Mission:Control - MinnieSpender's DFW diary

lynsayjane

MinnieSpender wrote:

Saved on my toolbar as a favourite. I'll have a look.

awww i'm one of minnie's favourites

moozie_2

MinnieSpender wrote:

I'm starting it properly in February. Any takers for a 1 Feb "New Year" celebration?

The cow is in late again but I have been thinking about you too!

Hope you are feeling happier after your mini break in the arms of the donkey

I am definitely up for a new year celebration especially as it's likely to be a pyjama party (right???)!!! Never been to one of them so can't wait!

Good to have you back...

I am sorry I can't join with the schrapnel challenge as all loose changes goes into debt repayments. Got less than 11 months to do it in :eek: But I am with you in spirit too :beer:

MinnieSpender

moozie wrote:

The cow is in late again but I have been thinking about you too!

Hope you are feeling happier after your mini break in the arms of the donkey

Hooves, surely? :rotfl:

moozie wrote:

I am sorry I can't join with the schrapnel challenge as all loose changes goes into debt repayments. Got less than 11 months to do it in :eek: But I am with you in spirit too :beer:

My change is going to debt repayment too - but I have to fill the bags first. Doing well so far - I've got £23.98 since 1 January and have filled a bag of 50ps already. Four to go and I'll be flinging it at my debt.

I'd better dash - two weeks until my exams and that revision won't do itself! Feeling upbeat about them though. Almost! :eek:

MinnieSpender

Heavens to Betsy is all I have to say about today. If I don't control myself the air and surrounding vacuum of the universe will be electric blue!

:mad:

And breathe... I will tell all in a mo, but firstly my money saving moments of the day.

Cooking a nice Aldi dinner as I type (very good MSEing). Saved a shed-load today on beauty products too (although industrial amounts of concealer and blusher would have done a treat after the last couple of weeks - I look positively wretched). Instead of my usual Clinique foundation (£11) I bought a Creme Puff for £4.45. Very old-fashioned but lovely and soft looking when on. I would have loved a nice smelly moisturiser with seaweed and extra vitamins in it too (stress and cold weather are taking their toll) but settled for a decent sized jar of Boots own for £1.49. Moozie, are you proud of me?

The shrapnel challenge today stands at £37.74 - I can't wait to bag it all up and fling it at my debts.

But the real :mad: moment came today when my relative rang me in pieces. She'd been to the solicitors today to make an appointment to sort out probate (she can't access any money without it). The lovely kind and caring folk there bamboozled her with jargon and then told her they would charge £175 per hour to sort it out for her.

I'm sorry - but £175???? Per hour??????? I don't gibberingly think so, matey!

So I'm doing it for her instead. And you know what? It's not that difficult a process either! A visit to the Probate Registry during lunch and a chat with an utterly lovely officer there reassured me that I can do this - and probably quicker and definitely cheaper than a solicitor. I've got all the forms and I'm winging my way to her after work tomorrow to fill in the forms and sort out the paperwork. Another day off my revision, but I may pass anyway, and if I don't, exams can be retaken and this won't wait.

So a plea for help. I've read the websites on this, have the number of the Probate office in my handbag and have read about other people doing this on Martin's new bereavement thread. But if any of you lot have any experience, please could you let me know what to expect once I've got the grant of probate/letter of administration?

Thanks guys.

taxi73

Hi min..can't help you with the probate..I'm afraid..sorry!!...well done on your MSE ways ..those loose bits of change soon add up...I shop in Aldi myself and find most of the food better quality than the other big name stores..good luck with the probate thing..I'm sure someone will have the answer for you

LookingAhead

Good luck Mins with the probate stuff. Could you start a new thread with an eye catching header asking the same question? You may get lots of responses that way.

Well done on the MSE spends by the way.

MinnieSpender

Thanks LA - I've asked on Martin's new thread. Thankfully two of my friends are (nice) solicitors so if push comes to shove they'll help me.

freebird65

Evening All!
Well done Mins on your MSE ways....most impressive. :T I got some belated birthday pressies (no friends saw me as I was ill with ye flu) and there was a luscious pack of Sanctuary smellies in there (body scrubs, moisturisers and all the things) so that's me sorted for a while - how MSE is that???

Ref your probate question, sadly I'm utterly clueless, but will check with a couple of people who've had to go through it to see if they can help.

xx

MinnieSpender

freebird65 wrote:

Evening All!
Well done Mins on your MSE ways....most impressive. :T I got some belated birthday pressies (no friends saw me as I was ill with ye flu) and there was a luscious pack of Sanctuary smellies in there (body scrubs, moisturisers and all the things) so that's me sorted for a while - how MSE is that???

Ref your probate question, sadly I'm utterly clueless, but will check with a couple of people who've had to go through it to see if they can help.

xx

Thanks freebird - any information would be useful right now.

Can't believe how much I've got to do over the next week and a half. Better not think about it!

Lucky you on the Sanctuary stuff - it's my favourite. I love the scent of that stuff. What wouldn't I give for a day locked in a spa for a bit of pampering!

MinnieSpender

Back again.

Thankfully, the probate forms were straightforward and lots of information was supplied. I'm getting the forms looked at by one of my solicitor chums this week and I left my relative in a much calmer state. Oh, and I didn't charge her a ridiculous amount either - I was happy with a dish of ice cream and a whiskey instead.

The race is on for the exam countdown now (anyone want to swap lives for a fortnight? :rotfl:). I've given myself this evening off and will be back "on it" tomorrow.

Hot bath and early night for me I think.

Shrapnel challenge is now £44.83. One bag filled and four to go before I venture to Le Bank to deposit my coins. Oh! For an LA stylee coin counting machine at my branch!