New username .... new debt .... new diary ..... new start !

majjak

Thanks for the replies romy & buffy it's nice to know I'm not going mad :rotfl:.

Romy make sure you let me know when you start your diary, I'd love to follow it.

I really must try harder to get over on the DFW board a bit more, I tend to lurk on OS (which of course helps with the debt busting) but I'm sure I'd get even more ideas from other DFWs. I think I'll set aside a half-hour tonight, for some bedtime reading.

Today's been a good day.

Paid in the car loan money (just the normal amount this month).

I handed in our allotment gate key and got my £5 deposit back. I'm not sure if we'll get our £50 plot deposit back as it's in a bit of a mess . The £5 will go towards c/c overpayment at the end of Oct.

I got lots of paperwork cleared today (mainly filing and shredding) - I can now see my desk again .

DD has sewn some curtains together that I picked up from freecycle to make a single long one for the front door. They're velvet and fully lined so should keep out the cold. Adopted son (DD's BF!) is making rock cakes and they smell divine ! I've got to be good though as I really want to lose some weight - it's been the bain of my life for a long time - I'm a classic yo yo dieter and this time I've got to get it off and keep it off ! Trying to do it OS without spending loads on speciality ingredients. Must be doing something right because I lost 5lb this week :j. Need to up my exercise too, a bracing autumn walk along the beach maybe a couple of times a week should help.

Tonight's plans are to do a bit more tidying up, a rough budget for next month, find a recipe for pork belly and try and make some room to hang next lot of washing up to dry. Finding it a bit difficult and seem to have chinese laundry syndrome atm due to heating not being on but weather not being warm enough to dry everything .

I'm determined not to flick that heating switch until at least mid-Oct !

jwil

My house looks like a chinese laundry too, it's annoying when it's like that!

majjak

Very quickly wanted to pop on and say I'll be back in 2011 with a vengeance !

Been AWOL (without no other particular reason than pure old laziness ) but I'm going to make 2011 my year to shift this debt, get fitter (not fatter :mad:) and get the house decorated and clutter-free !

We've got 2 holidays to pay for (one is just finding spending money as we're been treated to a holiday of a lifetime with a close relative's inheritance).

I've got a few resolutions I'll be sharing over the next few days (plus the fact that if I write them down I'm less likely to give up on them!)

So, I'm off to enjoy the rest of 2010 and to declutter a bottle of wine along the way.

I'll wish you all a very happy evening and hope 2011 is your year too ! Happy New Year ! xxx :beer:

majjak

Happy 2011 !!!! :beer:

Although I don't go a bundle on New Year, I feel rather sentimental this time around. It's been a very tough year with a whole flood of family problems, one thing after another but hopefully things have settled down now and I can look forward to a brand new year .

I'm apologising in advance if this post gets a bit long in the tooth ... (now I'm thinking 'where do I start' !!??) :rotfl:

Ok, resolutions I think (gulp! :eek:)

1. To be another stone lighter this time next year.

I've been on a very long and scenic-route weight loss journey. Since last Sept I've lost a total of 2st 9lb and I've still got roughly another 2 to lose. But, being a realist, I know it's a lifestyle change and if I go 'all out' and lose the weight quickly (as I've done before), it all piles on again so I'm trying a different approach now. I've cancelled my WW subscription (to save some money too) and I'm going it alone (Which leads me on to my next resolution).

2. To do 30 mins of exercise per day.

Be it walking DS to school, walking the dog or Wii fit, I will do this :j

3. To spend less time on the computer.

Check emails and have a quick catch up over morning coffee and then a little time in the evening.

4. To stick to the challenges I agree to do on MSE and to be as frugal as I possibly can :money:

Mainly grocery challenge, I start off really good and then fall by the wayside later on in the month - need a kick up the butt on this one I think.

5. To get rid of the c/c debt :mad:. Another must do for this year.

However much is in the bank at the end of each month will be paid off this.

6. To try and find other ways of making a few pennies or £££s from home.

I'm a SAHM and it would be great to be able to make some money from my hobbies (gardening, car boot sales, jam/chutney making etc) so I'm going to look into this once we get back from our holiday (this month).

7. To spend some personal time with each of the kids and DH each week.

Maybe reading a book togther, playing a game, baking or just having a talk without the TV in the background .

There are other things that I want to do but they will slot into place later on (decluttering, trying out new things like using a sewing machine etc etc)

Decorating the house.

We've been here for 3 years now and not done bad so far but this is the year I'd like to finally get it finished. There's the hallway/landing to be done and our bedroom. This is going to be a real challenge to do this as well as pay off the c/c, overpay on the car loan and save for 2 holidays ! :eek: However, I'm sure with all the help on here and a strict budget to stick to, I can and will do it ! :T (positive thinking here ).

Garden.

Almost finished. Spent the latter part of last year building one last raised bed and moving the greenhouse. However the snow came before we could get the garden prepped for winter so I've got a lot of clearing up to do once the spring gets here.

So, that's it .......... lots to do, lots to think about and a busy year ahead. Please feel free to give me a nudge if I don't post with progress (or failings, although I hope there won't be many of those!)

Keeping_Positive

Well done on the weight loss and debt busting. Every penny counts!

majjak

Thank you KP, I've earmarked your diary too so I'll be keeping up with all your news

Popped out this morning to buy my dad a birthday pressie before he goes home tomorrow (visiting us for the weekend). He's got himself a laptop but has no idea how to use it (bless !) so I got him a laptop for dummies style book - he got to choose so he's pleased .

Also bought ourselves a new bed linen set in the sale, £15.50 so not too bad for a kingsize set. It's a bit hard trying to get a set washed, dried and put back on in a day in this weather !

Spending spreadsheet has been updated - I'm keeping tabs on every single penny now:money:.

I had planned to be good eating-wise today but we've still got a tiny bit more 'naughty' food to get through so today is the day we finish it all off (with dad's help ). Hoping to go out for a walk tomorrow and get started on the exercise, we have the beach within 10 mins walk so I've no excuse really . Want to make the most of living by the coast this year, we seem to have forgotten what a beautiful place we live and how lucky we are to have it all on our doorstep.

Xmas decs coming down later, we put them up ultra-early (sad I know ! :rotfl:) so I'm kind of glad once New Year has been and gone so I can get tidy again.

jwil

Here's to a debtbusting 2011! :beer:

majjak

Absolutely Jwil, I've subscribed to your diary too, it looks very inspiring ! I shall have to do a bit of bedtime reading with it though as it'll take me a while to get through 30 pages !

Right, as per my new year resolution, I'm coming off the comp for the rest of the day and going to go and find something constructive to do (get lunch first !)

Have a happy day everyone, will be back on tonight for that bedtime reading

Keeping_Positive

10 mins thats great. We are at least 2 hours drive from any coast here. There is beautiful country side about not that I have ever properly ventured out walking wise .

majjak

Morning

Motivation still high here, just hope I can keep it up !

KP have you ever been foraging (sp?). I did used to live in the country before we moved down here to the coast - we had loads of plum trees, apple trees etc local to where we used to live. I kind of miss being able to go and pick for free. I think we're all guilty of not making the most of what we have on our doorstep at some time or another.

Today is 'back to school prep' day. Uniforms have already been ironed (DD1 does all that for me, at a price mind you ! ) I pay her £10 a week to do it - would cost me far more if I had someone employed. She's trying to find a job at the moment as she's taking driving lessons but there's not much about at all. I shall have to set aside some time to help her I think.

I've got some cupcakes in the oven already, I got a bit complacent towards the end of last term and was buying cakes for lunchboxes instead of making them .

Other things for today:

Do a small shop for rest of packed lunch bits and pieces
Sort out paperwork in office (bit of a stack and it's not getting smaller!)
[STRIKE]See Dad off home (he's been with us for the New Year)[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Put xmas decs in loft (they came down yesterday)[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Decide what to have for dinner tonight[/STRIKE] - jamaican jerk chicken and potato wedges (wanted something a bit simple after all the xmas gluttony )
Get the kids to bed early ! :j

If i'm honest, I'll be glad when everyone has gone back to school/work so I can have a bit of peace and quiet and time to myself . I absolutely love Xmas but once it's been and gone I do like to get 'back to normality' :rotfl: