greent's mfw journey

apple_muncher

I always put stamps on my bday/cmas wish list as bil gets them off eBay. He runs an online business, so always needs them, and knows how to sniff out a bargain!

greent

Currently sat in my car in horrendous rain outside 5ye blood donation place waiting for DS1. Good job I am right by the front door as it is truly bucketing it down and he will get wet even in that 10ft distance!

Very busy with more extra work hours. Can really see the strain teaching staff are under with marking assessments and moderation for the TAGS for the students this year - everyone looks as though they are clinging on to the hope of half term even more than usual  

Not much else going on here. Sold some books on fb00k for Dd and a book on flebay for me (was a freebie so all funds after costs are 'profit') House is a mess as I have been either at work or too tired when home to do.more than cook and keep up with the laundry. We have a guest next week as well, so I really need to do a bit more! (Dd's boyfriend - they have seen each other at all since early-mid December) 

On the subject of him, he also now has a job 🙌 it's in his home town (a 7 minute walk from home!) So they will be limited when they can see each other to weekends and holidays, but they should be able.to.save some decent money between them towards their own place when they can finally get jobs in the same area/ close enough areas to get somewhere in between! 😃 

Fingers crossed.for.somw.driwe weather- I need.to plant things out/ replace the things which got battered by all.the hailstorms..... 

Tahlullah.H

I never win anything on the PB.  Really please you are getting some returns for your investments.  Just waiting for the big one!

debtfreeoneday

Nice for Dd to be able to see him. The distance must be tough. 

newgirly

 Hi greent, glad your ds seems ok now that must have been very scary! 

greent

DS3 is still totally fine - so hopefully 'just one of those things' with no explanation! 

DD's boyfriend stayed here last week - they had a very chilled week - a couple of canal walks to see the ducklings and cygnets (in between the rain and hail!), a quick trip into town for clothes shopping for work for the boyf with a quick pub lunch for the 2 of them and that was it. I had them cooking dinner twice and also baking a cake - the boyfriend's mum does everything herself (and she's a f/t teacher) for the 5 of them - she won't let them help with anything around the house!!! Madness! I also had him help clear up after dinner on an evening - although less than I get my kids to do. All good life skills and hopefully means he won't expect my DD to be doing everything! (She wouldn't stand for it if he did, though! ) He is a lovely young man, so I can't really complain!

Have been at work way more than expected this month - mostly at short notice, so it's been tiring as planning has been nigh on impossible. Still, it will be a nice pay day later this week as a result - good job, too, as it seems to have been a very spendy month and the current accounts are officially skint! We have had a regular saver mature (@ 2%) so have started a new 12 month one with same bank but sadly only 0.75%. Also transferred the old BTL current account to FD. Will hopefully get £100 for that - have paid in required amount of money and I don't think there are any DDR requirements - hopefully not, as any direct debits were all BTL related and therefore now cancelled! Have set up a regular saver from there, too - that's 1% for the year. Have also opened a Premium bonds acct for DH, as my holding is almost maxed out. He was excited about that - until I told him I was only opening it with £25 for now!   Lots of money will be spent if we ever get a bathroom fitter to quote, that we like, that is available.... and a builder for the family room renovation the same and a carpenter for doors (actually, we could get the latter, but the first 2 are more urgent, esp the bathroom) so the savings are mounting up nicely in anticipation - but they will plummet at some point!

DS1 is going back to uni this weekend for a month - we still have to pay rent on his place until end of June, and he has finished his degree course totally now. He and some friends are returning/ staying longer so they can party some of June - they've not seen each other really since last March and are having a last month of fun to finish it off, Thankfully they are pretty sensible and all doing medical science type degrees so are fully aware of risks. He's taking a pack of lat flow tests back with him, too Along with lots of food.... the freezer and pantry supplies will be attacked! He's looking at doing a medical research masters next year but needs his personal tutor to reply to him so they can set up a virtual meeting and chat things through... In the meantime I am still setting aside money each month to his uni fund. When he has finally finished I will probably keep it going and re-name it for DS2 (currently in Y10) as we are used to it going out anyway now and he won't qualify for more than the minimum student loan when he goes. 

The weather looks like it might finally be turning! I can't believe we've still needed the heating on in May - it normally goes off end of March/ mid April at the very latest! Thankfully I have both of the heated airers bought for the student offspring here - they have been in almost constant use to dry the washing these past few weeks   I am going to attempt drying some on the line today..... fingers crossed!  

Karmacat

Interesting about DD's boyfriend - don't some people make a rod for their own backs (and for future spouses!).  And he sounds perfectly happy to help - I'm sure he doesn't know automatically *how* to help, if he's not been introduced to it before, but that's great.  

All good news, except that the RS has gone from 2% to 0.75%!

greent

I left it until he'd been here a few times before including him in house jobs - but never let DD off if he was here - which he found very strange! He is a lovely lad, though DD is going to his this weekend and then Sunday night they are staying in Cardiff (where they went to uni) in a cheap chain hotel and spending BH Mon in their old area

Have loved the weather the past few days - have had DS1 helping me in the garden after I've finished work. Weather hasn't been as good today, though - although nowhere near what it has been! And it looks like BH Mon and half term week should bw nice - whoop! I can finally get my sunflowers 🌻 planted out - some are more than 3ft tall! 

Payday today- DH has been paid early due to BH. Shall wait until after Tues when DDRs and Stos have gone out and I can see how much extra I can sweep elsewhere:) I do have another builder to contact about the works needed - so shall do that this week  

Lovely canal walk yesterday - loads of ducklings of all sizes and some cygnets seen A neighbour in the street is moving soon and had a table of unwanted items out  for people to take for free so I brought home around a dozen paperbacks 📚 for me, 1 for DS3 and a still sealed murder mystery game All items (except maybe DS3's book) will be temporary and released elsewhere once finished with  

killerpeaty

Sounds like the sunflowers are going brilliantly!

Soundds like that neighbour haul was amazing. Would love to hear how you get on with the murder mystery game.

greent

Thanks kp! All sunflowers are now planted out - maybe around 24-30 plants - I lost/ broke some when planting them - it's quite hard planting out something so tall and yet so fragile. They are getting a good soaking twice a day and seem to be ok. One is already out in flower and most of the others have flower heads developing I've read about 4 or 5 books from the neighbour and the game is sat waiting for a games night at some point later this summer

Have spent a lot of this week (half term) in the garden - sunflowers all gone in. Half the courgettes are in their final place -will finish planting the rest out before back to work next week, along with the remaining tomatoes Have also been digging out some cinquefoil (annoying stuff) and some other random weeds and shaping some older trees. (I say 'shaping' - I mean lopping random bits off......) We had the patio and pathway all professionally cleaned yesterday, so lots of pots need to come off the lawns and go back to their places - but am taking the opportunity to clean the outside of the pots before doing so and also replant any that are a bit dodgy and top up soil in others. I also need to empty one of the compost bins to finish topping up the potatoes. It's a bit cooler today, so I might get some of that hard slog work done later I've also sanded and oiled all of the chairs that match the big table now - still another 7 chairs and the smaller table to do at some point..... Even using an electric sander for the first time ever (I usually sand everything by hand!) it still takes quite a long time. Plus I don't like to do it when there is wet washing around, for obvious reasons!  

Very chilled half term here - the youngest 2 have some homework to do, which they are doing in dribs and drabs. DD and DH are both wfh. DS1 is back in his uni accom for a month of seeing friends and being a student (without the studying!) - hopefully there is some nice weather there so they can get on the beach I'm not sure I've achieved anything other than the garden bits! I had plans for flebaying/ tidying/ cleaning/ sorting/ paperwork..... nope - not happened!

May flew by, I swear! We managed to save just over another £2k - which is good, as it was a very spendy month, somehow! This will be spent later in the year on builders etc - hopefully! Have another couple to quote for us - fingers crossed they do and that we like one of them!  

Another £25 PB win this month - every little helps, I guess Will look to buy some more for DH towards the end of the month (no more than a couple of hundred) . No money plans other than that. Am hoping June is less spendy - unless on trades for house - and definitely less rainy than May!