LttF's Dairy... 2009 here I come, ready or not!!

looktothefuture

Morning Liz...

I actually started a rather ranty diary this morning which I decided to delete mainly because it was getting rather emotional! The move is STILL not finished and I can't seem to find anything anywhere! Everything is still packed in boxes, there is no storage anywhere because MIL's bedroom is still out of bounds because my SIL hasn't been round to do what she said she'd do... I totally totally understand and sympathise that clearing out your mothers bedroom and house after her rather sudden death IS going to be emotional and IS going to be hard but imagine how hard it is for my partner feels each and every day while we live in a house which has essentially turned into a shrine?

It is so not easy for me too who wants to get settled after 3 months of total limbo to have to go through her things each night and make the choice of should such and such be kept because it might have a significant meaning to my oh and his sister or is it worthless junk and could be thrown... I just cannot have a house filled with stuff I've kept, just because it was mums! As it is I've found things that I've boxed up for charity i.e. glass sets, tea sets, ornaments etc back in the cupboards in the kitchen and when I ask "honey is there any reason why you wanted to keep such and such?" the answer is normally "because it was mums!" - I feel like saying back "Yes fine, I totally understand that chipped tea cup happened to be mums favourite cup to drink tea out of but she also had a coffee mug with no handle that broke off like 25 years ago, should we keep that also? and while we are on the subject, I was wondering if could keep mum's bedroom exactly like it is for the rest of our lives until we get old, just because it smells like mum!?" Sorry, see, emotional! :rolleyes: I shouldn't really get this emotional, it's just that I can't seem to make my oh understand that we have to remember mum for WHO she was and not WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND! Mum wasn't the bath towel in the airing cupboard, she wasn't the bunch of silk flowers (covered in dust and webs) at the top of the stairs, she wasn't the picture hanging in the hallway - Mum wasn't any those things although at one point she may have reminded us of her in a moment of memory ... she was a kind, caring and considerate woman who lived her life, despite her disabilities and sicknesses which plauged her life for many years, to the fullest and she gave us all memories of her which we can never forget... that is who she was! And I miss her!

On an MSE note, not much to report... have had a few NSD's because I knew I had some DDs coming out this week and pay day was only today... have gone through the store cupboard with a fine tooth comb and I won't be needed to shop at all for groceries or cleaning products apart from fresh fruit and veg and lunchy bits! That's a good start to my new Feb budget and looking forward to the challenge. On the other hand, I have to fork out £25.00 for a new back window in my car... some !!!!!!!s took it upon themselves to remove my stereo on Sunday and smashed my car window whilst in the process... why they just didn't open the door which was unlocked, amazes me! Numbskulls! Good luck to them, if they manage to get the very expensive looking BROKEN stereo to actually work they're lucky to have it! :rotfl: I was having it replaced anyway!

Time to get on with some work... I have loads to do and my lunch hour is up. I have a weekend of cleaning to do in both houses and I have to check all my accounts are order! I will also finally manage to get to move all my utilities over to the new house!

have a great weekend everyone!:D

looktothefuture

Why is it that lately all I've done is shout at my OH? I know I'm stressed out because the house looks like a bomb and I'm fighting off some really terrible emotional feelings with moving into Mums but this is now starting to get ridiculous! I'm not a temper-tantrum person but recently it's all I seem to want to do when feel I can't express myself properly :mad: - not very good! I'm going to have to keep an eye on this because it's really starting to effect me!

The old house is now empty - totally! It's amazing just how small it really was :eek: ! I did a full deep clean on Saturday from the top floor through to the kitchen - I tell you what, I clean hard every weekend but with everything out, you find that you missed spots! We moved our 2 fish tanks over last night - wow it was hard work and all i did was watch! All I have left now to do is get the charity shop in to take away the wardrobe, display unit and some bits and bobs which we have no space for in our new house, clean the carpets (luckily my OH is an industrial cleaner so don't need to hire a machine), and pick up my pot plants from the back garden!

The new house is now my main focus! I've managed to convince OH that we can't just keep everything that was mum's, just because it was mums! How? I don't know! I found him re-packing boxes of the things he'd taken out of the charity boxes I'd packed a few days previously...! Bless him!

Weekend moneywise was good, apart from last night as we treated my SS to a pizza - he'd worked hard all day helping Daddy empty 2 fish tanks and helped me buff the kitchen floor by shimmying around with a towel under his feet! Now that was fun... I hadn't done that since I was a kid!

Ran out of time to look at my budget for the week as by the time we'd cleaned both tanks, filters and refilled them with water... it was midnight and I was almost dead on my feet! Tonight I'm putting aside an hour or so to have a good look at it! I know I have 3 payments due this week for various debts but unsure of when they'll be coming out!

Isn't is lovely to see the sun shining? The rain really depresses me! I'm sitting in a shaft of sunshine at my desk and it's pure heaven!

ElizabethJH

Hey - you still sound so busy!! So much has happened with you lately I'd say it's no wonder you're a bit stressed! That's what OH's are there for but you should definitely take a day to yourself to relax. Sounds like it's slowly getting under control though so I'm sure you'll feel a lot better then!

Glad your OH has come round to letting go of your MIL's belongings I'm sure it'll be feeling more like your own place soon enough!! Sounds like your SS deserved the treat - how's his hair these days? Has it grown back to normal yet?

Hope you have a good day anyhow... wish the sun was shining here!!

looktothefuture

You know the saying "I'll sleep when I'm dead"... never a more more true phrase said! It honestly has been non stop for months now! Sometimes I just don't know how I've coped with it all! I am going to take a day to myself this weekend, where I think I might go and spend a few hours at my mums house or out with her for a coffee! I also think my SS needs some time away from either packing or cleaning one or both of the houses.... sooooo I think we might go and do some pottery or painting together!

Oh the hair... it's growing back, like everyone said it would and he's now not so bothered about it and neither am I (although he still talks about it!). He acutally popped his head round Joe the Barbers door on Saturday while we were out in the high street and asked if he'd be open next weekend as he wanted a haircut! Bless him!

Right best i get back to work, got a ton of things to do!

looktothefuture

My old landlord went round to the old house yesterday and rang me last night! She was very impressed with the way we have left the property and thanked us for being such good tenants. :j She will forward on our deposit at the end of the month but says no doubt she'll bump into me before then at the house when I go and getch my pots and the other garden bits this coming weekend! Soooo the returned deposit will go onto the February rent in our new place and I'll have some money left over (think I need to treat myself with that money but I haven't decided what to do with it yet!). I know we looked after that property so well during our time there that there was no reason for them to withhold any of the deposit but it's always a worry that they might! And even though we moved out 2 weeks earlier than we should have, the landlords have said we don't need to pay any more rent toward the property! :j :j :j That's an extra £340.00 that I'll have in my account at the end of this month! (I have been paying weekly since I put in my notice - makes sense doesn't it??)

Now it's just to make sure all my utilities are moved over to the new house and we are sorted!

ElizabethJH

That's good news!! I think you definitely deserve a treat, think of something you really want... and then go the best money saving way to get it still!! ha ha!!

looktothefuture

I've had another little "weight" lifted off my shoulders today... I called the council that I've left to notify them of our change of address for any forwarding bills etc and they've informed me that the remaining balance owing to my CT will be proportioned for the length of time I stayed in the property itself.... so the debt owing to that council will go DOWN! Hooray! That means that my overall debt owed will go down as well :j !!!!

Moved over the following utilities/services today:
Sky
TV Licence
Informed New Council of moving into the area
Car Insurance

Tonight I will take a metre reading for the following and then inform the relevant companies tomorrow:
Gas
Electric
Water

To do still:
BT - I have to send MIL's death certificate to the company she used, release that line and telephone number and take it from there with BT for my own service!
*Write to all DCA's/Others to inform of my change of address details

Whew... I've done alot in the few short minutes that I take for lunch so I'm really happy with what I've managed to get done today! :T

ElizabethJH

Where do you find the energy?? I've hit a "stay in bed" kind of rut at the moment... felt a bit down the last couple of days, but I've signed up for PAD and make £10 a day challenges to try and motivate myself and make sure February is a very MSE month!

Had a good chat with my OH about where my mind is at as well, there's nothing really wrong in my life but feeling like I'd like a change... a new job or a new friend with some new ideas or a new hobby or a new house!! As long as it doesn't cost anything obviously!!

Oh well I should stop thinking and concentrate on the debt... I think gym tonight will help!!

Have you got any challenges for February?

looktothefuture

ooohhhh I'm really angry :mad: at my Sister in Law... I know she's trying to tie up all of my late mother in laws loose ends with suppliers at the house but I've had several letters addressed to me from Mum's suppliers thanking me for moving to their supply ~ !!!!!!:eek: I DID NOT tell her to change mum's suppliers into my name! How dare she! I asked my partner about it last night and he said it was just easier for Amanda to do it that way so there'd be no fee's to pay or outstanding balances to pay off! No No No No ... Easier for who? Her I presume! I'd still be fitting the bill!

Firstly I have debt with 2 of my suppliers so cannot move until that debt has been paid and secondly because I'm happy with the service I receive from the suppliers I chose for my previous house! :mad: I spoke to her about this the week that we moved in and said to just close mums accounts as I'll arrange for my suppliers to take over the utilities in the house! The only one I said I'd deal with was Southern Electric who own the BT telephone line as I wanted to keep mum's telephone number but still stay with BT!

looktothefuture

:j Paid another £225.00 off my CT debt today - bringing my total outstanding to £785.00 left to pay! :T I have 3 payments of £225.00 and one of £110.00 left to pay! :j :j


I also received my new shiny debit card today! I actually qualified for a debit card (although still a very basic account!) after months and months of asking for an upgrade or new account when ever I went into my bank! I personally think they got tired of me asking at the very least twice a week so just gave me one! It really wasn't my better credit score that did it :rotfl:

I've discovered that my water rates figure in my last SOA is incorrect... it was in actual fact +/- £25 ish odd out too little so I will go back and amend that at some stage - also, I must get on to the Bank about my Loan and OD repayment offer... they haven't yet come back to me regarding that! I think this weekend will be a weekend of sorting out not only my messy house but my finances again too!

Liz, I honestly don't know how I cope sometimes... I don't have the energy but I keep going because I have no choice but to! That "stay in bed" rut is what is making you feel like you need a change and I have to say... isn't that what you are doing by being money concious? You are setting yourself up for a clean slate one day...! It's all well and good having a change, but if you didn't work hard for it, what's the satisfaction you get out of it? Look at it that way... you are working really hard to be debt free.... imagine the day you make that last payment off your final debt and imagine taking a wet sponge and wiping that slate completely clean... THAT is your life changing moment sweetheart! Keep going, you are doing so so well! Don't forget that your whole life doesn't need to revolve around thinking of debt, reducing your debt, keeping to a budget and being a little stingey at times... sometimes, just having some fun will feel like a change...

Goals for February... Hmmmmm not quite sure! I've got so many things going on, I'm not quite sure what is the most important really! Ok... think...

• Ensure all suppliers and debtors are aware of my new address - Write letters.
• Pay off 1 of the smaller debts in full - even ask for a full and final settlement deal...

.... thats really it for the minute... I can't think of anything else other than getting the house sorted and the 3 charity shops in my area totally fully stocked with unwanted furniture, clothes and bits from our new house!