LBM in 2003.. What have I been doing since??!

beanielou

Hate to say but dont think many working here.

brizzledfw

Finishing up!!! Yay!!!:beer::beer:

beanielou

brizzledfw wrote: »

Finishing up!!! Yay!!!:beer::beer:

Hurrah:j:j:T:T
Put your feet up & relaz xx

Seasidegal58

brizzledfw wrote: »

Am I the only one working?? Sitting here in a headset on a call...ugh. But feel like everyone else is on a 'snow day'!! Sleds and gawd know what passing by at times...Clearly there are loads of people who are working I know as the lights are still on etc etc..but I certainly feel pretty lonely :rotfl:

I went into work yesterday. Didn’t you feel the worker vibe from me echoing from London?:D I did go home early though!:)

Kids were out with their sleds at Seasideville as well - I agree with you - I can’t remember when I last saw them do this!

Hope Mr Brizzle had an intrepid time in his 4 x 4, but with no breakdowns or delays obviously!:eek:

brizzledfw

I did SSG I did :rotfl:

Mr B got back late but safely. He had a monster 4x4 thing so felt safe in that. He felt carp yesterday though, got very cold at a footie match..but first team won 4-0 so possibly worth it? Not sure he entirely agrees though!!

Started watching Line of Duty...we are so off the pace of TV watching...must be years old. But first two episodes were great so looking forward to that and nice its a UK series too.

Onto MSE matters...so. No polite way of saying it. January was grim and as we started paying back the holiday cards February was worse. Disaster. We barely broke even. So savings rate was less than 5%. Not good.

Have to get a grip.

Steps Taken so Far:

- updated YNAB and stripped it right back so we are solvent again in March
- pulling out more money from the company as one of the reasons January was so dire is because I didn't earn any money to speak of as I was away
- need to do more work if its available - OH has signed up for more OT but we also need to support the kids as they go into exams so its a balancing act
- cancelled a meal out this eve. No one seems bothered and I will postpone
- sorted pension contributions from the company to me and OH to build that up. Talking to my parents about their futures has made me increasingly conscious that the early investment generally works the hardest. Operation pay off the mortgage seems to be on the back burner at present.
- paid final instalments to school trips and also spent loads on expedition meals for DD1. Gawd they are pricey, but am not stinting on her calorific intake during a 5 day hike and various practices..
- sorted new DDs for gas and electric as we had a big refund so I am keen not to overpay in future!

I have also decluttered 9 items to the CS. We could have sold them on Bay of E, but would prefer that the CS benefits.

Still to do:

- meal plan for the next fortnight to use up food in larder and freezer.
- tell OH and girls that we need to wind our necks in and spend as little as possible. No impulse spends.
- have some money set aside for the main vehicle servicing but will need more...may take from the emergency tax/savings fund which is a pity but at least it won't go on a card I guess

A sombre time for me...when will I learn??! :sad:

Oh well. Hopefully I will learn someday

Love to you all

xx

PurpleFairy26

brizzle don't be too hard on yourself, it's not like you have frittered it away on cr*p, you had an amazing experience and you still saved something, which in my book is better than nowt it's really hard when you're SE (I don't need to tell you) but there is effectively that lag between no work and no pay.

Look at the positives, work has been busy since you're back and you've updated YNAB and got yourself so you know where you are and not buried your head in the sand for 6 months. On wards and upwards.

In other news, I've managed gym 6 days out of 7 this week :A ok, not huge cardio due to ankle but at least I'm there which is progress.

Plus spring must surely be hiding just around the next corner, which is good for everyone's soul.

lucielle

Yes, I'm with you on winding our necks in. Need to concentrate on paying it off and having done with it all
L

beanielou

lucielle wrote: »

Yes, I'm with you on winding our necks in. Need to concentrate on paying it off and having done with it all
L

Echoed by me.

But dont be too hard on yourself.
Life is also for living.

Seasidegal58

Don't beat yourself up brizzle - you'll soon be back on track. Things have bound to be tight lately as you've had less income coming in.

Glad to hear you've been enjoying 'Line of Duty' - I think it one of TV's most brilliant cop shows. All the series are great. And as you say it's UK made. I must say I've been re-watching "House Of Cards" while I was off work last week. It's American I know, but it is a remake of the British series that went out some years ago. Wouldn't it have been great though if they had re-written the main role for a woman!

brizzledfw

Thanks SSG, Lou, PF and Lucielle x

Yes time to wind our necks in. Stop spending as much. Went out last night for a concert, one drink each when we were there. Walked there and back so £10 total as the tickets were a birthday present.

Meals planned for the week with minimal to buy just green veg and potatoes. No protein needed. Exercise classes booked for this week too. Long days at work required again but will give me something to look forward to. Brought lunch in for first time in ages and am eating my porridge on the train with my flask of tea...so no spends there.

Need to keep this up. Onwards and upwards. Posting on here very day should help too...

Have a good week folks xx