Smart Mart - Health, wealth and happiness

scrooge2008

Hi Smart Mart,

I was so pleased to read that the twins are doing really well at school, they sound very well adjusted.

Also sorry to read about Ryan's injury, that would have been a worry for you.

When did we get to be the one's picking people up from concerts rather than dancing the night away?

Keep up the good work.

Smart_Mart

Had a lovely day today despite not having any football to go to which made a change. We did pretty much what I said we'd do yesterday with a couple of additions. Got up, watched Soccer AM (can't do without our football fix, you see) then drove out to the airport to do some plane-spotting. Got another ten numbers which means they now have 675 aircraft in their little book.

Took a picnic then ate half of it by the runway before going back into the city and parking up by the harbourside for part two of lunch. There aren't many better places to eat your lunch than looking out on the ferries going by - it's even nice when the weather's crud. Bought us all an ice cream then I had a coffee and rock cake combo from the local buttery which is legendary in these parts.

Headed home about 2.30pm, watched a bit of telly then I took them round the park to get some exercise while I watched the local team win 4-0. Back for tea then we've done nothing tonight except watch telly....:p

Tomorrow will be the usual although of course only one twin will be playing..:(. Quiz in the evening and no courier jobs booked for Monday either as I have a meeting and a match in the evening and I'm owed a morning anyway.

Smart_Mart

Boys won their football match 6-1 today with DS2 making two of the goals for the striker and DS3 looking on subdued on the sidelines....:(

Went to the quiz tonight and our team were truly woeful. One of the team found out this week that his best friend has contracted pancreatic cancer and has just weeks to live so obviously he wasn't really in the mood for socialising. The other two of us were tired and all of it added up to a shabby effort.

Spent £7.22 on a round and a pound on the quiz itself. Paid £30 for the March training fees today as well which gets me up to date with them.:T

Smart_Mart

Well today didn't go exactly to plan - do they ever?

Go 220 newspapers delivered this morning, had dinner, showered and was getting ready for the meeting when I had a phone call to say it was postponed. Decided to go on down to the club anyway to watch and report on the match but blow me if that wasn't postponed too! :rotfl:

Spent £9 on gas and £15 on diesel today, that was it. Tomorrow I've got 230 papers to deliver, a player interview and loads of paperwork to sort out.

Smart_Mart

Papers sorted, and fitted in a trip to the recycling bank as well, clearing out the porch in the process.

Had a good day sorting out paperwork for the possible DRO and wrote three articles for the programme and the website.

Other than that, a very quiet day really - more of the same hoped for tomorrow except for the papers being delivered, collecting the kids from school, football training and a programme deadline to be dealt with.

Only spend today was £1.80 in Wilkinsons on envelopes, £2.00 on lunch in Greggs (:o) and something else that escapes my memory at present.

Smart_Mart

Rang the CCCS this morning and they're sending me the DRO paperwork through as soon as possible. Have applied for my credit report as well so things are slowly moving forward in that respect.

Papers came today so I've got 240-ish each day tomorrow, Friday and Tuesday to deliver.

Got a lot more stuff sorted out paperwork-wise today including three articles for the programme and all the proof-reading done as well. Picked up a loaf of bread from Tesco plus two cakes (£2.12) but otherwise a NSD.

Smart_Mart

Almost fell asleep after lunch today, couldn't believe it. One minute I was watching 'Doctors' and the next minute I, er, wasn't....:p

It was quite a busy morning today - delivered 250 papers then went straight to shopping afterwards. Spent £42.22 but that included four Easter eggs (£6.00).

Decided to set up a JustGiving page for my health and weightloss start on May 1st. I'll try to remember to put it in my signature but I've decided to do it for a local children's hospice that I've visited a couple of times before. They do wonderful work under the circumstances no parent would want to be contemplating.

Tomorrow I'm delivering 220 papers then picking up the boys for the weekend after lunch. My team are away this weekend and the boys own team have no game so we're almost bereft of football this weekend. Thank heavens for a home match on Monday lunchtime then....:T:j

I'll try to post up my March spending totals tonight as well although there is one particular total I'm not looking forward to revealing... the eating out total which I know is going to be bad.:(

Smart_Mart

Apart from the blip aforementioned, not too bad. Here's this months spending totals, next post will lump them in with the previous four months totals...

Rent - £560.00
Shopping - £185.34
Diesel - £170.00 (helped by having a full tankful in the new car)
Creditors payments - £130.00
Virgin Media - £81.48 (normal bill plus £10 topup)
Eating out - £79.84
Gas - £58.00
Golf day - £50.00
TV Licence - £47.50
Training fees - £30.00
Quiz nights - £18.02
Fan club membership - £15.00
Golf - £13.80
Postage - £13.49
Clothes - £12.00
Stationery - £10.18
Car vacuum & wash - £8.00
Goalie gloves - £5.00
Football ticket - £5.00
Boys sponsor money - £5.00
Boys bottles - £3.00
Gamble tickets - £2.00
Football subs - £2.00

Smart_Mart

November figures in black, December's in red, January's in green, February's in blue and March's in black again.

Rent - £1,200 £280 £840 £560 £560
Housekeeping (food + other shopping + mini-shops) - £263.80 £201.60 £174.17 £180.53 £185.34
Fuel - £255.00 £186.00 £197.50 £202.50 £170.00
Twins presents - £144.73
Gas - £85.00 £86.00 £84.00 £45.00 £58.00
Virgin bill - £49.49 £60.97 £67.26 £65.85 £81.48
Football tickets - £35.00 £18.00 £37.00 £5.00
Tea/lunch out - £28.65 £54.77 £35.25 £49.09 £79.84
Household misc - £23.75 ( set of bedding, set of four mugs) £18.95 £4.47 (toaster)
TV Licence - £23.75 £23.75 £47.50
Quiz nights - £17.40 £6.50 £15.26 £1.00 £17.22
Cards/presents - £13.66 £152.38
Haircut - £12.00 £12.00
Fireworks night - £11.00
Debt repayment - £10.50 £130.00 £130.00
Stationery - £10.22 £2.20 £10.18
Football stickers - £8.00
Postage - £6.42 £5.58 £2.56 £6.37 £13.49
Laundry - £6.00
Football programme & lottery ticket - £5.00 £3.00 £6.00 £2.00
Car Wash - £4.00 £6.00 £8.00
Parking - £2.00 £2.00
Advent calendars - £2.97
Bank charges - £1.85 ( withdrew money from an ATM that wasn't free) £1.75

Smart_Mart

A few thoughts then...

Housekeeping remarkably consistent though maybe should have been lower considering the eating out totals.

Eating out at almost £80 is way too much but I got a fair bit of that back through the expenses for those two days so although on the face of it, it's a bad total, it is probably only half of that in real terms.

Gas is a little up again but should really drop once summer (:rotfl:) is here.

Chuffed with the creditors payments.:T

Quiz night was up - shows how much it costs us when we don't win any prizes.:o

Postage was up but that's because I tend to delay sending the programmes out sometimes through lack of programmes to send out!!

Other than that, one more month to go until I put down some hard and fast figures to work to over the next twelve months.