josiebabie's change of life diary

Sparkly_Princess

josiebabie wrote: »

Hi La E, not been on small things today strangely cos I've been really busy. Just sat down!

Money in purse: £13.65
Money in bank: £34.42
Bills still to pay: £7.20
Petrol still needed: £0!

Well today was Ikea day! I didn't spend a lot. Spent £70 in total, on a book case and lots of other bits. Went to the restaurant as well and got dinner reduced to £5.50 from £8.50 from using my family card

So finished painting the kitchen, looks so much fresher with a coat of paint. Living room looks great with new book case and a swap around, new everything! Gotta love bank holidays, and it's only Friday! Only problem is, our cottage is old and the walls aren't straight so looks a bit odd in places.

DSD and I had store cupboard meals today for tea, OH is at the pub and DD is asleep upstairs. I am having chilli from the freezer that I made a long time ago with home made chips.

Not a lot MSE today, unless it's money spending expert! Ebay ending tomorrow, got £9 of bits but TONS of watchers so hopefully will be worth it. Got an evening of doing a puzzle with DSD today, looks like a good one so free entertainment!

Hot water has been off most of the day but will need to go back on for a bit to do all the day stuff. Just trying to work out if the brunette bird on the new Next advert is Danni Minogue or not???

Hi JB am loving your diary will definitely be following you. And yes the brunette in the M & S ad is Danni Minogue, took me a while to realise as well:rotfl:

josiebabie

Thanks Sparkly, makes me laugh how my ramblings are interesting to other people, how nice Thanks for clearing that up about DM, wasn't sure!

We go skiing every year and recently the eurao rate change has been nasty to us, also bank charges for using debit cards abroad have been horrible! OH has found one of those prepay mastercards for Euro's! So we can put £20 a month on it and then use it for booking ski hire before we go, thus saving the euro bank charges and it's permanently at 1.11 rate! We may also lose out on this but hey, at least it's the nasty charges that are stopped.

DSD and I did a load of the puzzle last night! And DD this morning decided to dismantle it...have put it back together so when DSD gets out of bed she won't notice.

Today is as follows then:- Must find DD a milk free easter egg from health food shop in town, also some trunking for some wires in the living room, going to see if I can get something to cover the copper pipes for our new shower to make it more attractive, hang two pictures in living room - one that got moved in yesterdays madness and one that I have been wanting to hang for ages. Maybe hang enlarged photographs of kids up the stairs? Price up v. thin MDF to cover superficial cracks in hall way where the panneling on the other side is coming apart.

I will report back later to let you all know how much I haven't done. LOL

josiebabie

Sparkly_Princess wrote: »

Hi JB am loving your diary will definitely be following you. And yes the brunette in the M & S ad is Danni Minogue, took me a while to realise as well:rotfl:

LOL was it M&S? That advertising money was a waste of time if I didn't even pick up on what was being advertised! :rotfl:

OrangeFairy

Love the diary Josie....gave me my inspiration to start one!! Off to subscribe to yours x

josiebabie

Money in purse: £3.40
Money in bank: £34.42
Bills still to pay: £7.20
Petrol still needed: £0!

Kitchen is looking good, quite please with it really. Got the tiles up around the back of the sink now. I bought some in Topps yesterday, enough to do the area and no more - not thinking about the fact that I may break one, and I did when cutting! D'oh!!! Anyway I got a bit artistic and hopefull have gotten away with it. Bit annoyed though cos my walls aren't straight (sounds like a great excuse but it's actually true, I live in an old cottage!) and one of the tiles have slipped. I think I have some grout in the shed left over from the bathroom so will attempt to colour it using black paint so some shade of grey.

Have got the trunking up in the living room and it looks much better, I have some left so may do the bit under the TV to make it look neater. I love this stuff! Wasn't expensive either, £5 odd for 2 metres.

Today will be spent trying to stop the children from wrecking the house. DD and DSS are a nightmare when together, DD is 2 and DSS is coming up for 5. They have already pulled the curtain down in the their room, rail and all! I've dealt with that anyway and put their room back together. Sorted out DSD's bedroom as they then moved on to there. Using Hetty on eco setting all the time!!!

We have been using my car all weekend as OH's has a puncture, I don't mind as he filled it up with fuel. I think we are going to fill it up again on his work fuel card tomorrow as we would normally have used his all weekend and used works fuel. I think we're justified in doing so!

Ebay is on £16 with 5 hrs to go and loads of watchers. Was feeling positive about this until I worked out that with postage, these are at the moment at £26. Then have to take off 10% final value fees = £24.40. I have ebay fees of £12.70 to pay so this gives me £13ish...(sorry maths not my strong point) then got to pay for postage...not that positive after all. But still, have lot of watchers, here's hoping!

Littlekel, great idea on the eggs thing. Got family friend coming over later with more eggs for kids so we didn't get much at all for them. We don't normally bother with each other but he got me a couple of creme eggs my favourite. Easter is not really something I think too highly of, making a fuss about it I mean. Yes an Egg is fine but don't see why the shops should be shut. I guess it's just because I'm not religious but it's just my opinion. Hope I haven't offended anyone!

What a lot of random jib today, sort of off loading, better go and empty washing machine and hang HC out on line again. v. chuffed with getting my plug timers to work!!!!

Over and out, happy easter everyone ;-)

josiebabie

(Plug timers for washing machine and tumble dryer that is...just realised that was a bit random to those who don't read small things thread) have been out for lovely walk in the sunshine, v. cold though. NSD today as we haven't been anywhere. OH has cooked a lovely roast pork dinner, I made some fudge millies cookies and they're nearly all gone already! I have to take most of the blame for that...

Need to get DSD some new school trousers tomorrow as her mother cut the bottoms off and told her to re-hem them, but they're cheap lycra trousers so will not hem properly, especially not by an 11 year old on a machine that's twice her age. lol DSD is getting very good on the sewing machine so I promised her a trip to Fabric Land tomorrow to get her a few odds and sods, on the proviso that when her dad takes her home she gives me her faded school trousers so I can re-dye them for her.

Think a proper sewing kit is in order for DSD's birthday, she's got my mother's machine that she bought when she was 18! Not going to mention DM's age....51. (I think) I now have DM's "spare" machine and DM is using the mega expensive £900 machine, she is a dress maker type woman so I'll let her off the expensive tools. After all, my boys at work spend three times that amount on a tool box and they need it for their trade too...

Grrrr forgot the paypal fees too when moaning about my ebaying earlier. Anyway, MUST list more items tonight to actually start making money. Or monkey as I originally just wrote...

josiebabie

Urgh I'm fed up this morning. Not entirely sure why either. Went into town this morning with OH, DSD, DSS and DD. Just fancied a mooch around the shops, not spending anything really just to have a bit of a chill out cos the weekends been manic. Ended up spending £15 in fabric land on some material for DSD to practice on, some black fabric dye for two pairs of school trousers that have been faded (saves on buying a new pair) and some proper dressmaking scissors for her. She's all set up, not seen her this interesting in something for a long time, I'm v. pleased.

Anyway so we went and did all that and all the way round town OH was really quiet and dismissive of everything, like he didn't really want to be there spending time with his children. I got myself really wound up about that and I am still annoyed now. I got dropped home afterwards so I can sort the house out after the chaos and stuff and he carried on to take the step children home. He took DD as well so she would fall asleep in the car and have a proper nap. He's back to work tomorrow anyway so I can get on with what I want to do. Quite often I feel like he's just a hinderence to me, and I think he realises that too.

Still I've worked out today we have paid off £3k since January so I'm quite pleased about that, that's not including the council tax which we are on a payment arrangement for. This afternoon I will try and sit down with OH and explain where we are and see about budgeting for May. Have already bought DSS one birthday present (Hannah Montana photo album) and DNephew one, a dinosaur book which you can build a dinosaur from, both £3 in TK Maxx! Will stick them in the present drawer.

Anyway, enough jib for now, better make use of the time on my own or OH will get back and think (not say, btw, he would never say anything) what has that lazy cow been doing then?!

josiebabie

Urgh why is ebay being so slooooowwww today with the picture uploads?!?! Have dug out loads of stuff while decluttering flylady style. I am currently posting them now but sooooo bored of waiting for the pictures.

stitching_witch

josiebabie wrote: »

Not going to mention DM's age....51. (I think) I now have DM's "spare" machine and DM is using the mega expensive £900 machine, she is a dress maker type woman so I'll let her off the expensive tools. After all, my boys at work spend three times that amount on a tool box and they need it for their trade too...

So you're not going to mention my age then???? But you did get it right which is a bonus!

And, in theory, I can earn back the cost of the super-duper sewing machine when I get my !!!!! into gear

It's amazing that three of my sewing machines are still doing the rounds, and I think there may still be my old treadle machine in my parents' garage. :eek:

josiebabie

lol I think you're right, I'll check next time I'm made to visit them.