New Year. New House. New Budget

Lurker1972

Well thank goodness that week is over. I may only have been at work for 4 days but I am shattered.

Trouble is, now the hard work starts as I want to get the house all clean n sparkly for MrLs return tomorrow.

Can't decide quite what to do tonight other than meal plan, shopping list & trip to supermarket. Little jobs that will make the big clean n tidying ones easier I guess but I may need to nap first.

Gave in to me treat me demon and bought lunch at work and also went to the machine. This is to stop and I am making a pledge

July will be a machine & canteen free zone.

It will also be getting properly into a healthy eating regime. MrL doesn't eat breakfast no matter how much I nag him, but will happily have smoothies, so will get back into that habit. They will be home made so have included stuff on shopping list, but it will mean less snacking for me as I will have to include the calories on myfitnesspal .

That means I have 2 days left of potential badness...... Could be fun!

Lurker1972

Ok, seems there was an epic fail on changing the colour for my pledge.....I guess it was a technical failure as on iPad. Hope that's not an omen for failure

Lurker1972

Today's the day!

Not a picnic for teddy bears, but MrL gets home. :T

My list of jobs to do is HUGE. But I refuse to start housework before 7am. Unless you count putting the washing machine on, in which case I started at 6.20!

We are also due a man to fix our roof which means we can then looks to mend the hole in the bathroom wall......and probably give the bathroom a facelift in the process. Must keep MSE head on though. Basic facelift, not full body plastic surgery!

Right, it's now 7 so need to get some clothes on, get some music blasting and get doing - would like to have done upstairs before mum visits with the dog. There. That's a target.

Lurker1972

And that's another working week over.

MrL got home safe n sound, the house was looking pretty and the roof got fixed. He then unpacked and trashed my living room and created mass washing piles. He way only gone 10 days.

Anyway, he is just about over the jetlag, and we are almost back I the normal daily routine.

I got a lift home today and am sat on my Facebook swing with a cuppa pondering a few things.

Been good with spends, only a bread top up as anticipated. No trips to the machine although I was very tempted. Been pretty good with calorie counting too, but not S good with getting anything done in the evenings. I guess Rome wasn't built in a day!

My other ponder is a job. A neighbouring local authority has a vacancy for the job I currently do. The minimum pay is £10k more than I currently get and I don't know whether to apply. Factoring in additional costs its £5k more, but also doubles the travel time and I don't know how to put a price on that, given I don't seem to have of time in the evenings as it is. I like where I work, the people I work with and there is a lot to be said for that. I thought I would be in this job until redundancy in 2017, but am wondering if I should move. Redundancy in 2017 will still be an issue, but would be earning more.....

What I really want is £5k pay rise in current job. Oh and a baby. Not asking much am I?!

Lurker1972

Fridays are the best.
Am doing very well on the no vending machine pledge although had forgotten it was also no canteen.....glad I didn't decide to treat me to a tea cake breakfast this morning. Over half way to achieving my challenge.

Have had major overspend on groceries - I blame MrL and need to stop letting him come with me, should solve the problem. I hope.

Have overtime in the morning, then will be starting to load the garage with treasures for car boot sale next weekend. Am very much looking forward to it. Partly as I will be spending a good few hours in the fresh air!

Slush fund has a new name - it's now new oven fund. The door on ours is slowly falling off its hinges. Given that its the same age as the house (26 years plus) I don't think it owes us much! Research is starting, John Lewis ovens have been recommended so we need to check them out in the flesh to see if we like, if not, I think it will be an AEG similar to the one we had in previous house. Or a neff.

Am dreading my weigh in, I suspect I will be back over the nasty stone mark as have been a bit piggy this week. Got 2 days to rescue that situation I guess!!

Lurker1972

Ahhhh that first caffeine hit of the day.....

And it's a little cloudy in my part of the country....how strange is that!

Plans for the day.

Washing out and another load on before I go to work
Works 3.5 hours, which allows me to still get home in the morning, just.
Meal plan, shopping list, supermarket run
Little bit of clearing up, fill 2 boxes with car boot stuff.
Then enjoy some fresh air, possibly snooze in the garden.

And keep hoping for another Facebook sale. It's taken over from eBay! At least in this house it has!

PS to those reading (yes, am a nerd I do like to see the number of views increasing) :wave::wave::wave: and Happy Weekend!

Lurker1972

Didn't quite achieve Saturdays targets, but overall a good weekend.

More stuff is in the carboot pile and sold another bulky item on fb. £25 for me...no, £15 for debt, £10 for oven fund.

NSD Sunday and yesterday, LSD (??!!!!) today as had to parking and get bread for MrL lunches for rest of week.

Trying a new stir fry for tonight and need to reclaim the living room, it currently looks like a Chinese laundry.

Think we might have some more thunder threatening, am not complaining, so far the roof repair has passed the test!

Want to put feet up, but best not or I may nod off. Best pull finger out and have a tidy up and make tomorrows lunches. Then I can chill.
Trouble is, am comfy even without my feet up!

Lurker1972

Well July disappeared in a cloud of dust....

Didn't give in to temptation, stayed away from the chocolate machine and canteen for the whole month.:T

Good for my purse, but so far, no result on the weigh in.
Will continue this through August and hope for results on both sides.

We have a 0%BT offer that has arrived with prefect timing, just having to change our spend and clear in full card. Does mean with the fee the balance will increase, but then will be back on the way down again.

Car Boot wasn't as good as we hoped. We'd gone to a new one but there was only about 20 cars, and not loads of buyers. We covered costs which is more than some people did, but had more stuff leftover than we were prepared to dump. So have another one planned for next weekend. This time will be going to an established one!!

Meal planning has gone quite well, with only a couple of amendments required when I realised that I was missing a vital ingredient for one of the meals. Better that than ruin a NSD.

Have also completed a utility switch that means we have M&S vouchers but more importantly, have discovered that we have economy seven. I think this means that electric is cheaper after 10 so am making an effort to put dishwasher on overnight, and starting tonight, the washing machine too. It's only taken 2 & half years to discover this. It is ruining my plan for an early night tonight though!!

All in all, it's been a good month, slowly heading in the right direction. Just need to try a bit harder to get it all moving a bit quicker

Lurker1972

Washing out, washing on, dishwasher emptied and hanging baskets have been watered. Not bad while still in jammies!

Overtime this morning but I have to wait for the milkman first or
A) no breakfast for me
it will be cheese by the time I get home!

So, o/t, then to have an overdue haircut, home for few hours to chill and out to friends for Chinese and chinwag.

I have some tweaks to make to my spreadsheets over the weekend - one day I will have them exactly right - probably then day before we pay the last penny off!

Shower time, but am going to empty my change pots first as will be walking past the building society so could pay into slush fund if I have a bag full. Plus I like to play with pennies!

Happy Saturday everyone

Lurker1972

ok, so the good start went a bit wonky

milkman arrived early so had I been ready I could have got to work earlier and done an extra hour overtime.
Changepots didnt have enough in them to pay in - I guess thats the downside of reducing cash spends - less change.

got to work & had forgotten my cereal - so breakfast today is milk. good for the calorie reduction but not much else. I will be eating my lunch early.

thats the 3 hiccups for the day, the rest of the day will go to plan.