Money trees anyone?

I wonder if there is likely to be a money tree invented/bred or created soon because I may be in need of one soon if all our bills keep going up?

Its not even normal bills - the gas and electric is fairly low - it could be lower but we are minimising it every year so its getting there - in a new house but the building itself is fairly old so we are still in the process of doing it up despite us being here two years - for example - only half the stairs are carpeted and we have no curtains in our bedroom yet (we have net curtains but no thick curtains), even that said the heating is rarely on and we don't have a bath only a shower so the gas usage is very low.

Had a letter from the council tax section today and our monthly payments are going up - from £107 up to  £112. OK so that's only £5 a month but that's still £55 a year extra payments (we get 1 council tax free month being in a council property) but our rent is going up to £89 a week from £86  (Owen pays this) but we were paying £420 a month as we were behind with rent so it will go down to somewhere around £360 and instead of paying water to the council we are now paying it to Welsh Water and I haven't yet had their monthly amount through although apparently I should know by the 22nd March according to their site.

Anyway one thing I can keep an eye on is the food budget. I went shopping late night in Tesco the other night and had 2 green peppers that should have been 80p each, or 2 for £1......instead the two I had were in the reduced stand for 25p......... I've since come home. de-seeded and chopped them up and put them in a tub in the fridge for Owen to use in his sandwiches. I've also done the same with a few less than perfect looking red onions which were 3 small for 25p in the fridge as well......needless to say they will be used now.

I did also get a packet of 6 chicken drumsticks that were reduced down to 50p which I put in the fridge and intended to use for last nights dinner, I came home from town yesterday though to find that the dog had been in the fridge and snaffled two of them and in the process tore the packet completely open and had taken two more to his bed - so chicken was off the menu last night and I have now been monitoring the dog constantly. At 12 years old.....he's hardly a spring chicken - pardon the pun - so need to make sure he's OK but I have read plenty about the RAW and BARF diet and apparently it is better that they were raw and not cooked.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting into the garden and planting though but we woke up with a ground covered in frost and still minus temperatures so I think I will have to wait a week longer. I have made a start to clear the garden a little bit though and will be getting rid of some rubbish and clutter from upstairs in the form of an exercise bike, an old cot bad, and junk from the gardens - front and back. Its due to be collected on the 25th so I need to put it all out on the Sunday before hand.

I have just realised too that Owen has some builders merchants sacks - like the big ones that gravel/sand come in (see picture)

I'm wondering if I found a way to support them if I could use those to line a raised bed with instead of lining if I can make a few drainage holes in the bottom.....?

Anyway, tomorrow after school the kids will be planting up their hedgehogs and I will be spending the day putting together the cloche that will go outside for the veggies to get started in. I do have a window in the kitchen that I can start some seedlings off with - it gets plenty fo sunshine so should be a good growing starter point. Also the dining table is pretty clear so I should be able to get a fair bit going on there too if I can clear it and put a cover over it for the soil.

Im hoping I can use an old shed we have dismantled in the garden too to make a raised bed with - I quite fancy a deep bed so I can grow some carrots in it as well. I do have several of these potato growing bags in the garden as well that I could really do with emptying - I lost interest last year and the drop was growing well so I was gutted to lose them all but I think I will try with them again this year. That way between peas, carrots, potatoes, cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, cress and spring onions we have most of our veg covered. I havent been outside to check on my blueberry bush though so I will have to see how that is fairing.

I think I also need to wait until the wet weather comes back and get outside and find a few worms to put in the compost bin - it has had a bit of a refill lately with me cleaning out the rabbits so I think a few more worms might be needed to hurry it along.

Apart from that I am in work tonight so I will have an easy night, not quite sure what else I will get done today - I may research raised beds :-)

Hope your all havign a productive day and Im looking forward to the weekend for the Wales Vs England match - Cymru Am Byth!

Love
Sammy
x x x x x

February.......a short month so its been busy!

You'd think that a month that only had 28 days would pass by relatively easily.

hhhmmmmm................yeah ok

Where shall we start? My sister and me are no longer talking. Her issues got a bit too much and to top off a very long story I worried about my nieces and their health and safety, she didnt like it and therefore in no uncertain terms told me to leave them alone.
Then I found out the day after through my cousin that my youngest niece who is 4 months is in hospital with a blood infection, she spent 3 days in complete isolation as they treated her for suspected meningitis and then they released her home, and my sister was meant to take her back yesterday for blood results to see what exactly they are treating but she didnt. So now I have no idea what's going and if my niece is even ok.

My mother (who I have had no contact with for the last 2 years) has gotten herself a new job which means my sister may actually need to stand on her own two feet for a change - her and my mother are usually surgically attached so she may struggle somewhat which is why my cousin is keeping me informed about how my nieces are as she lives down the road from them and sees them every other day at least.

My father in law also got a new job, so that is some stress off them for a while. My mother in law is now babysitting her daughters 3 children in the day too so she is getting £50 a week for that whilst her daughter has gone back to work full time. So all in all it is working pretty well

Money wise - I was paid child benefit today - £130.
* £30 into my bank account to get Ben some new school shoes
* £30 spent in Iceland on mainly vegetables and quick bits Owen can cook when I'm in work
* £40 in Tesco on a small shop that should last us 2 weeks
* £15 in Wilkinsons on mainly Hay/Sawdust for the rabbits and dental sticks for Bruno.
* £5 for a cup of hot chocolate and a drink for the kids each
* £6 for the Taxi home
Total spent ~ £126.

My freezer is not far from full though, there are main ingredients in the fridge and enough bits and pieces to make us meals for a good two weeks so we are ok in that sense. The pets have enough food and I can bake if need be.
Ive also been looking into books Id like to read, and have found a few that interest me so I will add them to my reading list.

Hope you are all having a good week, and I am in the midst of clearing things out to make some space and finally get the house sorted.

Sammy
x x x