Striving to save and stay solvent!

MeandO · 22 May 2017 at 10:36AM

I've just realised that it was a No-Spend weekend! :T:T:T Not had one of those in a while!

Saturday, I walked to the post office and posted two parcels that I'd pre-paid for on Friday with the paypal postage thingy and one business parcel that was covered by credit I had on my business postal account.
The afternoon saw us take the littlies to a local wildlife place for a walk. OH is a member there, so no pennies left the purse on the day.

Sunday I had a builder come round to measure up and look at finishing the bathroom for me. I did relay that it had to be as cheap as possible, so hopefully his quote should reflect that when I receive it.

I managed to finish the decorating in the spare room yesterday evening too. It wasn't my greatest job ever, but it looks loads better than it did before. I also used paint I had leftover from another room, so was relatively inexpensive, and moved a chest of drawers from the other spare room so no need to buy any more funriture. I just need to buy a duvet cover and a blind for the window then it's all done. These can wait for a while though until I see a bargain.

It was a great drying day here yesterday too, so I made the most of it and got a load of washing dry on the line, avoiding using the tumble dryer.

Last night, OH bought us a chinese takeaway, which was lovely. We very rarely have takeaways these days, probably once every 2 or 3 months at the most, and there is always leftovers for the next day.

Should be a NSD today, in fact a mostly no spend week, with only a bit of fruit needed before Thursday which is PAYDAY!

YNAB has helped me to see I can shift another £97.95 over to the savings for the bathroom renovations, so that has been done today. Thanks to my parent's kind gift, another £200 will be in there by the end of the week too.

Have a good Monday all
X

MeandO · 22 May 2017 at 9:51PM

Well, it didn't work out to be a NSD, but a low spend day instead...

After work, I popped to one of my favourite 'home' shops as I have been carrying a gift voucher round since Christmas and fancied a browse to see if anything grabbed me. I ended up using the voucher on 3 presents for other people instead, adding just over £4 oitnof my purse, so will save me money in the long run I guess! Typical me, spoiling others is what got me into debt in the first place all those years ago... anyway, I have picked up something nice for my Dad for Father's Day, and will be able to save (a heap) on postage and take it with us when we go to see the parentals next week.

I also popped to one of the £ shops whilst there and picked up a few bits and pieces, spending £5 from my purse.

The refund from the kitchen appliance fiasco has hit the bank account today so that has been transferred back over to the ISA.
I've had more interest in the item I was selling, but to be honest I'm not sure I can be bothered with the whole thing, may be easier just to keep it.

Tea for both DS and myself was from the freezer/cupboards, no spends there, nor should there be for the rest of the week for evening meals. Cooking for one of an evening is really so soul destroying though, I hate it. 🙁 DS is a very fussy eater and has his food a lot earlier than me as he's an early to bed-er, so I end up half heartedly throwing something random in the oven for myself when I'm hungry.

Feeling quite glum today, I hate coming home to an empty house and having no-one to talk to once DS is in bed, usually by 7pm. I adore OH and love being with him, but we both very much have our own homes and I don't see that ever changing tbh. There are issues with his child that I know would mean he'd never consider us moving in together, which makes me kind of sad.

At the risk of sounding pathetic and like a complete loser, I don't have any friends that call me or come round or live near here, in fact I don't really have many proper friends at all. I don't know why because I get on with everyone, am quite funny (so I've been told!) and consider myself to be a nice person , I guess it's because I'm not from here originally and people seem very much to be set in their own friendship groups at my age. The phone only ever rings if it's OH or someone trying to sell me something! 😆

Loneliness is just the worst feeling.

Anyway, enough doom and gloom, tomorrow is a new day and all that. I'm going to have a soak in the bath and an early night.

Night all xx

Honeysucklelou2 · 22 May 2017 at 10:19PM

Well done for having a no spend weekend, that's impressive as is the decorating. I guess it must make the place feel more your own.

Sorry to read about the loneliness. Are you in a totally new area since your move? Do you know any of the fellow mums from your DS's class? Is there time to persue a new hobby that would give you opportunity to make friends?

MeandO · 22 May 2017 at 11:11PM

It's about a 20 minute to half hour drive from where we lived before HoneysuckleLou, but my 'home' and family/old friends are a 3.5 hour drive away. I've been in this general area for well over a decade now though but have never made any, what I'd call, lifelong friends here.

Unfortunately the Mum's at DS's school mostly all seem to have grown up together and have never left their town! A couple of them say hello and will chat for a few minutes at the school gate, one has been in for coffee whilst waiting to pick their little one up, but no-one really seems interested in welcoming a newbie in, they seem more suspicious of me than anything, probably because I don't have the local accent!

Unfortunately no time for hobbies as the only 'spare' time I really have is evenings when DS is in bed. I think any single parent would appreciate that that time can be the most depressing.

I'm very used to being on my own, I've lived on my own a few times before I was married and the ex and I have been split up for a few years now, so I am used to it, but company would be so lovely sometimes. I get so bored of my own company! OH is a star and we chat on the phone several times a day and I see him loads as he only lives a short distance away, but it's just not the same as living with someone.

Bobarella · 23 May 2017 at 8:15AM

How lovely of your parents to give you that money.

Sorry to read about how things are with the friend situation. Without wanting to sound all Pollyanna, have you tried joining clubs specifically with your interests in mind? Would it be possible to get a sitter so you can go? I think you need to prioritize your own mental health as much as anything else. I do appreciate it's not free because of needing the childcare. It's the classic situation isn't it, things won't change unless you take that first step out there. I hope that doesn't sound hard?

I am another who has felt very much outside of things most of my life. I didn't have a nice start, moved away at 19 and never came back 'home' I often find people exhausting and need a lot of time on my own to recharge. My life over the last 6 years has not been normal or regular in any way and I've lost touch with pretty much all my old friends and quite a lot of family. So I'm speaking from experience. I don't find it bothers me. But then I am living with someone and having a baby and a demanding business mean I hardly ever stop anyway.

I'm not sure if that sounds sympathetic or not, but it was meant in that spirit.

MeandO · 23 May 2017 at 9:54AM

No, it doesn't sound hard at all Bob and wasn't taken so.

I tried a few clubs and groups before DS was born, but unfortunately people seemed to go in their friendship groups and 'stick to what they know.'

Your second paragraph could have been written about me!

Feeling brighter this morning, think I just get down in the dumps when I'm tired and have eaten cr&p. I'm so much more positive after some sleep and good food. Basically I think I need to look after myself more.

Not much money-saving news this morning. The surveys seem to have dried up lately - funny how that happens when you're always close to payout.

I have a couple more items sold pending pick up which should bring me in £48, but unfortunately people seem to be really slack at actually picking things up lately and then deciding they no longer want them. One such item has been ongoing like this for two weeks now. :mad:

Need to pop to the shops to pick up some fruit and squash today, so a low spend day today. Need to resist anything else that shouts 'buy me' whilst I'm out!

MeandO · 23 May 2017 at 1:41PM

£30 received and another 'sold' item collected today.

Tonight I need to get some craft orders made, ready to post, and possibly turn out a bit more 'stuff' for ebaying.

Bobarella · 24 May 2017 at 11:13AM

But what about your own interests and passions now? That was more my angle. I have met more interesting talented and driven people in the last 9 months of my new business than I ever did in the past. There are SO many people out there making a living (scraping by) employed under their own steam. It's amazing. There is a saying I keep reading recently ' your vibe attracts your tribe' I don't often get to socialise with these people as I'm working or doing child care but I come away refreshed and challenged often from talking to them in a work situation, and I think if I was looking to socialise more that's the way I'd go now. My life has been more A Y G than ABC. Stands to reason that people with the same approach are going to be my tribe.

MeandO · 24 May 2017 at 12:22PM

Hi Bob, love the saying, I cn totally see how that can be true.

Unfortunately though, I don't really have time to dabble in any of my interests these days, other than working on the house and garden which is obviously done by myself at home.
I do have a craft-based business too which, when first started was quite exciting and I did 'meet' several interesting people who were in similar professions, albeit all of these were online. Unfortunately now though, due to mass copyright issues and the demise of craft based sites (ie. Etsy), which are now filled with mass produced cr&p and copies from the far east and wholesalers, my interest and enthusiasm for that has gone. These days the business is solely to top up the wages and help to pay for things.
Being a single parent, it is also quite difficult to have time to do anything that is for myself, not that I'd have it any other way, but I just don't get the time.

Maybe in another life!

MeandO · 24 May 2017 at 12:27PM

I'm tired today after an unsettled night with a poorly boy, so don't plan on achieveing big things after work today.

Another survey done this morning which has eeked the points total up. I have decided to build those points up to Amazon vouchers towards Christmas spending, so won't be cashing that one in for a while yet.
The other, I think I'm due £20 from it, will check when the latest survey has been recorded.

Tax credits don't seem to have been paid in today, if not there tomorrow, that's another phonecall to them. :mad:

Payday tomorrow. :j Tonight I shall be looking at the budget for next month and updating YNAB as I have a few things I need to record on it to get it up to date.
I also have the orders to get out that I didn't do last night...

This month I'm going to be tidying the bank account numbers and sweeping odd amounts over to the savings account. I'm sure it'll soon mount up and won't be missed day to day.

Striving to save and stay solvent!

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