Changing our lives....

Sessie

I've had a productive few days and want to get it all "written down" before I forget it all.

Got out into the garden on Sunday (after attending a wonderful flower festival with my parents and not spending a single penny!) and cut down some of the bushes. Of course, it's rained pretty much non-stop since then but the secateurs are right by the back door for as soon as it decides to stop!!

I've spent VERY little over the last few days, literally just bus fares to and from school and town (town is too far to walk and school we usually walk but not in the rain!!). I managed to stick to my list shopping on Saturday and instead of being the usual £120 plus, it was £86, which is great. Have been using food from the freezer/fridge and cupboards for meals.

It's obviously different from what I usually do because there have been a number of times I've opened a cupboard or the fridge and had a small "panic" because there are spaces!! They're not crammed with "stuff"!!!, but I'm retraining myself. They don't NEED to be crammed full!!, they need enough to feed us for a week until we go shopping again and until we have pared down the ton of meat and things in the freezer.

Tidied out a drawer in the kitchen on Sunday and found two gift vouchers the children must have got for a birthday or Christmas that we'd forgotten about so they both got an unexpected trip to the toy shop, which went down well!

Have also, today, sorted out ALL our paperwork. It took about four hours (whilst watching Mr Djokovic progress to the next round of Wimbledon) putting it into piles of bank statements, work documents, payslips, pension, life policies, mortgage, car etc.. and they are now all neatly stacked ready to go through and pick out everything the Financial Advisor needs to formally send off for the mortgage. Also have all the old deeds etc to this house to hand.

Tomorrow, if the weather picks up, I'll be out in the garden. If not, I'll be sorting through my clothes and the linen cupboard.

Finally, and probably most sadly, I'm ridiculously excited that three days of copious spraying of Cillit Bang has almost removed all the limescale from a tap that's looked DREADFUL for years! Another day or two and we'll have matching lovely shiny taps. Goodness, I need to get out more!

Sessie

It's taking some getting used to, just having a few pounds in my purse and not drawing multiple notes out every time I need a bit!! I used to work on the, "Well, I might need it!" principle but then, once it was in my purse, it would end up disappearing. Now I'm thinking long and hard when I go to the cash machine about what I actually need it for - such as bus fares to and from school (we do walk sometimes but it's quite a way and I have a knee problem which flares up), top ups of milk and bread (and now ONLY milk and bread! Not milk, bread and ooh those buns look nice and I should really get some more eggs and... it ending up being £20!).


I found a mobile hairdresser who is coming to the house next Tuesday evening at a total cost of £22 for me and both children, as opposed to the almost £50 I'd normally pay at the local salon.


Mr S has TOTALLY transformed the ensuite bathroom over the last week. It looks absolutely FABULOUS and was the last "big" job we needed to do to get the house ready to go on the market. The next couple of weeks will be just giving everything a real deep clean, washing paintwork, windows inside and out, that sort of thing and then, hopefully, we should be about ready!!


Last night I started the clear out of my clothes - almost filled a bin bag with clothes that either don't (and won't for some time!) fit or ones that have really seen better days (there's a reason they were right at the bottom of the drawers, because I pick them up and go, "nah, not that" and put it back again!). I have a pile of things I need to try on tonight before deciding if they stay or if they go!


The airing/linen cupboard has been utterly emptied, all linen and towels sorted into what we're keeping, all washed, conditioned and folded neatly. Any older towels and blankets from when the twins were babies have been put into a bag to take to the RSPCA as they will make use of them for the animals.


Next is the childrens' toys which I hope to get to at the weekend.


We are out tomorrow night as it was our Silver Anniversary this week but we're only going to a local carvery type restaurant and my inlaws have vouchers for 2 for a tenner so that won't cost much! There are 15 of us going so I'm looking forward to that as our families all work different days and shifts so getting together doesn't happen as often as I'd like.


We've been making big inroads into the freezer and cupboards, I've bought very little this week apart from milk and cat food. The cupboards are looking very empty now though, which again is taking some getting used to! I have been making a shopping list as I've gone along this week but again, it's based on ingredients I need for "making up" meals from what I already have in the freezer etc. I'd be surprised if it was more than about £80 (includes quite a lot of cleaning materials this week) and I haven't been for a fortnight!!


I have been told that it's going to be after Christmas at the VERY least before my redundancy comes into play, very possibly as far away as around this time next year (though can't be sure of when) so that's given me a boost of more time to play with to save as much possible and get my head around the fact I'm leaving after so long with the same company. I'm starting to think about careers other than the one I've been in for so long- just because I'm in this one now, I don't have to move to another the same!! So long as I'm earning what I need to keep "my end" of things going, it could be ANYTHING!! Possibly not a trapeze artist though, with my knee!


Can't think of anything else, just want to keep myself on the straight and narrow by posting here!


Still to do:


Kids toys
Kitchen cupboards
Garage


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