The thriftyish way to debt freedom

Baileys_Babe

f0xh0les said:

There are plenty of people who would love your trailer, and tent - all those people without kids or without kids of school age yet, who want to get away right now.  If you can't use it, don't have a tow bar, or a car to borrow with a tow bar, then get shot of it. Right now while people think there is going to be an Indian Summer in October.  People have been cooped up for so long, I think it may well be very popular.  Just my tuppence worth, please feel free to file it in the bin.     DH's back does not sound like it is going to start behaving! 

Congratulations on the sub £2K debt.  Just keep on doing what you are doing and you will get there.  But make sure you put some money in your 'car blowing up fund'.  Every girl should have one.

Plus all those like myself who home educate and choose to go away in term time.

Mrs_Money_Penny

We sold our tent last week so people are still looking to buy x

MagicCat

Hooray for finding the keys! And great work on the loan!
I'm not much help on the holiday calculations, we haven't actually been away since 2016 despite being able to go out of term time, not sure if we'll ever make it now DS is at school, it just seems to cost so much.  I suppose if you're not using the tent though it is best to get rid of it - maybe start a holiday/camper fund to work on once you've got rid of the loan?

Bluegreen143

@MagicCat we are the same! Never been on a “family holiday”. I did go to Berlin with my sister and 22mo Monkey. Her boyfriend couldn’t go because of work so she offered to pay to change the name on the flight as the accommodation was already paid for (and Monkey being under 2 was free to fly). And we’ve been away twice for two night stays in self catered accommodation in Scotland together and we went for a week with the extended family to a big house my mum hired in Aviemore last August for a big birthday she was having (50th). But no holidays for just our own family of longer than two nights or more than 50 miles away. We were meant to go to Portugal in May and then Covid happened so clearly it’s not meant to be 🙄

I agree with the others that I think your camping equipment would sell if you got it up now. All my friends without kids are desperately to get away just now.

AdventureWanted

Morning,
Have just finished reading your diary. You're doing really well. Am loving reading about the allotment and chickens. I'm hoping to have a veggie patch and keep chickens in the future. I've subscribed to cheer you on 😊. 

Re fabric softener, have you seen the Lenor unstoppable scent boosters? We put some of them in an organza bag in the DCs wardrobes and they make the clothes smell lovely. It's quite a strong smell and has lasted in the wardrobe for ages. Might be something to consider. 

Kakiste

I'm so pleased your keys turned up. Stuff like the key to your grandma's house are so important to people and we often don't realise how much they mean until we don't have them anymore. 

thriftyish

@f0xh0les I really do need a 'car blowing up fund'. I think I am still punishing the old car. I took it to be checked over because it had a noisy wheel. Guy saw me coming said it was the brakes. Long story short - I spent £500 on new brakes and it came back with the same noise. It was actually the wheel bearing. Being an awkward import was going to cost a kidney to fix. So we then part exchanged it, with a 'cheaper to run' car in February & put the extra on the credit card. I have been stubbornly throwing the 'car' budget at the debt because I am still annoyed.... Cars are awful. I am secretly hoping this one limps through till 2022, and when the debts paid off I will throw that money back into the car fund. This may yet be a mistake, I can come back and kick myself later. I have my fingers crossed for Indian October!

@Baileys_Babe & @Mrs_Money_Penny That's good to know thanks. This one is an incredibly big 8 man tent. It won't actually fit in any standard size camping pitches and it takes some extreme googling to find an appropriate campsite. It would definitely be suited to a large family - so not sure if we would be better waiting till Easter and selling then? It's a hard one because this year has been so unpredictable! I have spotted an exact replica on the 'bay and will watch to see if that sells first. The trailer needs to go, that might be tomorrows job.

@AdventureWanted Hello *waves* I will keep a lookout for the scent boosters, thanks!

@Kakiste I definitely agree,  I think I was more upset about that key than the one that could have cost me hundreds to fix!

Today.
I feel lost. Not sure why, probably the impending school start. The children have spent the last 2 nights on airbeds and mattresses in the living room, enjoying the last few days of summer before I attempt to regain control of bedtime. DH said they could stay up as long as they wanted last night. DD2 was up till past 1 am, I think I was asleep first. 

C19
We have a confirmed C19 case at DHs work, and 3 suspected cases. DH was in the same office on Wednesday. I will be slightly-on-egde for the foreseeable. Masks are now mandatory inside his workplace, and to be fair safety has been rigorous and taken seriously from the start. DH works from home 2 days a week, and is hoping he can extend that further, and just visit site when needed. 

The chooks
The chicks look a lot more like chickens than chicks. They have just been moved to the coop, and are spending their first night there. We still can't tell if they are girls or boys, apparently, at 6 months they either crow or lay an egg. That will be interesting. We rescue 4 more girls next weekend. These ones are definitely girls but are ex-battery hens and usually come in a bad way with little to no feathers. I am a little worried that the children will be upset to see them, but it will be brilliant to give them a new home and see them return to health with a bit of space, time and love.

Allotment
Due to last weekends hide and seek with the keys, not much was achieved. This morning I dug up another row of potatoes, and about half have holes, I suspect wireworm or slugs. I stored the hole-free egg-sized ones as seed potatoes for next year, the ones with holes into my 'to use up'  tub, and the ones without are drying, and will be stored in paper sacks in the shed. I have also been saving lots of seed from the flowers for next year. 

My supply of courgettes has slowed down drastically with the dip in weather, and I have around 4 more small ones to pick, that might be the last of them until next season.

Again I have generous neighbours. The chap opposite gave me more victoria plums, another guy I pass gave me a cucumber and some tomatoes, and a lady from our local eco-friendly team, gave me a bag of damsons and solved my jam jar shortage - what a superstar! Two other different people offered cabbages but I have 4/5 huge green ones and about 20 red cabbages. We are only eating one cabbage a week.  The allotment community is awesome, I am already thinking of ways to repay them.

I have made plum vodka, but my prunes are not yet drunk. I have frozen the delicious victoria plums for puddings and I have the large bag of damsons left to decide what to do with. I think I will make some Jam, and I am tempted by more vodka and some damson cheese. 

Haircare
I played hairdresser and cut all the girls hair. DS asked to go to a barber, so I took him into town early to avoid everyone. His hairdresser didn't wear a mask. I thought that was compulsory? I still have to cut both my hair and DHs. 

Uniform
I had a last-minute uniform panic. I realised that neither DD2 or 3 have school socks, and it's still a bit warm for tights. I panic bought more polo shirts so they all can wear a new polo each day of the week. I convinced myself it was COVID-friendly, not sure if it will make much difference, but it's probably best to be safe. I cannot hold onto money this month, its like water through a sieve, to be safe I am avoiding the shops. Just not the internet.

Food
Dinners over the last few days have been a spag bol and a chilli using up freezer peppers, courgettes and y/s mushrooms. Today we had y/s fishcakes with ninja chips from allotment potatoes and homegrown sweetcorn. Tomorrow is a y/s Sunday roast with allotment veg. I baked lemon drizzle cake with y/s lemons and a chocolate flapjack. The lemon drizzle cake was abandoned until all the flapjack had vanished, I have never seen an abandoned lemon drizzle cake before. I am told the flapjack was the best flapjack ever.

I still feel lost. Like I need to do something but don't know what. Almost upset and almost frustrated, but more sad and confused. I thought writing this would help. I think I am going to distract myself with rubbish tv and lemon drizzle cake.

f0xh0les

Breathe Thrifty, breathe.  I was the same last weekend, and all day Tuesday while the kids were at school, and most of Wednesday to be honest.  You need to worry about what you can control. Everything else is carefully packed away into the F- It box to be dealt with later.  My kids come home from school, walk to the washing machine, strip, wash their hands and face and go put on clean clothes or pjs.  When I have a working shower I will throw them in there as well. They are not doing after school clubs this term. No matter how many letters home they send. 

The kids are low risk. 

MagicCat

Hope you're feeling a bit better @thriftyish, it's such a strange time at the moment, it's bound to get on top of us every so often. 

My manager at work has ex-battery chickens, they've settled really well and soon started looking less straggly. Hope yours arrive ok.

f0xh0les

Ooh!  Found this on the o/s thread.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6170096/courgettes-courgettes-and-more-courgettes/p1  

and thought of you.