Milanns mutterings on this last milestone.

taxi73

at least you had the money to cover it and a lovely new room to show for it

milann

Yes Taxi - that's what I thought too. It is my plan to try and save and contribute to dd's wedding. It was building nicely - but it wasn't to be LOL. I will build it again and am really pleased that I haven't used credit that'll take ages to pay off. I would have done that in the old days

Ds has been around today and he likes the room. I just need to sort and tidy the rest of the house now - HOW does decorating a lounge and dining room make the rest of the house such a mess - LOL all I seem to do is move 'stuff' from one place to another.

My target is to get all the house tidy at one time = mission impossible - me thinks

I wish I had a tidy nature - I just seem to leave a trail behind me wherever I go - then chase my tail sorting it out.

I am on a course tomorrow with another lady from work, I'm quite looking forward to it. Things have been a tad strained at work with a staff member getting hurt by one of the kids and ending up in hospital - it's had a knock on effect with the moral of all the staff - as it could have easily been any one of us. But thankfully all's getting back to normal and the child will be going to somewhere that meets their needs better then our place. A day on a course with hopefully nice free lunch seems just the ticket at the moment.

How did CHristmas get to be a few weeks away. I started off so well and have suddenly realised I have NOTHING for the nearest and dearest to me (and most expensive ones) annnnndddd.........I have no idea what to get for some of them. I have all the presents I need for friends etc - it's just the close family members I've still to get. I'll have to have an evening visit to The Trafford Centre - it's madness at weekends.

milann

Think I've made a big blunder - I couldn't bring myself to take cash out of my savings - it's the first time I've saved since before I was married 33 years ago............ so I contemplated paying my reward cc over a few months (I pay it monthly religiously!!!!!) but since I've had a bit of a spending spree lately, decorating, curtains, boots and TWO DRESSES and that's before I count Christmas shopping into the equation. AAAANNNNDDDD I don't do dresses but went out and on a total whim bought 2 black party dresses and a pair of shoes that I hope I can wear - both dresses fitted me and felt great - I couldn't decide which one I liked best.........so brought them both back home to try and then take one for a refund when I'd decided - ended up keeping them!! Totally unheard of as I hardly ever go out to anywhere where I'd wear something like this, but they wont date and are gorgeous in their own way. And then today I had a letter offering me 0% on an old unused card.........what did I go and do.............put the total of my reward card onto it!!!!!

I have some serious catch up to do after Christmas. I will not let my spending spiral again, but this has made me see just how easily that could happen. The difference is I suppose is this time I could have used savings to pay off the majority of what I've blown. It has taken me over a year to save that amount though and I've spent it's equivilent in about 6 weeks - SCARY - but it is nice having something special to show for it.

I've reduced the direct debit to my saving account to just £20 until I've paid this card IN FULL. That way I'm still making a token to savings whilst paying off card and keeping the bulk of the cash I've saved in tact.

On the plus side I now have most of my Christmas presents bought - just 1 more to go. I have saving stamps saved for a big Morrisons shop for food, but I am going to dd's for 3 days so won't need that musch special CHristmas food and will be able to stock up for a fair chunk of January with my stamps to help balance the books a little.

I want to win the lottery LOL

taxi73

Nothing wrong with that and at least it's on 0% so no harm done..great plans too to use christmas stamps and reduce savings plan so nothing lost and you have everything planned so no harm done

milann

Thanks for the encouraging words Taxi

I have been a bit in ostrich mode after my spending spree, and not been anywhere near a balance to my acounts - but over the last few days I have been fairly good spend wise as I've been to dd's and well and truly looked after and feel very lucky to have been cared for so much.

I know I need to take stock of everything and pull things back into line - I'm hoping maybe things aren't as bad as I imagined they were. I'll do some number crunching over the next few days. Think maybe I just went into panic mode after buying two fairly expensive dresses of which I've worn one twice and felt fab both times. This is what I'm hoping anyway

I am going to join slimming world with a friend. I am losing a little bit of weight myself but maybe if I commit to go with a friend - we can pull each other through and lose a little faster. How hard can it be to lose a stone and a half - LOL LOL LOL - but I need to do this for my health - I don't want to have to take meds for high blood pressure or cholesterol.

It's a big shop with my Morrison vouchers tomorrow - I still have £100 so am planning a basic stock up shop - hopefully the 3 packs of meat for a tenner will still be on then I can split and freeze or mega cook whatever I get. Then stock up on dry ingredients and washing stuffs. That should see me through a good long while with hopefully lots of nsds through January

I was very surprised too - dh had visited Trafford Centre all by himself and bought me yet another dress for Christmas the same as the one I wore to the 2 do's I went to - but in a different colour. LOL - all he needs to do now is take me somewhere nice so I can wear them

milann

I have been having a bit of a ponder over the last year - it has been ok

I set myself some challenges a few months ago and am pleased to say I have managed some if not most of them.

Things are still plodding along in the right direction even though I had a spending spree in the latter part of the year - I am still in ostrich mode reguarding current finances though - will so some sums tomorrow!!!

As for New Year resolutions - I just want to carry on going in the right direction - savings UP, weight and cc balances DOWN - the big change I would like to make is remembering to be positive about things. Overall I usually manage this but have been known to get things a little out of perspective at times

So cupbaords are mega full - I've been to Morrisons and used my savings stamps to stock up (I didn't use them at Christmas as we went to dd's). So I foresee lots of nsds in January.

I've bought a Slimming World Magazine to spur me on with weight loss (I have lost 11lb but need to do things a little faster)

Tomorrow I will get figures and MAKE them work for me - 2012 I'm ready for it

beanielou

Looking good
how long til the wedding?

milann

Beanie - The wedding should be December next year - but not actually booked yet LOL - they are so laid back it's untrue - nice, but I hope they don't miss the date they want!!

Thanks once again for the Paul McKenna tape Beanie - I must listen to it 5/7 nights as I go to bed and am still falling asleep before the end - but something must be regestering as I am stopping eating most of the time as I begin to feel full. A friend wants to lose a bit of weight for health reasons too so if we can find a place that fits around her childcare we are going to go to Slimming World and weigh in together - but I'm still using the tape. Not quite sure how SW and PMcK will fit together but from what I've read nothing is off limits with SW - I'm hoping I'll make better choices and use Paul Mc's principles of eating only when hungry. Watch this space LOL

beanielou

Ive fallen by the waysidev bigtime.
Recken have put on half a stone in two weeks.
Chocolate is not my friend at the moment.
Back to scottish Slimmers next week I think.

milann

Funny how we can just loose that commitment and undo all our good work - think on it as a Christmas blip Beanie and get back to your Scottish Slimmers and back on track for 2012 - you CAN do it cos your Beanie