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

Firewalker

Did I ever mention that five journeys to the tip aside we still have rubbish in our garage, in our garden and in our house? If I have omitted mentioning this now I am telling you! In fact on Wednesday, about lunch time, the following sequence of events unfolded.

Having just written loads and eaten too many frogs (very efficiently and effectively) I was in my running gear ready to get out for a run before having to spend three hours in the car to get to London. Just then I heard this megaphone voice saying ‘We are collecting all scrap metal.’ I run upstairs and start shouting for OH to come down and give the guys four bikes we have been keeping in the garden but which had to go on the skip. OH came looked at the guy like he has violated some innate right of his, and sent him away. Now, it is true that the guys didn’t look very presentable and they were noisy but they were doing a good service.

When I asked OH why he did that, he said that he will deal with the bikes. He has been saying this for good five years and I was not going to let it go; because I agree with Yoda that there is no ‘try’, there is ‘do’ or ‘don’t do’. And one of our problems is that we don’t do or not enough at any rate. So I asked him how long it will take, another five years. Slammed the door and went for a run. When I got back the bikes were in the car and he was ready to take them.

It is a bit of a struggle on different fronts; deciding what to throw away, what to keep and try to sell and what to keep is hard. Getting the rest of the house to act is a Sisyphus task. But we shall get there and we will follow the following rule: ‘Do not keep anything that you don’t need or find beautiful.’

My other piece of news is financial – on Wednesday, just before we left to go to London the first largish overpayment of the negative wealth was done – our net worth increased by £4,500. Which is pleasing but there is a long way to go. Again, we shall get there and much faster that I thought.

Otherwise, today was a boring day – most of the day I was chairing a panel interviewing people for a lectureship. There is nothing more boring than that – if I had to do this often I will write the Tropic of the Cancer as well (and it will be much more graphic were this possible).

Now I am off to watch The Secret – as you know I did read the book but have not seen the movie.

Speak tomorrow.

Firewalker

Memory_Girl

Just checking that you guys got back OK.

My eldest is showing signs of hoarding tendancies, s I ma hoping that by leading by example he will become hhappier at letting go.

This weekend I am experimenting with the T Lists from the Secret - I need a little bit of forward momentum but am still not able to move much - so a paper and brain experimen seems in order.

TTFN

MG

savingwannabe

As usual FW and the gang, what lovely positive posts. I wonder if you know how much this is inspiring the rest of us? Bless you and keep up the good work.

Karmacat

Thats brilliant about the bikes, FW! And isn't it staggering how much *stuff* we have? I let mine grow so much at first because I had a lot of space in the house I moved to in 1998, and it wasn't noticeable how much was stagnating. Then I *did* start to declutter, and decluttered again when I moved here six months ago. When I think of how much money this stuff has cost me, the stuff I'm getting rid of, its quite sobering - so nowadays when I see the knick knacks in charity shops or even antique shops that people are buying, I want to shout "no, no, don't do it, you'll only get rid of it in 15 years time for 5% of what you're paying now!!!". I'll never have so much again, thank heavens.

savingwannabe

I spent today in the town centre with Craftihants. We went shopping and looking for promotions. Old me thought nothing of spending £50 for a bottle of shampoo and £15 for shower gel. Somehow i was convinced when i went down to part time and i had to shop in normal shops that my hair would fall out or my skin would fall off!!!! Now i could kick myself for the money i wasted on nonsense. I would be so well off if i had not listened to marketers! Being ill and going part time has taught me so much. These are lessons i will keep forever and I am so pleased to be moneysavvy now.

Firewalker

I have had couple of high spending days but nothing has been wasted. Yesterday another investment was made in my main asset – me! Had my haircut which this time finally is very short – my hairdresser finally listened to me and did what I have been asking for a long time. My hair is really short and this brings out my face; it looks young and dynamic rather than matronly and tired. Then I popped into a clothes shop – have not seen the insides of one for a long time because I did not need anything. Bought short trousers and some t-shirts for LB and two pairs of trousers for me; they look lovely and the fashion of very baggy trousers from light cotton is lovely. Sorted for the summer we are.

Today we got a proper chair for me – spending so much time writing at home I started getting back ache from the normal wooden chair I have been using. Although my new chair is rather expensive it is only about two visits to the osteopath. I reckon many more than two visits will be needed if I didn’t take measures. We also became the proud owners of a shredder – no more burning of important confidential papers.

Now rapping up and tomorrow off to Vienna – have a meeting there on Monday and Tuesday with my project team. Looking forward to it - Vienna is easily my favourite city in Europe and the project is going really well.

Bed and rest for me now and tomorrow is another day.

Firewalker

Firewalker

savingwannabe wrote: »

We went shopping and looking for promotions. Old me thought nothing of spending £50 for a bottle of shampoo and £15 for shower gel. Somehow i was convinced when i went down to part time and i had to shop in normal shops that my hair would fall out or my skin would fall off!!!! Now i could kick myself for the money i wasted on nonsense. I would be so well off if i had not listened to marketers! Being ill and going part time has taught me so much. These are lessons i will keep forever and I am so pleased to be moneysavvy now.

SW, interestingly I have found that cheaper shampoo is no worse, in fact sometime quite the reverse, than very expensive makes. I also remember the vet telling me to wash the dog with washing up liquid - apparently it is much more gentle than shampoo.

As to not being wastful - I find that it is spilling beyond saving and being good for my purse. Being parsemonious is good for the environment and for humanity - if we don't want the planet to kill us we will have to find ways to waste less.

Firewalker

Karmacat

Enjoy Vienna, FW! I was there as a student, and absolutely loved it - I still remember my first taste of real coffee! And the Volksoper .... and so much else...

gilligansyle

Hi FW

once again I've been reading the updates on my phone so not posting; today is the first chance I've had to catch up properly. I find your posts so thought provoking.

But one thing struck me, not about money at all; when I read that you run a lot, I visualise you as tall, muscular etc. so I take it that your 'traditional build' is not the same as Mma Ramotswe, as I can't imagine her running anywhere!

Did you complain about the hotel?

greenbee

Firewalker wrote: »

I have come to believe that: a) our investment in children should be the opportunities we creat for them to amass wealth; b) apart from this we should let them make their own way; and c) perfect personal finance management is when you die to have enough for a modest funeral, plus/minus several pounds. Anything above that has to either be spend (but on happenings rather than possessions) or left to good causes of our own choice.

I agree with this... my grandfather said he wanted to go out of the world with what he brought into it, and he pretty much succeeded. My brother and I have made clear to our parents that we don't expect to inherit money or property - they made the money and they should be the ones to enjoy it.

Firewalker wrote: »

we are in the hotel and no wi fi; not free anyway and after paying a lot for hotel that has blocked drains and missing light bulbs we are not paying for internet as well.

My hotel in Frankfurt had free wifi... but not in the conference rooms we were using, or the floor our rooms were on. They had paid cabled broadband in the rooms... how exactly do I attach an ipad to a network cable? Some of these so-called 'business' hotels are very un-business like!

Hope you're enjoying Vienna... I'll be there at the end of June, so hotel recommendations would be welcomed. We hope to get out early as its the first venue on the trip so ideas of what to do with probably half a day of free time would be welcomed too.

I have to say, I'm currently avoiding my frogs. Mostly because I'm so exhausted after last week's trip I can barely function (and haven't yet unpacked). I think my priority needs to be exercise, as that usually gives me the energy to deal with everything else!