Have grasped the nettle..........now to deal with the ensuing rash

ani*fan

Hey Igamogam

Glad you're feeling better. That's great news. :T

How brave is your OH to be cutting holes in your ceiling? Sounds like a good idea though. Our cottage can be quite dark too despite fairly big windows. I'm sure your kitties love it.

Roll on christmas. We're ready for it!

Igamogam

Sunday morning weigh in 13st 10. Only food shop now to do for Christmas. Feel like pulling up the drawbridge now - would love some snow please. Solar tube thing keeps catching me out - I keep thinking the light is on and when its a full/bright moon and the lights are out its really weird in a "beam me up Scottie" sort of way - IYSWIM! No time for debt busting but working on those plans and lists for 2012

Igamogam

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! Holidays start. Will be busy busy busy but in a nice way. We have snow too - doubt it will last til Christmas though. Going to buy the tree tomorrow then it will begin to feel Christmassy :xmassmile

Igamogam

Tomorrow I will post what my plans are for 2012.

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda Pawb - Happy New Year Everbody hope to see you in 2012

Igamogam

I did promise myself to get things started on NY day but after what was a lovely evening with friends on NYE, getting to bed at 4am and then up again at 7 am and a day with friends chez nous I was only good for an evening on the sofa with a glass of wine and the last of the chocolates, hoping I wouldn’t fall asleep through Sherlock and Ab Fab. Happy to say that mission was accomplished and although I may be a bit behind I haven’t stopped thinking about the changes I will make happen this year.
I am going to set myself some challenges – one a month probably, but sometimes more. Some will be small others not so. Some will be opened ended, lifestyle, habit changing and others one off things that need to be done. Some may even be just for fun – I am going to knit more this year! Not all will be money saving/busting but the over arching aim will be to reduce the debt – my theory being that it will all impact on that DF goal eventually.
I am not in a position to increase my income from work other than promotion and there is nothing moving at the moment – thanks to the pensions debacle everybody is hanging onto their jobs as long as possible. In fact I work in a field of education that everybody wants and agrees is vital but when it comes to cut backs it’s the first to go because on paper I am very expensive so a sword of Damocles hangs over me. Also OH a civil servant – similar sword I can however cut back on spending on food and other bits and pieces just by better planning and clever shopping. I also have many shed loads of ‘stuff’ to sell on Eb*Y – seriously many shed loads and over the next few weeks I will be playing Shed Tetris a la Mr Bloater but won’t be doing the bulk of my selling until the end of January as I figure everyone is skint at the moment and most of what I have people are not looking for just after Christmas. I will be getting ready for it by a big declutter (again) and organising how I work out exactly what I am making. Have joined the 2k and 2stone thread to keep me motivated J
So for this month my challenges are to declutter and Eb*y selling plans, plan meals more carefully, running down the freezers and store cupboards and to start ‘re setting the house’ before going to bed. By this I mean bl**dy tidy up! That will be a family challenge but they don’t know yet J I am not a great one for house work only because I think there are better things to do with my time and generally things get left to the weekend and then a huge tidy in the school holidays. This is going to stop or at least change because actually it’s not creating any time for me I have come to realise.
I will keep posting as to how I get on and what else I have in mind and of course the impact on the debt.

Igamogam

Well wont be 're setting ' the house tonight as we have just had a chimney fire :eek:

OH jumped into action before I could call fire brigade - and me already in my new PJs an all :rotfl:

Kitchen not too bad actually so once we are sure there is no more chance of any flames I will be off to bed.

Decluttering of office/study has begun and so far quite lucrative on the small change front. Will add it to my 2k in 4 months challenge

Back at work tomorrow but it is classed as a training day which usually means a long natter, finish off the Christmas biscuits and get ready for the onslaught on Wednesday

moo2moo

Igamogam wrote: »

Well wont be 're setting ' the house tonight as we have just had a chimney fire :eek:

OH jumped into action before I could call fire brigade - and me already in my new PJs an all :rotfl:

Kitchen not too bad actually so once we are sure there is no more chance of any flames I will be off to bed.

Decluttering of office/study has begun and so far quite lucrative on the small change front. Will add it to my 2k in 4 months challenge

Back at work tomorrow but it is classed as a training day which usually means a long natter, finish off the Christmas biscuits and get ready for the onslaught on Wednesday

Eeeeek. They're scary things. Am always especially paranoid that that will happen here when its really windy. Hope theres not too much smoke damage.

ani*fan

Hi Igamogam :wave:

How are you doing? I turned my back for two mins and you're setting fire to your house! Good grief! Glad you're ok. And at least you had nice new PJs on when the firemen showed up.

I'm looking forward to hearing your debt-busting plans for 2012. I have rather recklessly joined the 'pay off all your debt by christmas 2012' challenge. It seems a bit unlikely but I'm game for anything.

Happy new year!

AFx

Igamogam

Calamatious start to 2012 just keeps on happening............................... much madness and sadness. The chimney fire was followed by 2 days of power cuts which put paid to our PC monitor and the PC power supply unit thanks to power surges - and that is despite having gadgets and wizardry to stop that sort of thing ( as far I am am concerned anything beyond the keyboard and monitor is magic and as far as what lurks under the desk well thats Merlins, aka OH, dept).

Then term starts will all the havoc that wreaks on any sanity and madness ensues as I unpack the baggage my mad five year old frogs have collected over the holiday leaving me emotionally drained and wishing I had 'decked' the Christmas tree before I went back to work. Thats all the madness.

On DD2s birthday we had news 2 people we knew had died the same day - friend of OH and a close school friend of DD1 - both were expected but no less very sad. So last week was 2 funerals and a trip to have an MRI scan for a benign brain tumour I have - I forget about it between scans ( every 12 months) and then the shock of having to worry for 2 week kicks in. It has to behave by not growing or disappearing altogether preferably. As I have no symptons I remain optomistic

I was not prepared for what hit me on Thursday - the start of a very nasty flu bug which put me in bed straight from work on Friday night. I dragged myself to the full requiem mass funeral on a very cold crisp Saturday morning which was an ordeal on all levels but none the less a suitably magnificant send off for a very talented young lad ( I am a non believer since about being 12 but there is something very comforting in the ritual of it all )

Today is the first day I have been up and about really but still feel like bleurgh. I had an ultra sound scan to look at what ailed me before Christmas TBH I nearly cancelled appt because all been well since. Its as big as a rock' - direct quote which I got the not very tactful person to translate to 'a 3cm gallstone'. Great. Not sure where we go from here have to make appt to see GP. I favour the wait and see method because reading other peoples stories, yes it was painful but as soon as I stopped taking the medication to take the pain away it stopped.................

Enough for now - have to meet DD2 from netball match and take her to dancing lesson

Igamogam

So to continue. Still feeling bloomin awful and have no energy. Thought it would start to improve today. Well the good intentions are on hold. Half way through January and the challenge I set has so far failed and the house just seems to be cluttering itself up. I dont understand when I am laid up why everything goes down hill. DD2 has 6 of her friends here on Friday after school for pizza and a couple of them a sleeping over ( delayed birthday treat) Well if they want some floor space some effort is required to create it!

Back to aspirations for 2012. Along with the challenges I am setting myself the following is a list, in the order that it pops into my head, of things I would like to do

• lose weight
• take more walks
• sort the garden
• say thankyou more
• complain more - OK contradicts the above maybe but I am fed up with being fobbed off with poor services across the board - banks,shops,utilities. Maybe I am turning into a grumpy old woman:mad:
• take control of the clutter
• use the conservatory for what its for - helped with above!
• use freegle more
• plan meals better
• bake more
• make bread
• be more positive
• understand the needs of others
• try to support DD1 in a way that is not intrusive - finishes uni this year and I know she is panicking inside
• make scrap book for DD1 21st
• smile more
• criticise less
• start knitting again
• keep on top of the debts - of course!:money:
• save save save
• renew passport
• keep on top of the paperwork
• if a job only takes 3 minutes then do it - right now!
• sort the boxes and boxes of photos - be ruthless!
• make sure all CC payments are over the minimum even if only a few pence
• make bedroom curtains - if I can find some on Eb*y I'll buy them
• list more on Eb*y
• sort out contents of 4 sheds
• watch less TV - especially after 10pm
• iron more - I know weird! I am a smoother and folder and only iron as I need, But my theory is that if I iron in batches clothes will get put away properly and in the long run save me time!
• use some flylady tips to help with housework
• keep a spending diary
• update DFW diary more with any little/big steps
• be ready for Christmas 2012 by 1.12.12

Hmmm. Think I am going to be busy busy busy for the rest of 2012. Think I may well have to start with seminars for the family because its all going to bea shock for them too:)