EH is Back - and going Onwards, and Upwards!

EssexHebridean

Glad you liked the pics ME - there are more on my Blog as well. It is indeed a fantastic place - wish we were back there!

Right - as threatened, an updated version of the Aims & Targets for the 2nd third of the year.

Financial:
1) Increase earnings on Avon by taking more territory and working it up in the same way I have my current patch.
1a) Recanvass exisiting territory to collect anyone who previously said they weren't interested but may now have changed their minds.
2) Look for one more income stream OR add notably to my Admin Services Stuff
3) Make sure I pay my tax due in the 1st week of January 2012
4) Hit the survey sites daily to make sure I get as many surveys as possible.
5) NSD's - Target of at least 50% of the days in each month to be NSD's.
6) Look to increase the number of No Diesel Days as well by walking more and combining journeys

Household:
1) Work on successional planting of salad veggies etc.
2) Make enough space in the freezer that I can batch cook some stuff and freeze to increase the options for quick meals on nights we've both been working in London
3) Sort out one full bag of stuff to take to the charity shop just from decluttering.
4) Send the pile of CD's that have been lurking on the side forever to Music Magpie - they may not fetch much, but better something than sitting there gathering dust!
5) Continue with decluttering & general tiding via 15 minute blitzes / 5 items a day methods.
6) Take the dead battery box to the tip
7) Get at least ten items on eBay and sold.


Health / Personal:
1) Walk walk walk....then walk a bit further! :cool:
2) Use stepper for at least a few minutes MOST days.
3) Continue with "No buying Toiletries" challenge - I now have space in the bathroom cabinet so it's heading the right way!
4) As and when I do need to buy toiletries try as far as possible to buy for as near as possible to £1 per item.
5) Healthy eating - salads a couple of times a week and if we can grow enough for lunch when I can too.
6) Really work on getting in my five a day - as more british soft fruit becomes available then this will become easier
7) Update blog at least a few times a week - the closer I can get to daily updating, the better. The more its updated, the more people will look! (Please look!) I have little excuse now I have the App on the iPhone to update when out and about.


Fun Stuff!:
1) We have £20 of Days out vouchers expiring at the end of May, and £40 expiring at the end of June, all bought at the higher (4x) conversion rate, so must keep my eye on the ball to make sure these get used. the May ones will probably get used when we go to Cornwall if not before
2) Continue with "Do at least one fun thing per month" plan :

1. [STRIKE]March : Trip to Chester for Friend's birthday[/STRIKE]
2. [STRIKE]April : HOLIBOBS![/STRIKE]
3. [STRIKE]May: Meal at "Smiths of Smithfield" Courtesy of lovely friends! [/STRIKE](it was fabulous!)
4. May: Camping trip to Cornwall!
5. June: a half day hawk-flying experience courtesy of my Mum and Dad for mine/OH's birthdays! Will combine with camping trip (and hope OH doesn't read this as he doesn't know yet!)
6. June: British Speedway GP in Cardiff
7. July: North Norfolk Railway Beer Festival (getting a group of friends together for this as well)
8. August: Great British Beer Festival - YAY!
9. August: Eastbourne Airshow
10. September: North Norfolk Railway 1940's weekend

Other things in the pipeline but not specifically planned yet include:

1. Various trips around the place following the wonderful Ipswich Witches Speedway team! (Newport and Leicester hopefully - need to look to see what we can combine with those to make them worthy of an overnight stay camping
2. Camping weekends in Norfolk
3. Take the camera and visit the Raptor Foundation in Cambridgeshire
4. Trip into Central London with the camera, meet MrEH for the afternoon and visit Middle Temple & Hall
5. Plot how to go back to Smiths of Smithfield for another meal before the end of the year!

Karmacat

Wow ... just, wow .... I just love big posts and plans with detail like these, especially when they have lots of colour I also love the amount of going-away you've got in there - its *so* important - over Easter, I did have one night away, but I did such a lot almost every day, it feels like I was away for a fortnight - and with *that* feeling, your standard of living just soars

Happy Days.

taxi73

plenty of exciting things in there.

boredofbeingathome

Great list EH, i have had a quick looksie at your blog. You are a very talented photographer Some of the pics are stunning.
I now of course have added it to my list, we seem to have similar tastes as i also read frugal queen and the quince tree. Can i suggest Attic24? Another fave of mine.

EssexHebridean

Awww thanks Bob - I love photography and need to focus on making time for it again. A number of people have mentioned the Attic24 blog so I shall take a look at that one tonight!

KC You're absolutely right - we can do "weekend break" so cheaply now we have the tent - if we were staying in B&B's or even travelodges we wouldn't be able to do the 5 night trip to Cornwall that is planned, but using a £10 per night campsite and Clubcard vouchers for places to go while we're there we can! It makes such a difference when you start focusing on how to do things like that doesn't it. Honestly, I'm really pleased I've made "having fun" a proper target!

Work today, and as my lunch is now over I'd better get back to it again!

EssexHebridean

Gah! Just had a Tesco-nightmare - hopefully now sorted but we'll see! Went in to the Petrol Station at the smaller of our two local stores yesterday to get diesel. Put £30.01 in (yes, the penny wasn't deliberate!) and went to pay. Handed over my ClubCard for the points, and had my Credit card ready to shove in the machine when the screen told me to, only for the girl on the till to shove the CC+ ticket in front of me and ask for a signature. I explained that I didn't want to pay on that card, so she grudgingly agreed to cancel the transaction....except she couldn't, because rather than waiting for the signature, then checking it and verifying it on the till, she'd hit "signature verified" at the same time as saying yes to the transaction! :mad: Three of them then tried to do a refund, but couldn't, managing to charge ANOTHER £30.01 to the card in the process! After much umming and ahhing, and trying to call across to the store but not getting an answer, and clearly not having the first CLUE (I had to suggest that they might try contacting a manager, and also that they might put the till closed sign on the till that had been, by this time, locked down by what they were doing, rather than just letting people queue behind me when it was clearly going to be no time soon that they actually got served!) Eventually after 35 minutes standing there I told them that I was going to leave my details, and come back in the morning to sort it, as I was meant to be on my way to Ipswich (over an hour away) and was now running well and truly late! They agreed thankfully, so I've been back this morning and spent another hour standing in the store with the duty manager and the cash office manager! Bless 'em, those two at least were excellent, couldn't apologise enough and made it very clear that they were furious with the cashier! The Duty Manager offered straight away that they'd like to give me the fuel for free (woo!) and I then had to get a call back from Tesco Bank to sort the refund on the CC+, and when I told her the saga she said she was going to put 1000 CC points onto my card by way of apology, so fingers crossed all now sorted, but honestly, what a fiasco! The free fuel does mean that I can feel slightly less guilty about my decision to go to S!!!!horpe next Friday for speedway.....!

In "other news...." my April payment from my clients cleared through the bank yesterday so that has now been shifted about and the banking tidied. The VSP transfer has been done (only £4 this week plus off pennies I've already transferred, but every little helps.....oh, no, I'm not using that phrase right now!) and the cut-off for this month's credit card bill will be tomorrow and neither OH nor I will be spending anything on diesel now before next months billing which means I THINK I have that one under control too! My lunch has been a healthy tuna salad (with a packet of Wotsits, admittedly, but a girl has to have SOME vices!) followed by 2 x clemantines and 2 x kiwi fruit. I'm now feeling very full and equally virtuous!

vl2588

Bloody tesco although the free bit makes up for it! Ooh speedway...?

Lemon_Tree

glad Tesco's finally got themselves sorted out but it must have driven you mad! Well done for keeping at them till it was sorted.

EssexHebridean

vl2588 wrote: »

Bloody tesco although the free bit makes up for it! Ooh speedway...?

It does actually - frustrating as it was at the time! The way they eventually dealt with it in the store was excellent - the Duty Manager actually repaired a lot of the damage the inept staff in the garage had done so far as I was concerned! I have to admit to feeling fairly pleased with the outcome!

And yes - speedway! Been following the sport for 24 years, and supporting the wonderful Ipswich Witches for 22 of them. I was also the track photographer at Rye House for half a season when they were let down by someone else, which was fun, but I wouldn't want to do again necessarily.

Lemon_Tree wrote: »

glad Tesco's finally got themselves sorted out but it must have driven you mad! Well done for keeping at them till it was sorted.

I think it was the line "I don't intend to leave until this is sorted out" that clinched it!

Another small victory this afternoon in the shape of a foundation which really wasn't what I wanted or had asked for exchanged for something far better in Boots. For a Friday 13th, it's not been half bad!

Pippilongstocking

Loved the blog! Ace pics and ideas for growing!

Dashes back out again - 3 weeks til i can stalk you all properly!

I mean, um, contribute more!
xx