And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

It's Advent. Yay! I like this time of year, always did - but since the emergence of the Miracle Girl it's even better. It's excitement, enjoyment, looking forward, all writ large...

This year though something grabbed me, stopped the headlong descent into December-ness and a life with even less gaps than usual! Someone wrote a comment on my blog - I like comments, they still have a novelty value that gets me all excited - this one asked me to e-mail - hmmmm! Paul has imbued me with a healthy fear of unknown people and vicious, attacking techno-fairies of doom ... to reply or not...? Well I did - I laugh ( well, giggle nervously) at the techno-fairies of DOOM ... how glad am I?

This is what I found: http: http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/#.Up0FPn8gGSM
And it made me think - PLEASE go and look - how lucky am I?
Her daughter is more or less the same age as Daisyfay - I can't imagine it - don't really want to if I'm honest ... but on the being positive front, what could be better inspiration?

So I'm doing my own days of Christmas, or Advent calendar or whatever you want to call it - as a catchy hook I'm going with: Reasons to be happy. On Facebook ( and possibly Twitter if I get going ...) I'm a-posting ...

So far ...

1. Daisyfay and Paul.

2. Jezebel (the cat) - who never once attacked my baby in her cot as her grandmothers were 

    convinced she would, and who makes me smile every day. 

It depends where you're looking from - what you see in the tree - I think I like looking from here ...

The Overflowing Overflow

Daisyfay the Miracle Girl is at Brownie Camp - well, not camp as in camp ( it is the end of November , that would be cruel!), it's in a big converted chapel. We're due to pick her up at 11 30. She went Friday evening, it's been very quiet here! She was so excited, it was lovely to see, but I don't think there'll have been much sleeping going on - 8 girls in bunk beds in one room ...! I'm looking forward to picking her up now though.

Anyway, back to the point, as the Miracle Girl was absent we decided to venture into the attic. We reached the water tank! There is now a path! We have investigated the overflowing overflow - we are still unsure as to why it is overflowing, but have called in reinforcements - a plumber - I used to teach him - slightly worrying on the feeling rather old front - he was one of the nicest kids I've ever taught though, so may have someone else to add to the very nice man list. The root of the problem is apparently the big ball thing on the top of the water ( the ball cock - see, getting technical now!) - it is all gunked up and Paul says this is stopping it closing a valve properly, thus allowing too much water in the tank ... I'm just nodding knowledgeably ...

So Chris the very nice plumber is going to come and solve the problem, and also fix the leaky tap in the bathroom. This has inspired Paul to resilicone the bath ( after wrestling with the recalcitrant silicone gun) - and the clearing of part of the attic has led to a flurry of selling posts from me - which will hopefully result in enough cash to pay the plumber! And at least when we put things back, there will hopefully be some order in our chaos!

And I have a new bit of plan ...  after the attic foray I am thinking that we have much very good baby stuff ( and toddler stuff, and small child stuff ...) - another little miracle is nigh on impossible ( kept on hoping for a while, as you do...) so moving on and all that, I'm going to do an NCT sale in the new year and take as much as I can carry - which probably won't be all of it!!

Still looking forward ...

No - no - no - November

No - no - no - no willpower!

Again!

No wine - big fail - but less ... better than nothing!
Primal eating - pants!
No spending - ok actually!

The only way is up (baby!) ...

Substitution

We went to Toys r Us...

Actually we went to Ikea for lunch first - Daisyfay is a big fan of the meatballs, and I'm a big fan of the idea that I too could have a decluttered, organised home which fits in a shoe box - oh the power of marketing! As it is not yet November, we got to the till with: 2 pairs of silicone tongs, 3 washing up brushes in various colours, a food container, a dustpan and brush, a large bowl for salad etc, and a rather large, cuddly elephant! We did need the bowl as we managed to break two over the summer. And Paul did want more tongs and they were only 40p each. And our dustpan is broken...
And the cuddly elephant - birthday money - what more can I say?!
I did mean to buy a plastic box with little compartments to store various tiny bits of Lego in an organised and tidy manner, thus reducing our clutter ... but I forgot. I'm well prepared for washing up though...!

So, Toys r Us - we now (in addition to the elephant) have Teksta and a Barbie puppy race.
The Barbie puppy race is quite funny, you wind the puppies' ears up, put them in water, and they swim! :-) And then there is Teksta, a robotic puppy - this was what she went for - he walks to her voice, barks, sits, does back flips - just like a real puppy...

Only he's not ... he's a substitute ... and I'm feeling guilty again ...


 

Starting again...

And then I turned around and it was October ...
Feeble, I know, but true - and lots has happened ...but this was always supposed to be about looking forward.

So ... campervan ... no closer I think, but destitution is much farther away, which has to be good!
The plan, Prongs 1 and 2 ... undergoing a revival ... as we speak the plan is underway again ...just need to remember which prong is which...

Aha...
Prong 1: Frugality

* Daisyfay's extended birthday celebrations are now over (except for today's trip to Toys r Us to spend her (considerable) birthday stash - frugality is definitely not part of her plan!) - frugality had limited sway whilst we dealt with that. She had a fab time though - and, though every year it's a lot of work, she won't want this for ever so let's make the memories and enjoy it now. She wanted a horse party, not just as a theme but with real ones. I wasn't sure how we did this and early research showed it to be decidedly unfrugal! Eventually, however, I found somewhere that was, whilst still not cheap, at least affordable - so she picked 10 friends ( weaning her off the marauding hordes in the village hall concept!) and off we went. We thoroughly enjoyed it - they were riding for over an hour, did games on the horses, all sorts - then we came back here, they organised games and dance competitions - had a short discussion about play fighting never being an acceptable activity - did cowboy stylie food - cake and sing - home!! Wine and Calamity Jane followed quickly!!
I'd definitely recommend the pony party - it did feel like value for money, especially when you consider what you pay at a lot of party places. 
www.parboldequestriancentre.co.uk/ if you fancy a look.
Anyway the smiles were worth it.- and excitement doesn't really describe it...

So back to frugality - on top of the birthday, there was Paul's MOT, the expiring television, the overdue coal bill and the traumatic story of the laptop and the lemonade ... have decided to draw a line under it all ... starting again...

* I have a plan for November - it may be a tad ambitious - it  has 3 strands ( I like breaking things down, ok!)
          1. No spend November - frugal shopping - leftovers, using of - no buying of "stuff" (except
                  frugal, on offer, etc shopping for future, unnamed events looming on the horizon! ;-) )
          2. No wine November - hmmm - going to try...
          3. Contemplating a primal eating month - suppose it's not exactly to do with frugality, but it's
                kind of in the spirit ...

Prong 2: Making more money

* have a job - good start!

* have begun the selling stuff/ remove clutter approach again (it's half term - at least for us, not for
the Miracle Girl - don't get me started ...!) - having a mass Ebay session on Sunday.

Campervan for next summer? Unlikely, but you never know...




         

Skyfall

Daddy and Daisyfay are bonding over Skyfall - they watched For Your Eyes Only last night too... she's getting a tad concerned ... am I being a bad parent ...?

Never mind - I appear to have some time - for the first time in I don't know how long. Summer holidays - actually enjoying the break - have power-washed the house ( kind of fun ...), back garden much improved, general getting with the programme...

The bank is acknowledging me again!!! I have a 12 month plan ... which might work... :-)

The Miracle Girl is on top form, freed from the constraints of school, full of energy. We went climbing yesterday, but outside... sheer rock faces ... eek!!

Just So Festival next week - me and Daisyfay getting excited, Paul ... ambivalent thus far... but we're looking forward to it. We have invested in new camping stuff, so pleased with it!

Definitely moving forwards with the plan - how come I don't seem to be any closer to the campervan ...?

Back with the programme

I am back in the land of the living - I have emerged from the avalanche of props, too many days at work, a house sliding into oblivion - and the stress of knowing none of these ( well, except for the work) are going the way they should be...

But, neglectful as I have been of the plan, the plan is movin' on up...

I have a job. A real one. Oh yay!!!

Now to really get with the programme...

Prong reassessment

Prongs 1 and 2 have got somewhat thrust to the periphery - they need recovering, dusting off and focusing on...

I am hoping to do this this week - so far no work, but aware that that can change in an instant ...

Did some putting of stuff on ebay today - this is a step in the right direction!

I have a plan for the week ... sort of ...

Epiphanies

I think I may be having an epiphany - a measured epiphany - but an epiphany all the same...

Frugal wine has reasserted itself this week, for a few days anyway... and less on other days ...
Also I have been reading a book - called The Primal Blueprint  - MarksDailyApple.com - some friends of ours have been trying this for quite a while. I always felt I agreed with quite a lot of it, with some reservations, but the more I read, the more I like ... and I've felt quite motivated his week ... why... ?

I really don't know - I am now officially in guilty mommy mode. It is the Summer fair at school tomorrow, I should have made cakes but have been working instead! I am doing the name the bear but will be late as I am tutoring in the morning. And the Miracle Girl is rehearsing for the Lion King and can't be picked up until 12.30 ... and she really should be at the community choir's workshop day... why is this day the day for everything???!!

And the Lion King - mark 1 headdress bombed :-(
Mark 2 is getting there ... don't you just love papier-mâché ...?

So watch this space for a bit more epiph-ing - I feel it in the distance - who knows where it may lead ...

Lions

I am currently trying to construct a lion headdress - it is not easy - but it is beginning to look a little like a lion ...

The Miracle Girl's summer show is The Lion King - hence the headdresses. Once I have the lions sussed, I need to create a gazelle prototype, a wart hog and a meerkat - at that point I will need to contemplate an elephant and some giraffes!!

The joys of motherhood - no one mentioned the making ...!

Daisyfay is at her grandma's - since Monday. She has a two week half-term - we don't! It would be great if we weren't teachers - cheap holidays and all that jazz - but we are - and they aren't.  I am going to collect her tomorrow and I can't wait! I don't half miss her, it's so quiet without her...

So back to the lion - I am modelling it on Luna Lovegood's lion hat.
                                            
                                                           

Don't hold your breath ...

Recurring themes

There are two things that keep coming back to haunt me. They lurk in the background, making me feel continually guilty and disheartened. They reinforce that "you are not in control, your priorities are all skewed" feeling.

You're wondering now, aren't you? How bad can it be? What nightmare is this...?

The attic and the garden.

The garden - I know what I want it to be, the plan (!) is good - that's what makes it so frustrating!! A couple of years of builders and flooding have put me in the "Where do I start?" frame of mind. I want somewhere to sit and eat, productive fruit and veg beds, and a shed to store stuff ... I dream of potting sheds ... and greenhouses ... patios ... chickens...

The attic - empty the attic... board the attic...refill the attic ... builders ... empty the attic ... refill the attic ... and so it goes on! We need to empty it again so we can get to the overflowing overflow. But emptying it causes chaos everywhere else - then I need to tidy because people are coming - so we shove it all back again... I want an organised, minimal attic - this is also probably a pipe dream ...

I think that, in order to assert control over my life, I need to conquer the garden and the attic.

More plans ..

                                    .
                                (How good does this look? Dreaming ...!)

Reprehensible wussing out!

I am not going to run 10km on Bank holiday Monday. I am a wuss! I am sorry!

Reality is what it is: one of my cousins has an injury and probably won't run. Her husband won't run if she doesn't. My other cousin has family commitments - yay - go you, you know who you are! We can't afford petrol, train fares, etc.

Think I could stagger round but not trained enough ...

My main reason for feeling bad is I don't like Daisyfay seeing me not go through with something - so: going to try and enter a Race for Life - can run 5k already and the Miracle Girl could do that with me too - and going to look for a 10k closer to home, maybe around September.

Feeling bad - but looking forward ...

Willpower

I don't think I've got any.

Should have been running whilst the Miracle Girl was at Brownies; not for the first time, instead I went to Tesco and bought wine...

This is bad. I know this, you know this, but still I persist.

I will discover willpower ...

Finding gaps

I found a gap ... and I've had a lovely day.

There probably shouldn't have been a gap - there are a million and one things I should have been doing - I'm supposed to be sorting out stuff for selling, putting stuff on ebay, finding a path through the attic to the water tank to sort the overflowing overflow, planting food in the garden so that we can become self-sufficient ...

But instead I went with the gap ...

Me and Daisyfay got up quite early - washing on line - made chocolate brownies - realised part-way through no eggs - thank god for caravan park shop which opens at the crack of dawn! Paul did home cooked ham with fancy flavours - gorgeous smell through house.

This afternoon 007 Minor came to play. They played - perused the (many!) James Bond books we possess - I made picnic (aforementioned ham rolls and brownies, apples, crisps and drinks) - basket, book and ball and we were set. Walk down canal path - adventures in the woods involving water and trees - me collecting wild garlic - ice cream - caravan park playground - lambs - pirate dens in the reeds - nettles!!!

                                              

                                                                                         

Got home just in time for 007 Minor's mum - hope his socks washed...! :-)

BBQ - visit to horses - bed.

Lovely day - gaps are good.

Feeling dreamy ...

                               
           

The Sub-Plan

I have been running. Twice. In consecutive weeks. Not quite twice in a week, but still ...

I have just run 3.84 miles, albeit quite slowly! This means on current form it will take me about an hour and a half to run 10km - which is pretty pants but just on the right side of acceptable!

I'm off for a shower.

I'm feeling quite pleased with myself ...

Climbing

So, climbing is taking over my life! Or has the Miracle Girl already surreptitiously taken over my life ... hmmm.....

My weekend:

Saturday:  get up - clear up - sort various kitchen machines - practise Lion King audition for part quite obviously destined for much older child - drive Daisy Fay to Performing Arts group - go to tutoring job - come home - peg washing on line - make packed lunch - pack change of clothes - pick up Daisy Fay - drive to climbing centre in Warrington where the rest of her climbing team are in the last round of the North West qualifying for the national championships ( and some of them did! Yay!!) - spectate while child goes off to socialise - spectate with child - drive home - express relief that Paul has sorted out home-made pizza for movie night - fall asleep halfway through second film!

Sunday:  get up - clear up - sort various machines (the hamster wheel of life) - plan food for week - lament lack of time for weekly shop - entrust cash and limited shopping list to Paul, knowing he will not be as frugal as he should be! - make yet another packed lunch - pack climbing kit - pack still as yet unread reading book - drive to climbing centre in Liverpool (reading book on the way) - pay entry, hire ropes etc. - buy coffee - contemplate need to learn to belay whilst watching Miracle Girl's squirrel impression - text Paul that we will be too late to buy wine at 25% off at Tesco so he will need to go - drive home - sort stuff for Monday for me and Miracle Girl - eat (very good) Sunday dinner - clear up - sit down - fall asleep!

The Miracle Girl has passed her Level 1 climbing qualification - she now has her own harness and belay device - and there's a chunk of money I won't see again!!

                                                

This is not going to go away ...


                                                    

Square One

The campervan fund has taken a bit of a hit - so has the deposit for a caravan in Cornwall (in lieu of having a campervan) fund.

It all started with the scrambled egg ...

Actually no, it all started when I was pregnant ... at that point we finally conceded that we ought to do things to the house so that it would be suitable for a small child - up until then it had gone: house - holiday, house - holiday? Err ... holiday!! One of the things we did was the kitchen, which so needed doing. Avoiding the attached long story, we ended up getting two of those tall pull-out larder cupboards. Mistake. They are pants! They don't take any weight, and we are big on kitchen stuff. Also you can't stack anything higher than the wire trays because they slide off when you pull it open, and ... well, just pants ... and over time start to lean open. So, we decided to get shelves put in and the doors hinged instead. Very nice man has a workshop in the old farm buildings at the back - builds kitchens - wish he'd been there when we built ours! So far, controlled expenditure ...

Then came the scrambled egg ... the Miracle Girl has learnt to make scrambled egg on toast all by herself.

 It went: I'm going in the shower - Mummy, Mummy, can I make scrambled eggs for breakfast? - Yes, but I'm going in the shower.

Shower - conditioner - door flies open - child erupts through door sobbing! Large drawer containing pans (for scrambled eggs), jars and some chutneys etc. has pulled out too far, plummeted to the tiled floor ... well, you can guess the rest.

Towel, dripping hair, examination of broken glass and scattered contents ...

Actually, once I had rinsed my hair and put on something more substantial than a towel, there wasn't that much broken, but the little wheels that hold the drawer in had sheared off, and the drawer side was warped - this involved the making of new large drawer, and refitting of rails - not too big a kitchen job has turned into something altogether more expensive. Ho hum ....

On the plus side, my cupboards are now fab, the drawer is beautifully made of wood, and feels a whole lot more solid than what we had before, I have reorganised most of the cupboards and can find everything easily. Would heartily recommend Phil ( the very nice man).

Minimal savings, though, are gone.

Again, being positive, when we have a campervan I shall have scrambled eggs on toast made for me for breakfast...

Back to square one ...

Good Intentions

I'm full of these - I shall : clean my house, declutter my house, sell my clutter, do yoga, organise my stuff, file things where I can find them, advertise tutoring, be healthy and whoosh fresh juice regularly, lose weight and become a shadow of my former self ... and here is where we we enter into reality - in January, flushed with New Year's Resolution frenzy, I listened to my cousin.

I love my cousin - she is fab! She is my much younger cousin, now I think about it. Let's do a run she said, in London she said, exciting and fun she ... inferred! Yes said I, I can do that, said I, how hard can that be...

Very hard!

January - flushed with enthusiasm, I started training, did ok, thought : this is not a problem - slow but steady wins the race!

February/ March - nasty bug, Daisyfay's half-term and social whirl, too much work for the last halfterm, tutoring, cakes ... confession: no running!!!!

I used to run, in my former life I ran a lot, and did yoga ( and even aerobics during some slightly deluded life phases) - I did the Great North Run, twice!! But now ...

So my latest distraction is ... I must run.

Thus we have the plan - prongs 1+2. We now have the sub-plan, as I attempt to get somewhere with preparing to run 10 km on the 27th May - don't laugh, it is not funny!!

Let's be positive ...

Happy holidays...

Easter holidays - much needed! Last half term was mad busy - worked nearly every day - obviously good on the earning side, not so good on the clean your house/ write your blog/ declutter your stuff/ diversify your life front.

Jobs to do :
*  reassess plan - organise!

*  check bank balance - transfer money - pay money off!!! Yay!! (There'd better be money there after all this work - haven't had chance to check yet!)

*  see if we have enough money to put a deposit on for caravan in Cornwall (always assuming it's still available!)

*  hope we have something, however minimal, towards the campervan fund.

Okay - so these are initial jobs - I have such a long list ...

Does everyone have a list, I wonder...
Do other people get through their lists?

We saw a gorgeous campervan today - vw, dark pink, flowers - Daisyfay was impressed.

I don't want much, basic will suit - bit of make do and mend, I don't mind.
Still dreaming ...

What goes around, comes around...

I do hope so. Remember the Easter bingo - Daisyfay won - well, Paul did! - not just a win, but a mega Easter egg gifty pack! But I was so proud of her, of the 7 eggs/ boxes of chocolates she had she gave away 4 to children sitting with us who hadn't won anything.

So she really is a Miracle Girl ...

 

 

Bit bonkers, but my little Miracle Girl...

Life with gaps...

Life with gaps - that's what I want! I've said it before, and will probably come back to the idea again - it would really help!!

No gaps at the moment - working all week, entrepeneuring and tutoring, plus Daisyfay - swimming on Monday ( we didn't go this week - I had to glitz Barbie and the Miracle Girl leapt at the opportunity!), Brownies on Tuesday, choir on Wednesday, climbing on Thursday - the weekend has more - how did this happen ...?

My mum is coming for the weekend ... my house is a tip ... I need to wash the floors, and wash clothes, and clean the bathroom... oh me, oh my - when?

And then there is Easter Bingo on Friday - don't ask!!

If I had a campervan we could just abandon ship and find a gap ...

We could, couldn't we...?

Entrepeneuring!!

I have been an entrepreneur! Even though it was a pain and I had to entrep on a Monday night after a day at work, with more work tomorrow. I made a cake, and a bloody good cake it was too, even if it was a Barbie cake!!

                                         

All in all a good day, I went to a new school, I'm there all week, and it looks like possibly next week, an "outstanding" school, and they thought I was good, and said so, and that made me feel all successful as well :-) .

Failed with the frugal wine thing - but both had a mad day!! Ooops!

Daisy Fay the Miracle Girl has been, well, a miracle today.

The plan is progresing, but needs some organising!

All is well in my world...

The best laid plans ...

My plan is feeling a bit like it's spiralling out of control - I have no time... this is good because it means I'm working ... a lot! Now I know that kind of is part of the plan, but between that and the Miracle Girl's fully packed life, I have no time to think. Or write this. Or sell things ... decluttering has ground to a halt again!

On Friday I was supposed to go to a Pampered Chef night - not very good for frugality, I know, I've done it before!! But I was too tired!! Not a bad thing when you think about the temptations a Pampered Chef can wave in front of you, but it was for the PTA at Daisy Fay's school, so I was torn !! So I just felt guilty and drank red wine instead!

Now before you think I have slid off the wagon of frugality even more - I did not have wine for many, many days (well, 4 !), only indulging at the weekend. And my will power has reasserted itself today...

Tomorrow I am working again, all day, and again in the evening - and I have developed a debt reduction plan that sounds like it might work! I shall review it and the plan in general tomorrow, because, unsurprisingly, I'm tired and my brain is spiralling again ...

I think I shall go to bed and dream of a campervan ...

                                                                



                                                        

Pants!!

This week I have been mostly pants at:

* writing this blog

* cleaning my house

* not having any wine!

In my defence it was my birthday on Wednesday, so wine pushed itself to the fore! But in the spirit of frugality I decided not to go out - instead I had a lovely, delayed birthday meal on Friday. Paul cooked mussels, with homemade bread, and chocolate fondants. It was fab!

Further in my defence I worked a lot this week, which is always a good thing on the making more money front. The last three days of the week I spent at a lovely school in Wigan, one of the nicest I've been to in ages. It's the best thing about supply, the variety, and every so often you land on a school that is just great - and this was one. I had an enjoyable three days with an excellent, bouncy, personality-filled Year 4 class - and thought ( which I don't all that often) : now these I would like to teach.

On the plus side, the plan is going okay ... ish!

Prong 1: Frugality

* didn't go out for my birthday

* am using birthday money to pay to get my hair done

* made soup with stalks from broccoli and cauliflower, some leftover cabbage and leek tops - a bit of onion, a couple of ounces of lentils and some garlic and chilli - d'you know, it's really nice!

* didn't do a proper shop this week, used the freezer and storecupboard

Prong 2: Making more money

* worked for four days out of five - yay!

* sold some stuff - not a lot, but it's a start

* might be doing a bit of extra tutoring ...

* think I might be making some cakes ...

Feeling productive - feeling entrepreneur-ish! Need to investigate tax and stuff!

Daydream believing ...

Talents

Everyone's got one - as a teacher, and, for a long time, one who was responsible for gifted, able and talented pupils, I've always believed this - everyone is talented at something, the challenge is finding out what at ... if you never try something, how do you know whether you're good at it?

The Miracle Girl has talents, it appears - not massively career-enhancing ones sadly - however they are talents which may have a certain cool factor when she's in her teens! She can sing ... I always thought she just liked it and that was lovely, but last year people kept telling me she was good, and then I saw her in front of an audience a few times and thought "Oh!" - she does sound good, and it does make me proud to watch her :-). Her other talent, oddly, is climbing - I don't know why I'm surprised, since she was tiny a family saying has been that she was a squirrel in another life! Anyway she was asked to join an academy for talented climbers - she loves it - I sit there and bite my nails and try and reassure myself that at least she's in a harness ...

So it got me to thinking - do I have talents I could use for Prong 2?

List of talents:

* teaching - I do tutor on and off in addition to supply teaching, but have never pushed the idea, just taken things if they come along.

* doing parties on a shoestring - a useful skill, but not great for making more money, as it's a bit self-defeating to pay me to do it!

* making preserves and pickles - hmm - not sure what I can do with that ...

* making cakes - wondering if this one has potential ...

So, back to the campervan ( and conquering technology!) ... Daisyfay's birthday cakes :

 

Maybe I can be an entrepeneur ...

Prong 2

Making more money ... hmmm!

Not doing so well so far - plan undermined by unco-ordinated half-terms and so far no-one buying my stuff. Maybe I've over-priced it ...

My (one of my) pet hates : school holidays that are out of sync! Why? How hard can it be?? Why can't all schools have the same holidays? Usually it's Paul's holidays that are different to ours, but this time it's mine that are messed up - which is worse, because I don't get paid if I don't go to work - i.e. holidays are bad! So Wigan were off last week, so limited schools to work for - this week everyone else is off- again limited schools to work for. Not a happy bunny!!

Back to selling - have put stuff on Gumtree and now am moving on to Ebay. May reduce prices! I'm also starting to collect more things to sell too. Maybe I could sell Daisyfay the Miracle Girl - this would have the added benefit of reducing outgoings substantially ... we went to buy school shoes today... and how expensive are they? Clarks - they've got it sorted, now haven't they - bet they could afford a camper van!! Thing is, we tried cheap school shoes once - false economy - they lasted about four weeks! But I suppose selling her would defeat the whole object of the plan ...

So back to Prong 2 - tomorrow is another day ...

Distractions

So, the plan is evolving ... I am on a mission ... and then, distractions ...

I used to think it was just me, that I was disorganised mommy and that other people were completely in control. But then you talk to other people (especially mums) and you realise that we're all in the same boat - everyone's got distractions, they're called life.

So, first there was Valentine's Day, when we were being romantic - and lost the no wine part of the plan! Then on Friday I had to go to work - can't knock it - key part of the making more money part of the plan. Then it was Saturday - things to do - movie night ... and suddenly it's today, and the plan does not appear to have advanced much (unlike the spending diary, which is making significant progress...!).

But, tomorrow is Monday ... distractions be damned ... here we go again ...

Conquering technology

The two pronged strategy - actions today ...

Prong 1 : Frugality

* I have a blog to read - http://frugalincornwall.blogspot.co.uk/ - thanks to my first comment on my shiny new blog!!
* I wrote things on my spending diary ( but this just exposed my lack of frugality as we went to The Farm tearoom after school - oops!)
* I still have not had any wine.

Prong 2 : Making more money

I have been more productive here. I spent this morning conquering technology - in the form of my phone. Now, it's a very nice phone, and does lots of very clever things (although less of them recently...). You see it ran out of space - I didn't know they could do that. It kept telling me to delete stuff ... so I did ... I hope they weren't important. Anyway, what it really wanted me to delete were photos - I had tried to send them to the computer, but failed miserably. I also obsess a little over where they are, and have they really copied or am I about to lose them to the technofairies of doom! However the phone had ground to a halt and I needed to use the camera for Prong 2 ... now I have a fully operational phone, photos in a file in "My Pictures" and a sense of achievement!

So I have:
* taken photos of things to sell and posted them on my Facebook page and on a local buying and selling page - next I am going to put them on Gumtree, and maybe Ebay too.

Flushed with success, tomorrow I am going to investigate adding pictures to the blog ...

Money doesn't buy you happiness

Now, in essence, I'd have to say I agree with this. In fact so much so that a few years ago, around the time that Daisyfay was starting school, I left a workplace where I was very unhappy (but financially stable) to become an itinerant supply teacher. Now I have flexibility and am generally happy - I have time to spend with the Miracle Girl and no work related stress.

But ... back to dreaming of a campervan ...whilst happy I have very little money. If we are to buy a campervan I will need to find some money. This leads us back to the plan, which is beginning to evolve...

Step 1 of plan - pay off debts. Hmmm!
                         
I think frugality and making more money would constitute a two-pronged strategy...

Actions so far:

* Yesterday I sawed up the remains of the Christmas tree to burn on the fire - now that's frugal! And bloody hard work!
* I have stuck a spending diary (well, a piece of paper) to the cupboard door in the kitchen.
* I had no wine last night!

It's going to take a while ...

Starting today...

We're dreaming of a camper van, that is me and Daisyfay the Miracle Girl are, I'm not sure Paul is ( I think he's dreaming more of a luxury penthouse in San Francisco, but hey!). Anyway we two, at least, want a camper van, but we can't afford one - so in the spirit of having an aspiration, I've decided that that is going to be mine. And today is going to be the day we start looking forward to it - so I've started with this - so I can come up with a plan, that makes sense, and write it down somewhere, and just maybe other people will read it and improve on the plan with better ideas than mine.

So, the plan, so far: in an as yet undefined space of time, we will have paid off our debts, I will be in control of my time, I will be able to make the choices I want ... and we will have a camper van.

Starting today ...