We got messy yesterday and have planted ( in pots due to the cat poo issues) carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, kale, spinach, radishes. I hope to add tomatoes and potatoes and a few others to this if I can get my skates on and recycle the bags for life I have collected and acquire more compost. My garden is a cat toilet so everything is in bags/pots. We also popped in some sunflowers and some cheap pansy flower type things and heather. Hoping the red currant tree will be bountiful as well. I have rhubarb but its in the grown and very close to the car turd central so will give that a miss this year ( every year so far) Shame as its looks fab. I hack it to bits on a regular basis as it grows so so well.
Car had to have some work and then was serviced. I have paid the over payment from DWP. Only the loan to go and then the proper frugal plan can begin!!! Save for christmas ( not that I spend a great deal anyway), pay off credit card, save for car expenses on going, save in general and repay in small amounts the loan from la famille.
Decorating house but thats dead cheap as I only do magnolia and white. I have most of that in the house anyway. I do need some red step paint, wood stuff for the fence, outdoor white paint for wooden bits as well. Though I could just paint the white shed bits green lol might look a bit rank but it saves money.
Second last day at work today!!! New job Tuesday. Still a bit down about not doing PGCE but I kind of knew that it wouldn't be possible without selling the house and no sign of any interest let alone a potential sale. Car needs a good clean and I have some recycling to do. I feel this may be a job for Monday! Recycle bottles and trip to the car wash. I do not have a hose or outside water source that I could use to wash the car which is a real pain. Its a pain watering plants outside filling up the watering can and trailing back and forth.I do put out buckets and containers to catch rain water - not that I am on a meter but lazy and why not recycle water!!!
I love spring and am glad I have planted. I stopped composting last year thinking that I would have sold the house by now. Sods Law!!! I really should do stuff to tempt fate more often. Maybe I need to get rid of all the baby things in the house..... lol To plant a garden is to plan for tomorrow.
Showing posts with label Spring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spring. Show all posts
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
CAP = Highly recommended!
What a lovely organisation. Really understanding and very supportive. Technically I am not behind with payments at all but the savings are significantly depleted and I am not earning enough to deal with emergencies as they present and require savings. CAP ( Christians against Poverty) people were brilliant and will negotiate with my creditors (3 of them) on my behalf. I pay CAP and CAP pays them. I agree to not take out anymore debt and only deal with CAP ( this is not an issue- really its not). Am still sour about things generally - having to do this and not have choice in my life and that being debt free will take longer than I had hoped ( unless the house sells) but at least its manageable. takes the fun out of thrifting a bit - as I always went for preloved and new to me on point of principle and green leanings. Will keep you posted re the progress with CAP. Have a new bank account to open next week - they got the time mixed up today so only got bits of it complete.
Biggles paid for coffee and cake ( nice chap that he is) and Gorgeous one had an accident. I had to buy trousers from Oxfam £2 and socks and pants - not from Oxfam but M and Co which came to £9!!!!!!!!!!!!! Should have made her put up with being commando and barefoot in shoes but we had a while to go before home and she would have created big stylee!!! I will put the socks away for next year. No pants a larger size either only smaller or far too big so that was a bit of a waste too. Oh well and she is normally so very very good! And its one of the only high street kids shops in the town!!! ( Sainsbury's, a very posh shop, and a local one with outlets in the wider area - mostly school outfitters but not that much cheaper and closed half day on a Wednesdays!!) I really miss Woolworth's in cases like this! living in a small town this is a draw back not having cheap high street shops at your disposal in cases like this.
Quick tea this evening - oven chips ( they have to be used up and chicken/fish fingers/ beans etc. I may have egg as I am a fan of the family Friday classic of yesteryear! )
Saw a fabulous blue Edinay Ronay short mac style jacket on sale for £20 in Oxfam - was really tempted and got as far as trying it on - was a bit too tight so I am really really glad!!!!! After yesterdays find I am unable to justify further expenditure and it was rather lovely............ and another Paul Smith skirt that I refused to pay £15 for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gorgeous Day earlier - bit cold after 1pmish.. can't wait for warm spring days heralding summer!!!
Biggles paid for coffee and cake ( nice chap that he is) and Gorgeous one had an accident. I had to buy trousers from Oxfam £2 and socks and pants - not from Oxfam but M and Co which came to £9!!!!!!!!!!!!! Should have made her put up with being commando and barefoot in shoes but we had a while to go before home and she would have created big stylee!!! I will put the socks away for next year. No pants a larger size either only smaller or far too big so that was a bit of a waste too. Oh well and she is normally so very very good! And its one of the only high street kids shops in the town!!! ( Sainsbury's, a very posh shop, and a local one with outlets in the wider area - mostly school outfitters but not that much cheaper and closed half day on a Wednesdays!!) I really miss Woolworth's in cases like this! living in a small town this is a draw back not having cheap high street shops at your disposal in cases like this.
Quick tea this evening - oven chips ( they have to be used up and chicken/fish fingers/ beans etc. I may have egg as I am a fan of the family Friday classic of yesteryear! )
Saw a fabulous blue Edinay Ronay short mac style jacket on sale for £20 in Oxfam - was really tempted and got as far as trying it on - was a bit too tight so I am really really glad!!!!! After yesterdays find I am unable to justify further expenditure and it was rather lovely............ and another Paul Smith skirt that I refused to pay £15 for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gorgeous Day earlier - bit cold after 1pmish.. can't wait for warm spring days heralding summer!!!
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
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!
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!
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