Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Am pondering.............
Am pondering options........ not sure the whole cap thing sits that well with me..... am pondering lots..... may have to tweak what they feel is right to what I feel is right... may be able to make a bulk payment to one of creditors to bring debt down, credit card can get transferred and transferred for 0% interest till its paid off. They are lovely but I don't think any of them have actually been in real debt..... must decide tomorrow and make investigative phone calls...
And so the descent to insolvency begins...........
More dealing with debt day today - spent the day moving direct debits to the new bank account and such then had my meeting with the folks from CAP.
Bad news - according to their budgeting which includes saving £70 per month for car type stuff, household maintenance, saving for clothes essentials for both of us etc it will take over 20 years to pay off my just under 5k debt. (I still have to hand in wage slips for council tax benefit and also get child tax credits rejigged but given new government policy I have little faith)
I have to get rid of my contract mobile £25 per month and am unable to save a poxy £10 a month for my daughter straight into her child trust fund account. I don't use the landline as they all have mobiles, my landline package only affords me free calls at weekends so I do not use the phone till then etc For £25 per month I get 300 mins. I text lots. But ok it has to go. More issues with the phone company to face.
My petrol is limited to 100 per month - This is what I aim for. I get an extra £10 for food per week and £15 for leisure per month.
Anyway the upshot is they feel I should apply for a debt reversal order - poor mans bankruptcy so I am told but I get to keep the house????? not my credit reference however. I suppose this is not too much of an issue as I have no intentions of getting any debt ever again however I will have to remortgage at some point and I do want to own a house as I have a long time to pay rent. I so hope it sells soon. I love living here but .......I am also unable to take a mortgage break if I go back to uni. I am going to drop the price on the house again by 5k. If I am lucky I will get some of my 15K deposit back. I don't even want to think about the state of my pension............ non existent.
Oh well so much for frugalism as a lifestyle choice - (Choosing it so you can reap the rewards and make progress is very different as well I know) Ha frugal sounds better than poor I suppose but lets face facts I ain't got no cash and def no spare cash or disposeable income for owt.
Cheers Dave thanks for taking my career, self respect, financial independence, credit rating. Before being made redundant on my 29k including maintenance and child benefit I could be frugal and make progress now on 16,500k its time to go backwards. I get the austere times and the cuts ( kind of maybe not as harsh), VAT rise didn't bother me - choose wisely I thought- luxuries like booze and fags, Chelsea tractor 4x4 cars, expensive hobbies designer clothes. primarni every week for the latest t shirt/item to fit in, made in sweatshops for buttons - that's your choice wants not needs unessential and as such choose wisely. Even faced redundancy - I had a plan I will sell up - be prepared to move just as Dave said to retrain/find work where ever I can.People need to move to the jobs he said!! I will out of necessity uproot my daughter from all she knows, our support network, friends and start again somewhere..... hopefully cheaper........ No sale, no interest either!
The gorgeous one is missing out too - she has stressed mummy, no swimming lessons and is desperate to begin ballet like her little friends. I am sure she will survive without them plenty other kids do but that doesn't really cut it with me. I used to make the choices being frugal, buying preloved etc so that we could do these things. I couldn't afford the petrol to get there on my budget anyway! We don't heat the water at night for a bath either - its just showers these days. Short ones. Got to get that electricity down.
Only one family have viewed the house in 7 months. If I was getting viewings I would be happier but no one is buying starter family homes. My end of the market has come to a griding halt.
Ahhhhh feck it - nowt I can do but ride the wave - all in the lap of the gods now..... nice bit of fatalism why the hell not!!!
Bad news - according to their budgeting which includes saving £70 per month for car type stuff, household maintenance, saving for clothes essentials for both of us etc it will take over 20 years to pay off my just under 5k debt. (I still have to hand in wage slips for council tax benefit and also get child tax credits rejigged but given new government policy I have little faith)
I have to get rid of my contract mobile £25 per month and am unable to save a poxy £10 a month for my daughter straight into her child trust fund account. I don't use the landline as they all have mobiles, my landline package only affords me free calls at weekends so I do not use the phone till then etc For £25 per month I get 300 mins. I text lots. But ok it has to go. More issues with the phone company to face.
My petrol is limited to 100 per month - This is what I aim for. I get an extra £10 for food per week and £15 for leisure per month.
Anyway the upshot is they feel I should apply for a debt reversal order - poor mans bankruptcy so I am told but I get to keep the house????? not my credit reference however. I suppose this is not too much of an issue as I have no intentions of getting any debt ever again however I will have to remortgage at some point and I do want to own a house as I have a long time to pay rent. I so hope it sells soon. I love living here but .......I am also unable to take a mortgage break if I go back to uni. I am going to drop the price on the house again by 5k. If I am lucky I will get some of my 15K deposit back. I don't even want to think about the state of my pension............ non existent.
Oh well so much for frugalism as a lifestyle choice - (Choosing it so you can reap the rewards and make progress is very different as well I know) Ha frugal sounds better than poor I suppose but lets face facts I ain't got no cash and def no spare cash or disposeable income for owt.
Cheers Dave thanks for taking my career, self respect, financial independence, credit rating. Before being made redundant on my 29k including maintenance and child benefit I could be frugal and make progress now on 16,500k its time to go backwards. I get the austere times and the cuts ( kind of maybe not as harsh), VAT rise didn't bother me - choose wisely I thought- luxuries like booze and fags, Chelsea tractor 4x4 cars, expensive hobbies designer clothes. primarni every week for the latest t shirt/item to fit in, made in sweatshops for buttons - that's your choice wants not needs unessential and as such choose wisely. Even faced redundancy - I had a plan I will sell up - be prepared to move just as Dave said to retrain/find work where ever I can.People need to move to the jobs he said!! I will out of necessity uproot my daughter from all she knows, our support network, friends and start again somewhere..... hopefully cheaper........ No sale, no interest either!
The gorgeous one is missing out too - she has stressed mummy, no swimming lessons and is desperate to begin ballet like her little friends. I am sure she will survive without them plenty other kids do but that doesn't really cut it with me. I used to make the choices being frugal, buying preloved etc so that we could do these things. I couldn't afford the petrol to get there on my budget anyway! We don't heat the water at night for a bath either - its just showers these days. Short ones. Got to get that electricity down.
Only one family have viewed the house in 7 months. If I was getting viewings I would be happier but no one is buying starter family homes. My end of the market has come to a griding halt.
Ahhhhh feck it - nowt I can do but ride the wave - all in the lap of the gods now..... nice bit of fatalism why the hell not!!!
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Wardrobe shuffle!
Nothing like a good wardrobe re organisation to cheer me up!! I moved alot of stuff to the recycling pile. I also have a box of things that I love but am not wearing at the moment IYKWIM - Eg really soft black leather pencil skirt, some dresses, lace top thing - one day just not right now! I change my wardrobe according to the seasons - jumpers away or jumpers out. summer tops in or summer tops out. Very satisfying! Also played stylist wiith a few items - took stock! Am now after a waistcoat - black fitted one - will know it when I see it!!! Shoes, skirts, jeans etc Also called in to the RSPCA shop. It has been maryised - re decorated and repriced - no more sale rail of cut price items and lots of items now over priced if you ask me but such is the way of things..........
Would love to find some jumble sales - proper jumble sales with lots of jumble to rumble through but never see them advertised locally. Carboot maybe at the weekend.
Collected vouchers for the residents festival - Cragside is a must not sure for other days - some attractions are doing two for one which is still in the case of Alnwick Garden adn Castle £16 plus child price! tut tut
Uni Interview has been put back which is excellent - so have more time to prepare at a more sensible pace.
Debt - opened bank account today, need to transfer direct debits tomorrow, and also carry on with the care home search for the returning mother. We are on lots of lists and are waiting.........
Checked out Iceland today - needed milk and fruit, not bad for some items.
More debt sorting tomorrow and I may even dig out my camera software if there is time!!! I have lots of treasures to show!!! lol
Would love to find some jumble sales - proper jumble sales with lots of jumble to rumble through but never see them advertised locally. Carboot maybe at the weekend.
Collected vouchers for the residents festival - Cragside is a must not sure for other days - some attractions are doing two for one which is still in the case of Alnwick Garden adn Castle £16 plus child price! tut tut
Uni Interview has been put back which is excellent - so have more time to prepare at a more sensible pace.
Debt - opened bank account today, need to transfer direct debits tomorrow, and also carry on with the care home search for the returning mother. We are on lots of lists and are waiting.........
Checked out Iceland today - needed milk and fruit, not bad for some items.
More debt sorting tomorrow and I may even dig out my camera software if there is time!!! I have lots of treasures to show!!! lol
Monday, 14 March 2011
Netto - I have no control!!!
OK I resisted any Charity Shopping and had access to areas I hardly ever venture into! However when killing time I popped into Netto ans have spent the princely sum of £10 ish on 8 pork steaks £3.50, two tins of pineapple juice ( 98p) Brown sugar 75p bumper pack crisps 1.00 and large jar 200g of Dow Egbert's coffee 3.89 I think. Was there anything else....... Ok the Coffee aint my favoured gold blend but I am open to alternatives as the cheapest 200g jar is £4.50! I would have opted for GB for £4.00 but a 61p difference..... Think not!!!
The pork steaks were reduced by 50p - Each steak should have been 50p however with the 50p off 43.7p per steak which I feel is quite acceptable! I see sweet and sour pork on the horizon this week at some point most def - sweet and sour pork or pork in oyster sauce.
Easy tea - pizza, left over salad from Friday - waste not want not - last tiddly bits in a sandwich for lunch tomorrow - keep up the veg intake for health!!!
Eyes really sore so am off to give them a rest - have enjoyed catching up on all of your blogs and drooling over your finds!!!!!!!!! Keep up the good bargain hunting work!!!!!
The pork steaks were reduced by 50p - Each steak should have been 50p however with the 50p off 43.7p per steak which I feel is quite acceptable! I see sweet and sour pork on the horizon this week at some point most def - sweet and sour pork or pork in oyster sauce.
Easy tea - pizza, left over salad from Friday - waste not want not - last tiddly bits in a sandwich for lunch tomorrow - keep up the veg intake for health!!!
Eyes really sore so am off to give them a rest - have enjoyed catching up on all of your blogs and drooling over your finds!!!!!!!!! Keep up the good bargain hunting work!!!!!
Sunday, 13 March 2011
Sunday sunday..........
I wish everyday was like Sunday, time to enjoy and just be. The weather has been bloody awful and I have much organising and such to do - so much going on at the moment thank goodness for the anti deps otherwise I would be standing in a corner facing the wall saying wibble. I am trying to deal with my debt and make arrangements, I have interviews to prepare for- work to be getting on with for the place of no integrity, and also trying to find my mother a care home in Scotland - she is returning from overseas, we have her name down for a lovely one in Ayr which I really want but need to find an interim one in the mean time as of April 22nd. So all this and parenting which is pretty important after all.
So what do I do......today .......... we made very chocolately rice crispy cakes! Using up some rice crackles cereal that Gorgeous one is no longer fond of preferring bran flakes, 30p bar of chocolate, some baking butter, syrup, sugar, cocoa powder and raisins with purple sprinkles that I have had in the cupboard! Very yummy and the process was enjoyed by all! Wee one and I had a long bath and we went for a walk and play in the park. We prepared dinner and I checked work emails. So life 95% work stuff 5%. Thats even too much for a weekend really but I still have a presentation to organise on a dull as fish subject and do some inputting on he work database at some point ( The hassle of part time work - actually work a fair wack in three days as compared and in relation to five.)
Will eat dinner, get into pyjamas and then do some proper work stuff. No problem doing the other stuff just this work crap. I do not get paid enough to work outside of work time. I gernerally when it comes to work/emp;oymnet I prefer to stay late and complete tasks if needed rather then bring my work home. When working in a school for eg I have always treated it as a 9-5 job and not taken work home or snuck off early...... mostly lol. And if i am lucky enough to get onto the PGCE I shall treat it similarly - a proper working day each day and holidays treated the same.
Sunday sunday.............. da da da da da da
So what do I do......today .......... we made very chocolately rice crispy cakes! Using up some rice crackles cereal that Gorgeous one is no longer fond of preferring bran flakes, 30p bar of chocolate, some baking butter, syrup, sugar, cocoa powder and raisins with purple sprinkles that I have had in the cupboard! Very yummy and the process was enjoyed by all! Wee one and I had a long bath and we went for a walk and play in the park. We prepared dinner and I checked work emails. So life 95% work stuff 5%. Thats even too much for a weekend really but I still have a presentation to organise on a dull as fish subject and do some inputting on he work database at some point ( The hassle of part time work - actually work a fair wack in three days as compared and in relation to five.)
Will eat dinner, get into pyjamas and then do some proper work stuff. No problem doing the other stuff just this work crap. I do not get paid enough to work outside of work time. I gernerally when it comes to work/emp;oymnet I prefer to stay late and complete tasks if needed rather then bring my work home. When working in a school for eg I have always treated it as a 9-5 job and not taken work home or snuck off early...... mostly lol. And if i am lucky enough to get onto the PGCE I shall treat it similarly - a proper working day each day and holidays treated the same.
Sunday sunday.............. da da da da da da
Saturday, 12 March 2011
Thrift by choice or not..... being grateful and thankful of the option of thrift!
Called in to source some vouchers for the residents weekend and had to have a scan around Lidl.
Fabulous bargains but unfortunately am not in a position to stock pile anymore. Sigh. This is where thrifting is falling short these day. Previously thrift was a choice. I had a slightly above average wage but have never been able to shop a the upper end of the high street and to be honest wouldn't have wanted to anyway. I could never afford expensive moisturiser, budget versions of cars new to me was fine. It is difficult and there is no financial freedom in sight for me now. I look back and am not proud that I was a smugly virtuous thrifter who said no to consumerism from the moral high ground. I have been knocked off my perch unceremoniously. Now when I look around a charity shop I see 'types' - the smug middle class greeny, the arty type and those who are there because its all they can afford. I am embarrassed to say I was once one of those smug types. I didn't appreciate the best bit that I had choice to get out of debt and chose frugality as opposed to frugal living being the the only option available to me and as such not being able to really benefit from it - ie financial freedom shall not be mine, my savings will not increase and if I stray from the frugal path its a disaster not a slip up I can correct next month and get back on track. I have at least 12 years of repayments I figure.... unless something drastically changes. Last year when thrifting by choice I never knew I had it so good!!!
Fabulous bargains but unfortunately am not in a position to stock pile anymore. Sigh. This is where thrifting is falling short these day. Previously thrift was a choice. I had a slightly above average wage but have never been able to shop a the upper end of the high street and to be honest wouldn't have wanted to anyway. I could never afford expensive moisturiser, budget versions of cars new to me was fine. It is difficult and there is no financial freedom in sight for me now. I look back and am not proud that I was a smugly virtuous thrifter who said no to consumerism from the moral high ground. I have been knocked off my perch unceremoniously. Now when I look around a charity shop I see 'types' - the smug middle class greeny, the arty type and those who are there because its all they can afford. I am embarrassed to say I was once one of those smug types. I didn't appreciate the best bit that I had choice to get out of debt and chose frugality as opposed to frugal living being the the only option available to me and as such not being able to really benefit from it - ie financial freedom shall not be mine, my savings will not increase and if I stray from the frugal path its a disaster not a slip up I can correct next month and get back on track. I have at least 12 years of repayments I figure.... unless something drastically changes. Last year when thrifting by choice I never knew I had it so good!!!
Friday, 11 March 2011
Friday yet again........ tragic
Happenings in Japan are awful. I feel for those who have lost family, friends, homes, lives, livelihoods. Puts things into perspective when you see what can be taken away in an instant and so dramatically.
On a different note I have an interview date for uni earlier than was indicated so not excellent but I will manage. Quite annoyed as they told me April and have brought it forward. I had made plans around April and arranged to visit and talk to people who could help me with the course/interview. Also means no trip to the Land of Whippets as I will need to stay at home and take advantage of the peace while gorgeous one is visiting her other family.
May be busy and unable to blog for a while as now have a list of things to do including job applications, work- horrible stuff and better more interesting interview stuff - loads of it to read. Boooo Dull as shite.
Baked spuds, salad and Tuna for 2.3 again. Fajitas tomorrow - its Saturday! And Roast on Sunday. Lunch is typically a late bigger breakfast or rather second breakfast for gorgeous one with later snacks, or beans on toast or toasties or soup. Breakfast is toast or toast or cereal or special days bacon sandwiches - normally when bacon is on special offer. Bacon sarnies mean not a lot of lunch - pass direct to supper, do not pass teatime and do not collect further food! Ok fruit is allowed! I always have a stash of fruit, yoghurt and ice cream and cheapie digestive biscuits in for the for the gorgeous one. I find cooking therapeutic and enjoyable.Not as much as bargain hunting but not bad. When I get the time I will budget each meal that I cook on a regular basis.
Enjoy the weekend !!!
Love Eeek
xxx
Rugby!!!! Biggles is bringing beer! Bless him!!!
On a different note I have an interview date for uni earlier than was indicated so not excellent but I will manage. Quite annoyed as they told me April and have brought it forward. I had made plans around April and arranged to visit and talk to people who could help me with the course/interview. Also means no trip to the Land of Whippets as I will need to stay at home and take advantage of the peace while gorgeous one is visiting her other family.
May be busy and unable to blog for a while as now have a list of things to do including job applications, work- horrible stuff and better more interesting interview stuff - loads of it to read. Boooo Dull as shite.
Baked spuds, salad and Tuna for 2.3 again. Fajitas tomorrow - its Saturday! And Roast on Sunday. Lunch is typically a late bigger breakfast or rather second breakfast for gorgeous one with later snacks, or beans on toast or toasties or soup. Breakfast is toast or toast or cereal or special days bacon sandwiches - normally when bacon is on special offer. Bacon sarnies mean not a lot of lunch - pass direct to supper, do not pass teatime and do not collect further food! Ok fruit is allowed! I always have a stash of fruit, yoghurt and ice cream and cheapie digestive biscuits in for the for the gorgeous one. I find cooking therapeutic and enjoyable.Not as much as bargain hunting but not bad. When I get the time I will budget each meal that I cook on a regular basis.
Enjoy the weekend !!!
Love Eeek
xxx
Rugby!!!! Biggles is bringing beer! Bless him!!!
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