Mrs. P's Diary

MrsPorridge

Feeling much better in myself today - goodness knows why though - DH got a nail in his tyre - needs a new one - £150 aaaarrrrrrgggggghhhhhhh

Here we go again - one step forwards and two steps backwards

buddiebabe

Hey MrsP glad to hear your feeling better in yourself. Thats bad news about the tyre.... its always the same one step forward 2 steps back we just need to keep going x

MrsPorridge

Well it is more like 10 steps back and 1 forward - my car was serviced yesterday - new brake things plus 2 new tyres (run flats) - total spend just shy of £600. I only had £240 in my car fund. So that coupled with the fact that I was £40 short in the bike budget (for DH's new tyre) we have once again been hit with the double whammy for our transport. Serves us right for living in a remote part of country and having to do ridiculous mileage to go out and earn money!!!

However, I might be down but I am certainly not out. What did DH and I do - we picked ourselves up this morning - raided the "boot fair shed" and spare bedroom and the garage and went off and did a boot fair and raised the grand sum of £75. I know its not a fortune but its a start.

I am determined that we will be positive and turn all the negatives into positives and just get on and do it without any "woe is me" type attitude.

Oh and I also won £10 on the lottery - its just a pity there weren't 4 more zeros on the end of it - but its better than nothing!

Had a lovely chicken dinner for tea tonight - enough left over tomorrow to mix in with some sweet and sour sauce and serve with rice (I discovered two unopened packets of rice in the back of the cupboard last week). Determined to try and use up food in the two freezers and all the cupboards. I am one of these people who have to keep buying food all the time - so need to downscale that a bit.

Got a couple of bits on Ebay which will raise hopefully a few pounds - nothing major.

DH has some bike stuff that he needs to do some welding on - hopefully he can get those done this week and we can get them listed. I would dearly love to be able to make up the shortfall for the car/bike before the end of the month.

I will also be getting a couple of hundred pounds bonus at the end of April.

I will get there in the end.......

MrsPorridge

A good haul on Ebay this week - just over £500 - so back on target after the car/bike tyre expenses.

I want a new outfit for the motorbike so DH is working on more stuff to sell on Ebay, would also like to put aside some money.

Will be thinking about trying to start Padding again on the CCs. I started doing that when I first heard about it when I found this site.

buddiebabe

Hey MrsP that's a great amount on ebay fingers crossed you get enough for your outfit

Buddiebabe x

MrsPorridge

I've now managed to lose 11 lbs at WW. Averaging out at around 1 lb per week. I am not going next week as we have friends staying - so have to be really careful - I am planning to do some walking so hopefully that will help.

Have been let down badly by an Ebay buyer - he bid on £400 worth of stuff and then didn't pay or respond to emails. I have had to put them on for second chance offers - which 2 people took up, but it was for less money and then I have put the other item back on Ebay. I have now done over 1000 worth of transactions and can count the bad ones on one hand so I suppose I am lucky - but its very annoying as I was counting on that money!

DH is working on some more bits which need repair before we can put them on Ebay - hopefully will have them early next week.

I have a week off work so am glad of the rest! I plan to do some gardening and cleaning the house and of course, have some friends coming to stay (well I say that but they are staying at a local Travel Lodge and we will go out with them and one afternoon they will visit us and I am cooking - I am really looking forward to seeing them.

Need to look at my loans etc., and tot up how much I owe to update my siggy - don't really want to look at it as I know i haven't done any over-payments - its all just ticking along.......

MrsPorridge

Well I am back at work tomorrow after a week off - and I have eaten for England during that time So its back to the diet and its also back to the Moneysaving - BIG time.

Packed lunch made consisting of salad, ham, WW crisps and a WW cake. The Poundland in Penzance does a great line in WW stuff so I went there today to stock up. Tomorrow night tea will be bacon, pasta and scrambled eggs - my take on Spaghetti carbonara.

My lovely Dad has sent me a cheque for £1,000. With that I am going to put aside £100 into the bike account (for maintenance of motorbike); £100 into the car account (for maintenance of car) and £100 into the oil account. The rest I will use to pay off the OD so hopefully that will be back to zero (I know I have overspent during Easter). I am determined to get back onto an even keel this month and start off as I mean to go on for the rest of the year and tackle the CC debts (yet again).

DH has repaired some motorbike stuff so I am hopeful that this week they will be ready to put up onto Ebay.

tomorrow will pay Dad's cheque in and then once that clears by the end of the week can sort out where I am.

Have re-discovered shopping at Lidls - really is much cheaper than Sainsbogs. Have also decided to start meal planning again. As I am sure I have said before, most of our overspending goes on food

MrsPorridge

Well I logged onto my internet bank account - just to see if Dad's cheque had cleared. This is the first time I have looked at my account properly in months. I was absolutely horrified to see that Dad's cheque has all been gobbled up in my OD which was £1300 - I had thought it was around £400

I then spent the next hour panicking and trying to remember my CC details so i could log on and via my MBNA transfer money to my bank account - thank goodness I couldn't remember my details. I was at work and all the details are at home.

Sense has now re-asserted itself - what on earth was I thinking about? What a close shave - I would have "borrowed" £1,000 just to bail myself out - you would have thought by now that I would have learnt wouldn't you?

I am now calm and now realise something:

1. I need to check my banking account every week
2. I cannot take my eye off the ball
3. I cannot guess what I have in my account or do the maths in my head
4. I will NOT borrow any more money
5. Thank goodness for a lovely Dad - the OD is now at around £300
6. Meal planning and shopping at Lidls is a must (most of my overspending is on food and rubbish stuff)
7. Try and do my diary most nights to keep myself focussed.

I went to WW last night and had gained 2.5 lbs - lucky it wasn't more. I didn't go last week and like the money I was trying to add up the WW points in my mind

I am so thankful that when i go to bed tonight that I have not put another £1K on the CC.

This weekend I am going to:

1. Meal plan - which will also help with weight loss as well as money saving

2. Sort out paperwork in spare bedroom.

3. Gardening

4. Work out how many NSDs I can realistically have this month

5. Think about trying to do some PADDING.

MrsPorridge

I have just heard from my brother that my Dad is due to go into hospital for a hip replacement in July and then he can stay at my brothers afterwards to convalesce. Feel quite sad. Last time I saw Dad he looked so old - he is 83 ish. Dad lives in the midlands about 5 hours or so drive away. We last visited him in August. We are going to see him the Jubilee weekend.

Dad used to come and stay with us here for 2 weeks in February and 2 weeks in October. However, he stopped coming a couple of years ago. He insisted on driving because he brings his dog with him and would not go on the train with the dog. I think maybe Dad had a bit of a scare with the driving. I felt very sad as that was the end of an era.

Am worried about his hip replacement but there is nothing I can do so I will try and be positive and look forward to seeing him in June. However, I will also prepare myself for him to be looking even older. Brother did send some photos of Dad with his kids and Dad now has a walking stick.

I hate old age.....

MrsPorridge

Haven't updated for a while - money wise everything the same two steps forward and one step backward - same with the weight!

Visited Dad over Jubliee weekend - he looked really well despite using a walking stick and obviously being in pain. Feel much "happier" if that is the correct word about his operation.

Have set myself and DH a couple of targets to reach before Christmas:

Declutter and use that clutter to make some money!

to that end we have another load of stuff for boot fair - would have done one today but the weather is dreadful here.

Instead have both worked hard and managed to find 35 items which are now listed on Ebay. Already got bids on two items totally £65 so fingers crossed for a good haul.

Still have another 5 items to list but I've got fed up with it - so will do those later after tea or perhaps tomorrow evening.