Carry on Questing

Lula-Hula

Hello,

I have been avoiding my thread as I have been completely overwhelmed with negative thoughts & deeds. I was actually boring myself with it all.

The darkness seems to have passed, & I believe I have found my way back on to the path having been temporarily lost in a fog of exhaustion, rage & uncertainty.

Who knew that losing Faith would have such an impact

Two weekends of solid physical slog on the back of two weeks of relentless hassle & stress at work while life seemed to be passing me by nearly crushed me.

Was on the verge of walking out of work-job; it didnt seem worth all the carp ... just to clear debts. Came very close to tears one day as I wanted to wail at bosses " it's ok for you; it's stressful & chaotic here, but then you go home to a house cleaned by your wives, a dinner cooked by your wives, clothes washed & ironed by your wives & you also dont spend another 5 hours at your second job 3 evenings a week, just to pay off your sh!tty debts".

I was full of self pity & wallowing in my own misery .

Lovely lovely sub contractor :Ahas been drafted in to help out on this project & has been fantastic :T. I wish I could name him because he has really been invaluable to me & frankly if it wasnt for him I probably would have quit.


Anyway; the project is rumbling on & it appears that expressing myself clearly to Grumpy has had an effect. When on my own in the office with Gropey he mentioned that he did recognise that I had taken on a lot more than my original role & would be 'rewarded' in my pay packet. We have been slowly thawing out towards eachother since he yelled at me so I wasnt sure how to react & just asked whether it would be in pounds or chocolate ? - my penchant for maltesers & ripples is now renowned - Grumpy took this as a hilarious joke & seized the opportunity to come over & hug me whilst peering down my top.

Being back in his good books carries the side effect of my job returning to a full contact sport . I'm still not sure whether he is trying to be reassuring & affectionate or trying to execute his 'droit de seigneur' ( yes, I did study Le Mariage de Figaro for French O level )

He got all chummy again today & I could see the conversation was heading back towards the yelling & that he was gearing up for an apology which would then force me into reciprocating. I wasnt about to let that happen as 1) I still havent felt any regret at what I said & 2) I dont yet know what the 'pay packet reward' consists of.

At some point during the day he did ask - in a very casual & nonchalant way - whether I would like to work fridays ? ... I replied that there would have to be some serious renegotiating before that occured . Imagine my fury if I agreed to work fridays then discovered that he'd only increased my wages by 10p an hour :eek:.

Obviously this does mean that I have to prove that I can complete all my tasks within 4 days but I am determined/stubborn/not keen to get groped 5 days a week.

That is bothering me & I'm not quite sure how to handle it. It's really not groping, but I dont like it :mad:. Today an opportunity arose that allowed me to tell another colleague, but in a non accusatory way. He was a bit surprised & thought it was a bit beyond 'reassuring/supportive' & I just made light of it, but immediately felt relieved that someone else knows & that it make me uncomfortable.

Enough whining about work ...

Lula-Hula

For 2 weeks I havent slept throught the night so have been tired, snappy & emotional.

The upside is that I have had lots of time for thinking & reflecting. There are many thing around the home & garden that need my attention, but sometimes I just have to let them go. I have done for the last 2 weeks but now need to get back on the case.

My list of Tasks to Tackle by monday :

1 - [STRIKE]Complete Tax Credit form [/STRIKE]& post - completed & will post tomorrow
2 - [STRIKE]Complete Summer Camp form, pay [/STRIKE]& post - completed & will post tomorrow
3 - [STRIKE]Collect parcel from post office[/STRIKE] done - fabby fab shoes in it
4 - [STRIKE]Chase up Council Tax[/STRIKE] done & nothing to pay this year + a £200 rebate due :j
5 - [STRIKE]Buy Car Tax[/STRIKE] done
6 - Cut the grass - nobody's perfect & the flowers are still pretty
7 - [STRIKE]Finish clearing out all the bedroom stuff from the living room [/STRIKE] done, ugh that was nasty
8 - [STRIKE]Clean entire home from top to bottom[/STRIKE]All is gleaming chez nous
9 - [STRIKE]Buy new school jumper/cardi for DD[/STRIKE] Got both for £17
10 -Take stuff to charity shop - still more stuff to sort through ...
11 - Wean myself off chocolate & sugar , yeah right :rotfl:
12 - Go to Faith - No because if I didnt like them enough to buy at full price then I wont like them anymore just because they're cheap :A( that's code for I have bids on ebay :shhh:)
13 - Visit family - sometimes a phone call will just have to suffice
14 - [STRIKE]Replenish food supplies[/STRIKE] We have fruit & veg aplenty
15 -[STRIKE] Sleep through the night [/STRIKE] [STRIKE]2[/STRIKE] 3 nights running - waking at 6 counts, right ?

I'm not going to paint the bathroom this weekend. I have all the materials but need some time off. DD needs to be out & about too. I fear that the teenage years are about to decend on us :eek:. There have been some issues regarding honestly & attitude recently & at 8.30 this morning I was stripping black nail polish off her nails. I forsee turbulent times ahead.

The size of my body is affecting me. I dont like it & am currently trying out the low carb method of weight loss; not a sliver of bread, pasta or potatoes has passed my lips since sunday. I feel fine so far but no thinner.

Thanks for the advice Horace :A I do start my day with hot water & lemon but I fear that my excessive chocolate intake & the sugar in my coffee is cancelling out any achievments in not consuming wheat or potatoes.

I do like raw carrots so will try those out .

Would love to talk about money but am feeling very very sleepy now so I'm off to bed & will return tomorrow with all the finance updates.

I really do sometimes forget that's why I'm here :rotfl:

night night
xx

gwen80

Hi Lula

I've not been around much either. It's all sounding a bit stressful, although I'm pleased to hear you have a lovely new bedroom to relax in...white and fuschia sounds fab I've been drooling over the Next home catalogue a lot recently and they have some gorgeous stuff, but I probably shouldn't encourage you. I've been very tempted, but there's no point dipping into the money I've saved for a few new bits for the house when it need so much work doing on it.

I'm glad you've got an ally and a helping hand in lovely sub contractor at work, although it doesn't sound good with Gropey being all...well Gropey... I've got an inappropriate work colleague aswell, although he's not my boss, thank goodness. He mainly sends inappropriate emails (how stupid do you have to be to send inappropriate emails through the work email system???) and tries to look down my top at any available opportunity (even once having the nerve to compliment me on my underwear :eek::eek::eek:). I'm more careful about what I wear to work now, although it won't be so easy in summer and I kind of resent having to change how I dress to avoid his leering. It's not so easy if Gropey is hugging you though? And especially as he's your boss. It's good you've told somebody about it. Maybe you could mention you're seeing somebody? I've considered inventing a boyfriend before. I wondered if it might make him back off a bit :huh::undecided It's really annoying though. At work you want to be known for doing your job well, not for having great b00bs.

That's a long list for the weekend :eek: Do you have to do everything? I would move number 15 to the top of the list and try and put some 'Lula time' in there somewhere

Take care

Gwenx

Souk08

Morning lady, sorry to hear things have been so carp and gropey is still groping!

Re DD, one of the little twins my mum and dad babysit is a cheeky monkey and loves a bit of glitz and sparkle. Her mum has told me that she will deposit her at my flat on the eve of her 13th birthday and pick her up when she's 20 as she fears she'll be a vile teenager!!!

House is sounding ace and you have a busy weekend planned. I'm off work this week so have done lots of cleaning and drinking!!!

Take care lady and XXX

Lula-Hula

Hello again,

thanks for all the lovely posts :A, Gwen - great plan on the imaginary boyfriend I just have reservations that the minute I mention him the most fabulous & gorgeous man will walk through the door & then I will have to come up with some way of explaining his non existence without sounding completely & utterly bonkers :rotfl:.

Souk - I guess that it will be entirely my own fault if DD is a horror ... I was certainly no angel ... eg : a bit of :dance: a lot of:beer: & some of :kisses2: too
I might just send off for a couple of boarding school prospectuses in case things get out of hand



Anyway, the word on the street today is that I have not lost a single pound :mad:, Dammit, I'm going to have to get on my bike .

Had the first load of washing on the line at 8.15, dropped DD at school &
I was at Tatco by 8.40 this morning buying some new school blouses for DD & then I stumbled across the mix n match pyjamas & ended up spending £23 on some for me .

I got a voucher for £6 off if I spend £30 on household essentials so I plan to launch a tactical assault on the cleaning & laundry aisle on the next payday .

Collected my parcel from the sorting office & I seem to be on a run of good ebay luck at the moment; fab pair of Faith shoes in perfect condiditon with unmarked soles for £6 :j.

Came home & put another load of washing in then whizzed off to Waitrose spending another £16 then manoeuvred my way across 4 lanes of traffic to get to the unifrom shop to buy DD a new cardi & jumper, only to discover that the shop is closed on fridays :mad: will have to go back again tomorrow.

Bought some more fabric dye on the way home & proceeded to dye my bedroom curtains which were a bit faded & washed out. Managed to dismantle & stack the old wardrobe in the shed & rediscovered an old kitchen trolley in there which I'm going to rub down, paint & then use as a tv stand in my room.

Have gone right off using a washing line strung up between trees, cheeky birds pooped on my towels so had to rewash them :mad:. will go & buy one of those twirly ones tomorrow & set it up away from all the flight paths between trees.

Was going to cut the grass but there are buttercups, daisies & bluebells growing in it & it looks so pretty so I'll leave it for a few more days.

Rang the local council to find out where my new bill is ... turns out I've overpaid by so much in the last 3 years that not only do I not have to pay any council tax this year, but I should also get a cheque for about £200 :j.

Clearly this means that I have the perfect circumstances this year to clear my pesky debt. So I really should get on with it.

I've now stopped carrying the co op CC about with me. I keep using it :eek: & as it's provided by my bank then I am not really viewing it as a debt & the cashback really isnt good enough to make it worthwhile using.

2 CC is perfectly manageable, 3 is just silly. I have considered doing a Balance Transfer to my Barclaycard at an apr of 6.9% but then I would have to pay a transfer fee.

Not sure what to do really; I just want it gone :mad:.


Need to pay for DDs summer camp so it sets my mind at rest but am considering mobilising every other spare penny available including emergency fund, leftover gas & electric funds & the holidays funds too just to get shot of it.

I've also been pondering whether to pay all debt money - other than the minimum repayment of course - inot my ISA each month. The idea being that I save loads , earn interest & then clear the entire amount when the 0% runs out.

I have come to realise that I am rather better at saving cash than using it to repay mey debts .

Just to keep me feeling that I am part of the human race I've treated myself to a year's subscription of Glamour so I get a little pressie delivered to me every month which might help to stave off the Wanting Pangs.

I have had another clothes clearout but still have so many things I love ... if only I could fit into them :mad:.

Off to iron my bed linen now then collect DD & have a bath.

The only chore I managed today was vacuuming everywhere. Still have to deep clean everywhere ...

xx

makeup

Hey Lula

Sounds like a productive day.

I have a similar colleague to your's. He isn't a manager though, which is better in some respects.

He works in another department but is regularly in our office and is very touchy feely. He will often come over to my desk and put his hand on my shoulder, demand cuddles and if I see him in the corridor it will involve a hug....

I haven't really solved the problem so no great insights from me sadly. He is a really nice guy and very friendly and he is the same with everyone so it doesn't feel too specific on me but I really don't like it and I mostly try the avoidance thing and also try to keep physical barriers between us.

Maybe you could try that - if you think gropey is coming in for a hug, make sure you're holding a folder or something so he doesn't get 'full body contact'??

ZTD

Lula-Hula wrote: »

I've now stopped carrying the co op CC about with me. I keep using it :eek: & as it's provided by my bank then I am not really viewing it as a debt & the cashback really isnt good enough to make it worthwhile using.

2 CC is perfectly manageable, 3 is just silly. I have considered doing a Balance Transfer to my Barclaycard at an apr of 6.9% but then I would have to pay a transfer fee.

Not sure what to do really; I just want it gone :mad:.

Why don't you find one of those "cheap purchases" cards, spend normally on it, and use the money to pay off your other card(s). It's the same effect as a BT, but without the fee.

Lula-Hula

Not as bad as it could have been though.

2 loads of washing done this morning & hung out on the line. Avoiding birdy flight path leaves about 2 metres of line so I took myself off to the argos website only to discover that all the decent sized whirly things were not only half price but also sold out :mad:. So, only a small one was left which is very money saving & I did notice that all but one of my immediate neighbours have that exact same one ( cheapskates )but then realized that I would also need a ground spike to keep the thing upright ....

So we headed first to the uniform shop & got DD a new cardigan & a jumper ( Head insists on kids having the logo on their uniform) which should last her until she leaves that school in a year's time. £17 for both.

Had a £5 off voucher from Boots so whizzed in there to stock up on serum ... debated spending the extra £17 to receive the free gift ... then remembered that I havent actually used the last free gift yet & dont know of anyone else that would want it ... people are so particular about these things so escaped with just a £22 spend.

Next stop was the charity shop where I didnt drop off anything because we need to sort through DDs wardrobe ... the child will not stop growing. Found a collection of Secret Seven stories for £2.50 so treated DD to those.

Wandered around other gift shops & discovered that the chocolaterie now sells gorgeous jewellery & bags ... imagine, all those fabulous things under one roof, I am so going back there on friday without DD :shhh:.

Finally got to Argos spending £ 19.99 then had to pop next door to leer at some pc !!!!!!. I am still utterly baffled as to which items to buy, too many to choose from so it's quite lucky that I cant yet bring myself to part with the best part of £1500.

Home again to scrub the bathroom until it gleams & wish I had the energy to paint it. Actually, I do have the energy but cant be doing with all the disruption again. Yet. washed the kitchend cupbards & fllor thought ot make up for it.

Another load of washing done & a vain attempt to get the 2 ft long ground spike into the ground ... aint gonna happen without either 3 days of rain to soften the ground or a stick of dynamite, or a battalion of moles . Threw it back in the shed & decided to rub down & paint the kitchen trolley instead. It hasnt turned out as well as previous items but it will keep me amused for a while & cost nothing to do . I do like to be working on a project.

Still havent cut the grass but I did sew on 5 nametapes & it turns out that where the Hopeless Halfords staff failed miserably to prevent the pedals working loose on DDs bike ( most annoying as it only started happening after they serviced it :mad:) I have succeeded admirably armed only with my trusty tube of superglue :j

Plans for tomorrow include more washing, some ironing, clearing out the last of the junk & trying to muster some enthusiasm for visiting rellies, dealing with tax credit & summer camp forms _pale_

Weekends are too short

Makeup - thanks for sharing your experiences too, I will attempt the folder holder pose in future

Lula-Hula

Hello again,

I am loving these light mornings & long long days, I seem to get so much more done . I have had a great weekend where I know I've been busy the whole time but I can actually see the results of my efforts whic makes it all worthwhile.

More washing done & also the ironing so we both have a full wardrobe of clothes to wear.

I reassembled the kitchen trolley & although it's not perfect, it looks perfectly fine for standing the tv & stereo on & how brilliant that theres is wine rack type thing that tholds 3 bottles, just what every girl needs in her bedroom :rotfl:.

I know it's late but I'm glad I'm not in bed yet as the baby/toddler thing downstairs is screaming for England :mad:.

We've been through DDs wardrobe & removed any clothes that she's grown out of. I do think that I should be listing them on ebay ... then I remember that means I have to watch items that are sold, then package them up & post them *yawns* so I'll just keep topping my karma up by donating items to charity instead :whistle:.

There is now a huge pile of stuff to go & I fear we may never eat at the table again. I found the set of pegs I bought for DDs room about 5 years ago & when I said I'd fix them but I didnt have a drill, she rolled her eyes & replied that I said that every year & she was 'kinda over the whole pink hearts thing now" so they should go to the charity shop now .

Anyway, I paid her to go & fill the boot up with discarded cardboard & plastic for recycling. Not with money though, with Maltesers . She's been on a sweetie ban since last weeks' 'epsiode' & will do just about anything to get her chocolate fix .

I'm delighted to report that we have onions growing in the garden, I never thought they would grow but clearly the manure boost got them going.

I also chucked out an old plant that was ruining my colour scheme by shedding yellow leaves, too big for the pot & I'm not prepared to buy a new one, so huge they cost about £30 :eek:. Repotted another one in there instead using compost from the compost bin, will probably be overrun with creepy crawlies.

I didnt get to see any relatives but did make phone calls instead & have just done all the nasty forms I've been avoiding. Tax credit form is ready to post, as is the day camp form complete with payment & I've just transferred the Car Tax fund from my savings account & paid that online.

My halo is almost as shiny as my home

Having had a decent splurge over the last few weeks & with postitive & visible results (my room & bathroom when it's done) I now feel ready to buckle up for another couple of months of fearsome frugality.

Knowing I had to pay for the summer camp was making me hold back but I think that I am now up to date with all projected expenses so can just get on with debt busting & dieting.


Onwards & bring on monday ...

xx

Souk08

Hi lady, all sounds good. At Mum and Dads and she has bought me a lovely new seagrass basket to replace the carpy ripped one that lives in my hall. She is virtually unable to walk so just hobbled round Au Natrel then back out. She cant queue at tills so gives me her card and pin and describes that as a 'sad day' when she lets ME know her PIN!!! Cheek! Your house is sounding lovely. XXX