Learn to control money but do not allow it to control you

savingwannabe

Firewalker if anyone can beat this it is you. I consider myself to be a fairly resilient character and driven. You put me to shame. Firewalker, you have the most fantastic joy de vivre. How many people are you inspiring with this amazing thread? Keep going girl. You may feel down - keep posting - but never ever forget how many of us have faith in you.

hugs,

SW.

savingwannabe

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100516/twl-woman-becomes-grand-old-graduate-at9-3fd0ae9.html

I will meet you at the bottom of the Himalayas after you have climbed it, when you are the age of this amazing lady!

hugs, SW

Firewalker

Thnaks, Savingwannabe. You are a good friend. Hope you have a great weekend.

Be in touch later.

Firewalker

Firewalker

Sleep heals all, I say and although still feeling quite tired the shadow seems to be lifting a bit. Today the sun is shining here and it is an altogether a different day.

I went to a car boot sale today – for the first time ever. We were a bit late so there were not many people around – traders or buyers. But there was different stuff being sold some of it quite interesting. There was though this table where I guy was selling a lot of old and visibly knackered computers, mainly laptops. Do people buy this stuff? And why is anybody going to buy old electronics? We also found a bargain – three melons for £1. Now would have to make sure that they are pealed and put in the fridge so we don’t through them away.

And because it is the weekend, I thought I will start writing about amusing and funny things that have happened to me – although they felt rather embarrassing at the time. Here it is the first one.

Just before Christmas last year I was invited to give a lecture at a workshop in Granada. Beautiful, stunning place – but this is another story that I might share some other time. The workshop itself was in a lovely house – a karmen. This means that there are internal gardens, the house has a balcony around it and that one can see the Alhambra from it. So, we in and I notice that there was loads of glass but didn’t think anything about it. Once in the room where the workshop was I learned that I am expected to open it.

I already knew that my paper is seen as important but opening the whole thing meant that I am setting the pace. Weight down by this responsibility my bladder started demanding attention – so instead of listening to the hosts who were saying where the bathrooms are I decided to find them myself. Got out of the room into a library and there was no sign to be seen. Being in a hurry I saw a cleaning lady and started walking towards her very fast – until I hit the glass wall so hard that my head exploded like in a Tom and Jerry movie and I found myself sitting on the floor.

Anyway, I picked myself up, found the bathroom and looked in the mirror – shock, horror. I looked like a unicorn with a large bluish bump in the middle of my forehead. Got back to the meeting room just in time to begin my presentation. Instead of the usual jokes I had to tell all that if I pass out this has naught to do with them but it means that I have concussed myself and they will have to phone for an ambulance.

All went well after that. But if I were to be given an Indian name it would be ‘the one who knocks herself out’.

Firewalker

savingwannabe

Bless ya, you are not alone.

When i came of age!!! and graduated one of my friends raised a toast to me and called me a pop group - the 3 degrees. Despite the fact i have no common sense at all. I did tell him he was being ridiculous. Later that evening he had me believing that i might be clever for about 3 seconds when i walked into a glass door on the way out!!!

I was sober.

It appears i am in good company.

hugs, SW.

Firewalker

Yesterday I did the monthly accounts as well as asked OH after the health of our bank account. And after a small misunderstanding about a largish sum of money I am pleased to report that we are £36.82 in the black this month. Even better, apart from the larger budgeted items, for the whole month we have spend under £500 – this includes food, other necessary things, cinema visits with little boy, some treatment and prescription for me etc. But we had to buy tickets for the summer which caused the misunderstanding – what was a cash flow matter I saw as getting in debt again. I wish my brain was made to understand this financial lark and I did not have to work so hard at it – emotionally as well.

Debt report at the end of May is as follows:

January 2010 - £95,000
June 2010 – £76,995

Paid off: £18,005 (19%)
Emergency fund: £4,150

Weight seems to be going down as well although not as fast as I would have wished. But it is a miracle it is going down at all – so grateful for small mercies and all. Last week I have lost 0.7 kg – this is approximately 1.5 pounds.

As to the saying of the day, I will take the liberty to offer something I came up with.

“Some people were born to be great but no one was born great. Achieving mastery always takes hard work and determination.”

Firewalker

rainbow81

Hi Firewalker
Just to let you know that I have subscribed to your diary and it is such a pleasure to read. I wish you much DFW luck and there appears to be no doubt that you will do well on this front. I find the emotional side of money (well, everything really, food, shopping, exercise even) very interesting, as well as the effects these things have on real relationships (the ones with people). You have given me a lot to think about, thank you.

R

Firewalker

Thanks Rainbow81 and welcome.

Little boy is asleep in our bed and getting too heavy for me to move. I was reading to him – a book called Brisingr which I probably like more than he does – and the next thing I knew he was gone.

Did a bit of baking and cooking today. Made a cake – not my best one; made some biscuits from my mum’s old notebook and then for diner we made spaghetti carbonara and meringues. The spaghetti is a very nice recipe an Italian friend of ours gave us.

In a big pot boil the spaghetti; while the spaghetti is boiling in a large pan fry a pack of cubetti until they are carbonated (very well done). In a large bawl put egg yolks (one yolk per 100gr of dry spaghetti) and mix them. When the spaghetti is ready drain, than put in the yolk and stir, than put in the frying cubetti and stir, and after that pore back in the large bawl. Serve while hot with parmesan cheese (optional). It is absolutely delicious, fast to prepare, not obscene amount of calories and relatively inexpensive (like loads of Italian food). But the best thing about it is the egg whites.

For probably fifteen years we threw away the egg whites. In our MSE days we learned to make meringues – these are still in the oven but can’t wait.

Will watch a bit of TV and go to bed – there is a busy day ahead tomorrow.

Firewalker

whatatwit

Hi Firewalker, I came across your diary today and I have enjoyed reading it and the thoughts it provoked.

You are doing fantastically and seem to have control over your spending.

I will subscribe and no doubt I will also re-read your posts.

Firewalker

Welcome Whatatwit and thanks for the good words – at the moment I can do with all the encouragement I can get. Thank you all...

It seems I have forgotten how to rest. Yesterday, I promised myself that I will rest – and ended up reading, thinking, planning and, well let face it, worrying about money, debt and financial health. Trouble is, I guess, that not managing to rest, to switch off is a sure way to ‘win the battle but lose the war’.

I remember very well what ‘winning the battle and losing the war’ feels like – it hurts like someone is cutting your heart out with a blunt knife. To stop the pain many end up hiding their hearts behind layers of fear and suspicion. I remember the first battle I won – I did not want to go to nursery. There was no other way, my mum had to go back to work and I was three years old. All I wanted is to be with her – so every day in nursery I came up with a different way to disrupt their smooth arrangements. I refused to sleep in the afternoon, never played with anybody, and stored all my food in my cheek for hours on end. I ate soap, poked nails in electric sockets...Looking back, it is a miracle I survived – and I won. They called my mum and told her to have me back – the nursery staff could not cope. I was so happy – until an elderly woman I did not know appeared in our apartment. The next day I was send with her to the other side of the country – she was my grandmother and looked after me for three years. I still remember the journey and how something broke in me – the trust, the security, the fight...All that was left was resignation – emotion is for sissies, from now on I will 'understand'.

Lesson: never lose the war again. In fact, the greatest strategists in warfare lost battles so they can win wars. But how do I learn to to do this? Need to look for ideas in psychology.

And the saying for today is:

“What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expect generally happens.” – Benjamin Disraeli

Firewalker