Stuck for ideas..

Well i have just realised that i only have less than 20 days to find an extra $1146 for the month. i need to pull my finger out. i am still trying to find things around the house to sell, i have put in for extra nursing shifts. im trying to think of some things i can make that might sell. i was talking to Kevin about the fact that we need to bring in the extra money each month, so we will see if he can come up with any ideas.

on another note, im sitting here having a day to myself, sent the kids with their father for the day. but James, my 7 yr old, has been ringing me on and off for half the day. i just asked him if he had nans permssion to use the phone, nan apparently isnt there, so he just thought he ring me, PMSL, i didnt even know he knew the number lol. Very naughty, but very sweet lol.

.................many hours later lol.

well i have discovered how hard it is to write a blog when the kids are around, but now all the kids are fed, showered, sorted out for school and in bed, i can happily type away. thank goodness the kids go back to school tomorrow.

oh Guess what....i ran ..... well jogged. i took the dogs for a walk around the block (separate walks) and each time i jogged part of the way around the block. i have decided to try and get up early each morning and try and build myself up to be able to run a lot further. will see how we go.

so now the trick is how do i start to become a morning person. i guess the first step is to start going to bed early. the problem i have here, is i wont get as much done as i get a lot of stuff done at night when everyone else is asleep. im hoping that i will be able to get up early and function lol, so that i can get most of my tasks done in the morning.

so for tonight i will get the dinner dishes sorted out, and then i will have a bath and head off to bed.

A plan is hatched...

OK so this morning i have been working hard on the budget for the next 6 weeks. i have written it all up, and it looks so great on paper. stilling to the plan i will be able to pay out the TV by the end of this month, and pay out thee car by the end of June. and then i will be able to pay out the Credit card by the end of October, leaving me 2 months to build up a nice emergency fund.

i have also accounted for birthdays, Christmas, and going back to school next yr and set aside a small amount each week to cover it. the bet part is that this year we are having a home made year, so the only presents ill have to buy are my kids. i have also set aside a bit each month to cover cover any extras.

and wouldn't you know it, just went i finished sorting out the budget, what urns up in the mail.... a speeding fine for $146 for being 5 kms over the limit. so i have to find an extra $146 by the 13th May, I'm not going to let this get me down, I'm going to use it as a challenge.

so to do all this we will have to embrace a 6 month no spend challenge. and lots of $21 challenges to get us through the next few months. the kids weren't happy about it, but when they realised that this would mean we would be debt free, and we wouldn't have to be as strict after wards, they agreed. didn't have the heart to tell them that our income would be cut down so we would still have to be careful.

today I'm heading off to meet a few lovely ladies (and their kids) that i have met on the simple savings website. will be great to meet up with other like minded people. and hopefully make some new friends.

well i guess i really should get off the computer and get work done around here. i need to keep organised as this will be the only way i will succeed in my goals.

A goal to work towards!

Well Ive been doing some calculations today, and i have worked out a time line for my goals. i feel i can do this within 6 months. but in order to do this i need to find $6000 on top of my savings.

so I'm going to start by selling everything i can on eBay.

A maybe i could also make some things and sell then at the markets. like wheat packs, or other crafty things.

i have put in for some more nursing shifts. and hopefully when things settle a little i can put in for more.

i will also look into doing something like homecare catalogues, the exercise will be good, and i will have a chance of making money.

now i need to find more ways to bring in more money, and more ways to save extra money. Any ideas?

Kids can be a real challenge!

well today has been an interesting one. i decided to have a bit of a slack day today, and the kids took full advantage of it. i came out this morning and it looked like the Easter bunny had been again. there was little chocolate eggs from one end of the house to the other. not to mention everything else they threw on the floor to help hide the eggs.

later on in the day i walk into Annalee's room to find she had used sticky tape to tape some stuff to the walls. not such a bad things except i spent a fortune last holidays, not to mention the time i spent painting their rooms. needless to say mum was so not happy, and she was just lucky it came off without taking the paint with it.

then this afternoon, i was trying to work out why the dogs were going nuts, one of the dogs even jumped in my bedroom window and we couldn't get her back out. i finally worked out that the kids had turned up the range on the shock collars that the dogs wear to keep them contained in our yard (they escape with out them) the poor dogs were getting shocked all the time. the poor things. i fixed it all up, and asked the kids who did it, and of course, no-one did it. (this no-one has a lot to answer for in this house, if anyone see them can you tell him or her I'm looking for them) so with no-one owning up, i threatened all the kids and told them if it happened again i would put the collars on them and do the same to them. needless to say they seamed less than impressed with that idea. lol. not that i would ever do it, but the kids don't know that he he. I'm evil, i know.

well that's been my day today, lets hope tomorrow isn't as eventful. a nice quiet day is called for, whether i get it or not remains to be seen.

I'm sort of looking forward to the kids going back to school, i love having them around, but it will be nice to have a break. my partner hasn't taken the kids off my hands once over the holidays.

i really need some time to myself, as i have some pretty big decisions to make about mine and the kids futures. I have decided to leave my partner after 15 yrs, as it feel as though we are just room mates now. there is nothing there to show any different, and i do mean nothing.

but i am not just going to jump into this, i am keeping it under wraps at the moment, as i need to pay off some debt first. it is both our debt, but for me to be able to live without worrying about money i need to clear these debts. that way if something happens and i cant work it wont be such a big deal. Plus he wouldn't be able to cope with his half of the debt either, so I'm trying to do us both a favour.

so i have a few goals, which i need to reach as soon as possible. the first of which is i have to pay out $22,000. which is possible. as i have about $6-7000 which i will be able to pay off mid year. it will probably take 6-8 months to do it.

so in this 6-8 months, I'm going to also concentrate on myself. I'm going to try to finish my study course (financial counsellor) as quick as possible, so i will be able to start looking for work as quickly as possible.

i also want to concentrate on living a healthier life. i have a lot of weight i want to lose, and i think now is time to do it. i don't feel comfortable within myself. and if i want to start going out and having some fun again, then i need to feel comfortable.

i will also be starting to live my life as if it was just the kids and I. this happens now anyway, but i find I'm getting argument's with him trying to get him to involved himself. so now i wont worry about that. it feels like were just flatmates, so i might as well make it so.

so the first day of the rest of my life starts tomorrow. and i think it will start with going for a walk with the kids and the dogs, if its not raining. if it is raining, ill stay and play games with the kids.

I guess introductions are in order...

I have been told time and time again that i should start a blog, so guess what?.....I did and here it is. So i guess i should tell you a bit about myself.

Well i have 3 children. My eldest, Annalee, is 12 going on 30, although she will become a teenager in less than a month. i guess that says it all about her lol. My middle child, Raymond, is my most challenging child. He is currently 10, but will be 11, 3 days before Annalee. My youngest, James, is my little cuttie, hes 7 and as cute as a button, when he wants to be.

Both my boys have ADHD, but Raymond also has ODD, learning delays, and a whole long list of other challenges to go along with him. and like any other boys they fight like cat and dogs. They seam to be experts on this, and great at retaliation.

but i guess i should tell you a bit about myself as well, isnt it amazing that once you have kids, thats all you seam to talk about. You dont seam to matter anymore. Well, what can i say about me. im 33, im a nurse and currently studying finacial couselling. i have been in a relationship (on and off) for 15 years. My partner tells me he could have got less time for murder. Charming he is not.!

i seam the be the main bread winner, mother, housekeeper, chef, taxi driver, secretary, nursemaid, chambermaid, bank manager, accountant, and apparently i have 6 arms, a clone of myself, twice as many hours in a day then everyone else and an incessant need to please everyone. but i guess im not the only mother that feels like this.

I guess i have decided to write this blog to help myself. I have been dealing with everyone elses problems, i felt like it was about time i did something for me. sometime writing things out also helps we work things out, as i have a lot in my life that i want to sort out.

well i guess that enough about me for now. i have to sort out dinner for the kids, and hopefully ill get back later to write a bit more.