Macgirl's "Stop Procrastinating and Get on with it" Diary

hypno06

Laters.......

I'm off to tackle the cupboard under the stairs :eek:

macgirl

Almost late for hair app, as I had to get clothes out for the kids, to stop them looking like they were homeless if I left it to DH....

Then got there and forgot I only booked a colour, so the stylist later admitted they were in the back freaking out because they thought they'd made a mistake with the booking
- no it's just me going senile :cool:

Anyway, only cost £30 so money saved.

Then got a text from DH to say DD1 was going to a party :eek: I had totally forgotten as she got the invite before the end of term (and TBH I thought she'd forget too) but helpfully, her little friend reminded her at ballet!

I am always organised for kids parties and have a stock of presents ready. But of course they are neatly packed away in a box under 300 other boxes!!!
I don't know this child so didn't know what to get him. I decided to get him a voucher (as I get discount through work :money:), then rang DH to discover this boy is a GIRL!
Arrgghh, so then with heart beating through chest raced to Next (thinking Sh*T, still need to get shopping and viewers are coming in 30 mins!!!) and paid £9 for a present :eek:

One viewing cancelled, but the other 2 were great - really nice respectable people. We've had very good feedback so far. All tenants said it's the best house they've seen and that houses go really quickly in this area :T
Fingers crossed it will be sorted by next week. Hurrah!

se999

Sounds like the rental viewings are going well :T:T:T

Fortunately the kiddie birthday parties are long ago for my two, and the school gate politics :eek:

Sorry if it's stating the obvious, but I wouldn't sign a rental agreement until I'd at least exchanged. Your solicitor might say wait until you've completed to play it safe. The letting agent will probably be wanting you to agree to things asap, as they're not taking the risk.

macgirl

Thanks Se, that is very good advice. All being well we should exchange and complete this week. We've signed the forms and had them witnessed, so I'll post them through the solicitior's door tomorrow and then be on the phone to them on Monday!

I'm currently reading Firewalker's fantastic diary whilst contemplating why my attitude to my debt is so lassez-faire.
I'm off work on Monday and Tuesday as little DD starts school, so as well as the packing/moving monotony I'm going to examine my reasons and hatch my Mr Big plan.......

macgirl

My brain is whirring tonight - pity my body is totally knackered

I'm in bed, eating Ben&Jerry's - my "perfect" evening!

Actually, I've been quite moved by the MG/Big project. It's making me face up to a few things. I know myself pretty well and I've read a lot of the books that have been mentioned.....
(apart from MG's I pm'd her then realised I can't actually afford to buy it this month )
.....so understand the importance of decluttering the mind, friendships, bad habits - as well as my environment. I have cut a lot of the Chaff from my life already. Without wishing to sound arrogant, I know the value of myself as a person and don't suffer fools, therefore the only toxic relationships I have are my family! I don't want to eliminate them - well not all the time :cool:

Really though, this is about debt. This diary should be about debt and reducing it and eliminating it. I'm in debt because I like to consume. I have a need to feed myself to make myself "happy" and I do the same with sugar - at certain times it's like a drug. There are so many things I want to buy and covert, I often can't stop myself.

Something I read today on Firewalker's thread really resonated with me. The fact that a budget is just numbers and is not real life or how she spends money. I feel the same. And embarrassingly, I feel the same detachment to my debt. I have a job, a decent salary and I can meet the payments without any pain, so it doesn't hurt me. Why????

That is what I'm going to work on. It's fine saying, I need to budget, take lunches to work, mealplan, use envelopes etc etc etc, but it is like FW's budget - it's not real and for me is papering over the cracks.

In order to be debt free and remain so for the rest of my life and stop "borrowing off the future" as my poor DH tells me in exasperation, I need to examine what the reasons are, what is it I'm feeding? What is it that I need or I am lacking? I've been this way since I was young. I'm not a great believer in racking up the past, but I believe there are deeper reasons that I need to address.

I've been too busy and too focused on moving house for the last few years, so was easily able to ignore this, now the time has come to sort it once and for all. I can do anything if I put my mind to it - so it's high time I did.

Phew, sorry for the deep rant!

macgirl

Morning

Right after the soul searching last night - back to reality!
Lots of washing, ironing and getting little DD ready for school today. I want to paint the door to the attic and as it's sunny so far, I'll chance my arm and take it outside I think.

Then I want to go to IKEA to price up curtains to leave here. I have 30% off in Gap today too, so might see if I can get a present for my cousin's new baby.

Other than that I plan to have a lazy day. No running as my legs are aching so will do a few miles on Tuesday to stay "loose". Am off work tomorrow and tuesday - DD is only doing mornings for the first week - so it will be nice to have a couple of hours to myself.

Hope you have a good day x

gilligansyle

Reading your post from yesterday about your attitude to debt was interesting. I've read some of FW thread but it didn't resonate with me much, horses for courses I suppose. But one thing is definitely true, and the reason for the title of my diary, there is a 'comfort zone' within which we manage, decent salary, manageable debt, and if you don't spend any more money on credit, it will go away eventually all by itself. Sometimes you need to shake yourself out a bit. For you, your focus has been the house, so now maybe you can find a way to make the debt real rather than numbers.

Just how I see it really.

Another thing, is it GNR soon? How is that fitting in with everything?

macgirl

Hi Gill, that's exactly it. Plus it was actually something you said a while ago that was spot on.
The fact that I am comfortable with it now but if I lost my job or any other catastrophe happened, my attitude would change....

Well, it's time to grow up. I can't wait for something like that to happen so I need to get it paid so I CAN be in some sort of comfort zone. So thanks for that :A

GNR is next Sunday! I did a 12 mile run last Sunday and the week before and felt good, but yesterday's 6 miles wiped me out, so we'll see.
I'm confident I can get round and I'm sure the atmosphere will be electric which will help. I'm just praying that it's not hot and sunny - rain would suit be fine

This week I have to do DIY leg wax, pedicure and start applying Dove so I don't blind the TV viewers with the whiteness of my legs :roftl:

1 load in washer, 1 in dryer and dishwasher on. Started the ironing so not a bad start - will catch up later...

Firewalker

Hi Macgirl,

I will have to agree with Gilligansyle on this one. Most budgets are not real - some a complete fiction. But I suspect that your attitude to your negative wealth is because you have not had a crisis - it build up slowly, you always knew about it and you can pay it and have money left over. We me, it was a crisis - I did not know about the negative wealth and despite earning very well we had to make dramatic changes if we were to be able to pay back - and fast.

As to the consumption, have you worked out your 'protected wants' yet>

Firewalker

se999

Macgirl - one way to cut down on the spends is to go shopping less often, it's always worked for me on the grocery items, and it works well for other things too. Somehow the more times you go shopping the odds are it increases the chances of the extra bits going in the basket. Also go with as detailed a list as possible.

I'm in the middle of an epic wardrobe sort out/updating for me and OH. Knowing what the gaps are and having a list is helping a lot, also I'm getting far fussier, just because it 'ticks the boxes' isn't enough, it has to be just right, it also saves money as you end up with less of the "I'don't know if I feel like wearing it today" clothes, that clutter up the wardrobe. Not sure if that would work for you?

On the debt comfort zone, maybe you should think more of what the money you save on debt repayments will mean that you can do, set yourself targets and treats for when you achieve those targets, maybe it would make things seem more real for you. Lots of people can't visualise numbers in budgets as 'real money' if you see what I mean So maybe concrete targets and treats will make it firm up. You could set small interim goals with a treat of having a takeaway for the family, and bigger longer term ones with a nice holiday.