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

Igamogam

Well today went as expected.:( Sun shone brilliantly and warm whilst I was stuck inside in cold building, as yet uninviting which has missed its chattering occupants. A 3 hour meeting- catching up, gossip, news; who is in, who is out, who resigned unexpectedly; which parents have gone ’away’, which ones got away with it; squeals of delight whilst opening boxes of new stationary ( oh yes stationary !!!!!! here too:rotfl:);groans of despair when workman have failed to find asbestos again – weird I know but it’s a running in joke – it’s the only guarantee for a few stolen extra days off if they find asbestos and we have had various builders in every summer for the past five years doing all sorts of jobs and they have failed to find any asbestos for us:rotfl::rotfl:. Did come home early though to a garden full of bees and butterflies and 2 somnolent cats – in my next life I will be a cat in a good home.:)

I took my first tentative grasp of the nettle a few weeks ago and realised to get a real grip of the finances I needed to do some serious life laundry. Looking on a few MSE threads it would appear other people kinda start in the same way. Don’t know how things got so bad – I am a natural hoarder – maybe I was a squirrel in a previous life:)A teacher always chasing resources with a real aversion to waste and placing emotional attachments on things coupled with a rambling house with plenty of easy storage I and OH to some extent have just filled every available space – in and out ( 4 sheds and 2 out buildings). TBH I began to think I had a serious mental issue and look it up on the wibbly web but thankfully no – I would NEVER be that bad:eek:. If I wanted a deep reason for my emotional attachment to things then I would find it in my childhood – which was very very happy BTW – nothing dark and sinister there just very laid back and unconventional – hippy nomadic parents. By the time I was 15 I had already seen a great of the world at a time when travel was still ‘exotic’ and this was also the time my parents decided I needed a more conventional formal education the sort that they had valued and wanted but had been unable to pursue. Mmmmm…………..maybe more of this another time;)

So the life laundry started. I visited FLY LADY USA style – far too earnest and scary for me:eek:. However I did take on some of their ideas - keep the sink shiny is my favourite. I found the FLYLADY thread on MSE and hats off to you ladies (I think its mostly female) I admire your enthusiasm but I could not keep up – but have pinched some ideas from you too;). I have turned over virtually every room in the house; every drawer, box, secret cupboard (the one we didn’t know existed until we had been here 6 months) and tackled one shed. I have restocked Oxf*m, put out enough stuff for road side recycling for collectors to claim over time, redistributed tonnes through Freegle , Eb*yed and filled 2 wheelie bins – thanks goodness our near neighbours where on holiday;):rotfl:. There is plenty still to tackle but it’s a start…..and it feels guuurd!

Spends today:
Diesel £56 - this will if I am careful last me a week:eek:
Milkman £3.60 - cancelled tomorrows as plenty in fridge saved 1.40:)

To Do:
Keep written spends diary in lovely book created after challenge on Matrix thread
Keep the sink shiny:D

Igamogam

Day two of the first ‘ber month – thanks to another poster for pointing that out, and its unexpectedly been a NSD thanks to Tesc*. I shopped they didn’t drop. It will arrive tomorrow now with no delivery charge.:)

Work fine – place now looks more welcoming, bright shiny and newly sharpened for the onslaught on Monday. Well it was great until about midday when our esteemed leader announced she wanted all classes to take on the name of woodland animals complete with appropriate door signs and decor. OFFS. Mad scramble for computers, printers laminators and photocopiers ensued. We are to be Badgers – found some pre made free stuff on wibbly web and proudly announced we are the Brilliant Badgers. “By the end of the week you will be bl**dy badgers” quipped a colleague, thank god we weren’t the foxes I mused.:rotfl:

It will confuse the heck out of our merry band but that’s nothing more than to be expected. On Monday they will tumble in with 7 weeks of baggage to off load before they notice a badger or a fox, owl, hedgehog etc. Will need lots of toast and the not so healthy option of Nut*lla to help them get through it, then it will be down to business. Looking forward to it now.:)

On the money front. Bit of a saga with Halif*x. Asked for replacement debit card nearly 4 weeks ago. Didn’t arrive. Complained last week got £25 for ‘the inconvenience’. Today card finally arrived but new pin number which is to follow – old pin should have been retained cos card was only damaged not lost. This time was credited with £50 – result. He then tried to then sell me another type of account with a fee. I kept my cool and said no thank you.

Charged my phone at work along with its 2 spare batteries. I’m not sure how much electric it takes but I decided it was saving. Have also decide not to subsidise stuff I need for work – in fact brought home some stuff I have bought in the past ( good quality toys) that I intend to put on Eb*y ( feel a bit mean but..) and I will also do all my printing for work AT WORK from now on.

OH and 2 DDs at home all day. Need to sit down and explain a few things:
·The kitchen bin is not an installation for the Tate Modern – hang on might have to think about that again if things get really tough
·Toilet rolls do not, as far as I know, change themselves – they need human intervention
·The laundry fairy and the recycle fairy DO NOT exist
·Neither does the emptying and the reloading of the DW fairy
·However the pixie that hides my car keys/purse/mobile phone/work diary, DOES exist
·And finally the philosophy behind “Keep Your Sink Tidy”

Spends today :
Nil - Thanks Mr T

To do over weekend:
Make meal menu for rest of month
Clean out car – Matrix challenge
Shift some money around 0% cards
Shift some DD dates to beginning of month
Carry on with the junk purge
Sew in name tapes for DD2 uniform
Better still show DD2 how to sew in name tapes
Scratch the nettle rash
Find sink again and keep shiny:)

Igamogam

Domestic:
Meal planner
De clutter last of kitchen cupboards and drawers
Sort fridge before T*esco delivery
Type up Long Haul To Do List and display prominently
Ebay at least 20 items
Name tapes
Vigorous vacuum top to bottom (VVTTB)
File last of paper
Pot up 2 plants
Don’t get distracted in garden – well not for long;)
Make peanut butter cookies with DD2
Go for a swim
Clean out car
Sort stuff to take to work on Monday – and keep it there:)

Finances:
Write letter of complaint to S*nt*nd*er
Investigate PPI
Move DDs to beginning of month
Make CC payments
Shuffle around the 0% CC
Keep up with spending diary

Igamogam

Not quite got done what I intended today - still have probelms with Halif*x debit card so couldnt do any on line payments:mad:

T*sco did arrive though so todays spends : £90.60

Rained ALL day here - like string - so at least did fulfill 'no distractions in the garden' and have got 19/20 items listed on Eb*y:)

Igamogam

Sunday morning weigh in 14st 10 lbs - thought it would be a lot worse. I have stayed off the scales for the whole of the summer as the weight always goes up as I am not in my usual routines. Tomorrow work will be back to normal - whatever that is - so I will hit the ground running and it will be 100mph until Friday. Hoping to get a swim in today and to have a NSD

Igamogam

Eb*y been successful so that will go towards a CC. Head too full of work at moment to give any thought to money ,debts,plans etc I knew this would happen. Motivation not good will have to wait until weekend to give it more thought.

FuzzyBear

Hello Igamogam - have just read your diary and really enjoyed. Had a few laugh out loud moments :rotfl:

The changing of toilet roll particularly struck a chord with me, not so much at home as I have holders that can take 4 rolls (am not a daft mum) but at work. There are spare rolls in every toilet but it always seems to be me that has to replace the empty cardboard tube on the roller.

Anyway enough of toilet talk! It seems as though you are really on a mission to sort out your debts and I wish you the best of luck, but have a feeling you won't need it. I am going to subscribe so I can follow your journey as I like the way you write. You have a sense of humour that I like and which I am sure you need to get you through the working day at times

[Deleted User]

Hiya,

Well done on the Ebaying. I gave up with that yonks ago due to nothng selling x

Igamogam

Was hoping for a NSD today but needed to feed the car and myself and the coalman arrived with 6 bags - Aga hasnt been on since April we are brazening it out here - one of the national weather station record places is not far from here and recorded 2/3rds of the average September rainfall in 72 hrs :eek: Thought there where a lot of paddlers around at silly o clock this morning blocking up the only passing place in the lane - I can think of better things to do before going to work:rotfl:

So spends today:
diesel £58
lunch £ 2.50 - left my HM lunch on piano of course:rotfl:
coal - £90 - but we look well stocked up now for winter:)

As far as all the other debt busting stuff I have been on the verge of throwing in the towel in a CBA way but have now thought about it and decided it will have to wait until weekends - just got too much on with work not least how to tame a pint size demonic 5 year old with an interesting turn of phrase - as I said to my TA "is that actually physically possible or have I led a sheltered life?"

Time to think about and dig out my PhD proposal................;)

Igamogam

Deleted_User wrote: »

Hiya,

Well done on the Ebaying. I gave up with that yonks ago due to nothng selling x

I nearly did but DDs had a clear out over summer and their clothes just 'too good' to send to CS so I listed and they have been very popular. Going to have another purge and list this weekend. Best sale was a top listed for 4.99 with free p&p which didnt sell so I relisted at 99p with £3.50 p&p and it sold for over £16 - mad