Balancing not just the budget

RosaBernicia · 30 January 2013 at 11:16PM

I ought to stop going to Waitro5e

Popped in there tonight as I needed frozen chicken breasts and mature goat's cheese that I can't get anywhere else. Thought the total was a bit high and turns out the ham I picked up was a fiver, not the £3 I thought, and the buckwheat noodles (I'm trying to reduce gluten) were a fiver too - think I was so chuffed at finding them I just didn't look!

On the bright side I just taught myself to make Breton chicken which turns out to be very easy and is another thing I can do with an extra portion to take in for lunch at work. Should be working from home on Friday so hopefully that will be a full week I have managed to eat healthy stuff that is still cheaper than raiding M&S :j

Tomorrow I must switch the phone and broadband as my current contract helpfully expires just in time to take on the Pr1mu5 offer. Reducing that should cover the rent increase so my outgoings stay the same

Oh and I called in sick today despite the amount of nonsense going on at work. I cannot cover three people's jobs effectively and I refuse to mess up my interview prep by trying. I sent a few emails for the most important things and the rest will have to wait. This is SO progress compared to last year. Slept for most of the day and feel a whole lot better.

Rosa xx

RosaBernicia · 3 February 2013 at 11:53PM

I finally had a haircut :rotfl: and remembered that I'm very lucky not to have them more often - think it's about 6 months since the last one! I am growing it anyway (stuff all that flannel about you can't have long hair in your 30s) and it's a little bit shorter than I wanted but does curl better so guess it's OK.

Also just spent £20 on one pair of tights :eek: :eek:- I love the flower Tabio ones but can't get to a branch before my interview and nowhere has tights in stock because they're all switching to summer stuff :eek::mad: so decided to spend the £4 delivery charge rather than waste any more time shopping. They do last longer than ones from anywhere else as well.

Though have done naff all swotting this weekend as was absolutely wiped out and have slept for loads of it - think it's the stressful week making the difference as I had got used to having things under control. Anyway I have 5 full days to prep just beforehand so certainly no need to panic.

Still haven't heard back from Primu5 about the MAC code for my phone and broadband switch so am hoping that they ask this week. Can't find anything confirming whether my CTax is going to go up.

Interestingly and rather unhelpfully, part of my brain is now stressing about what would happen if I got the job and how expensive it all might be - am telling it to shut up and work on something more helpful like the preparation I need to do :rotfl:

Rosa xx

RosaBernicia · 23 February 2013 at 9:00PM

Ooops well I have been kinda AWOL and not even lurking - had a birthday and a trip away and the big interview thing. Bad news is didn't get the job - bit peeved, might try again next year. Good news is money situation not too bad - only £50 off the OD this month but it's partly because I've paid for a year's line rental upfront. The trip away was paid for out of my holiday budget

feeling v smug... and also had a good day at a spa on a deal that was only £30 so rather pleased with that.

There is a possibility that work are finally going to sort out an acting up role for me, which should mean a bit of extra cash. Allegedly I can sign for this next week, but given how long it's taken to get to this point I am not at all confident it's going to actually happen. Fingers crossed it does.

Bought a pair of jeans today as my old ones finally wore through and weren't decent any more, and the ones I bought before Christmas completely abandoned their stretch after the first wash and fall down! I SO hate jeans shopping but think I've found a decent pair from Ga7. By complete coincidence denim was 30% off today so they were only £32 - not bad. Also I was good and went home rather than waiting in town for my friend who's staying over tonight... and then I've arranged to pick her up and cook here instead of going out. Another £20 or so saved

Oh and one more MSE thing... I got a letter from one of the CCs offering me an extra £2K limit and they agreed to a low life of balance transfer with no fee :j:j so have shifted £1,750 from an expensive card to 6.8%. Really pleased as was turned down when I applied for another low rate one a couple of weeks ago.

Some !!!!!! bumped my car and broke the lights as well as scraping the bumper - that was £100 but it was there in the car fund :j and I tried out a garage that someone at work recommended who turned out to be fab. Will be taking it to them for service and MOT in a few months.

Have had a spring clean today after realising that the car was really embarrassingly dusty inside

I hadn't looked at it in daylight for weeks and it was only when I got it back from the garage I realised what a state it was in! So have hoovered it and done the tyres and the screenwash etc. Also cleaned the house and now just need to get on with the scanning and ebaying that I've been talking about for months

. No excuse now the big interview is over as well as the MSc.

I do need to have a bit of a think about goals for this year as decided even if they do give me an upgraded job I need to get out of there within a year or so. Will post something when I've thought it through.

Rosa xx

RosaBernicia · 23 February 2013 at 9:03PM

Oh and one more breaking news thing... somebody pointed out to me that the local council gym is only down the road - for some reason I thought it was further away but was obviously deluding myself :rotfl:

So am going to pop in there in the week and find out more. As I'm not studying any more, am thinking of having a few months to focus on getting fit and I really need some encouragement otherwise I will just fade things out after a few weeks.

I can't believe I'm seriously thinking of a gym :eek: then again I can't believe I am 30-something and that the muffin top is attempting to resurface

Rosa xx

kerri_gt · 23 February 2013 at 9:34PM

Lovely to hear from you Rosa. Sorry about the job but my FIL always says 'what's for you will not go by you' so perhaps it wasn't for you at this time.

Grr to the car, isn't it annoying when you take care of something just for some !!!!!! to damage it. I cleaned mine out last weekend, rather full of mud and grass from boot camp. Still needs a wash but I might treat it to a trip to the spa (aka a hand wash that I pass on the way home from work) after pay day.

RosaBernicia wrote: »

I can't believe I'm seriously thinking of a gym :eek: then again I can't believe I am 30-something and that the muffin top is attempting to resurface

It's not a muffin-top ...it's waist muscle

vasseur · 23 February 2013 at 10:17PM

Shame about the job and the car but you are sounding very upbeat.

:T to the new jeans though. I HATE buying jeans and never usually own more than 2 pairs. When i find some that fit i tend to just wear them until they fall off me and then have the whole sorry jeans shopping thing to do again.

God luck at the gym!

RosaBernicia · 25 February 2013 at 8:20PM

kerri_gt wrote: »

It's not a muffin-top ...it's waist muscle

:rotfl:

Rosa xx

RosaBernicia · 25 February 2013 at 8:28PM

Well having madly tidied the whole flat and car on Saturday (and had a lovely day with friend yesterday) am now looking at clean flat and wondering where my resident guilt got to/ what I've forgotten.

Finally tried out online ordering only to realise that I've stocked up quite effectively in the last few weeks so don't need enough stuff to get the £12 off :rotfl:. Guess I'll just pop down there when I need something and try to stick to the list.

Have looked at the gym classes and am v annoyed to see that they don't have any yoga or Pilates classes on weekday evenings. So would only be able to do swim or gym. Am considering investigating the David Ll0yd but last time I did that, they refused to tell me a cost which I took to be a bad sign.

Didn't spend too much on the weekend either, I cooked for us on Friday night so only bought lunch out. We did have coffee too but they couldn't get the till to work and said they'd bring over the card thing... but didn't and we only realised when halfway down the stairs and they were closing. As the staff had spoken to us twice and nodded goodbye I don't feel too guilty, it's not like we were hiding!

Long day in the city tomorrow for a meeting so will try to have an early night. I've managed several of those in a row now and it's quite odd to wake up feeling OK and refreshed and un-resentful :rotfl:

Rosa xx

RosaBernicia · 25 February 2013 at 11:14PM

Just ordered 60 litres of cat litter - the receptionist at work is going to hate me

But thanks to a combo of offers on Zooplus it makes it about half the usual price

(and am pleased I have just used that on more stuff we need, not random toys the moggies won't use!)

Rosa xx

RosaBernicia · 27 February 2013 at 9:11PM

AM REALLY P*D OFF

Letter re change of post will now apparently not be available to sign until next week. Supposedly only because director and hr guy are out of the office on different days, but still peeved.

And have just found out that I've missed the expenses deadline for the interview I didn't get. They've said 14 days instead of the standard NHS month. Will send it tomorrow but that may be £100 down the pan. I didn't want to look at it straight after the interview - there's a lesson, next time I will put anything aside and have it ready to just stick in an envelope.

Those expenses and paying for internet upfront mean that my total has gone up from last month and is now £9,945 debt with £9,214 net status.

And I decided this afternoon to take Friday afternoon off and treat myself to a facial together with my eyelash tint. Which I may not be able to cancel as they have a charge for cancelling within 2 days.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :mad:

Rosa xx

Balancing not just the budget

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