Miss Optimistic's Diary to stay focused & stay organised!

MissOptimistic

Having a lazy day here today (well apart from household chores!) - It is starting to snow here and is forecast quite bad for tomorrow - just hope I can get to work tomorrow - one week in and my routine disrupted already!
I have a few bits on ebay which are doing quite well with 3 days to go so that should be able to go into the debt busting pot.

Does anyone else believe that there are 'other forces' at work to help us when we start to help ourselves? The reason I ask, is that when I had decided to take the new job (thereby helping ourselves) later that day I had a phone call from another lady who would like to rent our holiday apartment for another 8 week stint. (The current 'lodgers' have 3 weeks left) - and at a rate of £100 per week, its an extra £800 I wasn't expecting.

Just wrote to the tax credits people letting them know of the increase in wages (although it won't affect our payments till April) and also to let them know of the nursery costs I'm paying - I hadn't bothered to let them know, but it may make a difference?

anyway, hope to do my meal plans for the week later and organise a Mr T shop - hopefully within my new budget

Its actually quite exciting to do a spreadsheet for February, knowing for the first time in ages that we can actually meet all our commitments and have a little left over - Its sad how I get my enjoyment these days!

clearmydebts

Hiya,

That's great news about the tenant for the holiday home! I definitely believe in positivity breeding positivity. Looks like the tide is turning for you and 2009 might be your lucky year!

MissOptimistic

Wow - is it really 10 months since I posted on my own diary? - So much has changed since then.... where do I begin?
Well, I never went away from MSE - Im still a regular lurker and occasional poster, but there has been so much going on and I guess I felt I wasn't in control anymore (I still feel like that really)
The job lasted 4 months before we decided as a family to move back home, to our home town where all our family are. As a result, we decided to close down our business and start afresh. It was our intention to find another shop over here and get going again, but a lack of shops with decent rent (Landlords are still greedy even in a recession) and a feeling between OH and myself that we would only be going into for lack of anything else, meant we decided to call it a day on that front.
I spent the Summer writing to our creditors and have managed to agree reduced payments on 4 of our 6 debts (the other two Citicard and Barclaycard) played hardball so I CCA'd them - 4 months later there is no CCA, they are still piling on the interest at a rate of about £300 each per month and I don't know quite what to do now.
We moved in September, just in time for the start of the new term at our kids new schools and are now desperately looking for jobs - here is where we fall flat. We have had no luck whatsoever and so since September have been living on the little bit of income we do get, plus loans from family. This can't continue much into the New Year though, so things will have to change.
If you're still with me - I will post a SOA and keep you updated on how we get along.
Things just feel so bleak at the moment, I think this is one of the most desperate days i have ever had

MissOptimistic

I can't sleep, woke up about 3.30am and have been wide awake ever since - Decided to come downstairs for a cup of tea, to find I have only 1 tea bag left (does it get any better?!) Decided to save the solitary tea bag for a bit later in the day, and so am having this lovely herbal conconction instead!

MissOptimistic

OH went out this morning and bought me a bumper box of 240 tea bags - that should last me a couple of months I reckon!
Right - good things I have done today are:-

* Signed up to one of the B sites for free scratchcards - just need to
remember to do them now!
* Emptied my ironing basket :j Anyone who knows me will tell you that this
hasn't happened for a number of years - again, just need to keep on top of it
now!

I had meant to charge the camera up and get some stuff on ebay but that hasn't happened today, still checked my list of goals for the past week and have tackled all of them, except the complaint letter to Citicard, so that can roll over to next week.

Almost forgot - did meal plans for the week and organised a Tesco delivery for tomorrow.

MissOptimistic

Need to knuckle down and focus on the plans for the week ahead. I still have a little christmas shopping to do (all 3 kids are more or less sorted) but still have mum, mil, step mil, sis in law, husbands gran, step fil and friend to buy for. I think I will have a scour on the bargains board to see if anything catches my eye. I have signed up for the make £10 a day challenge - I have done a couple of these before with relative success, so we will have to see how it goes. Expecting about £25 from Quidco at the beginning of the month so that will get me off to a flying start.
Another job I need to do, is get in the garage and get organised. I have a large black whirlpool american fridge freezer with ice/water dispenser in there. It cost about £850 and is not quite 3 years old - It has never been plumbed in to the water, so the drinks/ice dispenser bit is brand new. I would hope to get £300-£400 for it perhaps - that would certainly help out!

MissOptimistic

Need to convince OH that getting up this Sunday at 6.00am to do a car boot is a good idea (note to self: good luck with that one!) - He is a bit of a petrol head, so i think the route i will take is that his car will never fit in the garage over the winter if we don't get rid of all this [STRIKE]rubbish [/STRIKE] car boot treasure.
I have been managing to do my daily scratch and have transferred my money from Quidco into my Barclays account to reduce the overdraft (an account we never use, but has a £1500 overdraft )
Need to get some stuff on ebay tomorrow.
Went Xmas shopping today, got a few more gifts sorted, just need to buy for mum, mum in law and sister in law now, then all done!

In_my_dreams

Found you and subscribed!

Absolutely get the fridge freezer sold!

MissOptimistic

Oooh I have a subscriber - I'm very sorry that there has been nothing to subscribe to of late
The fridge freezer still isn't sold - although there is a little more of a clearer path to it, so we can at least get in to photograph it now!
Off to work tomorrow - I normally work Monday and Tuesday, but couldn't get in on Tuesday due to the snow, so have swapped a day to tomorrow instead.
Tried to be MSE today by sending kids to Tesco with a receipt as we were overcharged yesterday, they have the fresh orange on at 4 for £3 and this is printed on the cartons as a long term price offer, however when I checked the receipt we had been charged 98p per carton with no deductions. It is clear on the receipt but they said they cant refund without us bringing the juice back :mad: That seems ridiculous, carting 4 cartons of juice back to Tescos and anyway I think we've already drunk one of them - aggghhh - rant over!
On the plus side, I rang Alliance and Leicester because I had been charged a £25 paid item fee this morning, but when I logged on, I couldn't see where we had gone overdrawn (overdrawn, overdrawn) - Don't get me wrong, we have been sailing very close to the wind for a couple of weeks, but the lady at A&L said she couldn't really explain it either so would refund the fee :j
Am going to get up early and run a couple of miles before work (treadmill) I will only be able to manage about 20 mins though, so will set it to incline, or go a bit faster to make the 20 mins count.
If you're still with me, thanks for reading !

MissOptimistic

Well, feeling very virtuous this morning - managed a short run only 1.7 miles, but better than nothing, then made a smoothie for breakfast (1 kiwi, 1 pear, handful of red grapes and a small glass of both apple and orange juice) My OH on the other hand is not having such a good start to the day - it took him half an hour to get off our estate, as no gritters have been down and the traffic was struggling to get up and off the estate onto the main road. Got to youngest DS school to find he had forgot his shoes (was wearing his wellies) snotty receptionist dragon said " well he can't stay at school with no shoes" upon which my OH said " right, OK, come on" and proceeded to march him back off to the car. The receptionist then came running out after him saying well, I suppose he could just wear his socks in the classroom. So that is what he is doing - he really needs to learn to screw his head on in the morning, I told him twice this morning (after writing his name in his wellies) that he needed to take his shoes in a bag!!
Then OH got to other DS school to find it still closed. He is on route to nursery now, he's been gone since 8am so he wont be in a very good mood - and then he has to srive me the 8 miles or so to work as we only have one car!