Yay! my visa has finally arrived. Off to India in the New Year.

My sister visited and regifted some of her unwanted Christmas presents to me: a scented candle and a bucket of salted caramel cookies. I don't want them either, so now I must find someone else to regift them too.

What is everyone else regifting from the holidays?

I caved to the cravings and bought coffee. I have had 3 cups already and am buzzing.

My younger sister is coming from Ireland for Christma/New Year. I hope she isn't planning to visit while I'm in India.

I bought more B12 from the pharmacy, nzd22.00.

DS has high cholesterol and is finally taking an interest in healthy eating. He has cut out red meat, but still wants to eat fish and chicken, is complaining about the amount of stem on broccoli and is asking me the best way to cook oatmeal. Small steps but promising. Considering the length of time it took me to finally become fully vegan I can't expect him to convert overnight. I am doing my best not to overwhelm him with vegan propaganda. Softly, softly, catchee monkee.

I ordered a copy of The Total Money Makeover for ds' Christmas present. $33.08 including shipping from the US. I am hoping it will inspire him to pay off his student loan. I don't agree with all Dave Ramsey's opinions, but ds is a radio buff so if he listens to the show the Debt Free Screams might encourage him to believe he can do it.

DS emailed out of the blue to say he will be coming back to NZ next month, after 9 years of living in Britain. I have to get a bed for the spare bedroom so he will have somewhere to sleep.

Yes I'm on a bare bones budget this month, but I'm not so hard up I can't afford to post a pair of handknitted sox to my dad. nz$4.50 I could have written a poem and paid just .50 cents postage, but he has dementia and I think he will appreciate the sox.

Just a few odds and ends to keep you inthe picture. Sis is going to be spending the next semester studying in our town and will be staying with me. I won't charge her rent, as she has a car and we will split costs. She is planning to get a parttimejob to cover her expenses. However she is also making alarming noises about all the renovations she thinks i should do round my place. I will have to be quite firm and tell her i only intend to do what I can pay cash for. Having a high earning husband herself, she doesn't realise I have to be responsible for my own future.

I rang ds for his birthday in England. He sounds very happy and was in the kitchen making pancakes for his girl cousins and a lot of their girlfriends. That's my boy!

This morning the dayold bread bin was very well stocked. I got a bag of savory scones and a fruit loaf for 50 cents each.

Today they are phasing out 5 cents and bringing in the new lighter coins. I read an article that it will be good for the economy as they cost less to make. The article said that money nowadays isn't actually worth anything; the reason people accept it is they know they can pass it on to the next person. I was more interested in the bank teller's comment there will be more people dropping the new coins. I will keep a sharp lookout! i found one of the old 10 cent coins today, and I have a jar of coins that I must bank.

Ds took off for England this morning, and there is every chance he won't be back for a few years, as he may study or get work over there. I am left sitting round swigging endless cups of tea and contemplating the damage to my account. Of course I had to get him new socks and boxers before he left in case he gets strip searched at the airport, and a haircut so his passport photo would look presentable, plus a celebration night out with the family.

Hmm, did I say this was the month of minimum spending? Well, they say life is was happens when you are making other plans. Now I have to make some more plans to either get a housemate or a parttime job. At the moment I am just relaxing and slowly clearing up the mess in ds' bedroom. Then I shall think about getting some money together so I can go visit him in England.

Out of the blue ds received an offer to go to England, ticket paid for by dad. Great excitement and a furious rush to get things done on time. We had to get an urgent passport. Of course ds having happily blown all his cash on DVDs and satellite TV, despite my best efforts to encourage savings, dear old mum has to come up with the required $NZ300. Aesop should rewrite the fable about the ant and the grasshopper where the ant is too kindhearted to refuse to help the starving grasshopper when winter comes. Never mind, it's a great opportunity for him and I'm really happy. But I shall be lonely when he's gone next week. I shall have to get a housemate, which will help with finances too.

I am now drawing up a list of all the jewellry and things I want ds to buy for me in Europe.