We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.
This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Taking my finger off the self-destruct button
Comments
-
Hi Wordsmith!
What a lovely surprise to see you posting - it's great to have you back on MSE.
What a tough ride you've had but how wonderful that you are feeling better even if you're a meat-eating vegetarian who doesn't eat chocolate anymore :eek: What hasn't changed is that you still have a fabulous sense of humour and how I laughed that you saw the :money: side of losing your hair!
Please don't worry about money - hope you get some rest and here's to a 100% recovery! :j
Take care xxxOverpay!0 -
Hello! Thank you for all your good wishes. It’s nice to know I haven’t been forgotten.
I’ve had a busy weekend, none of which is strictly relevant to a money-saving diary except that it was all in a bid to earn money.
I worked more hours this weekend than any other since August. I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus. Saturday was fairly uneventful, except I let the shop door slam and the glass cracked – it was in a very pretty pattern, but that isn’t enough to make up for it having to be replaced apparently. It wasn’t entirely my fault, but it was on my watch and so I should have been aware that the wind was going to play a sneaky trick and thus been prepared for it. Who would guess that the wind would blow a gas-cylinder-used-as-a-doorstop out of the way? Not me.
I was due to leave the shop late afternoon when (now not so lovely) boss man came in to take over, but I was delayed a bit by trying to work out the intricacies of the latest government wheeze for getting tax out of us. I didn’t mind the working out really, but all the time I was thinking, “I shouldn’t be doing this; it should be being done by the son-of-a-mother who stole my job” – miaow. Closely followed by thinking, “I should be bigger than this – he didn’t actually steal my job” – but I’m not, and he did. Miaow.
I didn’t sleep well on Saturday and so dragged myself out of bed to open up at 8 o’clock on Sunday. I hauled the papers in and set them out and then checked the fridge (there are problems with it) … which was warm. So I had to empty the non-essentials fridge and move all the milk from the milk fridge to the veg fridge. Then I realised the reason the fridge was warm was because whoever had turned off the light the night before (I’m mentioning no names – you know who you are) had also turned off the circulating fan and once I turned it back on the fridge was only semi-warm rather than summer’s day warm. I was mad – a little bit at the person who had turned off the fan, but mainly at me for not noticing it.
Everything was fine until I lost the keys to the fuel cages. I first of all tried desperately to think of someone else to blame for this, but had to own up that it was me who last had them. I spent 45 minutes emptying all the bins (eeuw), moving all the cigarettes, looking in the ice-cream fridge … looking damn-near everywhere, in fact – all the while trying to be patient with a group of kids who insisted on asking about every single packet of sweets (“How much is that? … How much is that?”) and then buying one thing at a time, counting their money and then buying one more thing - but eventually I had to phone the (now not so lovely) boss man to confess. A bit later his wife came in and I was relaying my tale of woe when her eyes drifted one centimetre to the right of my head and she said, “What are those keys hanging up there?” One look at the expression on my face had her beating a hasty retreat out of the broken door. If only I hadn’t confessed, or it wasn’t his wife that found them, I could have told him how I found someone stealing the keys but I wrestled the dastardly thief to the ground and retrieved the keys at great risk to myself – it might have made up for the door. Might have.
Evening came and my feet were aching, I had pins and needles in my legs and my hips hurt. Enter woman who wanted to buy a bag of coal. I asked her what size sack and she looked at me as though I was mad and said she didn’t know, she just wanted to light a fire. Note my professionalism at remaining calm. Then she said could I put it in the car for her. I said no. She got snippy. I said sorry but at this time of night you get service with a smile buy you don’t get a navvy. She got huffy. I said I would help her. She got stroppy. I said I would help her 12-year-old-daughter. She got all frowny. I looked at her. She tossed her head and left the shop saying I shouldn’t be selling coal if I couldn’t lift it. “EFF OFF, YOU UNREASONABLE FROG-GIGGIN’ HOAR FROST” (note my loss of professionalism), I screamed. Loudly. In my head. A double whammy of black marks to me: too much of a cow not to think it, too cowardly to say it. And I felt a tad guilty: at ten o’clock on Saturday morning I would have slung the sack over my shoulder and put it in her car (ha, ha); at 7.30 on Sunday evening I couldn’t lift a bag of sugar … but I am being paid the same hourly rate at ten o’clock on Saturday morning as I am at 7.30 on a Sunday evening (actually, that’s against the law, but we keep quiet about that), so I should perhaps have offered the same level of help. … Nah, sod that.
Then someone came in and wanted ham – after I had cleaned the slicer. They didn’t get service with a smile either.
Then, then someone phoned at five minutes to close. I should have ignored it. Why didn’t I ignore it? I thought it was someone asking what time we closed and I could have the satisfaction of saying, “In five minutes. Ha, ha, you’re too late!” But it was mild-mannered Steven whose father keeps making him take him to Lourdes to pray so that Steven is left with no money and then is incredibly grateful to us for letting him have credit and whose brother is a little on the special needs side and he said did we still have a Sunday Mirror as he forgot to buy one for his brother. In the space of three sentences and a rush of guilt I went from saying we didn’t have any to admitting that I had parcelled all the returns up to saying that they hadn’t actually been collected yet to saying if he couldn’t get one anywhere else to come in tomorrow to saying that I would unparcel the returns and put one aside for him (I kept thinking of his brother being terribly disappointed at not having his newspaper). Re-tying the parcel then made me late for my usual Sunday evening sport of trying to lock the door before the elderly man pulls up – always with about 30 seconds to spare – to buy a bag of dairy nuts and €2 of Bulls’ Eyes. OK, so that sounds mean – but he’s about 78 and what the four-exclamation marks is he doing all day that he can’t get to the shop until I am about to lock the door. Don’t let white hair and a cheeky grin fool you – that man has evil intent. Besides, he always wins and I haven’t yet locked him out.
I did the till reads and the cashing up, muttering all the while, and then realised I had forgotten to pay myself. Too late. Bah.
I got home and hobbled round the garden feeding the rabbits (takes a while these days – that saying isn’t for nothing, you know), creeping around as though I was burgling the place so that the donkeys wouldn’t hear me, but I turned the corner of the house and there they were waiting at the fence. This surprised me, because when I want them I can shout so loudly I startled deaf old ladies in the next county but the donks don’t hear me. Must be something to do with the wind direction. I tried averting my eyes, but they nickered so sweetly I caved in and gave them some apple. Then I fed the cats. Then I fed the dog. Then I realised I had forgotten to switch on the slow cooker and my dinner wasn’t ready. The sandwich was OK though. I couldn’t relax so purely for medicinal reasons I had a cider (favoured friend had brought me over some Somerset cider – the bottled kind, not the stuff that puts hairs on your chest if you drink it but strips them off if you apply it). When I hobbled off to bed I fell into a deep sleep, only to waken once during the night when I had to get up to break up a fight in the sitting room. Cue one black cat being ejected – high trajectory, high velocity – from the house to take his chances with the night-time wildlife, accompanied by a few choice words (euphemisms deemed not necessary at that time of night).
I was going in to work again at 4 on Monday, so I spent the morning on the sofa recovering. And reading my next book club book, which, with echoes of homework thirty years ago, I had started too late and then realised that it is much longer than I had thought.
You might think that recovering from a life-threatening illness would lend me serenity hitherto unknown, gratitude for a second chance, and a love for my fellow man and all God’s other creatures. Nope, I am back to me old self, with added attitude.
Today I am going for coffee with someone in the village. Picture the unemployed lady (that would be me) now having time to go for coffee and genteel conversation with retired lady. Oo er, I’m not sure I can remember how to socialise. Not genteelly anyway. Wish me luck. Hope it wasn’t her daughter who wanted coal on Sunday …"Green pastures are before me,
Which yet I have not seen;"
I'd love to be a good example - instead, I am a horrible warning.0 -
Wordsmith, i'm so glad that your tumour has shrunk, you're back and posting :T I love your posts and hope you pop by more often
take care xx
Mortgage Overpayments 2024/25 - September-December, £152.46. J- £103.27, F- £115, M- £91.50, A- £100, M- £200, J- £200. J- £200. A-£200, S- £221.34. O-£200EF- £642.41/500
Total- £1783.67
Goal pay off 1% of current mortgage in 1 year. £1650
0 -
Wordsmith, am also delighted that your tumour has shrunk - but not your humour!
Welcome back to :money: :T :T0 -
. She tossed her head and left the shop saying I shouldn’t be selling coal if I couldn’t lift it.
Hahaha! Your post is the best thing I've read all day!
Perhaps she shouldn't be buying coal if she can't lift it. Good thing you don't work in a car dealership!
I don't think you've got added attitude at all - I think you've realised that life is too short to run around appeasing people!
It really is great to have you back and hearing your adventures. And I was thinking....if you have time to be in a book club, then you have time to write a book? I'll reserve my copy now!Overpay!0 -
Hello, just calling in briefly to make sure I don't slink out of the ether again. The trouble with being near this site is that it makes me face up to the fact that I have to start formulating my financial plan. But I doooooon't waaaaaaaant toooooo.
I think I behaved at my coffee morning. The tart, on the other hand, let the side down by taking a slug of milk from the rather dainty milk jug. We don't go in for such refinements at home.
Unplus
- I can't afford tax, insurance or NCT for my car. I need all three right now. As in right now.
- I've got a small proofreading job. Yay!
"Green pastures are before me,
Which yet I have not seen;"
I'd love to be a good example - instead, I am a horrible warning.0 -
So glad you're back and on the mend! Don't worry yourself too much over the finances, you can only do what you can do and it's more important to look after yourself well right now! Get that book finished though, I'm reserving my copy too! Take care xx0
-
It's made me SO happy to see you back - sorry I missed it to start with! I wish you lots of love and strength as you recover.
I won't tell you to take it steady as it sounds like you are (mostly!) listening to yourself and going with the flow
glad the animals have enjoyed the extra company. Me and mine have moved and their adventures here have included picking up hedgehogs (one dog), getting smacked in the eye with hedgehogs (other dog) and getting a tail shut in a door (first dog). Needless to say we were quickly on very good terms with the vets. They don't have a frequent flyer scheme just yet but they may be introducing one just for my boyhound... :rotfl:
Stupid coal lady. :mad:0 -
I'm sitting here grinning at your posts - it's just like old times! Glad to see you back, delighted that you managed to trounce the big C into submission, relieved that you're your old self - whether with or without added attitude - and looking forward to reading more!🎉 MORTGAGE FREE (First time!) 30/09/2016 🎉 And now we go again…New mortgage taken 01/09/23 🏡
Balance as at 01/09/23 = £115,000.00 Balance as at 31/12/23 = £112,000.00
Balance as at 31/08/24 = £105,400.00 Balance as at 31/12/24 = £102,500.00
Balance as at 31/08/25 = £ 95,450.00
£100k barrier broken 1/4/25SOA CALCULATOR (for DFW newbies): SOA Calculatorshe/her0 -
Oh Wordsmith you are UTTERLY brilliant,
So good to have you back
Love Buffy the Lurker xNevertheless she persisted.0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 352.1K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.5K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 454.2K Spending & Discounts
- 245.1K Work, Benefits & Business
- 600.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 177.5K Life & Family
- 258.9K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.2K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards