Lost in the middle - getting organised and debt free

Marru

Headache gone, got the lurgy. Not too bad thou.

Weather terrible - we are all sent home from work so off I go shortly to pick up DD from holiday club.

I should get online from home today but it doesn't seem likely. Waiting for that text message announcement to arrive.

Feeling lot positive. Livingroom is actually livable and I have been able to put my favourite books on the bookshelf instead of cramming it full of books that need to be sold. Next step is to organise bedroom, I still have all my clothes in the floorobe.

I am actually first time ever planning on doing some Finnish xmas foods. Getting rather excited I did buy the carrot and swede casseroles ready made from a lovely Finnish lady so I only need to do ham, potato casserole and "rosolli". I wish I had time to do some "karjalan piirakka" but if I can get time for ginger bread and plum tarts I will be very happy and don't want to push the boat too far.

Marru

That is it, xmas over. I am going to think very carefully about xmas 2011. I think that I am expecting too much from myself (or I think that there are expectations from other people) that I don't seem to meet hence getting overly stressed just before christmas. So next year I shall be organised (before the exam preassure starts) and have a list of the minimum things that I need to achieve and some kind of time schedule to achieve them (yet again before exam preassure builds up too much).

BF, his mum and DD were happy with their pressies. I haven't as yet sent pressies to my brother's family. I have arranged a gift voucher to be sent to my mum (late but I have told her). I think skyping her and telling that I am planning going to visit in August might just sort that out. Couple of friends are still waiting for their pressies but as they are good friends I don't think they mind.

Potential MIL cooked us a British xms meal on Saturday and then I and BF did a Finnish one on Sunday. I had mostly everything prepared in advance so it was just for BF to roast the pork and warm up casseroles and for me to assemble salad and heat up peas and put everything else into the serving dishes. It was really nice and brought such lovely taste memories for me. And I think Potential MIL was surprised to be impressed by it.

DD has been poorly on and off. Last couple of days she has started ok but then had temperature and complained of tummy ache. She still today didn't eat much for breakfast but did polish off some turkey pasta thingamy for lunch. She has now fallen asleep on the sofa (we are back at home) and I expect that when she wakes up she will be wanting food. I can see fried egg on toast being on the menu.

Tomorrow if she is well enough we are heading to the Swedish furniture store. I need some kind of drawer thingy to store my stuff and DD needs another toy basket for her heard of soft toys. I am hoping to have lunch there.

Couple of other things to get sorted this week are:
- write to the court (I have sent statement, next meeting is when I am out of the country so need to write and tell them)
- get mealplanning going
- do budget for 2011 and sort out opening balances to start using the accounting software I foud from net for free

I still don't know about BF and what to do. I am seeing GP on 4th so will try go get some sense about my feelings. The problem is that I don't really have any feelings at the moment. The most I can muster is feeling irritable. BF can't understand why I am not expressive and I have tried to explain that there is nothing to express. Worse is that I don't know if it is him or would I feel this way anyway (or not feel - if you understand what I mean). There is nothing that he has done or not done, quite the opposite he has been very loving and caring making my quilt even worse. Pah.

Ok I am going to allow myself to relax during these last days of the year by reading (Hitch-hickers guide to the galaxy) and do a massive jigsaw puzzle (1000 pieces).

Marru

Woohoo - I have a budget. It has following sections:

Expenses mandatory: rent, council tax
Expenses car: Self explanatory
Expenses DD: School and holiday clubs, school dinners, school uniforms
Expenses Study: Study materials, annual fee, exam fees
Expenses Other: Loan payments, pension contributions
Expenses Frugal Challenge: Everything else

The last category I have budgeted to be £4k for 2011 :eek: I think the toughest part is to keep my food expenses down. I am allowing £25 per week which is not really that much. Ok I am cheating a bit as I am done a approved foods order today so I should be ok at least for breakfast porridge and toilet paper (what else would one need ).

Other tactic that I am trying is that I ordered an organic veg box so I shall then build our meals around that every week. That means five evening meals during working week and lunches and evening meals during the weekends.

For lunches I am aiming to have soups in the freezer and also make batches of different bean spreads (ala Weezl) and HM bread and freeze those as well.

Also I am going to see if I can start doing porridge in the SC. I know it doesn't take long to cook but it just seems like a one task too much to do in the mornings. Especially if I need to get myself organised and start filling SC with dinner stuff or lunch soups in the morning before going to work.

Plan for to increase income are initially to sell stuff and then use the money from that to restart MB. I did very well on that couple of years back and would like to do it again.

But tomorrow I need to get on with my todo list:
- letter to court
- meter readings gas and electricity to submit (I changed providers)
- Tax credits to send update
- Write to the loan company to get FF agreed (5 paid, only this one to go)
- Do couple of loads of washing
- Tidy kitchen
- Vacuum where possible
- Sort out clothes in my bedroom
- Quick tidy in DD's bedroom

If DD is well enough I would like to go to town as I really need new winter boots for work (old ones are leaking and are probably 15 years or more old) and new bigger handbag so that I can carry my notebook with me. I feel that I am cheating because I am getting these before the new budget kicks in but I really need them.

Today I got a drawer thingamy so there is no excuse now about sorting through rest of the boxes.

I got this one



Should be enough space for my stuff.

But tonight it is Douglas Adams and the third part in the HGTTG series. Bliss...

ETA oh and I am ever so chuffed that my pension fund contributions are going to start from the beginning of February through work pension scheme. I am 41 and have been worrying about this and now first time ever I have at least something in place.

Marru

Lets see how it went:
- letter to court
- meter readings gas and electricity to submit (I changed providers)
- Tax credits to send update
- Write to the loan company to get FF agreed (5 paid, only this one to go)
- Do couple of loads of washing - done one
- Tidy kitchen - done
- Vacuum where possible - only kitchen, hallway and bedroom so far
- Sort out clothes in my bedroom - done
- Quick tidy in DD's bedroom

So none of the paperwork has been touched. I shall do that first thing tomorrow together with some present wrapping and parcelling. I know they are late but I would like them to be off tomorrow instead of next year. Also tomorrow definitely will tidy the rest of the house (apart from what I call a corridor that now houses all the stuff that hasn't been sorted yet - and there is lots of it :eek:)

Marru

I have been rather poorly and only surviving thanks to paracetamol. Seeing doc tomorrow so lets see what she has to say about this horrible headache that has come to company the cold/flu I managed to get.

Anyway. I am not going to get distracted by all the threads I am subscribed to I am so going to get my paperwork up todate - well at least the most important things done so off I go to do some letter writing. I actually managed to find the cables for the printer so no excuses now.

Marru

Woohoo - progress:

- letter to court - DONE
- meter readings gas and electricity to submit (I changed providers) - DONE
- Tax credits to send update - Details written down, will call them tomorrow
- Write to the loan company to get FF agreed (5 paid, only this one to go) - DONE

Also I found a Children's contact centre near me. I might be able to use them when dropping off/picking up DD from visiting her dad so that I don't need to see him :j

40somethingmum

((Hugs)) Marru. hope you feel better soon.

Love

40SMxx

Marru

I am soooo boooooreeed. I have been sitting in the office in Netherlands doing work that would have been easier doing at my desk in UK. Now I have two and half days to complete stuff that I came here to do. Hopefully the guy that is supposed to help me do that is available for the rest of the week for us.

And I forgot to bring some chocolate with me this morning, Hey ho, only half an hour and then the taxi will take us to the hotel. I found an Italian deli online that I am going to visit tonight. I feel like proper Italian meatballs for dinner.

I should have been in court today but got my employer to write to them and say that I have been sent to work abroad and can't be there. I don't know if the court had a sitting or not. I am sure they will send me a letter to tell me what is going to happen next. I did email ex but he hasn't replied.

I found children's contact centre near me and my GP has promised to give me a referral there. Huuuuge relief. I just hope that they are open weekends so that I can actually use them.

Anyway, must go. Can't wait to get back to normal. First there were the move, then the exams, then xmas and now I am working away so getting to some normality before I get the exam results would be good.

Marru

I am back home. Absolutely shattered and I am not so sure that this whole trip was exactly useful. On the other hand it did give me a good picture of what I need to do over next couple of weeks but I don't think I would have needed two trips over eight days to achieve that. :mad:

Never mind. Need to rest this weekend. Only tasks on the list are to wash the stuff from the suitcase and build the drawer thing that I bought quite a long time ago. Oh and I am sure there is some post lurking somewhere that needs to be delt with. :eek:

Five weeks and a weekend until I get my exam results. Need to get some serious decluttering done before that but perhaps not this weekend

Marru

So what did I do. I did pull the dirty clothes from the suitcase and most of them got washed. The clean stuff didn't get to be put away. I went through the post but haven't written follow up letter to one nor made couple of phone calls that I need to do. Need to write the letter tonight to post tomorrow (blast - need to buy stamps - more over budget then). Or perhaps I do 3 phone calls but it is so difficult to do from work. I shall try tomorrow.

Drawer didn't get built. That is now job for Saturday unless I can start putting it together while DD is sleeping, should be able to unless some hammering is required. But not tonight as I am pooped.

So tonight:
- collect all the paperwork needed for the three phone calls
- put breadmaker on
- start doing HM youghurt
- put away clean clothes

Should be managable.

Oh, I got a light box for xmas pressie from BF and I haven't used it at all (keep forgetting) Perhaps I shall dig it out now and see if it makes any difference.