Update and ponderings!!!

Work is fine - all good - will one day have three staff on term time contracts- Ha ha will be negotiating  a term time only contract or may be term time plus once the service is set up and working well.  Its fine so far. Benefits include local gov pension scheme, possible flexi when justifiable of course. I have a perm desk, access to a kitchen at lunch time and am miles away from the shops so no lunchtime spends ! I start at 9 finish at five - 1 hour or there abouts for lunch as and when needed. Will plan on taking less when project actually starts. I can then wrack up flexi to take during the holidays - hopefully anyway.

Was watching super scrimpers and apparently Child tax credit will only pay a max of £122.50 pw for child care - generally a decrease from 80% to 70%!!!!  My child care will be £145 pw so I need to add 22.50 per week to child care bill. That uses up child benefit and also  some of the child tax credit that I may get. If am lucky may have £10 extra to keep gorgeous one on!!!  Could be worse - might not get a thing and be stuck not even able to contemplate working! Thankful for small mercies.


I am undecided whether to focus on mortgage or pension ( once I sell the house) I am 38. I have a small child (3). I have a mortgage not due to be paid off till I am nearly 65 . Do I sell the sodding house, rent and focus on making extra pension payments??? I cannot do both on my poxy wage. It is still 7k less than my pre redundancy salary - I didn't top 30k shall we say. I am probably with maintenance making around 21k now with additional commuting costs so its very tight and I am still balancing on a high wire rather precariously. I am now hoping that the house will sell before the car goes splat. I still intend on applying for another PGCE for next year. Buy and rent maybe who knows.  Its rather depressing having your salary reduce by such an amount at 38 with out having the payoff of working less or actually needing less having paid off bills, debt etc

I get a bit jealous when I see peers moving on careerwise or getting paid more to do jobs much simpler than mine. Ie they are overpaid and work for the local authority - yes some people are over paid who work for LA's. Its phenomenal!!! Senior support assistant on 29k on a non pro rata term time contract!!!!  without any specific training  or any sort of qualification such as a foundation degree or level 3 qualification in learning support. Shocking really - am sorry they can work full time for that. An LSA does not take work home with them not enough to justify that salary! More than plenty teachers get with less responsibility.oh well suppose its special needs. hmmmmm

One down two to go!!

One day at work down!! Start new job next week on Tuesday! More than I thought but not quite 20k year. Am on 23.5k but pro rata for part time three days. I cannot wait!  Will have to do some tax credit wrangling and council tax and re calculate budget but ho hum such is life.  Lots to do tomorrow - regards the paying of bills. Tonight I have the joys of beef salad with chilli sauce ( sweet chilli dipping sauce) The weeny girl will go for tuna probably which we will recycle for lunch tomorrow. The European ironing mountain also beckons as does some planting of seeds. DO I invest in compost... probably yes. Only 2.25 a bag and I will spread it about a bit. Any tips on anti slug treatment much appreciated. I think you can use coffee grounds and remnants from a cafetierre not that I drink proper coffee.

Need to work on the budget tomorrow. Tax credits have decided that I am not entitled to the full amount for child care this month only £185 leaving a deficit of 200 to pay. Grrrrrr I will discuss my position with them tomorrow. Sneaky gov cuts!!! Will only pay a max of  70% of all child care which is pants. Basically I get nowt from any  WTC or CCT as it all goes towards child care. Am hoping that the new bill will be covered.  Up to £540 a month from next week. Eeek may have to eeek out some more!!!

The law of sod and research!

Well it had to happen - a pine headboard on freecycle - I have emailed for it just to see what happens.... I had to-  I need to test my theory regarding the law of sod. I drove an 80 mile round trip for the headboard I purchased from Ebay. I live in the sticks so I am not adverse to travelling to save money - taking overall costs into account of course. Two days later up pops the precise item I have been trying to snafffle on freecycle for ages always being beaten to the post- also beaten on the divan or bed frame post too. and in a village only a few miles down the road!!! I do need a bed and hope the new divan base comes soon - one day my frame will give out while I am sleeping or Roo is bouncing on it and we will prob go through the ceiling!!!

Have emailed other institutions regarding PGCE's for next year - School centred training. Good to find out. I really cannot afford to get into more debt before I have sold the house.  And what is wrong with 40 for a career change!!!! 40 years young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Gammon, pineapple , baked potato, peas and sweetcorn for tea - cheap gammon. I need to remember to split the pack before freezing . There are only two rounds (for a pound) in the pack and one is enough for Weeny Roo girl and I.  Oh with mayo dollop and mustard dollop- mustard kept away from pineapple which was left over from the sweet and sour pork on Tuesday. We will eat the rest at pudding tomorrow.

At work today I introduced a client to the benefits of free cycle and other frugaling sites. He mentioned that he found it hard to feed himself on benefits and we discussed food- I said what about soup but he refuses to eat vegetables preferring to go for the cheap and nasty burgers and sausages and other frozen food (despite not having a freezer hence free cycle) from Heron and Farm foods for approx 50p a pack. He even went as far as to say that for two days a fortnight he has been unable to buy food. He had best make chums with the cheap veg then!
My meal tonight if I don't count stupidly defrosting the extra gammon round was probably around  £1 - 1.20 - one largish potato, one portion of peas and sweetcorn from large cheap frozen bag of peas and of sweetcorn, one slice of pineapple ( this was by no means essential and was a left over and could be left out easily) one gammon steak at 50p and a few dollops of condiments! (you could even pinch sachets- as I used to  when on the dole may moons ago -from the condiment boxes in restaurants-  tuts at self and shakes head)

Pink Cowboy boots and an over payment but not in a good way !!!

Good news or bad news first....??? hmmm
Ok when I was signing on they over paid me by £420. Boo - I have it and can pay it. Such is life- No arguing with HMRC/ benefits agency. Just puts debt plan back a bit.

As regards money I need to contact tax credits on April 1st ( fools day and contacting HMRC.... This has to be funny) change details for job, update claim to to be judged on what I am earning this year and take account of change in wages,hours and child care. Will wait with baited breath as per the outcome!!!

Have put notice in at work and start new job in a fortnight!!! Eeek back to full time!!!! but maybe in time If I do not go to uni I can wrangle 30 hours a week or term time only with a bit extra in order to do the job properly.

On a lighter note..........

Perusing the Whitley bay charity shops supposedly only for a look I came across my stockpiling kiddies clothes bargains - not breaching the £2.00 rule and all for 4-5yr olds (- I collect a year in advance)

Shirt dresses  for £1.25 each ( x2 ) one 'ecru/stone whatever' and one a wine purple colour, a funky M&S top for 50p and a brand new never been worn purple and lighter purple style dress for 50p. The best bargain of all were Dusky pink cowboy boots - brand new never been worn perfect size 8 for £1.00.

Dresses - Primarni - I wouldn't pay full price for Primarni, Funky Top M&S, Other Dress unknown!

She loves them to bits. I wouldn't ever have considered purchasing these full price as they are incredibly impractical and a silly design and colour for children's shoes but for £1.00!!!!!!! And she so does enjoy dressing up!!!  Mummy got a ring to make up for the stress of the repayment issue.

Dusky pink suede type cowboy boots!!! My ring - just plastic  and cheap tin but I like the chunky green /black swirly bits!

  Watching Scooby Doo!

Well even the RSPCA Charity shop is catching onto the vintage thing - More miserable children seen - a set of four at £4 each!  Not likely!!!  So not just fashion but home wares too are victim to the Charity shop book. Vix I do believe you will have a veritable miserable children antique collection in a few years- highly sort after and worth much more! 

XXX

Daily Fail Middle classes!!!!! an example that leaves me cold.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1369760/From-single-mums-benefits-stately-home-owners-middle-class-now.html

Why do I ever look at the Daily Mail!!! It only server to infuriate! the first example can work - she has one child at school and there is a child care element to child tax credit which will pay 70% of her fees which will not be astronomical as her child is at school.

The others and their superficial vacuous lives leave me cold. The last woman is vacuous. I have some time for the woman married to the landed gentry  but that's it.

If I had lots of money like the examples I would still wear preloved, drive economical cars, camp, bargain hunt - I may indulge more in locally grown farmers market produce but that's about it etc Not very green people are they ( shakes head wrinkles nose  and screws up mouth at he same time as if driving past a slurry tip in the country)   Now I am not the deepest most philosophical type but I like to think I have a little more depth than a puddle on a hot day in August in Spain and I bet  no one turned off their lights for Earth Hour!

NO spend Wednesday!!! Useless CAB

Not a penny did I spend today! The Roo and I have walked to the beach and back searching for snow drops. The Roo is also the  weeny girl, the beautiful one called Roo since a baby as she was so tiny she could fit in a pouch!  Glorious spring day - fresh, sunshiney and very mild despite the frost last night.  'OOOO Lovely drops' was all I could hear as we strolled back . I am very lucky to live in the country and have lovely walks on my door step. Few shots of our local beach found on the internert. Low Stead Links part of the heritage coastline, an area of outstanding natural beauty and looked after by the National Trust.

We had homemade soup and buffet bits ( bits of fruit, some ham,) bread for the weeny girl )for lunch. bread - home made of course- all very cheap and cheerful and tasty - Spicy lentil soup Mmmmm.  I am the soup dragon! I have inherited  skills at making a decent 'pot o' or 'pan o' soup from my mater who heralded from the Scotlandshire!  Many a night we would be fed a 'plate o soup'. Food that would stick to your ribs and keep the cold out. Pretty much any veg can become soup and taste bloody good. All left over veg, veg about to go off, past its best.. I stockpile it in the freezer till I have enough and then it  becomes soup.(Not keen on gazpacho however and salad never lasts in my house)

Am feeding  Biggles the Owl lover as well this week. he is on leave from work- its about the only thing I can do in return these days apart from the odd football fridge magnet or silly football badge (All coming in under the £2.00 rule - I don't like paying over this amount for anything £3 at a push for select items) He likes the silly football stuff depicting his team as supreme to a rival so it makes him do a smile. Ah bless.  So  its tuna and cheese baked potatoes with salad this evening - salad will be used up for fajitas on Thursday or Friday. We are away at the weekend to the land of whippets and flat caps and steel. Only for the night to see Mother Biggles but this means food - great food and a good natter while Biggles watches his beloved football team.  Roo is also off to visit her other family so we get a rest from each other.

Contacted the CAB today to find out about debt management options - They were useless. Offered  me a telephone interview/chat with debt adviser ( have already done this) or a Video link interview!!!!
IE Webcam. Said I would prefer to speak to someone in person and was told this was not possible. Person on the phone was ok - didn't really know alot about benefits and how they were awarded IE Working tax Credit and I had to explain it to her. She had no direct experience of it herself.... you could tell. It is a complete pain in the backside to apply for and goes off last tax years earnings not what you currently earn. So many people who do not get Working tax credit seem to think its a cure all for everything and that the government are paying out thousands each month  to individuals to enable them to ride around in flash cars, buy flat screen TV's etc Errrrr Not in this case.

In the end I have made an appointment with CAP not to be confused with CAB. CAP Christians against Poverty area reputable charity who help you to contact your creditors etc and intervene on your behalf so that you are not bullied into paying more than you can reasonably afford. They will visit you at home  to discuss your needs and situation which is very civilised better than a web cam.

Also got the spring/summer clothes out of storage today - floral and colour are back brightening up my wardrobe once again!  I still need to work on the sweeping -I find some domestics incredibly mind numbingly dull.

I have an interview for a PGCE   (Secondary Citizenship and Social sciences)sometime in April. Would be fabulous to get a place and  achieve QTS however that will open up a financial mine field! Thought I may have sold the sodding house by now post redundancy six months ago and house on market for 7 months.
But one step at a time - have arranged to  go into a school for a week and then see if I get accepted before I start to worry  or work on alternative plans!