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

Firewalker

Sometime ago, in fact what now seems a very, very long time ago, I did write a post in which I really attacked Maslow and his hierarchy of needs. Guess what? He might be right. Ever since life has been brought sown to pure basics in this house; ever since simply taking a shower has been a thing that needs serious organisation and planning; eating in a civilized fashion is an aspiration and the house is covered under several inches of dust I have not had one interesting thought. I suppose, my basic needs have not been satisfied so the self actualization is a real problem. I still don’t believe we should have had sex to be able to experience love though…

In the midst of all this chaos we have been showing enviable financial restrain – in fact we have been spending next to nothing because it is entirely justified to eat total rubbish. But for tomorrow our menu says – new Fish and Chips restaurant. On Saturday hubby and I have been invited to dinner and Little Boy and Young Man will have to have something easy and not immediately poisonous, I suppose.

Apart from that I have been spending rather large sums in restaurants but it is all entertaining. The good news is that I have developed good financial habits and all has been claimed immediately. In the not so distant past I did not claim my expenses for months and months.

We still have to make a precise calculation of the cost for the bathrooms and the kitchen ceiling but the informed estimate is that it would cost us about £8.5K. I have to confess that occasionally I will look at my spreadsheet where all is recorded, including the negative wealth, and will wistfully deduct £10K from it – and it sounds so good that my breath quickens and my heart warms up. But then I go upstairs and let my imagination see the new bathrooms finished, and see the kitchen with a ceiling that does not leak, and think – better. The Universe will provide – particularly when we are happy with our surroundings and can focus on what we are doing. The Universe has started to provide already – hubby just got another technical contract for almost as much as the bathrooms cost. I believe…

“When you are done working hard, try working smart.” – Firewalker

Firewalker

savingwannabe

Fish and Chips! Yum. Good i am so pleased it is falling into place. Life is about perceptions. Do we see the glass half empty or full? and through good people like you now i see the latter. It is a good feeling.

Firewalker

Yesterday we cleaned for eight hours straight. And in all this time we managed to clean the kitchen – everything had to be taken out of the cupboards, the cupboards themselves had to be washed inside and out, the walls had to be washed. By 6.30 pm we had managed to do all this and had an operational kitchen again. It does look very strange though – we will be decorating it soon. Generally there is quite a bit of decorating to do. Today we cleaned for only about 2 hours each – I did my study (seemed kind of important) and OH did one of the bathrooms so that after taking a shower we could feel relatively clean.

Also yesterday I came close to knowing what it feels like to not be able to pay for your shopping. In fact, I was not able to pay for my shopping – had to give back three items to cover the bill; and I was in ALDI. The reason I said ‘close’ was that it was because of absent mindedness rather than really not having money – I did take with me only £15 and miscalculated how much I am buying. Embarrassing it was.

Did the accounts for last week – we have spent £144.86 of which £65.28 was on food (most of it is still in the fridge, though). A whopping £74.25 was spent on mending the boiler (£50) and our venture into the dish and chips shop (£24.25) – but it was all worth it.

And to tomorrow the building saga continues – the second bathroom is being plastered. We hope that by Wednesday evening the house will be ready to be cleaned.

Off to watch Spooks now and immediately after that bed. Too much running, cleaning and writing today, I am afraid.

Firewalker

Phoenix27_2

I am new today and was just being nosy - I hope you don't mind me reading your diary. I am coming back to read the whole thing, as your writing is beautiful and you inspire me to believe that I can get out of this mess.

I just wanted to thank you.

Firewalker

You are very welcome, Phoenix27. Please read on if you find this helpful and please, please keep writing as well - writing certainly helps.

Your name tells me that you are going to get our of the mess - there is no problem without solution, remember?

Firewalker

Firewalker

How much I have missed writing this diary and how much I can do with the gentle support on this forum you will never know. I have been having what can only be described as a really bad, horrible time. Why you might ask? Because as Sartre, with some justification, pointed out ‘hell is other people’. And even if I don’t generally believe this about people generally (remember I was having meaningful conversation in the lift in Washington which means I like other people and miss them) I certainly believe it about some academics. So if I am to re-phrase this statement I would probably say ‘hell is other academics particularly ones in social sciences and humanities because there is not real measure of greatness’.

What has happened? The usual – somebody has said something they should not have said to somebody who should not have been told what was said. Yes, put like this it sounds bad – try to deal with the consequences. And frankly, I am not too bothered with the motives – Machiavelli might have been technically correct when he pointed out that ‘the aim justifies the means’ but in terms of morality this is complete and utter tosh – what makes us human is probably the fact that we follow rules that regulate the acceptability of means and make us reconsider the aims. Figuring out a way out of the mess that was created is a completely different matter…and work in progress.

After a dinner of fried bacon and eggs (this is an emergency after all; our house is still not entirely functional and we can’t cook properly) I am inclined to think about much more positive philosophy. But I am not going to discuss it – it suffices to say that today I gave a lecture in philosophy after which a number of students came to thank me for it and to say that they think they will enjoy the course very much. Feel good.

Remember that some time ago I sent a wish to the university for a Kindle? And as we all know the Universe has strange ways to deliver and sometime it even over-delivers. We also know that the Universe like people meeting it half-way. So at first I tried to convince work to get one for me but instead I got advice where to get new cheap glasses – which, as you might imagine, went down a treat. As a result work are buying me a super duper Dell Tablet that is a computer with keyboard and one can turn the screen and use it as an tablet (including correcting text handwriting with a special pen). But tomorrow is my birthday and guess what my present is? A little bird told me that I am getting a Kindle. I can’t wait…protected want, remember?

And the thought for today is:

“When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” - Alexander Graham Bell (1847 – 1922)

Firewalker

hypno06

Happy birthday for tomorrow :T

Money_Fritter

Happy birthday for tomorrow FireWalker

I like spooks as well, but I lost track.
Have you ever watched lost or 24.

Lost was amazing. I also like fringe, that is very good too.

MrsMoo2U

Happy day for tomorrow and I hope that you enjoy your new Kindle very much.

macgirl

Sorry to hear about the pants day, politics and personalities at work (I had a day like that last week - tiresome to say the least).

But hurray for the Kindle and the Universe! You deserve your treat. Many Happy Returns for tomorrow :beer: