Pavlovs_dog starting as she means to go on...

pavlovs_dog

after reminding you all to check your utilities, i only went and forgot to make my 10 calls required to avoid an under-usage charge from BT :doh: so that's an unnecessary fiver going out. I'm so busy in work at the mo my brain is like a sieve.

Can't recall ever working so hard just to stand still. I'm counting the seconds until half term, really need a break to re-charge my batteries. It's terrifying how quickly this school year is going :eek:

after catching up with some MF diaries, I really really feel that I need to be more disciplined with my surveys etc, as I've barely looked at them. I know I have to prioritise my proper work, but I'm sure I could squeeze in a few more a week than I am currently doing (almost none). It's not going to make me money if I'm not doing them after all.

I feel the need for some mid term resolutions. My aim for the half term up to Easter is to maintain my (marginally) more organised approach. I know it doesn't feel like it's making much of a difference, but reviewing the half term as a whole I've managed to fit loads in. If I carry on working this hard once the coursework is out of the way (bane of my existence) then I should see real progress with the to do list. If I'm to add something new into the mix, it's either going to be getting into a better sleep pattern or revamping my diet and exercise regime (or lack thereof)

looking forward to a relaxing yet productive half term. again the list of things to do is a mile long with all those things to do that I never normally have time to do when I am in school. Think I might chuck up a list over the weekend to get me on task and focused.

gratefulforhelp_2

I am counting the seconds 'til half term, also.

cha97michelle

I used to find if i was eating well and exercising well i felt well, but as the term goes on, i would have takeaways now and again, stop the exercise to meet the deadlines, and i am sure overall i was less productive.

Surveys etc - i need to keep doing them every day. If i have even one day off i then lose the plot for a little while, but then again there is more pressure for me as i am only earning that.

I hope there is lots of rest there on that list. It won't be long till the Easter break is then upon us, so don't burn yourself out or it will be another hard one.

With the phonecalls, could you jot a note in your plan a day diary to make a certain number per week? Might be easier to manage then.

pavlovs_dog

I see you hiding alias :wave: come out to play! How's your renovation project going? miss seeing you around the boards (I think we're both posting much less frequently).

Well it's lovely to think I don't have school tomorrow. Slept for almost 16 hours Fri night/Saturday morning - shows how hard I've been working :eek: Had a very chilled PJ day on Saturday which was fab and has enabled me to be more productive today. *Finally* sent off the form to register OH as a second card holder on my clubcard CC. only had the form on my desk for 2 months (organisation is a work in progress ok ).

Went to ikea and bought a blind for the middle bedroom, and another lack sidetable to effectively double the size of our current coffee table. at £14 for the two tables this is a cost effective solution until we find something worth shelling out for that works with the space that we have.

my folks came over and helped me to measure for the made-to-measure blinds for the study and dining room. I'm going to order 1 room's worth at a time, as each order is well over the minimum spend for free del. If I order both sets at once and we discover there's a problem we'd be £400 out of pocket. If the worst is to happen I'd rather be £200 worse off than £400. And to think I thought the MAHOOSIVE windows were such a plus point when I bought the house :cool: As it transpires, I'm ordering from the more expensive of the two companies and it's not the one which offers cashback either. Frustrating, but based on the colour swatches and the website as a whole I think it's the right decision, even if it is £100+ more expensive.

We also measured up the loft and have roughly priced that job up. As things currently stand, that's looking cheaper than we had planned. Mum's partner has a trade card for a DIY place, so we're hoping to get a bit of discount too.

Tomorrow morning I have someone coming out to quote for the work to the chimneys and guttering. He advertises in the local paper, and by sheer coincidence has spent the past 2 weeks re-roofing the in law's neighbour's house. Whilst doing that job, they spotted loose tiles on the in-laws roof so did a spot of remedial work for them too. Seen and heard very good things about their work and the service on the phone today was very professional so i'm hoping for a fair quote for the work, as based on what I've seen so far I'd like to employ this roofer to do it. Once that's sorted, we can get the aerial done, and then think about a new TV.

priority for tomorrow is registering for the dr (we've been in the house almost 6 months, it's about time i got around to it), cashing the tax refund cheque (i've already long since 'spent' the money on paying off my CC) and setting up dates for my two tutees.

for those of you the other end of the half term holiday scale (ie at home with the kids) enjoy... my thoughts are with you!

pavlovs_dog

well it pays to shop around. Had our RAC renewal through, and they wanted almost £50 to renew our breakdown policy. This is for roadside assistance cover on the car, no matter who is driving it.

The exact same policy is available to new customers for just £28, so I'll be telling RAC not to bother renewing my policy... I've signed up under OH's name and will get £20 cash back to sweeten the deal They must take us for such mugs to think that we're are prepared to pay over the odds for being loyal to them.


(touchwood we've never had major mechanical problems with the car, which is just over 3 years old. But if anything was to happen whilst I was driving away from home I wouldn't really have the first clue where to begin fixing it. £8 is a small price to pay for the piece of mind).

aliasojo

pavlovs_dog wrote: »

I see you hiding alias :wave: come out to play! How's your renovation project going? miss seeing you around the boards (I think we're both posting much less frequently).

It renovated off! :rotfl:I lost my motivation ages ago and am now thinking bare plasterboard and a wonky staircase could be the height of funkiness.

I'm kinda thinking I might be well on my way to developing a nicely honed selfish streak. I ignored the washing, the mess all over the place and the sanding that still needs done and I toddled off to the gym this morning. I think I had a 'eureka' moment over the weekend which is suiting me fine but probably wont go down too well with the rest of my lot. Oh well, such is life. :rotfl:

I've been keeping up and reading your posts here, I like it when someone else has got lots to do. Just kidding. x You're much more productive than I am. Keep it up...and mind, if you ever need an ornament, just shout.

pavlovs_dog

You know you've had enough of DIY when going to the gym is more appealing :rotfl: I really, really, really need to stop eating so much crap and start exercising more.

we seem to keep finding a million and one little jobs to do around the house. some day! I forsee much of the summer holiday being spent doing these jobs.

getting the loft boarded out will make a big difference as we can then start tidying/decluttering our two junk rooms (2 squirrels together is not a good combo!)

glad to hear you're keeping well :kisses3:

pavlovs_dog

where has my half term gone?!

Been working my way through my marking pile yesterday and today. Am still on the 'feeling on top it/feeling overwhelmed' seesaw. I think it's having so many exam classes for the first time, the coursework marking demands is quite a step up from what I faced last year. It has to be done though so I'll get there eventually.

In moneysaving news I took out costco membership this week after many weeks of dithering about it. Added my mum as a second cardholder, she has already got more than our moneys worth from the card - it's currently her new favourite shop! Bulk buying on toothpaste, cleaning products, coffee etc offers significant savings over the course of the year even if it is more money to find upfront. Finding storage for it all is the problem!

I've also signed up for onepoll (thanks michelle ) but am yet to be offered any surveys beyond the initial registration ones. All in good time I suppose. Going to do the mutualpoints weekend one to take me a step closer to my £20 payout. They are very reliable at crediting the points so I need to make sure I am doing them every week. again it's a slow burner but it's easy money

originalmiscellany

I've signed up to one poll - currently at 4.60 I think but it takes forever... What's this mutual points you've mentioned?

pavlovs_dog

on the face of it, mutual points is similar to quidco and pigback in that you can use it as a cashback merchant for online shopping. However they send you advertising emails, and you get 5 points for clicking through to see the product/service advertised. Every weekend they send you surveys too, generally worth 75 points each. 3000 points gets you £20 (cheque).

It's s-l-o-w if you just go for the free points (all I ever tend to do) but free money is free money. I'll happily refer you if you PM me your name and email address (I'll get a whopping 10 points for the privilege - see what I mean about it being a slow burner)!