Sunday Wrap Up

So the footy was a draw...

More on that next weekend I guess ~ tipping the Saints to win, as this will result in a very happy Husband and we all like happy spouses! Feeling the pain for those Collingwood supporters ~ how are they going to to a second grand final? Sure feeling sorry for the Collingwood supporters - its gonna take them weeks to save all there Centrelink money to afford another ticket! *naughty, cheeky, evil grin* Enough on the AFL already!

Settling in to having Husband home and setting up plans.  We've really got to tighten the purse, belts and wallet because there's not going to be a lot left after each mortgage payment - especially if the rate hikes being speculated happen.  It's going to be the little things that tip the budget, like the Sunday paper, a couple of coffee's while out, a movie ticket or 3, petrol and hiring the lawn mower/slasher every 6-8 weeks to keep the grass down (particularly important with summer, snakes and stuff!)  As the savings are pretty much depleted now, its a bit like starting from scratch ~ and in true 'glass half full' mode ~ this can be a good thing.

I'm not confident ebay is the way to go with selling things we no longer want - do people really bid on items of (say) clothing that have had previous owners?  Or shoes, toys, games, utensils for that matter?  I read a book called Saving Kate - about a girl who got her self into debt, asked others for the spare change from their paypal accounts and sold items on ebay to rid herself of $30k or so in debt.  Aside from the mortgage, which is now 40% less that what it was 4years ago, we have less than $10k debt and half of that is the dreaded credit card. Does it take a cut as big as the one paypal takes on the Treasure Chest set up there on the side bar? -->  Or is a more reasonable deduction, or none at all if a donation?  I must be the most non-technical personal on the blogs!!

My biggest fear is that the laptop will finally decide it is way to old for this life and cark it!  I know its 'only' a few hundred to get a new lappie - but we don't have that available any more and as I am able to earn a little money doing some moderation on a forum or two, this won't be able to be done and we'll be in a worse pickle!  More so as, mentally, moderation and blogging (and facebook!) keep me on an even keel over the day ~ it so sux being limited to a regular, consistent day of physical ability.

For example, this past week - we finally found the point of 'stretch' in this super flexible body. Call it double jointed, supermobile, hyper-extensive, whatever - I can put my hands flat on the ground in front of my feet without issue - or stretch or pull.  Considering EVERYTHING is about getting the muscles retrained - when there is no stretch being felt, it is fair to say, nothing is stretching.  But at hydro this week - the stretch in my right thigh actually was registered. Woo Hoo!!  This is good!  The big issue is not to twist to gain the stretch, otherwise the muscles are being 'taught' the wrong place or point to remember.  So, in a semi-contortionist one handed technique, I can be in the pool and stretch those muscles.

But this totally wrecked me for Saturday - and I slept 12 straight hours from 1130pm to 1130am - taking away any possibility of going out to friends, digging or pottering in the garden and made it a struggle to get meals up on time.  Even collecting eggs and wood for the fire was beyond me and with Husband in Melbourne for the football it was up to me to do the normal basic stuff this weekend.  With SmallBoy's help, we kept the fire burning but he can't grab the big logs and split them into reasonable sizes - and neither could I.  Still, thanks to Simple Savings, we may have a way to get through the year without going deeper into debt and actually save $5000.

Little Miss Frugal and Celebrating Life - two forum members - have set themselves a challenge to not spend money on anything other than the essentials in 2011.  This gives us three months to plan, prepare and practice for the new years' challenge and focus on reducing, reusing and recycling as much as possible.  I've copied the following 'guidelines' to ensure we can stick to this and now that I've found how to add pages to a blog, I will set it up separately in a few weeks with our final plans and goals. The inital questions to help with planning are:

1. What is necessary and what isn't for our family?
2. Is it for the money or the environment? 
3. How will we keep track of our achievements? 
4. How much money can we save - and where would this go? 
5. Have we got a reachable goal to get us focused? 
6. Are the family on board? 
7. Do we have a list of the things that may come up that we think we will "need"? 
8. How will we tackle this? 
9. Are we still going to use the same utilities? 
10. How can we help the environment during this challenge? 
11. What can we do to reduce waste?
12. How can we better utilise our free time?
13. How will we deal with birthdays and christmas's? 
14. Will we barter? What can we barter? 
15. What things can we do for entertainment?
16. Do we need to learn anything to help us through the year? 
17. How will we tell family and friends? Will they even know?

This sounds complicated to those who have not considered such a humongous goal, but for us it is not a case of wanting to do it - we have to do it.  After all, we only have $530 odd per week and the mortgage uses up one full payment each fortnight.  That's why I hope no interest rate rises are going to sting us before the end of the year - we need a few months to get a little savings up. My earnings currently pay the credit card debt and as the card is maxed out - we can't really use it for anything else than repayments.  I want to reduce the limit but acknowledge the card has been a necessity while Husband's entitlements and pay were nil.

I hate that things revolve around money, finances and income - and I know that when our tax is finalised there will be some relief but it needs to be placed on the mortgage/line of credit so we can be serious in our attempt to move to QLD where the weather will be a lot more helpful for my recovery. I am still writing my book, but until it is 'real' and picked up by a publisher it is all still just words on paper.  If the computer crashes, it will be words lost.  There is something we can't afford to happen.  *sighs*  Such a catch-22.

If it was just me, or me and one child, the answer would be simple.  I'd move, rent our place out, look for a suitable short term rental before buying a bush property of 5ac+.  The ideal would be for 20-60ac, with a dam or river through the property, higher than Gympie but not as high up as Cairns.  Bundaberg, Maryborough, maybe Rockhampton but I think Townsville is going to be too humid for us - possibly a little isolated.  Thinking aloud here but doing a few farm stays might be an idea and letting SmallBoy home school for a year or two while we find our place.  I'm just not sure I'd be 'strict' enough to maintain a good home school regime for him and there would need to be no xbox, tv or wii to ensure we get this right.  Hmmm - worth thinking about you know!

But back to the basics of now

So if we could manage a no-spend year, we could realistically expect to save $100 a week with a possible extra $100 a week if the invoices and tax rebates outstanding are received before the year ends.  I know we need absolutely nothing for cooking meals this week - nada.  There is enough milk, bread, meat and veg to get us through.  SmallBoy and I need to make more biscuit dough and then we will have some yummy snacks for morning and/or afternoon tea.  A few scones, cakes and other items will keep us happy and fed well.

It's got to a point that the few parking fines incurred by Husband, when working at stupid o'clock or on jobs where he could not get to the car quick enough to move it, are now overdue and we can't pay.  So we have been offered the ability to take it as community service.  This is not the end of the world, nor does it make for a criminal record by any stretch but will it jeopardise our hopes to become foster parents or placement carers?  If we could pay them, it would not even be registered or recorded anywhere but because we need to do it as community service it does create a record of default and a legal history.  This is so not fair ~ we don't want to weasel out of paying tho'.  Husband is a lot devastated as he has had a clean, no-fault record for over 45years - and now this.

All because the stupid fiancée of a lawyer wrote my car off and broke my spine.  What happened to her - I often wonder if there were any repercussions because they lied in court, had the only witness repair their car and change his statement, screwed us.  I've sometimes looked at how much I am worth dead - and it is a good sum you know - but thankfully I am now able to see that no money is worth that loss or the pain and suffering it would leave my precious boys with.  Having watched the BBC series 'Married, Single, Other' and seen what happens when a mother dies - I could not do that, not even a little any more.

I will still question why - why is it so hard, why did they lie in court, why did it take so long to find the fractured spine pieces, why didn't the physio listen when I complained, why is everything so rigid, why is there no help. I know the answer is 'because, it is' but it doesn't always put a smile on my face you know!

The week ahead

After we visit Justice for our community service roles - yes, even me - Husband is off to the dentist to finally organise a dental clinic appointment.  Then we will be in the garden for a bit and doing a tidy in the laundry.  Clearing things out for selling - be it a garage sale, ebay or one of the Facebook buy/sell pages. There is plenty - if we sold everything for $1 (which we wouldn't because some things are worth a lot more, like $5 *grins*) we could get $20k I think.  But people won't buy it all, nor will all be sold because we need to hoard a few bits.  Don't we??

Time to be a little creative and see if a flash of poetic inspiration hits me.  Let's see what flows from the brain today...

Help your Friends

Flowers stand up strong and tall

After rain drops sprinkle

The sight of flowers makes me smile

And smiling means less wrinkles

Grins are always well received

So are friendly notes

Spread the love to all you meet

And never ever gloat

You never know the kind of day

Another person's having

Your kind words might be the one

That keep another living

We're only ever a step away

From making the wrong choices

Sometimes a smile helps us carry on

Or just happiness in our voices

Take the time to look around

Admire life's goodness and beauty

Let your friends know how much you care

Tell them now for it's your duty

✿ ℒΦϑє, ℐﻪ℧ჭɦʈeʁ & ʆίφђϮ ✿