Northern lights, life and campervans

Aurora_emma

lellybun wrote: »

Hi Emma, love your thread title, and content. Carry on posting! Have subscribed, good luck!

Thanks lellybun.. you might regret that - once started it is hard to shut me up.:D

Aurora_emma

Still need to find those chequebooks.. where the heck did I put them?

**edit** Found the business account one so can at least pay some of the bills... had a brainy wave and will search through old handbags for the other once I have done another hours' work.

Aurora_emma

....and the good news is that I have found them both now (yes, the other one was in one of my many handbags, ooops).

I hate how my head gets so full of the day to day stuff that thinking about forms and spreadsheets becomes insurmountable. Then other times everything else slips and I have my head in speadsheets planning and scheming all the time. Sometimes I wonder if it would be easier to be a little of everything all the time (I am sure it isn't as fun).

Another list: Things I will achieve this weekend (yes I know I haven't finished the list above).

Promised youngest son we would go to the beach with the dog and look for black stones for him to collect
Eldest son has fiddle so quick trip around shops (my youngest is a challenge in public)
DLA renewal form for said youngest son (he is deaf). Been putting the form off since June.. ooops
Grant form for business (probably dont get it as we dont really fall into criteria, but nothing ventured and all that...)
Book keeping for June, July and August
Start with some financial projections again incorporating my ever shifting goalposts.
Get the new version of our website live - (we are changing over to a cms system)
Do 3 hours work on the day job.

As we need to pop to cash machine in a bit might get a mini chinese (chicken balls and satay and chips, will do rice at home). I have been really good all week so need to stop my body going into starvation mode. Our weekly shopping was far less too because I meal planned. I know this kind of undoes that good, but it will be worth it.
Anyone got anything exciting planned for the weekend?

elantan

nah just work and reading diaries ... loving yours by the way ... wish i could do a spread sheet

Aurora_emma

They are actually pretty easy and so useful for doing those maths bits. (I always feel like they are magic) Martin has a list of free ones on here, http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/free-office-software, but I use excel.
You dont have to make them look fancy or make any sense to anyone except yourself (mine are a shocker) - big rambling pages with tables with different calculations all over them, but the beauty is I can add/subtract the totals from each of time tables from each other and does all the hard work bits for me. My ex husband was a whizz with this sort of thing so I embumed as much knowledge as I could from him and can just about do everything I need now with the aid of the help files occasionally.

Give one a try, you'll be surprised how easy they are

elantan

I have before .... It came out in swahilli which would be fine if I was atleast African ... I just don't get them .... But I do have a certificate that says I am competent at them ..from a university no less ....but as well all know it ain't worth the paper it's written on

Aurora_emma

elantan wrote: »

I have before .... It came out in swahilli which would be fine if I was atleast African ... I just don't get them .... But I do have a certificate that says I am competent at them ..from a university no less ....but as well all know it ain't worth the paper it's written on

lol.. University of life is the only thing that matters really isn't it? I have a teenage son that is doing his standard grades (GCSE's) this year and he is stressing so much (to the point of working himself up and feeling ill and not being able to do anything!). If children were taught proper subjects (cooking, sewing, engine mechanics, diy, money management for example) which gave them tools for life rather than the onus being on exam results on subjects they will never use I think this generation would be a lot happier.

Aurora_emma

I have just bought temporary car insurance for the campervan my oh is picking up today. We thought we might as well get a months' cover so we have time to decide whether to SORN it for the winter or add it to our fleet policy at this time. 28 days is more than 12 months' cover!.. maddness.
So have put 3 days' cover on to get it home and we can think a bit faster. Have gone through the quidco link, so slim chance might get cashback, but is probably only available on their 12 month policies.. was worth a try though.

Bit scared about buying a van over the internet without seeing it first...
My oh has taken half of the cost down with him in cash but I have to transfer the remaining of the cost to the bloke's bank account... I don't really want to transfer this until oh has had a good look over the vehicle and taken it a wee drive, but he might not want to let him drive away until it is in the bank (it might not show up today anyway.eeek - dunno what to do then). The chap didn't have paypal so couldnt use that and he didn't want a cheque. It took us 5 days to get enough money out of the bank (I bank with smile so dont have a branch I can go in to to take out money).
My oh also has a loooong journey back up north and needs to do 4 hours or so tonight, so he doesnt want to hang around too long waiting for money to transfer either.

Do I transfer it now and just pray he is being honest (he has sent so many pics of the interior and bodywork I know that will be fine. He says the engine is great but you just dont know do you? You hear so many horror stories and this vehicle is 27 years old). Or do i wait until oh has had a poke about and driven it and run the risk of it not showing up (which it probably wont until Monday now anyway if I am honest)?

1ubthrifty

Love the website! I think I just may have to hire one for a suprise for my O/H in 2011, we dream about having a campervan! Good luck with the new one hope it all goes smoothly.:)

Aurora_emma

1ubthrifty wrote: »

Love the website! I think I just may have to hire one for a suprise for my O/H in 2011, we dream about having a campervan! Good luck with the new one hope it all goes smoothly.:)

thank you - appreciate that We have had quite a few customers who quite fancy getting a van but want to try one first.. They have all had a great time