misscousinitt's MF Diary

Karmacat

A purring cat crawling up your arm ... mmmm ..... life doesn't get much better! Seriously, glad you had a better sleep, and you can find outlets for your goods, that must feel positive. Fancy a poetry meeting too! I've never been to one, I must say. Choir, yes; poetry, no. Let us know how it goes, it sounds like its going to be a real experience.

misscousinitt

It's a shame KC, I didn't go in the end. Yogi friend had something else to go and I didn't fancy going on my own...plus my candle friend (that's her SE business) had been feeling rather low (bit like me) so I popped over to the shop to cheer her up with doughnuts!

I went to see mum and then DH asked if I wanted to go and see his aunt and uncle (his uncle had today's have the paramedics called out to him last week and was also faced with a BBC camera crew!!!). So we went to see them instead. Not what I intended but time we'll spent and minimum financial outlay (p for the doughnuts).

I am sure I will get a chance to go to another reading, she does a few.

MCI

misscousinitt

Today we have had a fairly lazy morning and we have been getting the house straight this afternoon. We were also going to go for a walk, but it's raining now 😕

DH has been down to check on his mum who is not very well and collected the joint of meat she was going to cook for tonight so we can have tea at home (she is just the best mil ever!)

He's going back down there later to take the dogs for a walk.

Feeling a little more positive today - long may it continue...

MCI

misscousinitt

I have spent to morning reviewing our finances and checking potential stall bookings for Feb.

I have to be realistic that things are going to be tight for the next 12 months and there are defiantly some steps I can take to make things a little more tolerable.

1. The first of these is swallow my pride. If I need cash I am afraid I am just going to have to ask for it. DH knows I won't be unreasonable with requests.
2. I need to look at my budget the other way round. I need to look at my expenses, cover them first and then contribute towards the bills - if there is a shortfall then I will need to take this out of the joint savings. I need to preserve the little bit of savings I have left (only a couple of hundred - but useful for upfront stall costs and dire emergencies).
3. I have looked at our bills and I have identified 4 areas (with the help of the haggling guide on here) that can be looked at. Food is always the major one - this month my budget is £150/£226 usually available - this is to help with potential bill coverage deficit at the end of the month. Broadband/TV/Land line - this needs to be looked at as it has crept up from £66 when we moved to £94!!! Life insurance - we have always thought our premium was high, so it's now time to check it and see if we can reduce this down a bit (going to ask our mortgage provider to quote). After looking at the guides, I didn't realise there is a possibility to negotiate Breakdown costs (when the bill comes in July I will be onto them!)
4. Reducing my personal out goings. Now I've got the money back for my new glasses I am going to reduce my level of nhs medical insurance down a level saving a few quid. I have also been helping a friend out for many years...I am afraid that this will have to either reduce or disappear until I have got myself established and earning a bit more.

I have also completed our meal plan for the month and done a shopping list for both my business and for us for this week. Off to get that done shortly.

Along with my money making schemes on my previous post I have a little hope that we will get by okay.

I was also looking at the mortgage figures and our plans for the future. We have another 3 years to run on the lease of our rental to the local authority. At which time we can either renew or sell our house (I don't see managing the rental personally as an option - too much stress involved). If we sell we can clear our mortgage and we might have £5k left if we are lucky. (Judging by similar house prices in the area). If we renew for another 5 years and continue to OP at the current rate (provided we can get another good fixed rate deal on our mortgage) at the end of that time we could pay off the mortgage and have £50k nest egg. By my calculations we would only would have been able to save £25k in that 5 years if we took option 1 and that would also mean that we would have little improvement in our finances as they are (ie saving all the money we would save on not paying the mortgage).

Looking at it that way I know what I would do! I know this is a little while off and that DH won't even discuss this yet...but I wondered what the picture would be and this is it. I could actually hope that during the second lease we may be able add a little more in terms of over payments as I would hope that my business would be making a reasonable amount or I would have given up and got another job by then.

I am hoping that rather than scaring the carp out of me that this exercise has been useful and given me some focus.

Back to the present day and it's Turkey Stroganoff for tea tonight and I must go and get my shopping done.

MCI

ETA there is a lot of HOPE in that post!

Karmacat

It sounds like you're really needing to make your money work as hard as you can right now, MCI, with building a new business. And certainly, that means calling on your savings, cooperation from OH and all the rest. Not sure what you mean by helping a friend for many years - but whether that means financial energy or time energy - right now, you need all your energy for you and your new business, from the sound of it. It must be tough, though - but you're obviously on the right path with it all. Good luck!

misscousinitt

Hi all

It's been a busy day. Been to the charity office and we have packed up quite a lot of stuff for the move. Few more bits to go on Saturday. Then went to see my friend on bed rest; been to my mums in the dark to put the padlock back on the gate (brother couldn't manage it). And we are now waiting for the shopping to arrive.

Smoked salmon and prawn pasta tonight with smoked salmon donated by my MIL at Christmas and other bits in the fridge.

I've got a market confirmed for the last weeks of the month and it looks like I've got one next week too so, as full as I can be for Feb I think.

Probably won't be about for a couple of days as I am going to be baking for my market on Friday.

Hope everyone has a good rest of week and I'll catch up at the weekend.

MCI

misscousinitt

Busy couple of days with baking, market day and feeling washed out.

Also MIL was rushed to hospital yesterday with a suspected stroke. She was discharged yesterday but got to go back up the hospital today with DH to the stroke clinic. We think it was a mini stroke, but it's been a shock to us all as she is usually fit as a flea.

Okay day at market yesterday. Not huge profits but some at least. DH still insisted we went for our pub meal and couple of drinks, it was most welcome but not quite the same as it usually is as we didn't get our cosy corner and of course the situation with the MIL.

Not sure what I'm doing today yet. Shattered as didn't get much sleep - too many things whirling round in my head.

Caught up with a couple of diaries this morning.

Wishing you all well for the weekend.

MCI

Karmacat

MCI! Sorry to hear this - look after yourself especially well right now, there's bound to be a fair bit of extra stress with MiL

CathT

Sounds like an easy and relaxing day is needed to recharge and de-stress.

Goldiegirl

I hope your MIL makes a good recovery. I was reading your posts from a few days ago and thought you had a lot on your plate, so the news about your MIL must have added even more to things on your mind. Hope you are managing to get some relaxation this weekend