small steps and a fresh start......my journey starts here

MiaowMiaow

LittleBoots wrote: »

Hiya

Last year I grew some lovely plants, bought some nice vases from Ikea and hey presto! Personal gift! The vases were only £1 something each and I gave ppl plants to match their personal tastes. They were all received well .

I had my Curves induction today then a workout. Planning to go on Monday...

ooh like the plant idea! might give that a go though i tend to kill anything in a plant pot!!
well done on the gym:) in that case i will go monday too!!!x

MiaowMiaow

morning all! things for me to do today

• catch up on washing (30degrees)
• clean kitchen
• meal plan for the week
• shopping list (essentials only)
• package up ebay stuff that are hopefully selling today!!
• clean bedroom
• find more ebay items to sell
• put dvds on moneymagpie ?
• cds on money magpie? - dont like getting rid of dvds and cds BUT must be ruthless - need to pay of debt!! dvds - all watched anyway! most wouldnt watch again, just like to have the collection. cds - all on itunes anyway.
• place PAD for the day
• update spending diary
• go for a walk
• try to stop my cats fighting - little boy has been castrated last week but still chasing little girl everywhere and upsetting her

Also a few long term goals/plans ( some way way in debt free future!!) and some ongoing ones

• learn madarin
• trip to Hong Kong
• year off work to travel/find myself!!!
• get advanced on keyboard
• obviously lose lots of weight!! (please let me fit more comfortably into my size 12 clothes)
• find lovely new boyfriend who loves me just the way i am
• do masters degree
• lush new car
• be able to come off antidepressants
• improve my confidence
• be happy with myself
• spend more time with friends and family
• be organised
• the gym / exrcise will become a part of daily life i enjoy!!
• digital photography course
• volunteer work - animal sanctary
• write a novel

Kei

wow that is quite a list! Very inspiring. I also want to start a masters degree this year, have put in for some funding from work so waiting to see if that has been successful, otherwise will bite the bullett and pay for it myself, should be affordable when I am debt free!

Good luck with the list.

Re the sale of CD/DVD's, I would not put them on music magpie, you only get pennies and have to put a certain amount on there before they will pay. My advice is try listing them on Amazon (its free) and what isn't worth selling on there, take to a car boot. I sold DVD's for £1 (boxsets £2) and CD's 50p and came back with loads of dosh!

MiaowMiaow

Thats a good idea Kei - i was thinking about a car boot too so might save them until then! :-)

MiaowMiaow

[STRIKE]
catch up on washing (30degrees)
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clean kitchen
[/STRIKE] and the rest of the house done!!
[STRIKE]
meal plan for the week
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shopping list (essentials only)
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[STRIKE]
package up ebay stuff that are hopefully selling today!!
[/STRIKE] made £32.98 so far:D on 10 items sold
[STRIKE]
clean bedroom
[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]find more ebay items to sell[/STRIKE] will be relisting a few and have a few others in mind
put dvds on moneymagpie ? going to wait to clear out garage and see if i will be able to do a car boot
cds on money magpie? - as above
[STRIKE]
place PAD for the day
[/STRIKE] £5.61 (61p in change pot for OD and £5 in sealed moneybox for xmas)
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update spending diary
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go for a walk
[/STRIKE]
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try to stop my cats fighting
[/STRIKE] so far so good!!





spent loads already today and have budgeted £100 for the week - bought few food items , mums mothers day present and card, 90th birthday card, brothers birthday card, friends birthday card.

meal menu for the week:

Today - Burgers in buns and salad
Mon - Sausages, mash and onion gravy
Tues - out with friend (vouvher)
Wed - out again (voucher) shepherds pie for brother
Thurs - Chicken roast dinner
Fri - beans on toast
Sat - home made pizza, salad and slimming chips
Sun - brunch - sausages, beans, toms, mushrooms, bacon, eggs, toast

just need to do little shop for it all tomorrow:)

MiaowMiaow

another 3 items sold on ebay £4.18!!
packaged everything up ready to post.

It will be my first full day at work tomorrow, little worried but it has been fine the last couple of weeks so shouldnt be any different. just conscious of making sure i dont take too much on at first.

so for the weekly food shop dont actually need much, have the mince, sausages and chicken already in the freezer which is good. then just need to get a couple of birthday presents, think it will be a voucher for my brother.

3 meals out this week OMG! not good at all but
1 - 50% off la tasca (7.50?) - meeting in shopping centre so need to be strong!!!!!!! - 3 presents to buy thats it!
2 - pizza express orange wednesday - 2 for price of 1 and free starter(£10)
3 - pub meal (hopefully about £6)

feel bad as i am trying to save money but i am meeting with friends i havent seen for ages - we tend to meet half way between where we live

so i havent mentioned before as i fogot but i also have a sealed money box - got it for xmas and its one you cant get your cash out without smashing it!! decided it is my xmas savings for presents / night out - reckon i must have about £40 so far but havent been counted - i just put £1 and £2 coins in now and then, also have a ten pound note in there. so hopefully at the beginning of december i will have a nice surprise!!:):)

clothes out for work ready - will make some salad fresh in the morning - must remember shopping list so i can go after work. also gym tomorrow?????

mixed feelings today - loads done on my list but just want to pay the debt of quicker than i actually can!! not done any surveys today - they can be sooo boring!!! may have a little look now

also i am going on holiday in july which i truly need after a sh**t year, well a sh**t 2 years really and will really do me good. looking to book it soon - from next month was saving £100 /mth so if we book it may have to go on 0% CC then pay off monthly. just dont want it on my OD as will get charged plus my overdraft is just soooo depressing.

i have realised that when i confessed to my debt back in september 2009 i hadnt actually had my LBM - i just had got myself so worked up and stressed but at the time and since then i have been depressed and found it hard to cope so i actually think it is only since i started posting on here this time that i have had my LBM - i think i was in denial before or just thought it would sort itself out - in fact my parents paid £400 into my account back then to cover my OD - yet now it is much bigger!! i was obviously not careful and feel guilty about that but i guess at least now i am doing something about it?

sorry for the long rambling post - find it helps:)

burntfingers_2

Well done on the ebay sales.

Not a long rambling post its your diary to do what you want and write what you want, the fact that it is online is immaterial...if it helps you then surely that is a bonus.

Plus who knows? someone else maybe in a similar situation to you and any glimpse of hope will help that one person, maybe not right now but in the future, they can read back on these diaries that we all write and think hey that sounds similar to me....or oh...never thought of that...it really helps.

Glad the kitties have stopped fighting...:T

LittleBoots

Hiya

Please dont feel too bad about having social events and enjoying yourself, its all about finding the right balance else you'll just end up getting sick of putting every penny to your debt and going off track. Well thats what happens a lot anyway, you may be stronger .

Enjoy your holiday, I'm hoping to get a wee break away in May. Cant wait! How to fund it though..???

Did you go to the gym today? I managed a curves workout, enjoyed it more this time .

MiaowMiaow

Thanks burntfingers and littleboots:D

didnt manage the gym yesterday, i was exhausted after work so might try and go before work tomorrow, will see anyway!
cats have been getting on better since the horrible fight on saturday.

so first full day back at work was good just completely exhausted!!!!! was asleep by 10pm last night (had to watch the end of one born every minute - love it!)

spent lots yesterday -

sandwich at work £2.37 (angry with myself but i didnt get up in time to make my salad and was really hungry)

food shop £19.92 (including £5 on cat food)

easter eggs - £5 for 5 medium ones - thought id best get them for the kids i buy for whilst they are on offer

flowers £3.50 - couldnt help myself:eek: BUT £35 worth of flowers for £3.50!!!! reduced but still all good. got 3 huge bunches - one for me to brighten up the kitchen, one for my mum who was very pleased and one for a good friend who loved them! so also felt good about doing something nice.

so total spent yesterday - £30.79:eek::eek: not doing so well on the weekly spend challenge.

burntfingers_2

I know how you feel, I was off for 7 weeks and didn't go back on phased return just jumped straight back into work (I didn't have any option!!) my pay was being reduced to SSP as I only get paid for 1 month sick at full rate....pretty pants really....

but I felt really exhausted for the first few days and then soon got back into the swing of things and then it felt that I had never been off....

Well done on the bargain flowers...I do love them myself ..must drop hints for OH to buy some flowers again soon....lol the last one's he bought were a dozen red roses on Valentines Day which is also my birthday so is probably still getting over the shock of that !!

Hope you don't feel as tired today....:)