New Year New Me, the journey continues.........

thrifty_fifty

You may have noticed the updated sig. I now have a weeny pot of savings. This is my 'if I'm imminently made redundant' pot. Not going to last me long, but feels nice to have at least something put away. Have to wait another month before we can apply for the few remaining posts, which coincides with my busiest time of year. Safe to say that my mind will be elsewhere. First consultation meeting today, feel like I should have some good questions to ask but don't have any. I'm sure that some will spring to mind when I'm in there. The big focus this year is to become debt free, so keeping on that and not focusing on anything negative.

I will allow myself a comforting 50p purchase of cheesy poofs today though.

thrifty_fifty

Phew!

Realise it's been a while since I updated my diary. Just the usual plodding along. Work is getting stressy because we are really busy and the possible impending redundancy doom.

So onto other things: As my updated signature states, only 4 more pay days until I'm basking in debt freedom. Ok basking might be overly generous, I'll get to hang onto about £200 of savings before directing all my wages to OH's debt, which will be paid off by March 2012. So looking forward to helping him pay Lloyds off and telling them to s*d off! Wow! 25th September and I'll be posting on the debt free roll of honour-that is going to feel tres weird.

So I'm looking to do a few extra bits in my quest. On wednesday when I'm back at work I'm going to reduce the overdraft by another £100, taking it down to £100 total. I'm not using this at the moment, and figure that the smaller the overdraft, the less temptation there is to dip into it. Going to pay off the computer finance too, so come October the only credit I will have is a £100 overdraft facility and a £5 a month mobile phone contract. Cool.

I also promised myself several months into my loan that I would pay it off early. Well at the original £12,000 that was never going to happen anytime soon, so I have promised myself that during the month of July I will pay the loan off a whole month early. This will mean £200 being knocked off the pot that gets directed to CC1 (SO £500 rather than £700 that I usually pay), but this will be made up the following month when I can pay £900 off it.

Also having written down how much I took the loan out for in 2006 I owed a whopping £19,000 with a salary of £14,000. I was never any good at maths at school but it has just dawned on me that I have single handedly paid off £16,500 in the last 5 years. That's amazing.

Oh and that by next Christmas OH and I will have amassed 11k worth of savings. How cool is that?

thrifty_fifty

Had a lovely day at the May Fayre yesterday even if I did get drenched. Also embarrased beyond belief when one of the morris dancers grabbed me from out of the crowd to announce the next dance, owing to the lovely welly boots I was wearing. Of course by this point I'd visited the beer tent on a few too many occasions, so instead of taking the hint and shouting out welly boots, I did overanalyse as I always do, and thought countryside, must be the hunter dance-owing to a certain brand of welly boots I was wearing. I then had to announce that it was indeed the wellyboots. Oh well there we go my reputation in tatters. I quickly grabbed OH and my remaining beer and made for the tombola on the other side of the village. Eek!

thrifty_fifty

Yay I won an old french mustard pot on way of the bay, but boo, why do they always show you pictures of similar items once you have paid? Saw one that was larger and in better condition than the one I'd just bought and it was 90p cheaper. Noooooooo. Maybe I could buy that one, and put the other one back on? But knowing my luck it would sell for 99p.

Oh well, better get ready now, today is the long cycle to work.Don't get me wrong, I love the fresh air, the birds singing and the wildlife I see, it's just the hardwork getting up hills and the sweating that is not so good.

Better see if my bra is dry on the line. That could be extra yuccy if not.

thrifty_fifty

Morning!

Well yesterday did as I said I would and went into the bank to reduce my overdraft. The woman behind the counter was flabbergasted and said that not many customers asked for that. That felt good. I also asked if I could pay my loan off next payday-indeed I can. Cool.

I'm most annoyed though that all this ebay money is coming in, and I'm trying not to spend it, without success. There seem to be lots of little things demanding £10 here and £10 there. I got the money out for the meal which is taking place this friday and the £10 emergency meal fund keeps getting spent-postage for ebay item, a sandwich because I cycled in and my salad hadn't filled me up.

Must also learn not to grip the handlebars so hard. I've still got pins and needles in my fourth finger this morning. Eek.

And on the interior design front, I did some more scouting yesterday (this is my new hairbrained career scheme), and found a lovely shop in my town that sells Mulberry fabrics. They were amazing. So I'm going back today with a notebook, and to ask for some samples.

I've also learned about the joy of switching off my email at work. This means I can get things done. Who would have thought it??

Also spotted what I thought were peas on my cycle to work yesterday. They were, and wild ones, but guess what? They're poisonous. No fair!!! I'd just imagined snaffling some of those when they were ripe in a few weeks time.

And today is the dreaded day that the car goes in for its MOT. As usual OH has made no attempt to clean it before it goes in, so it will go in with bird poo all over it, and the contents of the allotment on the carpets. Lets hope it's good news and not a £4-£500 not drive away until it's fixed job. Trying a new garage today and Kwik Fit seemed to have robbed us on previous occasions. I swear it came out with more faults than it went in with!!!

Been offered a wellbeing session at work to do with potential redundancy. Questions such as 'what do you find stressful?' will be asked. Well isn't that b**dy obvious??

Anyway I will rant not, and not get rage at work today. Interior design is my future career and anything in the meantime is just passing time.

xx

thrifty_fifty

Yesterday letter arrived to confirm the reduction to the overdraft-although you'd think they'd have a better letter. It started off by saying 'following a review of your account, we can confirm your overdraft is in place of £100'. Well it was more a case of 'following your request to reduce your overdraft facility, we can confirm that the below changes have been actioned'. Always taking the credit these banks. Ohh la la.

Anyhow, this morning started a new thread 'Cash, my new best friend'. Took a look at Pippi's blog, which is amazing, and currently need to drag myself out of bed. I'm very proud to say that I only spent £13 on my night out last night. £9.50 on my meal and £3.50 on a glass of wine. Was rather gutted not to have been able to finish the meal though-cous cous with pomegranate. The pomegranate was too acidic and made my mouth sore. Silly mouth, I'd been looking forward to trying pomegranate for ages aswell. Funny though that I can eat tinned pineapple, but the fresh stuff makes my tongue sore and bleed. Not Good.

So today's tasks are clean the house, relist ebay stuff (free listing weekend), allotment crazy planting and some rest before another manic day tomorrow.

Have a good one, everyone.

xx

thrifty_fifty

Well as it's three weeks and three months until I become debt free, I'd better start thinking about what I'm going to do to celebrate. First thought is to celebrate with a £5 glass of champagne at the nice local bar, and just say cheers to me, and a new start to life. I will also open a bright shiny new savings account. I can't wait. I'm also going to try and sort out a way of improving my memory. I think the stress that I have been under over the last few years, has completely wrecked it. It's so sad that I've been on lovely holidays with OH and I can only remember the odd thing that happened. Terrible.

On a more cheery note, I found this song on you tube the other week, and I'm in love with it, sad as it is. Eva Cassidy-Autumn Leaves. Beautiful. xx

I'm a big softy for the old style songs. I love Moon River.

Oh well, that's me for now. Over and out.

thrifty_fifty

My goodness was that the day from hell or what?

I had to heard sheep on my cycle into work because they had escaped from a field and were blocking my path. I forgot my dress to get changed into and nearly had to sit at work in my tracksuit bottoms all day, a dog nearly had me off my bike, and to top it all I got completely ripped off at the hairdressers (well half ripped off, I shall explain)

Having decided to be all MSE and stop going to my regular hairdressers a couple of months back £27 if you please, I'd decided to grow the layers out of my hair and keep it simple and to one length. This meant that I would not need to go to expensive hairdressers to keep it looking right.

So I started to go to supercuts, they charged £14 for a dry trim, which I thought was a little steep for a cheap hairdressers, and so the next time I went back they said they no longer did dry cuts and I would need to have it washed-cost £32. For a walk in hairdressers, where they can't cut your hair because its wavy, and decide that it's acceptable to straighten your hair, with no protective products on it, I thought it was a little excessive so said no.

Next I went to a hairdressers recommended at work. They did a dry trim for between £7.50 and £10. Bargain I thought, and just the right price for a quick trim. All was well, I paid £10 because I got the owner of the shop. Now the place was nothing to write home about, it wasn't the most pleasant experience but I accepted that I had got it at the price I wanted to pay.

This is why I decided to go back today. Big mistake!! The owner was not there, so I got a guy. I asked for a dry trim and was immediately on edge when he asked me to come to the sink. I said I was short of time and cash and had only come for a dry trim. I asked him for the price, he did not answer that question and said that he could do it in the time we had 1/2 hour. I should have walked right there and then, especially as I heard that the owner was out that afternoon.

I had to place my coat on the floor because there were no coathangers, there was no room to place my bag at the sink so I had to leave it at the desk that I would eventually have my hair cut at-I was not comfortable especially when another customer sat at that desk while I was having my hair washed. He did not ask whether I had sensitive hair or scalp, did not check that the temperature of the water was ok, and his hands stunk of fags.

While I had my hair back in the sink, he said 'he was going to put a conditioning treatment on', did not ask me if I wanted it, so I asked how much it would cost-nothing he said, ok I thought. He moved me to another chair to put on the conditioning treatment-odd, I thought. He brushed it on with a bleaching brush and pot, put my hair in a plastic bag-literally. and then placed one of those granny blue rinse hairdryers over my head. He left me for what felt like an eternity, while he straightened the other clients hair.

Just when I thought my head would spontaneously combust a girl came along to wash it out. He reminded her to give a massage first-well she kind of just stroked my hair-hmmm. She washed it, without checking that the temperature of the water was correct, and then towel dried my hair-not by pressing the towel, but rubbing it-bad for fuzz because it roughens the cuticles up. He then dried my hair-not with the hedgehog brush, but by flicking it up with his fingers. When he did decide to brush it, he ended up brushing the side of my face too-ouch, not once but several times.

Then he straightened it, with no protective spray. When he asked if I wanted the coconut oil on it-only £1 from the shop next door-well cheap products I thought, means cheap hairdo. I asked him again how much the hairdo would be. By this time it was complete, and a whopping £35. I had £20 in my purse which was for £10 hair and £10 drinks tonight. I explained that there was a problem and that this was all I could give him. At this point he just stood there looking at me. Wanting to get off because he had already made me late for work I offered to bring the other £15 in tomorrow. He said he would agree-like he had a choice- but that I had to leave something. He must have been spying in my bag because he said my work ID card, because I wouldn't need that today-THE F'ing cheek, I said no. He said my mobile phone then-I said no way.

He will not get the £15 tomorrow, he charged too much, and I am going back to my old hairdressers-he hasn't even cut it straight. When I got back to work I burst into tears. I felt violated.

Grrr.

thrifty_fifty

2 weeks until I pay my loan off, I'm so excited!!!!

Also have an interview tomorrow, it's not the job I want, so even if it is interview practice that will be good. Potted up some basil and going to take that into work today, as the office is hugely hot and the Basil seems to love it

thrifty_fifty

Eek! The job interview today. Lets see how it goes.