be very proud of what you're doing (for them and you)!

Thanks themadvix, yes where would we be without paying it off especially pre kids- I dread to think! Thank you x

apple_muncher

Does 'fog sitting' go in the same category as 'herding cats'?