Polesalot's Climb to Debt Freedom

vasseur

:mad::mad::mad: Grrr...I just spent ages typing a reply and it's been lost :mad::mad::mad:

We had a lovely day on wednesday. It was lovely weather so we parked up and stupidly left our rain macs and umbrella in the car whereupon it proceeded to hammer it down and we spent the next hour running from shop to shop pretending to be interested in what they were selling (not easy in the army surplus shop) when really we were just dodging the hailstorm.

We had a lovely lunch in the cathedral tea rooms where even I was the youngest by about 30 years. We then went to visit the castle (£9.25) and walked right up to the top - no mean feat with a tummy full of jacket potato. Then we had a look round the cathedral. By this time we were hungry again so we stopped at a cupcake bar because....well just because

We drove back to our town and visited the closing down bike shop. I tried desperately to ask for advice without giving away the fact that I am a complete novice. The salesman was really helpful though and I have learned lots. I tried out the cheapest bike they had (£120 in the sale) but i was tiptoeing either side. Then I tried the smallest size adult bike (15) and it was just perfect! It was lightweight, the front wheel came off easily so I could put it in the car, generally more robust than the other one. It was also twice my budget but at least I know what to aim for now. I'm halfway there already.

I lost the bid on the pole at the last second too

We got home and I just started cooking dinner when I realised that I'd put my backside through my (only pair of) jeans . It must have happened when i was trying out the bikes. At least I hope it did - I hate to think that i was walking round a cathedral with my bum hanging out

Yesterday i took the car in for its new exhaust but it's now driving with a groaning and a rattling so I have to take it back in tomorrow. I can't do it today becaise I have 2 repairmen coming from 11 and also dd has a friend coming round. It was a bit silly to invite someone round when I possibly have no oven to do tea with but never mind. As we know, i like a challenge. Besides, there is a fish and chip shop up the road

Whilst waiting for the car to be done I sat down and sorted out my finances. At least now I know for definite that the situation is dire rather than merely suspecting it :cool:

To that end I have today phoned V1rgin and reduced my package by £18 a month. I have managed to gain a TiV0 box and 60mB of broadband (treble what I have now) out of it though but have lost 75 channels. Hope it's not anything we watch regularly! Sure we'll get used to it though.

I also had £13.35 ready to claim from TCB so did that too.

I have bids on 3 CDs and a cardigan.

We popped to Ada's so I could look at the jeans. I absolutely DETEST buying jeans so if I find a pair I like I wear them until they fall off me. Which is what they did I usually have my sister's cast-offs which is great because they're already worn in and originally cost a fortune . The last pair were J C0nran.

I grabbed as many pairs as I could off the rails and the first pair i tried on were perfect. Slouchy style, really soft denim just a little long AND THEY WERE A SIZE 10 :j. I shortened them last night with w0nderweb

Just as I was coming to terms with not winning the pole I got a second chance email. If I had seen it before I'd worked out my money I'd have gone for it. As it is I can't justify it at the moment and I would have had to collect it which would have been pain anyway. I will get one - the question is when??

vasseur

I now have 2 working ovens :j. I have waited over 2 years to get the bottom oven sorted and the man fixed it in about 10 minutes :T. I hope the washing machine repair is as successful. The engineer should be here before 4pm.....

vasseur

I now hopefully have a fully working washing machine the chap told me where the problem was and how I could resolve it myself in future. I might just have to cancel the insurance now. The first wash is in so i will know in just over an hour if it's properly fixed.

DD and I had a mad panic just now because we thought that some of the channels we might have lost with our new TV package were Gold (for Only Fools which she loves) and Sky Arts (which I love because they have excellent music programmes). To our huge relief they are both still included :T

As it's the last day of the holidays (hers and mine) we are going to treat ourselves to fish and chips tonight .

vasseur

I have just looked at the docket that the washing machine repairer has left behind and it's addressed to Mr Polesalot. This really annoys me. I was the person who called them, the policy is in my name as 'Miss' yet they still assume that it is a man who is the head of the house here. I'd rather they'd just put the surname and no prefix, instead they put 'Mr' so as to avoid offending a non-existent person :wall::mad:

RosaBernicia

polesalot wrote: »

I have just looked at the docket that the washing machine repairer has left behind and it's addressed to Mr Polesalot. This really annoys me. I was the person who called them, the policy is in my name as 'Miss' yet they still assume that it is a man who is the head of the house here. I'd rather they'd just put the surname and no prefix, instead they put 'Mr' so as to avoid offending a non-existent person :wall::mad:

:mad: That kind of thing makes me really cross too. I insist on being Ms even when tactless form designers try and make you choose between Mrs or Miss, until they make men state whether they're married or not too I don't see why it's anyone's business.

Am having to get used to the fact that people now tend to take a guess at Mrs... still haven't got used to this, nor the idea that most people my age have children - just no idea how all this happened so fast :rotfl:

Rosa xx

ZTD

polesalot wrote: »

:mad::mad::mad: Grrr...I just spent ages typing a reply and it's been lost :mad::mad::mad:

Which browser do you use?

polesalot wrote: »

We had a lovely day on wednesday. It was lovely weather so we parked up and stupidly left our rain macs and umbrella in the car whereupon it proceeded to hammer it down and we spent the next hour running from shop to shop pretending to be interested in what they were selling (not easy in the army surplus shop) when really we were just dodging the hailstorm.

What do you mean? There's loads of interesting stuff in an Army Surplus store. You could get DD a big bowie.

Sharp knives never come in wrong.

polesalot wrote: »

We got home and I just started cooking dinner when I realised that I'd put my backside through my (only pair of) jeans . It must have happened when i was trying out the bikes. At least I hope it did - I hate to think that i was walking round a cathedral with my bum hanging out

Take a look at those picture websites where Japanese tourists post all their piccies. See if you recognise anything...

polesalot wrote: »

Whilst waiting for the car to be done I sat down and sorted out my finances. At least now I know for definite that the situation is dire rather than merely suspecting it :cool:

Always better to know reality, as it's more likely to bite you if you don't.

polesalot wrote: »

We popped to Ada's so I could look at the jeans. I absolutely DETEST buying jeans so if I find a pair I like I wear them until they fall off me. Which is what they did I usually have my sister's cast-offs which is great because they're already worn in and originally cost a fortune . The last pair were J C0nran.

I grabbed as many pairs as I could off the rails and the first pair i tried on were perfect. Slouchy style, really soft denim just a little long AND THEY WERE A SIZE 10 :j. I shortened them last night with w0nderweb

Did you buy two pairs then?

polesalot wrote: »

Just as I was coming to terms with not winning the pole I got a second chance email. If I had seen it before I'd worked out my money I'd have gone for it. As it is I can't justify it at the moment and I would have had to collect it which would have been pain anyway. I will get one - the question is when??

When the pole with your name goes on sale - that's when.

polesalot wrote: »

I have just looked at the docket that the washing machine repairer has left behind and it's addressed to Mr Polesalot. This really annoys me. I was the person who called them, the policy is in my name as 'Miss' yet they still assume that it is a man who is the head of the house here. I'd rather they'd just put the surname and no prefix, instead they put 'Mr' so as to avoid offending a non-existent person :wall::mad:

I've had Mrs before, so it works both ways.

And yes, that was Mrs with a very male Christian name...

RosaBernicia wrote: »

:mad: That kind of thing makes me really cross too. I insist on being Ms even when tactless form designers try and make you choose between Mrs or Miss, until they make men state whether they're married or not too I don't see why it's anyone's business.

It's just "preferred" forms of address. Don't take them so seriously.

I've always wanted "Grand Inquisitor" ZTD - but it'll be a long wait...

RosaBernicia wrote: »

Am having to get used to the fact that people now tend to take a guess at Mrs... still haven't got used to this,

Walk around with a white coat and a stethoscope and people will guess at "Dr"...

RosaBernicia wrote: »

nor the idea that most people my age have children - just no idea how all this happened so fast :rotfl:

That's what they all said... :rotfl:

RosaBernicia

ZTD wrote: »

What do you mean? There's loads of interesting stuff in an Army Surplus store. You could get DD a big bowie.

Sharp knives never come in wrong.

Poles he's right that army surplus have their uses - camping gear being one of them - but I'd check the rules on offensive weapons before you send DD to school with a machete :eek:

(Z, the main reason I think women stay out of army surplus stores is the near-psychotic "I-wanna-be-in-the-army-but-can't-even-spell-it and anyway they turned me down for eating the camo cream in the interview" loons that hang around there trying to look like they're really mercenaries stocking up before they head back to the jungle - it's not appealing. Or maybe that was just the one near my home town :rotfl:.)

ZTD wrote: »

It's just "preferred" forms of address. Don't take them so seriously.

I've always wanted "Grand Inquisitor" ZTD - but it'll be a long wait...

Why? If it's only preferred, you can just write it in the 'Other' box and see


Rosa xx

ZTD

RosaBernicia wrote: »

Poles he's right that army surplus have their uses - camping gear being one of them - but I'd check the rules on offensive weapons before you send DD to school with a machete :eek:

Depends on the school. She'd be under-prepared in some.

Army Surplus are also good for cheap coats you can stick in the back of the car for those occasions you set out in bright sunshine, and it comes on to blizzard...

RosaBernicia wrote: »

(Z, the main reason I think women stay out of army surplus stores is the near-psychotic "I-wanna-be-in-the-army-but-can't-even-spell-it and anyway they turned me down for eating the camo cream in the interview" loons that hang around there trying to look like they're really mercenaries stocking up before they head back to the jungle - it's not appealing. Or maybe that was just the one near my home town :rotfl:.)

The Americans have a term for them - they're called Mall Ninjas.

So it's obviously an internation phenomenononon...

RosaBernicia wrote: »

Why? If it's only preferred, you can just write it in the 'Other' box and see

Now there's a thought... :j

vasseur

I took my car back to the garage yesterday and the mechanic came out with me so he could hear the groaning/rattling noise coming from under the bonnet somewhere. He seems to think it's because my rear bumper is loose (where I originally smacked it - the cause of this whole expensive mess) and it's the noise travelling down the car. Now, I know I don't know much about car repairs (although I am fast picking things up) but I do know that that noise is coming from the front of the car, not the back.

I drove away feeling really cheated so I went and got my Dad (he knows the garage owner) and we went back up there. Whilst there we spoke to the owner and he said to bring it in tomorrow and he will have a look. They (apparently) are going to take the bumper off and drive it and see if there's still a noise. If the bumper's not there it can't be that. Even the garage owner said to me it's coming from the back (whilst my Dad wasn't in the car) :mad:. I'm starting to get v peed off with this now. All this from clonking into a stupid step at the bottom of a low wall.

I've sold loads of CDs on fleabay but there's a problem with my email address on the paypal account so no payments are getting through . I need to sort out the email address at work tomorrow.

We went to my friend's 40th party last night. DD was most impressed to get home at 1.15am still insisting she wasn't tired. She nodded off as soon as her head hit the pillow

I had rather too much to drink, because a) I'm not used to it any more and b) my friend was buying me Jagermeister (sp?) shots.

I never sleep very well when I've had a few drinks - must be all the coke in the JD - and I was awake very early with a headache so I came downstairs about 7am. It's actually really nice sitting down here. It's quiet, the sun is streaming in and if it wasn't for the 1000 little men with hammers banging away inside my head it would be just perfect

Time to get the bag of frozen peas out I think....

vasseur

Meant to add I spent a good chunk of yesterday afternoon culling all my paperwork. I now have 2 empty box files, 2 piles of stuff that need to be sorted and filed properly and a bulging bag full of 'stuff to be shredded'. It already feels better knowing I have got rid of so much.

I cheekily put £5 on a horse in the GN yesterday - not very MSE but I just love the GN. It came 4th so not too bad a guess!

Much better though was that my footie team have now been promoted to Championship. Brilliant Addicks!!