Risen from the ashes ...

rising_from_the_ashes

Hi PIC - lovely to see you:D. How you feeling?


It's a very poor party :eek: - I go through phases of being good & writing in it but then have huge lapses when I don't write in it for WEEKS.


NOT GOOD ...... need to stay focussed to keep on track!


All help appreciated!!!

cleggie

Hi Rising!!

Thought i'd pop over to say hello,i will ahve a read through tomorrow as i'm supposed to be writing my dissertation ( i am failing miserably at that as you can tell lol).

rising_from_the_ashes

Hi Cleggie - great to see you .....and will try to keep up with your diary:D

rising_from_the_ashes

OK .... need to start being more positive - sick of feeling down & need to pull myself up and realise that life goes on and I just need to beeping well get on with it!:o

I realise I am totally obsessed with my spending - the positive is that I should hopefully never end up back in £000s of debt again but I think I need to lighten up a bit (it's just really scary!).

I will still be posting my month end updates as it does help to see how I'm doing


Not been feeling great today & luckily booked this morning off work yesterday (finish at lunchtime anyway) so have had a really lazy day - it took 3 attempts before I finally managed to stay up and didn't get dressed until nearly 4pm:eek:.

It's so unlike me but I guess we all need a "chill & do nothing" day every now & then!:)

I find it soooooo hard to switch off and relax ..... not wanting to do down the depressing route but I've been really bad since losing the dog - I knew how much our walks helped me unwind after a long hard stressfull day but I haven't yet found something that works instead .... need to work on this! (although fingers crossed another 4 legged friend will be along soon:)).

Today I have:

• Checked bank accounts & made sure there's enough to pay the rest of the DDs
• Checked amounts in various pots
• Created another spreadsheet:eek::o and put down the amounts I need to pay to each pot / month to the end of the year - this should hopefully help as it shows how these reduce during the year once I've "caught up"
• Phoned local dog home & discovered they will rehome to FT workers:) - may pop up at the weekend and do the form filling bit and then when one comes along, I'm all set to go:T
• Checked Gum*tree for dogs (no joy sadly)

Well, that's about it for me today folks.....

rising_from_the_ashes

So .... bit of a mixed bag - first the good bits:)

Finally wrote and posted the letter to close the old savings account:j - not sure how long it takes for these things to acually happen (?) and not a huge amount of money to get back but .....


Just did my latest rounding down - should've done it yesterday as looked and there was only £1.17 to move - but another small DD came off so it was up to £7.97.

Still that's £24.91 put away into the new grocery pot in the 3 weeks I've been doing it - so quite pleased


Pay day next week so have created a new spreadsheet:eek:;):o with the amounts I need to transfer to all the pots to the end of the year. I did have it written down before but I've now stuck this on my "financial noticeboard" where it's easily seen.

Hopefully things will get a lot easier as these reduce during the year .

March will be the last of the "catch up" months for the fuel budget and then I'll be in advance of this too:j so .... getting there!:T


Now the down bits ......

I'm really worried about the "Big R" - this will sound really selfish and silly but, for the first time in many, many years, I'm just about organised with money and getting nearly getting everything paid for in the month it's spent, setting aside money (first time ever!:o) to budget for annual things and if my job does go .... it'll all be down the pan and I'll probably end up having to live off the cc and build up loads of debt again:(.

Fingers and everything else crossed it doesn't happen - I am still stock piling where I can on the grocery & toiletries front (have 2 Mr T vouchers to use tomorrow) which should hopefully help if it does happen and the budget will balance over the next few months if it doesn't & I can use all the stuff up!:)


I'm not sleeping at all well - I know part of it will be "job worries" however, I'm putting a lot down to not having my long dog walks before & especially after work.

It may sound silly but I'm often quite wound up when I get in after work (:o) and our walk would start off with my stomping along, replaying things in my head (as I do:o) and then I'd gradually calm down and by the end, I'd have forgotten what I was wound up about and be happy and relaxed.

Yet to find another way of achiveing this and think this may be having a big impact on my ability to "switch off":(

I did visit the dog and cat home today ...... poor wee souls, I wanted to bring every dog & cat home with me. Sadly still dog-less but looking & trying hard.

Keep your fingers crossed everyone, I just hate being without my canine friend and am just so ..... (sorry this will sound awful) beeping lonely without him.

DawnW

Hope you find a new canine friend soon. I lost my little dog just before Christmas I miss her, but we still have her daughter. She is really attached to my OH though, and ignores me most of the time

But she will come for a walk with me, and we have decided just one from now on.

rising_from_the_ashes

Thanks Dawn..... so sorry to hear about your loss too (((hugs)))

I did think about getting another last summer - not quite sure how to put this as it certainly wouldn't have made losing Ben any easier - but I think it would've helped still having the routines / walks / and especially the company (I guess being in the house by myself doesn't help).

I decided against it as he really was an "only" dog and was happy it being just me & him so it would've been for selfish reasons ..... fingers crossed my new one comes along soon.

backinbusiness

You have a diary!!

We are all debt-free, spreadsheet obsessed, very strange people and doggie people too to boot!!

I hope you find a suitable dog soon. I have a 5 yr old collie and agree the walking does blow the cobwebs away and get things into perspective.

I feel very similiarly to you this year so far - been a bit of unexpected expense and just lost my customary va-va-voom. I see you are in Scotland too, and can't help but wonder if the truly awful wet summer and wet and windy autumn and winter have something to do with my outlook.

Hopefully Spring will come soon and be warm and dry!

BiB

rising_from_the_ashes

backinbusiness wrote: »

We are all debt-free, spreadsheet obsessed, very strange people and doggie people too to boot!!

:rotfl:mmmm couldn't have put it better!

Still dog hunting - it's horrid tbh as I really just want Ben back:( but know I'll feel better once another furry friend arrives & I can get out and about walking again.

I've tried walking but people either look at you as if you're an alien being out by yourself or like you're going to mug them .....:(

As most things .... the right one will turn up at the most unexpected moment - just hope it's soon!:)

It's been a funny winter really - much better than the last couple but horrible and windy (I hate the wind) and the dark mornings/nights seem to have lasted forever ... thank goodness it's nearly spring - I can't wait!:)

I'd forgotten what a nice April/May it was last year - I was on hols the best 2 weeks of the year and spent most of it lying on a lounger in the garden (not often you can do that in Scotland!).


Positives for the day ... finally did some batch cooking to replace the meagre stocks left in the freezer:T

rising_from_the_ashes

So, we've made it into March already :eek:

Here's Feb's month end update ......



Few things still overspent (notably the car:eek:) but these are annual figures so will balance out.

I've taken a few things out of "anything else" this month as it really was huge! So a couple of new budgets (clothes, dentist, hair) but have kept the same overall total.....

On the whole - not too bad:)