Keeping up appearances.......

Dolphin1

Update for yesterday...

1) I had toast with butter on.
2) Meal plan for the rest of the week done but not inspired with what I had planned for tonight so might have it tomorrow and have something simple like beans on toast tonight.
3) No spends on other people.
4) Not done.

Longships

HappyNow wrote: »

Hello Longships and thanks for dropping by. I don't think there's anything too startling in the last 1000 posts (or the previous 800 really!!) so do feel free to skip them and just join in with us ongoing. You will be very welcome

Oh it's not a chore - I am thoroughly enjoying it!

Afraid I am not "Keeping Up Appearances" and our dire financials are no secret to any of the family. This is a recent conversation between ds1 and his gf -
ds1 "I'm skint!"
gf "Do you mean normal skint or skint like your mum?"

joeyjimbles

Happy, I'm self employed with a couple of paye jobs and I've been doing my tax online for years. I have to say that I find it much simpler than the old way, and it does the calculations for you. The same principles of having all your paperwork to hand and a vague idea of what you owe still stand but its very straight forward. And you can stop at any time and it will save your spot.

HappyNow

Longships wrote: »

ds1 "I'm skint!"
gf "Do you mean normal skint or skint like your mum?"

:rotfl::rotfl:Brilliant! And what's even better is that you can see the humour in it yourself. I think your sense of humour will be a massive help while you sort your finances

joeyjimbles wrote: »

Happy, I'm self employed with a couple of paye jobs and I've been doing my tax online for years. I have to say that I find it much simpler than the old way, and it does the calculations for you. The same principles of having all your paperwork to hand and a vague idea of what you owe still stand but its very straight forward. And you can stop at any time and it will save your spot.

That's very reassuring, thanks. I don't know why I've stuck with paper all these years because normally I'm a big fan of doing everything on-line, but anything tax-related just seems so serious and grown-up! If I had a quill pen I would use that!

HappyNow

Dolphin1 wrote: »

Update for yesterday...

1) I had toast with butter on.
2) Meal plan for the rest of the week done but not inspired with what I had planned for tonight so might have it tomorrow and have something simple like beans on toast tonight.
3) No spends on other people.
4) Not done.

Beans on toast is just about my all-time favourite. I use Tosco Value beans which are lovely and just 24p per can, and cheapie bread makes good toast even though I like 'proper' bread for everything else. A little dab of butter, and everyone's favourite meal is ready in four minutes at around 25p per portion. And beans are even one of our 5 a day, although that always seems a bit cheaty somehow!

I think I need to growl at you for not moisturising again though. It's not like you to need a growl

HappyNow

Honey_Bear wrote: »

1. Kelpie to come to call. Improving. He was very well behaved when the neighbours invited me to go and watch the meteor shower with them on Dartmoor. He absoltutely loved being with all three of us, for the first time, on a sort of walk. Mr Neighbour identified all the stars from his ap *jealous* and I identified the space station. On Tuesday night we waited until the hotel turned off its outside lights around midnight, then sat in their deck chairs (lowered to be almost horizontal) on the lakeside to watch the meteor shower. We were both asleep within seconds and saw nothing!
   
2. Five fruit and veg a day. Stood over the kitchen sink and scoffed a baked red pepper, a roasted parsnip and then made myself a beetroot and feta salad just to make sure I did this at the end of the day yesterday. Withut this target I'd have sloped off to bed with only three under my belt, and they were all fruit. I need to get back into doing this properly. I used to have late night apples to fit the five in, but I seem to have returned to late night biscuits
   
3. Cut out all the swearing. I am nowhere with this. Good to know it's not just me that talks to themselves. My problem is that I do it while I'm walking the dog and I know, I absolutely know I'm starting to behave like a madwoman. It has to stop! I'm reassured to hear this. I sometimes give myself a proper talking-to, particularly while I'm driving. I was discussing it with Miss H a while ago - she says she talks to herself all the time, but in her head and not out loud. And her 'internal monologue' as she calls it has a Scottish accent!! What's all that about?
   

Can't post without writing something here

HappyNow

It's the 15th and officially payday, although with it being weekend we were paid early and my YNAB is updated. I have managed the full £1100 from the debts but as usual it will make for a tight month. I think it might be motivating to monitor the monthly interest/charges that the unsecured debt is costing. August's figure is £158.54. Next month will be higher because I have a 0% deal ending which will need renewing at a cost of 4%. I wish I'd thought of monitoring this earlier, although it might have just been TOO disheartening in the early days. Anyway, it will be good to hopefully see it reduce, then eventually disappear.
Yesterdays update:

• Stop eating crap Nope. I did a supermarket shop though (£87 :eek:) and bought mainly healthy foods so I hope to have better news tomorrow
• Money making/saving I've had to buy another dog bed (bad) but it was on half price (good). While we were in Spain the cat pee'd on the dog's bed :cool: ! We have tried everything to get rid of the stink, including power washing it, anti-pet smell products, every type of washing fluid etc etc but we can still smell it. Worse, the dog (who still lays on it quite happily) now also smells of cat pee! So a new one has been ordered from Zooplus for £34.50 and the cat has been warned!
• Fridge/freezer emptying Fridge finished, freezer still has some way to go. I had to buy some more frozen stuff yesterday because what's left doesn't make proper meals, but I have put the old stuff in separate shelves so I'm still using it first. Chips anyone?
• Alcohol Finished the open bottle last night. No more booze now until Friday, provided I can find the willpower to leave that remaining bottle of red alone.
• Sleep Stayed up until midnight doing nothing constructive at all, then awake at 6. Not good enough.

Dolphin1

HappyNow wrote: »

Beans on toast is just about my all-time favourite. I use Tosco Value beans which are lovely and just 24p per can, and cheapie bread makes good toast even though I like 'proper' bread for everything else. A little dab of butter, and everyone's favourite meal is ready in four minutes at around 25p per portion. And beans are even one of our 5 a day, although that always seems a bit cheaty somehow!

We love the T£sco own brand beans (I don't think that they are the value range though). They are so nice that we have converted other family members to them and as they don't normally shop at T£sco then they will go out of their way to get them. Although, I'm not sure how much longer I will be shopping at T£sco as not only have they increased their minimum shop for delivery to £40 but they have now stopped sending me money off coupons with my vouchers so I am getting a bit p***ed off with them.

Anyway, in the end we went out for Thai food last night so it might have to be beans on toast for the rest of the month now.


I think I need to growl at you for not moisturising again though. It's not like you to need a growl

I know, I know, I really need to work on the moisturising. It's just so tedious though.

Dolphin1

Update for yesterday...

1) Butter on my toast yesterday morning and after going out for Thai food last night we then came back and had a dessert from the freezer with cream :doh: so a very naughty day all round.
2) Need to meal plan for the next week.
3) No spends on other people.
4) Not done (again) but now I have been reprimanded by Mrs HappyNow, I will make a special effort to get this back on track.

HappyNow

Dolphin1 wrote: »

I know, I know, I really need to work on the moisturising. It's just so tedious though.

Not as tedious as getting wrinkly! Generally I do force myself to moisturise and have done for years. I still have some wrinkles but at least I feel justified in moaning about them! Mainly though I just prefer the way my skin feels with cream on - it's all dry and tight if I don't bother which is quite an incentive.

When I read your post I thought about trying Tosco's own brand beans, but I've decided not to because they're dearer, so I want to carry on loving the Value ones