Blatant Lies -hmm a solicitor who sends expensive letters without getting paid.....

Thanks for the comments  peeps. After a vary threatening blatant lie I have called it quits. 
In an email I was threatened with a ficticious solicitors letter sent without the request of a paying client all the way to south east asia..

 The most annoying thing,  apart from being so blind to basic maths and accusing me of squandering a massive sum of money!!! (a few k I could undertand but 40k is hysterical)is the blatant lie that Mums solicitor had been in touch by letter reminding  her that he was legally able to audit any accounts for missapropriated funds.

 Of course I have not seen this letter but even I know that a solicitor wouldn't do this unless someone was paying them.  She thinks I am an idiot.

The lie and the solicitor''threat'' have been the last straw. I am actually waiting for the solicitor to call me back re this correspondence.have gone through books and am unable to account for approx 9k.  I will be more thorough over the weekend and it will turn up.  Hmmm Who pays the solicitor to send an expensive letter to south east Asia.......  Blatant lies.  More likely that the old fella was retiring and house deeds, wills etc were transferred to another law firm that's if there was any communication at all.....  If I am wrong then I have a very conscientious solicitor who works for free..............  I cannot believe it still. Lies lies lies and I am supposed to be stupid enough to believe it and be scared by it - The point of a lie is to get someone to believe it -yes???

And then was told I was acting guiltily by not accounting for 40k!!!!!!!!!!! 

I worked out  a few sums - laid out opening balances, income and outcome over 4 tax years - roughly/approx and easily accounted for 40k+ - how it got there and how it was spent.... 1000 per month in care fees South East Asia style x 50 months = 50k!!!!! 



I am sickened and completely finished. And it was blatantly a lie that it was all for my own good and satisfying legal responsibilities - it was more about clutching at straws and hoping for an inheritance.

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

Hmm What is new in my house???

Trying to think of the things bought from new or at full price new!

• Mattress for the bed
• A bookcase I have had for 6 years - ex stressed that I buy new in his house! Its the only thing I contributed and took that with me when I left!!
• Weeny Girl bed frame! - I didn't actually buy it so does it count???
• Computer desk cheap cheap from Argos -£12
• Futon - I needed a sofa type thing for the downstairs of the one bedroom house I moved into! About £112
• TV - not purchased by me either!!
• Towels - ASDA and doing fine
• Kettle - Sainsburys basics - about 3.98 3 years ago - doing well as is the cheapo microwave for £25 and toaster for 3.98 as well
• Dinner set - cheapest from Argos - now missing a few pieces!!
• Curtain poles - needed to get curtains up and couldn't wait for freecycle!

Am not including baby stuff/toys  some of which had to be bought new - car seat, specific lightweight buggy for going abroad, cot, crib and mattress - that's it.


Aha - I lie - black out curtains for weeny girls room and also mini table and chairs for weeny girl to sit on - IKEA-  great for crafting, eating dinner, when little friends visit!

All else preloved!!!! donated from friends, freecycled, ebayed - not much is ebayed!!! I love it and have been very lucky - my sofa and chairs are excellent quality, bed though now knackered had done well! I could go on. My only new purchases  - hang on - forgot - washing machine!!! were necessitated by moving out of house with a small baby to a new house pronto. No time and not as easy  to search for  bargains when you have a small small one to look after and go to work full time and do it all on your own!!! I still have these very bland things now. I had no motivation then to seek out bargains with the priority being get settled and juggle work and baby stuff.

I think my suite and kitchen table etc are all great finds!! What are yours??? Have you indulged in anything brand new???


All of my kitchen gadgets - toastie maker, food processor, liquidiser, deep fat fryer are free cycled!!!
Just need a George Forman to complete the set!!!

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!

Earth hour and other stories!

Well we have  cleaned out and re organised the shed, a couple of  drawers and a cupboard in the kitchen and planted anything salvageable from the tubs to the garden in prep for the planting of seeds! Carrots, cauliflower, kale,  I like my garden, pottering, planting, barbecuing - its nothing to shout about but considering it was a postage stamp of mud it has plants and flowers and shrubs and grass and bushes and hanging basket things. I am not a patient gardener more of a chuck it in and hope for the best type.  In the name of frugaldom I am removing the flowers form the planters/bucket type things and replacing them with food!! I would plant in the ground but I have a cat turd problem so would prefer the edible stuff to be a bit removed.  The weather changed before we could get any  finger painting accomplished so we retreated inside and made dens till Biggles called in for Thai green chicken curry which we stuffed our faces on - all of us! Roo is fond of spice not too hot but flavoursome! Got prepared for Earth Hour - tea lights, story time and she fell asleep.  Yes it was a bit late but I thought it would be fun with the candles and stuff.Still a fair few lights on around - I checked the street - which is a shame - Am sure the awareness raising will grow albeit slowly!!! Its only an hour - read, sing, dance, bath by candlelight - bake ,  Its only candlelight and think about how you can save energy good for you pocket and as a bonus good for the earth! Lots of other things you can do by candlelight some say it could even be romantic! No luck as Biggles was off home as is on early's tomorrow
( double early's given the hour we loose for the clocks.)

Pork Sundays dinner tomorrow with white sauce and the usual trimmings. I am tempted to go booting tomorrow but I cannot justify it in petrol or spends or needs... just wants. Hmph - maybe the cupboard under the stairs may get a good going over after the joys of house work, hoovering, brushing, dusting and washing the floor not to mention horrid horrid evil ironing!!!!


Making dens! I am not precious with furniture!

Todays fun..........

Was unable to make the phone calls due to that other thing called work getting in the way. OK  day however- have cleared the family loan with the relevant people so good good!!! Putting the super frugal plan into action asap after Easter. Easter will be an expense. I am going to the old country  (Scotland) to  collect my dear ole Mum from the airport avec big sister and take her to her new home - care home- she has advancing dementia/Alzheimer's. I will then spend a few days making sure she is settled. I have chosen Ayr as I really do not know how long I am going to be here and I would not want to move her again. She is from Ayr and other relatives will be able to visit her. I am just not sure how often I will be able to visit. Train may be cheaper mid week - leave on Monday night after work or Tuesday morning and come back Wednesday - will have to investigate . Weeny girl Roo will be joining me. These things always cost extra money - coffee, food stops  etc etc but cannot be avoided.  Not part of the financial plan and def not one the folks from CAP had budgetted for. Am looking forward to seeing mum interact with Roo - last time she responded very well to her and was smiley and happy. It will break my heart having to leave her so far away with strangers and not her familiar carers and in a new routine but its got to be done.

The  rest of today....... no charity window shopping just a quick trip to Morrison's for essentials!!

Look at my food booty!!! For only £10!! approx  Essential lasagna sheets  x4 - 23p each,  fruit and veg essentials - onions, carrots, broccoli, apples, pears, apple juice, 56p,  milk , yoghurts 44p, butter for baking, 55p, lower fat spread on special offer 62p!! Yorkshires - as I am pants at making them, I think they were a pound and last for three meals for 2.3 of us!! Bargain of the day -five jars of curry sauce 9p yes that's a whole 9p each!!!  45p Enough for five curry meals for two and a bit if needed or one and some for the freezer. We tried some this evening with some chunky homemade in their skins  oven chips and naan -Its  much like 70's school curry but spicier with a few raisins - fry up some chook and onions and its not half bad. (Curry powder would only last for 5/6 meals and cost more. Think it was about 80p  last time - Makway mild curry powder - bright yellow stuff) This way I also get jars for jam making!!! Large ones!!!

I will have to call in at Lidl next week for bread flour ( its only 69p)  light mayonaise and Salad stuffs but that's about it really. Apart from fresh produce should be an easy one on the budget for a while.  I always figure that if I want a proper Balti I will go out to a restaurant or takeaway - last one was new years eve with Biggles ( My birthday) and it was great, oh and a takeaway with Mother Biggles!!!! Who was  a big Goa fan  for many years but has now moved on to Kenya!

I don't have my camera software yet I uploaded photos to fb from my mobile then downloaded them to the lap top and uploaded to blogger from there!!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't really do anything for comic relief - Weeny girl had to do something funny for nursery. We went for the Mr Tumble look - Those with kids and a TV will know Mr Tumble!!! Here she is in her glory: We had lots of random sticky out plaits which she is sleeping in so she gets frizzy hair tomorrow!She was very impressed with her look and couln't wait to show off!!

I also had some pics on my phone of childrens clothes finds which I will add too!!!

 99p Marks and Spencers floaty blue dress!!!
Has bed head hair in this pic - but she wanted to put it on!!! Good sign she likes it!!

 For age 4-5 - nothing over £2 mostly below as I recall - love the flowers and the colour of the cardighan!
A sweatshirt is missing from the haul!

I just like this one - looking out to sea!!! Can't wait for summer!

This year I have a promise that Biggles will spend it with me regardless of the military type things in Libya. Last year he was away  in the land of red dust  and long haired dogs doing war things. I made him promise over his curry that no more this year and no volunteering till ...well October when he is due to be posted anyway!!! He would volunteer for it  eagerly despite doing his over seas bit last year so no expectation on him to do so. Promised me no volunteering!!!!  Like he says its what he signed up for and its his job and he does it well......just give me summer then go answer your call xx

The charity shop price book!!!! and Nasty Northumberland County Council

I thought it existed!!!  It does - I have it on good authority from a client who does voluntary work in Oxfam!!

They have a guide price book!!!  It is up to the shops discretion however as to what to actually price items but they use the book as a guide!!! How I would love to get hold of a copy of that book!!!!  For eg I was told of a Versace dress ( never went to look as its not my thing Versace - anyway prob from Turkey) in the window at a reduced price ( thanks to the managers discretion )of £25. Should have been £39.99 but Manager felt that no one in Blyth was going to pay that price for a dress!!!!! 

Also saw some fabulous items in Charity Shops today - gorgeous pink glass art decco dressing table set complete with  candle stick, ring holder, glass tray and numerous square type pots with lids. ( £20).......... My mum had a clear glass set with perfume bottle that puffed - Don't know what happened to it - such a shame.............. Great jewelery - the  bue flower brooch is still there but I cannot justify shopping I am just looking!!!! Boooooooo   (OK I caved -I bought an umberella - its oldish with a shaped clear plastic handle, brown colour with little twee leafy flower patterns on it - loved it for £1.25 and I need a brolly!!!! a ni ce one not a boring black one) Some fab homeware type things available as well .............pity. My plans for a welsh dresser for bits and pieces was shelved last year.......  Portmerion cups and saucers..... sigh, bigger sigh... and  lots of lovely treasures  - coloured glass things - One gorgeous blue one.Clothes were sparse, shoes rubbish.


Scandal!!! Happened upon this  story on in the local Gazette - The local council is now selling the contents of the textile recycling bins!!! Donors who believed they were giving to charity via the council are being ripped off. The council are now selling the clothes to a recycling company and keeping the profits!!! Enviroclothes do this for the inidivdual - I have made a few quid this way. Depending on what I want to get rid of sometimes its the charity shop other times not and given that most of mine come from a charity shop sometimes enviroclothes is the better option lol Seemingly the council have been doing this for a while. Naughty - people should be able to make the choice regarding whos pockets they want to line - greedy council who pay for ridiculous consultants, and chief exec on 175k per year!!!! or a charity!

Disgusting verging on fraudulent!!!! Ok if the charity shop has stock they cannot sell then yes sell it to a recycling company in the name of charity not fat council big wigs!!!!!!!!!!!!

Working on alternative debt plan - there must be another alternative considering I have money in the bank - not a great deal but..... I need a tide over till this house sells/I get a better job. One must happen at some point.... shouldn't it????   Few things I was not happy with with the CAP budget and that they immediately felt I should move to poor mans bankruptcy while owning a house.  I am sure I will not be eligible!!! I shall ring them tomorrow and take them to task - ok ask a few assertive questions!

Joys !!!

Off to play with the jumping child - jumping and hopping are the preferred mode of travel at present!!!!

XXXEeek

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!!!

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

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!!!

Blog One!!!

Ho hum - first blog entry. I shall bring you up to speed! Read the about me bit!

OK you are nearly there. I am a single mum to  the gorgeous girl the light of my life still a bit weeny and not at full time school yet. I work used to work full time till I was made redundant by the new condemning government and a bunch of toady management who crapped on front line workers to save their own and their other management friends skins - but this happens. We all know it does- they just didn't have to be so shitty and down right rude about it!

I now work part time and commute silly distances for the joy of work on a much lower salary than previously to do a job I find to be lacking in integrity. As a public sector type person in a helping type field I do not earn nice amounts.This I accept- it is my choice however I was getting by and doing quite well till Dave and his buddies decided to go for the slash and burn budget cuts impacting on the little chap IE me.   Prior to this I had what I thought was a reasonably steady job - certainly I was appreciated by some lovely clients and agencies I worked in partnership with ( shpiel  -I know but I need to remain anonymous). I  bought a house invested the life savings on the deposit  and was chipping away nicely at  the debt one had accrued and was saving a tidy amount for a new car. The end was in sight! Financial freedom was within my grasp only 24 months left and the financial plan was coming together!!!! Then big slap in the mush from the government bye bye salary and the icing on the cake snotty up their own arses management dipping me in vinegar after the paper cuts that constitute redundancy - C'nuts that they are and bollocks!

Thought I would document  via this blog either my descent into insolvency or my phoenix like ascent from the ashes or may be it will be both! ha ha hark at me with the flowery language. Its complicated by being a single parent and living in the country and having no family support close at hand. I am an exiled southerner. My life is also full of smiles and cheeky grins, and cuddles so I am rich really!


I was living within my means and paying my debt, eeking it out  like you do when you discover a meagre last dollop of butter in the tub after you have made you morning toast! I was doing ok. Now I have bugger all and its necessity to be frugal in order to feed and clothe the gorgeous one and myself and keep the big bad form the door. The barricades are getting a little thin and I can hear the snarls!

I am not a hippy. I do not smell of patchouli oil. I wash. I wash my clothes and make sure they do not smell of foost! I do not have greasy hair.... often.  I despise consumerism. I do not and never have leched after silly shoes, leather sofas, cream carpets or other such must have home decor or gadgets the stuff credit card bills are made of. I am unimpressed by large wads of cash ( good for you if you have it but it doesn't mean you are a better or more worthy person), designer labels, tony and guy haircuts, beaverbrooks jewelery, - you name it I really don't care about it! I yawn loudly  when the scs or dfs advert comes on the tv.
I am a functional person with green leanings. I recycle, I free cycle. I attempt to tread as lightly as I can upon this old planet of ours. I do not participate needlessly in the economy - I try to buy non vat items - privately sold cars, essential food  and make my own goodies, second hand, preloved!  I am unimpressed by expensive cars, flash suits or clothes and as such it has never been a hardship  for me not to have them. I am stubbornly independant-
What do I value - food and freedom, fresh air, the moment, experience, peace and tranquility, a good book and a cup of tea. My daughter telling me I am her best friend. Security and a good nights kip.

So here goes I shall document my sadly enforced frugality. ( I felt  so much more smug  and  virtuous when it was a choice ).