5000 Watt Lightbulb Moment - Determined to Clear Debts

QOTD

Here's something that will make you laugh.. kind of...:D

A couple of months ago an agency rang me out of the blue about a job that was available for a very similar position to one that I had held previously as a competitor. I went for 3 interviews at the company in total but in the end the job was given to someone that the chairman/CEO knew personally.

Through various means I was able to find out that the job was given to someone who was previously an office manager and had no finance experience - the role was for a project accountant and to help run the finances of 3 businesses.

Well I just received a call from the agency to say that for one reason of another the person had not worked out (I'm not surprised, it would be difficult enough to run the finance function for one company with no finance experience, but for three companies, no other finance support on sight, no knowledge of accounting principlies and intercompany transactions let alone budgeting, forecasting, system improvement... need I go on...). They were basically offering me the role if I was still interested.

Nice to know that I am wanted. Fortunately the role that I have already accepted is a much better role and has more prospects and is also more in line with what I actually want to do and is more senior anyway...

burntfingers_2

I would be smiling too if that had happened to me, they always say what goes around comes around....it wasn't meant to be you working at that company especially as you have THE job that you want.

My company is still messing about one minute they are making me redundant and the latest is today that they aren't even going to consider it until after the 30th September as they are hopeful to secure some funding. So I am in a dilemma as the new job wants me to start on the 7th September...its kinda the devil and deep blue scenario, but I guess what will be will be and I will just have to sit and wait.

Hope that you are managing to get your decorating done without too much 'help' from the little one....

When do you start your new job??

Footiemad_2

Brilliant news on the permanent job. :j Really pleased for you.

Your on a roll now with other things it seems with a spring in your step

How long before you start your new job?

QOTD

Not visited here for a couple of days, I've been busy trying to get my frogs eaten!

Well I've managed to paint the window sill in the lounge and a couple of door frames downstairs, I've going to leave the rest downstairs until in the week when little fingers aren't around (then I only have the dog to contend with who already has a lovely gloss white stripe down his back )

I've painted our bedroom a lovely pale blue, just need to touch up on one wall but again that can wait until the week as it won't take long. And also to finish I just need to paint the skirting and the door frame, I'll do all the door frames upstairs next week along with the skirting on the stairs then that will be upstairs that I'm happy with apart from the bathroom.

For the bathroom I need to buy some artex or similar to fill in around the shower but need to wait until I get some money before I attack that - everything else has been with paint that we have already got in the garage (bedroom paint was pre-bought ages ago).

Burntfingers and Footiemad I start my new job Wednesday 3rd August so I have a whole week to get jobs done around the house and then a few days to just chill out before easing myself back into the world of work with a 3 day week.

QOTD

I wanted a separate post for this one. I've now read "The Secret" and "Eat that Frog", now into "GOALS".

First exercise is to actually write your goals down, well I've done that but wanted to put them her as well to consolidate them. Also using advice from "The Secret" I am writing in the current tense:

1. I earn over £100,000
2. I have a beautiful house in the country with plenty of land
3. I am happy and healthy
4. I spend at least an hour every day doing things that I enjoy
5. I have more assets than liabilities.

I know that last one beings out the accountant in my but I also wanted to be positive about what I have and not be negative so this is my way of saying *debt-free* since debt is a negative word.

Point 1:
Almost halfway there. This is something that I need to work towards - it is truly a goal.

Point 2:
I have a house in the country, it has a garden that is about 100 foot long. I wouldn't class it as a *beautiful* house and it doesn't have *plenty of land* but I am working at making the inside and the outside beautiful. I need to make the most of the garden that we have. This will involve working hard as I want to *grow my own* as I will have more time now that I will be working much closer to home.

Some investment is needed (isn't it always) so I'm starting inside with the quick fixes. This also includes clearing the clutter and selling via eBay - helping a little towards point 1?

Point 3:
I am healthy and in the last week since securing a job and stress quite literally dropping away, I feel so much happier. I am more patient with DD (apart from when she launches herself on me like she did last night when I was holding a crochet hook that could have poked her in the eye :eek:).

I am constantly trying to smile and be happy. Every night I spend time being grateful for the good things that have happened in the day and in the morning I think about the good things that we have planned for the day.

Point 4:
If I am honest, at the moment I would say that I do get to spend an hour a day doing things that I enjoy, the hour may be broken into segments or all at the same do but I do have an hour to myself with not being at work. I just need to keep it up when I start working again.

Point 5:
Working on this one. Need I say more...

It is quite amazing how you feel when you actually put pen to paper on this one, it's true in that the act of writing goals down helps you to feel that you are working towards achieving them. It also has helped me to decide what my goals are instead of vague idea and also to see how close I am to achieving them.

Ultimately my goals are things that will make me happy, which is also one of the goals. I haven't included having a loving relationship and family as this is something that I have, although of course I also need to maintain!!!

The book suggests that you need to do one thing everyday to get closer to your goals, well at the moment I am concentrating on the beautiful house as this is the one that I can do something about immediately.

Ok, now i need to update my diary with daily tasks for each day so I can work on achieving something noticable by this time next week. Hopefully the OH will think he has walked into the wrong house when he gets back from work on Friday and he will be amazed at what can be achieved in a week. Beautiful house here we come....:)

QOTD

First task completed. I've cleared through the bottom drawer in the bedroom. THe plan for this drawer is too keep blankets in it ready for winter and cold nights, but in reality it is full of eBay items that need to be sold. I haven't put every-single-item on eBay but I have listed 13 so far and I have also packaged up some magazines that I sold on eBay at the end of the week which need to be posted tomorrow.

I actually quite like the look of some of the items that were in the eBay drawer so this has reminded me that I need to go through my clothes - wear those that I like (instead of *keeping* them) and sell those that I don't, or that I like but don't look good on me

Also put on a large mirror that is taking up floor space and the baby carrier that we used to use when we went walking with DD. She's too heavy now so it's just on top of the wardrope gathering dust - it needs to go.

Feeling good, now going to get the dinner going (steak and ale pie yum!) so that it's nicely stewed or whatever to go in the pie.

Next up some gardening whilst the weather is holding. :beer:

QOTD

I've been looking into sorting the bottom of the garden out ot grow some food. This isn't just *pie in the sky* but when we first moved into the house 3 years ago the thing that sold it to me was the big garden and the promise of being able to grow vegetables. I had grown them previously in my old garden and was looking forward to having more space so I could grow even more - and get it laid out properly.

Now when we first moved house just a week or so before Christmas, I was heavily pregnant and gave birth to my DD in February, then my DS had issues at school (now we know they are related to his Aspergers) and was permanently excluded, oh and we also bought a puppy (which was part of the plan) so with all this going on and having to work around DS's private tutor coming daily I never managed to get to work on the garden as much as I had hoped - I did some work but not as much as I hoped.

Then I changed jobs and I seemed to have even less time at home, and when I was home I was often working every night anyway :mad:

Now however I am determined to change that. The plot of garden that I have earmarked for vegetables has already been dug over but I have just been looking into the weeds (to see what they are) and I've found out that it is ground elder which is incredibly invasive. It's a question of use chemicals to attempt to get rid of it in one go, or constant vigilence and hoeing and digging which is not quite what I want. Now I agree with the principles of organic gardening however I am in this instance thinking that the use of chemicals to clear the area so I can start with a *relatively* clear space will help out when I have lack of time to properly attack any weeds.

I am blessed in that there is enough vegetation in the rest of the garden with trees, shrubs, hedges, etc that the good insects that may be affected by the use of chemicals in one area will be balanced by the remaining area that no chemicals have been used in.

I did a bit of research last night and found that the best product is called "Roundup" and probably costs about £10. I need to take DS to the dentist today so I will pop into B&Q to see if it is what I really want (sometimes you just have to see things in the flesh!) and decide then whether to get some now or not.

It could take a couple of weeks to work properly and then I'll need to dig the area so if I do it now then I can start to get the area ready for my veg patch mid/end August - building raised beds and can then make plans on what to grow - Exciting :j

QOTD

Went to the dentist. DS looking very sore, he normally doesn't speak much - now he's not speaking at all. I've promised him some icecream in a couple of hours when the numbness wears off (DD started crying that she wanted icecream too)

Went to B&Q, bought some weedkiller that is like Roundup according to the ingredients and blurb - I thought that the Roundup was about £3.98 and the one I bought (own brand) was £2.28 but just checked the receipt and it was £3.28 so no idea how much the Roundup was...

Anyway I've been out in the back and sprayed it over the ground elder, OH mentioned there was some Horsetail as well and fortunately this was it in a place where we currently haven't many plants so I sprayed this as well. Also went into the front garden and spayed the brambles which just grow so vigorously. Could take up to a week to work so I'll check this weekend and see how it's getting on.

And finally I bought some tester pots since I took the shelves down in the lounge that were between the walls and the chimney breast since they are only about 3in wide and pretty usless. I filled in the holes and went to paint over to make good but the paint had been got at by the frost and was all lumpy so no good. Thought I'd get some test pots instead of buying a whole tin since only needed to touch up but guess what - I bought the wrong colour - I bought the colour that DD's room is painted in :mad: What an idiot, I can't believe I didn't check properly since I marked all the paint tins with the room that they were for (for future reference)

Plonker - great idea, poorly executed.... Anyway, I have still used the paint as it is a similar colour and is better that than the white of the filler.

Right DD has just woken up so best make her some lunch and then go to the post office to post my eBay parcels. Then I'll finish tidying the lounge before I sit out in the garden with a cup of tea and read some of my new book "From Good To Great".

It was recommended to me by my new boss (in fact it was to be part of an interview question but my interview was rushed in the sense that they wanted to meet me quickly before I was "off the market"). I figure if that's the case then really I need to make the effect to read it before I start work.

QOTD

Well I've just been pricing up how much it would cost to get the timber and all that for some raised beds for my *vegetable patch* It works out at £23.92 for a single 1.2 x 1.2m timber surround. I haven't measured the area outside yet but I anticipate having 3 or 4 frames.

Timber for the frame x4 £11.92
Fence post to secure corner x1 £6.48 (would make 6 or 7 corner pieces, need 4 per frame)
Simple finial/post cap x4 £5.52
TOTAL £23.92

Now I could do without the post caps (apparently these are useful to ensure that hosepipe doesn't trail over bed, which would take it to £18.40. Since the fence post can be cut and will give more "corners", the cost for 2 frames would be £36.80, 3 = £48.72 and 4 = £67.12

Gosh, it's getting expensive now :eek:

I would also need to buy some compost to put into the frames as they would be placed on the soil and also some lime as I have clay soil. Not sure how must compost I would need but 125 litres is nearly £7 and the lime about £4.50.

I haven't even looked at seeds yet, or canes or anything like that but I'm guessing I need a budget of £100 to do this project

Well the good news is that we have some timber in the garden so I'll look at this and see if it could be used. Even if there is only enough for one frame that's £20 saved. Additionally I need to wait for the weedkiller to get to work (2 - 4 weeks apparently), then dig the area over, then can look at sorting the frame out. The seeds and all that will probably be started off next year. It would be nice to get something going earlier but I need to pore over some books and see if this is possible and worthwhile.

Oh and I guess I'll need to get some gravel or something to go between the frames as a path since it would be awkward to get a mower between the frames but this is definitely something that could wait as that is to make it look pretty but not a requirement. I'm guessing a bulk bag at around £40 should do the job but would also need some of that weed suppresent at about £10....

Whoa, that takes it to approx £111 for 3 frames including compost and paths done or £130 for 4 frames. Any saving on timber we already have would reduce this.

Ok I'm going to quit looking at this now and just wait for the weeds to go...:D

QOTD

Not quite as early a start as yesterday, but I've managed to paint/touch up the landing, stairs, hallway and kitchen. I was determined to do this and then sit down with a cup of tea giving it chance to dry before I finish off by doing the skirting and door frames.

Yet another tin of paint has been had by the frost. We had "Ivory" for the hallway but it's gone all lumpy. We had "Warm Cream" in the kitchen. Fortunately they look to be exactly the same colour - fancy not noticing so I have managed to do all this without having to spend a penny :D

Hopefully should be able to get all this done this morning but waiting for a Tesco delivery (being lazy and trying to use time wisely by not having to make myself presentable to the outside world and nipping out for an hour or two) so that might delay me.

Then as the weather is looking nice, I aim to spend this afternoon in the garden but I've promised myself that I'm going to clear out the dining room which should only take 20 mins. Want the house to look good as planning a day trip to Wales tomorrow to get the kids out.

Thursday I aim to finish off in our bedroom - just touch ups and re-cover the pink that I painted in the lounge when it should be a much more subtle pink.

Friday - day of rest?