The cost of helping out

I am not into this blog thing really yet. There is always so much to do.

Was supposed to be out for the day, looking around a few charity shops with my best friend. But we had to detour as my twin1, needed me to take her to the jobcentre to get a crisis loan, as her child tax credits didnt get paid this week. So I had to put petrol in the car, £20 as I was on empty by the time i had got to the town she live in, (about 24 or so miles away from where we were). then we had to go another 11 miles to the jobcentre, plus another couple of miles to the post office they had designated, and take her back to her home,  before we could go back to my friends, another 13 miles away!.So in my gas guzzling car over £20 worth of fuel used. What annoys me even more is the fact that I had had to do the same just about for twin2 as she had a similar problem on Wednesday!. Again I had putin £20 of petrol.

I admit that twin2 on wednesday gave me, £10 for petrol, as I had to ask, the car was on empty, and today twin1 gave me a £5 , but I still have used £60 worth of petrol in a week, and all but one trip was for my family!

This means that I will have to economies in as many other ways as I possibly can. The weather here has been very windy, and the apples have been blown all overthe garden and the drive. I have picked up those that the wasps were not into, and I am going to peel and chop them up to make a crumble tomorrow.  I cannot do the chopping and peeling at the moment as my arm is suffering from all the extra driving. (I have spondylosis in my neck which affects my left side, from my fingertips to my toes.)

I made plum jam last night from windfall/picked plums from my neighbours trees. I have never made jam before, so I was pleased this evening when I tried some on bread, and it was a success.

4 Jars are now in the store cupboard under the stairs, so that my son doesnt use the nearest to hand. And also uses more becuase he thinks there are loads more.

I need to learn to say no more often, and I need to get my budet back on track. I know how to budget, but I am still not keeping within my budget, and although I have been trying  to learn to live on less, before the major income drop arrived, and have a cushion. But the drop is here, and my cushion has already gone becuase of helping out the children and the grandchildren. Even thouugh they get more money then I do, an they are still not surviving on it.!

1 Comments | Post Feedback

do you have a local bus you could take it would save you money in the long run and if your funds are low you might qualify for a reduced bus fair..i pay 50 cents to ride the bus i can take it all over michigan for that price if i have to you should check into it in your town..as far as helping the kids..let them manage on their own once in awhile they will never learn the value of money if they know they can come to you..

Post Feedback:

You need to be a registered ThriftyFun user post feedback. If you are registered, login using the form at the top of this page. Click here to register.