September savers/frugaleers continue into October

[574ejones]

All welcome!

I understand what you mean need. We used to benefit from getting income as a dividend instead of as taxable income too. Dh has a heck of a social conscience and used to give the difference to charity. That business is gone now though so we don't have to think about that any more. (We don't have a huge amount of money either, but he's just like that.)

Your husband sounds as if he works very hard indeed. Does that affect his health a lot? It must be quite a stress being responsible for a lot of other people.

It very interesting to hear how the current government's policies are affecting people. As you say, it's the really poor people I worry about. I actually dreamt about Corbyn economics last night. In the dream Corbyn had enacted his people's quantitative easing, and George Osborne was working as a window cleaner. (Eeep!)

Yay pointless glad you played some piano! It'll be lovely for DD to hear it as well.

Yes I can be 'got rid of' really, it's all above board. It very nearly happened back in 2012 but we got round it by reducing my hours permanently (I had been FT) - there's no scope for that this time though as I do the bare minimum and as my illness has got worse I can't even cope with that. They have various procedures/policies in the council I work for, and you go through stages of absence management etc. It includes looking at redeployment and stuff as well. It's just basically because my job can be quite physically demanding and therefore I can't actually fulfill my role anymore as there's many tasks that cause a lot of pain. Even on an 'easy' shift I'm very sore and worn out after.

I'm beginning to make peace with it, I really do think it will have to be this way. I've tried so damn hard for the last 3 years but it's really just made me more ill. Shame though. I enjoy the job, I almost wish I was in a job I didn't love as it would be a lot easier to leave it!

I think I need to start managing money as if we were already only on one income. That will be an overall drop of about £150 a month (as we would no longer need any childcare) which is quite a lot for us. Gulp.

Sorry to heat that fuzz. Hopefully with a bit of rest then your health might recover a bit. It's a shame to be ill a lot and so tired from work.

Fuzz I wonder if your health is impacting on your ability to work whether you may be able to claim some disability type benefits? Or working in an easier more administrative type role? Do you think home schooling is making you more tired as well? I know I need my days off when dd is at school to recharge a bit lie around watching loose women although am guessing you have probably considered all these options already!

Remembered another spend £6.99 on 'Home' dvd - currently half price in HMV, another gift for dd for Christmas. Think apart from getting her main present have otherwise got everything for dd for Christmas.

Thanks folks (and for the heads up about Home DVD - might get that for Xmas too)

I'm looking into PIP and stuff, also I'm currently filling in a housing form - we've been on band B for a few years but the housing person suggested filling in a medical needs thing. I guess I'll be on sick pay for a bit and then ESA or something although it can be quite hard to get that for my condition apparently (includes ME which is basically an 'invisible disability')

A lot of people have asked if the home ed has made it worse, it's a fair question and TBH I really worried about it as well when we were deciding. But it's honestly been the opposite, unfortunately the timing this relapse (which was a long time coming) made it look otherwise. HE is proving really easy and fun, and it's flexible around my bad days. Yesterday we did all our stuff snuggled on the sofa or on the living room floor, it was great, in between 'lessons' they just played lego or played outside for a bit while I had a rest. Compared to dragging them to school (an hour round trip, on my feet, twice a day) when they didn't want to go - literally dragging DS sometimes, and the stress it caused as well as the pain (I would often collapse in tears after the school run), the rushing around etc, it really is so much better for me as well as them which has been a pleasant surprise TBH. :)

fuzz I'm so sorry to hear thongs are looking so bleak with regards to your job, it's very evident in your posts that you adore it. Home ed sounds glorious. I often toyed with the idea of it when ds 1 was little. I'm glad i decided against it in the end, but think it's a wonderful thing to do.

lilac got my water conservation grant lodged to my account this morning, so your colleague was right! Have my boiler service booked for the morning. Glad to get that done and not be out of pocket for it. Hope you get yours soon!

Sorry fuzz, I meant I'm glad I decided against it because of ds 1 special needs, he gets help through the school that I would have to pay for or fight hard for, I didn't mean that I think home ed isn't as good! Just wanted to clarify in case my post came across rudely!

Home ed does sound lovely, I am although with my dds personality I don't think it would be as straight forward for us. She hates me trying to teach her anything and gets frustrated really quickly. Although that said she thrived over the holidays being able to play and not having any of the stress of friendship dramas to worry about. Although I also wouldn't like the responsibility - I am degree educated but there are lots of gaps in my knowledge My brother is teacher and he tells some horror stories of kids being home educated and then coming into school age 9 or 10 and not being able to write their names

Sorry off on a bit of a tangent!

I'm having a hungry day, can't seem to stop eating!!

I home educated my 3 oldest dc when they were younger for a number of years. They all went back into school well ahead of their peers and ds1 is now applying to Cambridge!! (much to the amazement of various of my family members who warned me I would damage their academic potential for life by not sending them to school!!)
am hovering over buying a skirt that is currently half price in debenhams..going to ponder on school run. I do really need some clothes....

Thanks frugal buddies

Thankfully our decision has been met mostly with positive responses but there has been a bit of snide commenting etc and a lot of incredulity that I can possibly give the DCs a decent education when I'm ill. But that's just because there's a (reasonably understandable) lack of knowledge about what Home Ed actually entails, I'm sometimes tempted to just post a diary of a typical week so people can see how it works! (I've actually set up a blog but haven't dared post yet!)

I've heard similar stories to girlfriend too but don't worry that's not happening here - in fact DS couldn't read, or speak properly, when he was halfway through yr1 - a few months after withdrawing them from school he was discharged from SLT and he's reading really well now :o

Wow a Cambridge applicant, that's fab, good luck to your DS1 bobbly :)

Pink don't worry I wasn't offended. One of the home ed families we are very close to has one child still in school because they wouldn't want to give up the support he gets there, the other DCs are happier at home but he's happier at school - different strokes and all that :)

Hi everyone iv been frantically reading these threads for the past couple of weeks,hubby is due to be made redundant in a few months and he is currently on a very good salary for our area.I decided to start cutting back on our food shop now so it won't be such a shock when he finaly loses his job.Its hard not being able to spend when your used to being able to buy things but its really intresting how much money we were wasting before,hubby is applying for different jobs but so far no luck(not even an interview)so by january we will be living in very reduced circumstances ?? But im finding loads of useful info on here,i even managed to find a voucher to get £15 off a shop at sainsburys which I wouldn't have known about if it wasn't for this credit crunch section ??

Good luck Magic. I'm partly on here because I want to get my finances in order in case dh ever wanted to cut his hours down or change to a less challenging job. We'd be living on reduced money then and I want to be ready and to really understand where all the money goes and how much of that is optional. I think it's great that you're getting on top of the details early on. Keep up the good work.

ds has made me a star chart to help me give up swearing. (After the butter exploded in the microwave yesterday). Oddly, now that I'm not allowed to swear I feel much more relaxed. It's as though I'm not thinking frustrated thoughts any more, now that I'm not allowed to express them. If I last ten days, he's going to take me to the corner shop to buy me a copy of "Homes and Gardens" Magazine.

at ipsos and your DS.

In answer to your question, yes DH works a lot of hours and takes on an enormous amount of stress. He's bi-polar, diagnosed after he started the business, but I am unsure whether he wouldn't have always have the propensity for the illness. He's one of these bundle of energy kind of people that buzz through life making others feel tired. I can't foresee a time when he would fully retire.

He wouldn't have it any other way, but sometimes says it's very wearing making all the decisions all the time. He has a good solid team around him, but ultimately it's always his call.

I would KILL my kids if I home educated them

And DIE if I couldn't swear

Ipsos! so funny. No idea where where DS picked it up from but he often runs around shouting bugger, bugger, bugger. But as he's learning to talk I honestly think he thinks its a funny sound to make.

I've had to complain to Rimmel about their "lasting effect" polish. It's so crap it barely lasts 24 hours without being massively chipped. It flaked off in the shower! It's only £2.99 but I want a refund. I can't afford to waste money on stuff that's crap. I've never experienced issues with chippy nail polishes before. So its not me or how I applied it. Probably just a batch problem.

Spag bol in the slow cooker! And homemade cheesy garlic bread ready to cook.

NSD! Totally unexpected that.

LOL! Need. I have such a clear picture in my head of your family. It seems as though you all have big, confident personalities and like your space. Perhaps having his own business helps your dh to have an outlet for his exhuberance? It's so hard to stop though when the fun is going full tilt.

I think home education would really be too much for me tbh. My ds is so energetic.

Nsd.

Tuna pasta bake in the oven for dinner. No veg

I bought dd some shoes on eBay and they don't fit obviously been worn by someone with exceptionally wide feet!

£1.24 in sains
£136 insurance with the accountant.

Welcome Magic.

NSD here so far but I'm going to do a big Tesco order tonight so my October spreadsheet starting tomorrow looks super-virtuous from having no shopping for several days. Looking good at the start seems to bring on virtuous behaviour later in the month.

Bugger. Ds 1 physics teacher has just rung to ask if he was still wanting a place on the Cern trip....as he had not received the deposit which the second letter had stated was due today.... Second letter? I said.....yes he said, the one that went out a couple of weeks ago about the change in dates and deposit....Turns out that academic genius Ds1 may be, but at the age of 17 he is still hopeless and remembering to give me letters! So now I need to pay £150 ..... Only of course it needs to be paid by the new wise pay system for which I now can't find the log in details. That is going to bugger up all my planning for this month as I hadn't accounted for that as originally deposit wouldn't have been due for another couple of months..,,sob!

£6.02 in Lidl and £1.55 in the bakery.

Welcome Magic.

Veggie cottage pie on the go here. Hoping to get 6 portions altogether, as that will do for tomorrow and a dinner next week too.
£15 on a Sainsburys midweek delivery pass, which will definitely save me a bit. Minimum order is £40, which ties in with my £40-45 weekly food budget. I can get away with £30-35 in Aldi, but it's not worth the effort of struggling on public transport with 5 or 6 heavy bags. As I have mild CFS, it has wiped me out for the rest of the day afterwards. Only other spends were £2.04, mainly to break a tenner, so I'd have change for DS's bus fares for the rest of the week.

Fuzz, it's hard, but try to see the positive in taking the time to let your body and mind rest and heal.

My dinner turned out shit so tempted to just phone for a takeaway but dh is coeliac and there are no gluten free options. Boo. It's good for my bank balance, but have to turn around and cook a second dinner. Gah!

magic huge welcome. What a stressful time for you. Hope a new job shows up soon!!

I would agree with that creme. It can be hard to stop and rest but it often makes things much better in the long run. I've managed to actually fall asleep mid-afternoon a couple of times in the last two weeks and I felt much much better afterwards. It made me realise just how much sleep is a factor in parent health.