There's no place like home, there's no place like home........................

Yes yes I know its been a while but as usual the business has sucked me in and I'm working day and night getting items put onto the shop and creating the new website, which i'm extremely proud of just need to wait patiently for a buyer!!

I (much to hubby horror) have been extremely homesick recently, now don't get me wrong I love our new house albeit for the fact that it appears to be flooding from under the ground ok maybe not quite soooooo dramatic but every time it rains, it rains through the conservatory floor (I kid you not) and also water goes into the utility room (my shop, horror). We had a man round but the landlord isn't too happy about fixing it as it'll be basically knocking down the conservatory and the utility room and doing the (hmm what's it called) water flowing away thingy (although properly this time, apparently her husband is a builder and did all the work himself) in addition to which we might find ourselves homeless.

So apart from that though I like the house, its a good size for us but ........................................

I miss my friends, I miss my family, I miss people just popping round without having to make appointments first, I miss walking to the shops and knowing people (happens when you've lived in the same place for over 30 years) I miss well I miss being happy :(.

Every single move however cripples us financially and as much as I would like to start looking for a cheap place closer again, sadly I think that might not happen.  and I don't have any sparkly red slippers to make it just magically happen.

You see the problem is the flipping cost of petrol and the fact that my exhaust is basically hanging off and we can guarantee that we'll be a one car family soon. It feels no different to being back in Norfolk, yes everyone is much closer but we still can't get over very often because simply put we can't afford it.............. so I did a bit of searching (yes yes I know again) and I found a detached house in Denham (very very nice) slightly within price range but if car less not within transport.

Yesterday I found a house just a 3 bed and no inside pictures and we all know what that means but at £995 and in Hillingdon its probably going to be worth it to live with multi coloured carpets (ok maybe not pmsl) but still we could have a peak as its not available until July ???????????????/

Hmmmmm now to get around my men and to have the money for the deposit and the move (move not so bad as its a case of hiring a vehicle and hopefully it won't snow this time, although you never can tell with our luck) but convincing my men, the oldest is fine with the idea as basically he has turned into a vampire never leaving his room except for food (home schooling is going well but he doesn't even know whats at the end of the road) and saying to him to get out he said he will if we can drop him off at Hillingdon (oh my head aches).

Then my middle one refuses to move again unless (weirdly) its at another new school well we seem to have hit most of the schools in the area 

so torn in so many ways in fact the family is completely split in half about this me and the eldest against hubby and the middle man, now the deciding vote will come from little man but as he is still speaking his own language we have to wait to find out  but until then .............

I went into Marlow the other day for a lovely walk with hubby and little man (thats a lovely place) but (yes again) I would only fit in if I looked super fit and joined in with all the other mother and their 3 wheeled buggies jogging around the park  this would be more like me  but it was nice to get out and about for once. Hubby has been working really hard and doing horrible shifts in fact it appears he was rotaed to work every weekend and finally my CRB has come through they are just waiting on one more reference and i'm good to go.

Which is lucky as last week I went for another interview and when walking towards the interview room with the sister she asked me where I lived ........................... and I swear I couldn't remember I knew we'd moved from Norfolk but to where???????????? my mind had gone completely  and the only thing that kept popping into my head was Stoke Poges where i'd live in 2003 (one of the first in many rentals moves after selling my house) that house I utterly loved and lived in for several years until being forced out but a despicable man who shall not be named but needs to live with his conscience and his actions ........ karma always kicks bad people up the butt!!

Soooooooooooooooooo money desperate need of .................. so from the GUARDIAN newspaper how to make money fast in an hour!!

1. Dig out your store cards (don't have any and will NEVER be accepted for anymore pmsl)

With purses and wallets bulging with credit cards, debit cards, work passes and driving licences, loyalty cards can easily be relegated to the kitchen drawer. But, having a quick scout around for these cards or requesting new ones could reunite you with scores of unused points that could be translated into pounds.

Most of the supermarket and high street store schemes, including Nectarand Tesco Clubcard, offer replacement cards so you don't lose out on your points. To make your loyalty cards more profitable see if you can collect extra points from other companies that are part of the same schemes, such as electricity and gas suppliers. Eon, for instance, offers Tesco Clubcard points to its customers.

2. Resist eating takeaways (if only we could afford them pmsl 2)

Planning meals in advance is the best way to make sure you don't end up grabbing a takeaway on the way home, or throwing away unused food. Spend some time each weekend working out which days you will be in and what you can eat. If you know you will be late one night, plan a meal for the night before that can be doubled up so you have a homemade ready meal to pop in the microwave.

If you're not a big cook, start realistically. Pick out some easy ideas from recipe books and foodie blogs and put the list of ingredients in your bag, so the next time you find yourself wondering what to eat when you get home you have a list of ingredients for some home cooked food.

3. Switch your bill payments to direct debit (check)

Photograph: Graham Turner

Switching your utility, telephone and television bills to fixed monthly direct debits could be a quicker way to save money than changing supplier. Last year a survey by Bacs, the not-for-profit body behind direct debits, said you could save as much as £230 a year by switching to monthly bill payments. Paying this way also helps with budgeting.

To encourage customers to switch, many firms offer discounts. The biggest tend to be for dual fuel customers paying by monthly direct debit – npower is giving customers a £100 annual discount for making the change, which only takes a couple of minutes. BT offers customers £1.25 off their line rental each month if they opt for paper-free billing and pay by direct debit. Don't forget to regularly check your bills for discrepancies and make sure you are still getting the best deal.

4. Renegotiate or cancel your subscriptions (double check)

Check your standing orders and direct debits to see if you are paying for subscriptions you do not use. If you are paying for magazines, TV or gym membership you may decide it is time to cancel some of these, or ask if you can renegotiate to get better value.

Cable and satellite TV companies may be able to reduce the amount of channels you receive, while mobile phone companies might offer to reduce your bill by lowering your free minutes and text allowances.

You might also be able to save money by adding to your list of subscriptions. Work out how often you buy your favourite newspapers and magazines and look into subscribing as this often works out cheaper.

5. Sell your old mobile phone (must start scaveging in the house today)

Listing, selling and posting unused items on eBay takes time, but there are quicker alternatives. If you have an unused mobile phone you could make anything from a couple of pounds to £200 depending on the model and condition by sending it to a phone recycling site. Love2Recycle andMopay offer some of the best amounts for old phones.

Selling your phone is easy. You typically search the sites to see how much it is worth, send it off in a freepost envelope and sit back and await payment. Some of the sites offer more if you opt for high street shopping vouchers instead of cash.

6. Make sure you are claiming your full benefit entitlements (will start that right away sir)

Photograph: Alamy

The variety and complexity of state benefits and tax credits means you may not be claiming everything to which you are entitled. However, there are a couple of quick ways to check. The Directgov website has a benefits calculator, which can give you an estimate of what you are elligible to claim.

By inputting your savings, earnings and outgoings it estimates what you should be receiving. The site also has a benefits adviser, which tells you what help is available.

7. Fit water-saving devices (we smell fullstop, no probelm there pmsl 3)

Photograph: Luc Porus/Alamy

If you are on a water meter you can cut costs by installing a couple of simple devices to reduce your usage. Flushing the toilet accounts for about a third of all household water use, and several water companies offer free "save-a-flush" devices. Putting one of the in your cistern will reduce the volume of water used every time you flush.

Meanwhile, free ShowerSmart devices help cut the amount of energy used having a shower. They can be easily installed on non-electric showers to regulate the flow of water, and the makers claim the yearly savings for an average family are about £30 on gas bills and £30 water bills.

8. Do an hour's work (huh????)

The government-funded service Slivers of Time Working lets you pick up work by the hour. Would-be workers register on its website and detail their skills, experience and availability, and wait for a local agency to give them a call. At the moment the site offers work in east and west London, Leeds and Cambridgeshire, but coverage is spreading as employers sign up.

When you sign up you say how much you expect as a basic hourly wage, as well as how much you would want that to rise if you had to travel to a job, work on a particular day or work at short notice. A spokesman for the site says all kinds of work is available, from answering phones in a call centre to security work, and workers can flag up when they are available.

9. Scour freebie sites (hmmm me likies scouring sites)

If you get carried away with freebie websites you could end up drowning in a torrent of annoying emails and strange samples. However, there are some useful freebies out there. HotUKdeals has a list of offers, which currently includes free film screenings and a voucher for a 100g Milka chocolate bar.

Many online photo printing firms give away a number of free prints if you open an account. At the moment most will charge you for postage and packing, but you could still make some good savings on your holiday snaps. Have a look at Free Photo Printing for a list of the latest offers, which includes 50 free prints from Snapfish for only 99p P&P. Other good freebies include free DVD trials.

10. Police ID parades (you have to ask what if they pick you as the criminal????)

Photograph: Linda R. Chen/AP

Police forces used to pay volunteers to turn up and stand alongside suspected criminals while witnesses tried to pick out the guilty party. Now most use video ID parades, but they still need people to appear alongside suspects. West Yorkshire Policeruns the video database, which goes by the name Viper. It pays volunteers £15 for their time. Its website lists the types of people it is currently looking to film, and there is an application form if you fit the bill (boom boom).

Hubby is off to a car boot sale on Saturday and we have a massive amount of stuff to sell now that my ebay is purely for my shop stock so fingers crossed we might even get a takeaway but don't tell the guardian ....

TTFN!!!!!!