Gallygirl's "A journey of 121,226.67 pounds begins with a single penny" diary

gallygirl

Holiday brill thanks, hitchhikers are left over from Jan holiday.

Just been looking at Olympics second ballot tickets as I got none in 1st go . Part of me wants to say stuff it, but I know I will regret it. Still going for glory though as I really want to see a medal ceremony. Going to go for footie x 2 prices plus canoe sprint. Here's hoping. Strategy then will be to enter every competion going to get to the top events. From when I did comping a few years ago I found that your chances of winning an event are greatly increased if you actually enter :rotfl:.

ShelleyC_2

gallygirl wrote: »

From when I did comping a few years ago I found that your chances of winning an event are greatly increased if you actually enter :rotfl:.

Really is that why I never seem to win?! :rotfl::rotfl:

gallygirl

Speaking of comps, just sold a book on Amazon I won months ago, so that's a few £ coming my way :T

Just back from deep water exercise class. Ouch :eek:.

Oh, and I have a salt pig . 2 actually, 1 to take to Spain . Am very happy when I see it's little spoon, even though I hardly use any salt

gallygirl

Morning all, aplogies in advance for length of brain dump

Had a chat my Mr GG Fri and went through my latest spreadsheets . Projection is that all will be paid off in 5 years time and at current house prices we will have a pot of 450k :j:eek::T, plus my mum's house (say 100k net) & whatever Mr GG saves (having almost emptied them to buy The Accidental House). Living on savings for 5 years, then feeding in conservative estimates of my (already conservative ) pensions plus state pension (if it ever arrives :mad:) means we could live comfortably to 83. That is without having any income from Mr GG's lovely pension that he refuses to believe the projections for. So, we have decided that we WILL retire then, which I think scared the bejesus out of us :eek::j:eek::rotfl::eek::T:eek::):eek:

So, in a cunning leap of female logic I then told him that if we were moving in 5 years, and the sofas would need replacing at some stage in the next 5 years, then it makes sense to buy them now and get 5 years worth of use from them. Made perfect sense to me and I think he was so confused by the logic that he said ' just get on with it' :rotfl:. Going today to Next & M&S, having narrowed it down to 7 ranges and about 30 colour choices :eek:. New curtains, plus paint. Also toying with the idea of wall lights & having the ceiling replastered to cover Artex. However, may not go ahead with lights & ceiling because.......

Parking is an increasing problem in our street. We have a drive which at a push takes mine & DS's car and although there is space outside the house a neighbour is usually parked there. At weekends when Mr GG is there it is v difficult and DS ends up parked a spot which is quite awkward to navigate round (& I found out yesterday neighbours have been moaning). The easiest thing would be for one of us to park at top of street but a. I don't see why we should and b. when DS parked there last year someone drilled into his petrol tank & emptied it :eek:. Coincidentally I had already been out in the garden a few times recently looking to see what could be done. The easiest & cheapest thing to do would be to bung some stones down for one car but I hate the look that would give so am looking for alternatives. It's an awkward shape with a v small slope down from the path round the house (but a bit steeper at one end). There is a 12' mountain ash tree which I don't really like (it's not the pretty kind I remember from when I was young, the berries are a v dull orangey brown) but I don't want rid of it as the birds love it & I hang feeders on it & really enjoy watching them when I'm in the study which is above it. Trouble is, it's in the wrong place to park either straight up & probably across wise as well. It would be ok if we could just leave it & stone round it, but I would need to have some kind of bed round it so it could be watered. It's not really feasible to bury a pvc pipe around it - I wonder if a clay or plastic pipes going straight down would work :idea:, but would probably be impossible to dig down anyway.

The grass is absolutely dreadful as there is virtually no top soil so I'm happy to lose that all, would prefer to lose it all rather than have a 10' strip left. I think I will ask Mr GG's mate if he fancies earning some dosh, but need to play with car/tree situation first. Thinking fully stoned, with/without tree & using a railway sleeper to retain soil next to path. Need to decide then about what to do on stones where no car will be - would like some plants but would prefer them to be free planted rather than in beds. Plus a large pot. Something like THIS, but without the house, pool and sunshine, and a fraction of the size :rotfl:.

Off for brekkie then sofa hunting at Fosse Park.

Toodlepip :hello:

gallygirl

gallygirl wrote: »

sofa hunting at Fosse Park.

:eek: too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful :eek:

:eek: too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful :eek:

:eek: too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful :eek:
:eek: too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful :eek:

:eek: too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful :eek:

CathT

I like the pot - you weren't browsing villas at the time were you. If one car is on the drive aren't you entitled to park your other car across the drive?

I liked your sofa logic - think I would have gone along with you too :rotfl:

gallygirl

No, was googling front gardens and it came up! The problem is at weekends when Mr GG is here, plus if DS gets in after me and I'm in the office the next day we have to shuffle around cars, or I have to move his at 5.45am :eek:.

Glad you appreciate the sofa logic :rotfl:. Sofa is chosen, from M&S, just need to decide fabric now. Well, I say 'just'..... I thought I would be sensible and choose curtains first. What a disaster. Can't find what I want, well not in colours I want as I also want to keep my existing pictures. Took 7 fabric swatches off to pick curtains (didn't like any in M&S). No go in BHS or Next, but that was ok as I knew I really wanted the same pattern I have in the dining room, but in a different colour. Off to Laura Ashley. Curtains only come now in same colour I have already, but the fabric is available in the right colour if I can get them made. Swatch of that taken also. Then spot same fabric in a different colour. Hmmmm, like that as well. Swatch of that taken (2 actually, to show both bits of the pattern). So, now chucking swatches about all over the place. The sofa fabric I'd discounted as a bit too pale looks best with the carpet but not any of the curtains. 2 further ones are dismissed. Going off 2 others (I think.......). So, left with 2, plus the one that looks good with the carpet. But it doesn't really look good with the curtains (although it does match the ones I have already but I don't think it's enough of a contrast). So, down to 2. Which go with the ready made curtains and also 1 I would have to have made up.

I think I'm going with the ready made curtains and the more textured of the fabrics. That is the dearer choice but only by £150 and it saves me the hassle of getting curtains made, plus the fabric has lots of little bits of colours in it so I can pull out the red from the pictures and duck egg blue and taupe from the curtains. Sorted

SOFA (but in a dark grey/brown tweedy fabric)

CURTAINS

Will have to go back to store to order as they are doing 15 months interest free on M&S card but only in store (also doing 2 years interest free loan but would prefer card I think). Am also going to get unit for TV etc as hate glass one I have at present as you can see all wires at the back. Had a quick look on internet & found a co coincidentally only 15 miles away so will pop over there next weekend .

Oh, and the tree will live to fight another day as the car fits ok without chopping it down . Also, I asked DS if he fancied digging up lawn and putting stones down to which his response was 'I don't want to start it today', so I've taken that as a yes :j. Need to measure up for stones & book a skip but am hoping we can make a start next weekend, will be cheaper doing it ourselves

Spent a bit of time sunbathing & then weeded most of the garden. Dug up little flower bed between us & next door which they keep driving over, DS needs to dig up 3' conifer, then I can drag over matting with red stones from front of other bit of garden (where a pavement would have been in olden days but now it's just kept separate with edging). That bit already has red stones, but the main bit will have beigy multi-coloured ones (the street has a good mix of both colours so I think it will look ok).

Sold one item on ebay for £1.99, other 3 didn't sell but will keep till autumn & try again.
Productive day, off for a soak in the bath now

gallygirl

gallygirl wrote: »

:eek: too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful :eek:

:eek: too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful :eek:

:eek: too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful :eek:
:eek: too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful :eek:

:eek: too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful too stressful :eek:

gallygirl wrote: »

Will have to go back to store to order as they are doing 15 months interest free on M&S card but only in store (also doing 2 years interest free loan but would prefer card I think).

Like I said above, too stressful . Back tonight to order, store closes at 8, arrived just after 7, only person who can do cards finishes at 7 (this is a MASSIVE store!), but they can do an interest free loan (? why, when they can't do a card?). Ok, I'll have a loan then. Start to order, medium sofa ok but can't order large, assistant can't work out why, phones customer services, they can't either & no-one who can help till the morning. !!!!!!??????? Why bother opening if you can't bloody well buy anything :mad:. Will try in MK store on Saturday as in the area. Not a happy bunny

Iris_Blue

Will you STOP spending money!!!!! :rotfl:

Have I got it right that you want to retire in 5 years time? I thought you was only 30 odd.


Sofa will look great in a dark grey / tweedy fabric...when you CAN buy it that is! Nothing is ever straight forward is it.

Edit: Just seen the price of the curtains - They are a good price for Laura Ashley !

gallygirl

Iris, the problem is I CAN'T spend it :mad:.

Wish I was in my 30's, am in my 40's (em, for another 2 months - 2 months today actually :eek:).

The sofas will be dark but I won't have to stress over spills. The curtains are really nice, I have them already in the dining room, funnily enough they were in the sale a year ago.....

Don't think I said I had taken advantage of Ocado offer with Crowdity - £20 off a £40 shop (had to pay a £3.99 delivery). It was pulled v quickly which caused a lot of upset but I was lucky to book mine quickly. Well, it came tonight & I was v pleased - one for one their prices compared favourably with Tesco (it was actually the cheapest shop on mysupermarket) & I got a few offers so well chuffed - totally bargainous Plus the shopping bags are large enough to be used as bin bags . Yay to MSE :T.

Also had got the Dulux Paintpod offer from Wilkinsons, picked that up today, ready to paint living room for mythical new sofas . Another yay to MSE :T.

Pants weather - 29 yesterday, 15 today - what's that all about

Falling asleep so off to bedfordshire.

Toodloo folks :wave: