Hi Everyone,
When I picked up Dolly from school yesterday she looked tired but I loaded up the car with our bottles and cans and headed for cash for cans. We made $8.90 with no effort in the past week. Last week we made $11.20. Dolly is enjoying looking at coins and talking about saving for big ticket items. Her spend as she wants money box has also been filling up and she pulled money out to purchase a school bookclub book. You could see the pride and ownership of her actions in her tired 5 year old face.
Then in the middle of the night she woke with a fever and headache. I called the poison line as a couple of days previously she licked rain water off a very toxic Cycad Plant. (The stuff kids do in the blink of an eye!!) The poison line told me to get her to the hospital to have her checked pronto. So we spent 3 hours in emergency last night. It seems that she has a respiratory infection and is not poisoned - thank goodness. The hospital is FREE and we had kind nurses and the BEST doctor I have ever met. He spoke to Dolly with gentleness and the out most respect. He explained everything he was doing, directly to her in a soft calm voice and asked her if it was okay that he check her ears, stomach, mouth and chest. We left the hospital with her being so happy, chirpy and skipping we must have looked like a scam family.
I am grateful for FREE hospital care that allows me to keep out of debt and that my daughter is okay. Children can do the most crazy stuff. My health has been great so far this year after a lousy 2011. With biking to and from work I feel I'm getting fitter and stronger slowly but surely :-)
Life is very good for me at present. If feels full of potential and opportunity. I haven't felt this good in a few years and I think the cut back in my work hours and the physical activity is doing wonders to my mind and body. How about you? Having a good run or feeling down and overwhelmed?
Our Frugal Lifestyle
- Frugal Down Under
- Passionate about eco-frugality. I used to party hard, clubbing my way from pay-packet to pay-packet. Never getting ahead, just getting by. Then came our much wanted baby with no savings in the bank - only an old car. Changes were made to our lifestyle and we didn't turn back. In the past 6yrs we purchased a flat, found employment, lived below our means, built an emergency fund, purchased a reliable car and saw the financial benefits of our frugal lifestyle. Our only debt is our mortgage. Our aim is to manage our cash flow wisely, pay off our home quickly and eventually work for pleasure, not necessity. Join us on our journey, share insights, tips and tricks to help us and others to get ahead while having a good time.
This last year has been the least physically active in my whole life. And, I can feel it in my every fiber. Only surgery can cure this. However, I will see if the doctor will give the the go ahead for some sort of gym activity, free for the elderly. I know it will improve my stamina, digestion, and general health.
ReplyDeleteKids can scare a body to death.
If I could get that kind of money for cans, I would be tickled pink! And, I could afford $29/month for cable!
thats lovely to hear your feeling so happy and well, me too! im having an amazing year so far and everything is just brilliant - YAY for happiness! x
ReplyDeleteWhat a worry.glad Dolly is ok
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Crikey! It sounds like what with poisonous plants and all the things you mentioned in your comment on my Wild Swimming suggestion, Australia is a dangerous place to be! Plus you have SHARKS!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Dolly's ok! Free healthcare should be a basic human right, and it's crazy that it isn't in a lot of places.
It is great to instill a sense of the value of money in Dolly at such a young age. She will be able to save up for things she wants, rather than just demanding it like most kids you see!
glad she's okay!
ReplyDeletewow that must have given you a fright! so glad everythings ok though. working with pre schoolers i know how it only takes a second for kids to do something crazy!
ReplyDeleteI think its great how your teaching dolly such valuable life skills - money is a huge part of life and knowing its worth will make her life so much easier in the future, she's a lucky girl :)
Practical if I had no job I would pick cans at a leisurely rate along the beaches each day and cash them in. All the best with the gym.
ReplyDeleteAstra, small changes can have large impacts on happiness. It's great to feel good and it's certainly not the norm in our over busy lives. As for my risk taking girl - we will have lots of talking to do about plants in the next coming weeks. Cycads survived the dinosaur era - there must be a reason for that...
NTO, yes my daughter worried me a LOT. Too much experimentation. When she's better we will do some safety and risk taking talking.
Bryallen, Our sharks are not too much of a bother in the north compared to the crocs. My partner fishes a lot and goes to croc and bull shark infested rivers :-( Both very dangerous. We have snakes and spiders too that kill. Want to come over :-)
Thanks Anti Hoarder, By the way I've been decluttering minimum of 1 item a day on top of my "same amount in same amount out" rule.