One frugal year = freedom and choices

mum2one

thats brill news re the 1k increase, all helps, and gives u an option, hows the no-smoking going? xx

lobbyludd

thanks mum2one, How are your efforts going, do you have a thread I can pop onto and see? it's lovely that people take an interest and I'd like to see how you are all doing too

I am failing miserably on the no smoking - I swear every night that I am giving up tomorrow (soaking anything left in the packet with water so that I can't smoke them first thing) I have actually given up and lasted between 3 and 10 days 3 times now this year, and I've had period of being smoke-free for three years each when getting pregnant with each child (that's not happening again so have to find an alternative way to quit!).

It's not even that blooming difficult, it's the little part of my brain saying "oh, you can give up tomorrow", and I listen to it, even though I know it's a con.

so again I will try tomorrow.

ex has now confirmed that he is going on holiday, but this week, and cm is in bank, although reduced again,

£26 in ebay sales todayYAY , with 6 more listed for next weekend, with some interest. the settings for buyers are as strict as they can be, and I've had 2 people to date contact me with their reasons, one is fairly local and offering to pay cash on collection which would save paypal fees, but being a newbie I've no idea whether I can relax the "rules" for just one bidder or if I have to do it for the whole listing (which I don't want to do), or whether it's a good idea at all.

Zapper have apparently not recieved my parcel of books yet, no idea if I kept the proof of postage. I think I scrawled my return address on the parcel, but can't remember, I'll email them tomorrow. fingers crossed they have just not updated my status on the order yet.

no interest on the cloth nappies as yet, but still all ticking over.

Have horrible headache, so am retired to bed (wi fi is fab!) and kids are loving the netflix through the wii onto the (broken) big TV, but have complianed that we don't do any family stuff as I am always on the computer (doing stupid surveys) so I'll have to try and manage my time better to give them back some attention, especially with their dad away.

1 load of line drying today (plus one load of tumble dryer and one on airer). Now done enough surveys on VO to get passed payout, just have to wait for them to show up as payable.

off to the land of nod now I think, zzzzzz........

mum2one

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/51179771#Comment_51179771

thats a link to my ramblings.

I can agree re cigs, I don't smoke, but snacking on biscuits, cake, anything gets worse. Like you think right 2mor start eating healthier, and something crops up u don't get anywhere!.

Did well 2day, sold DDs 2 car seats for £20, did a table top sale, not the busyiest of places, but supports a community hall, and cheap. Thats ready to be re-invested as she needs a neckstrap for her clarnet,only £20! In one hand out the other, but its money neutral!.

I get the same your always on the computer, mines studying as well, but trying to find the happy medium.

Hows the craft projects coming on?? The plan this week is to sot out what got, box and bag of odds and sods, then what don't need chuck on ebay.

with the ebay, I've done cash on collection but I wouldn't end the auction early, it was only a ds game, started it at 99p, this lady offered me £4 to cancel the listing, but I had 10 watchers, so i just said can do cash on pick up, but won't close auction early, the game went for £20.

Well done on VO. mines gone quiet.

Sweet dreams, - just about to let the dog out then bed! no peace for the wicked, x

lobbyludd

VO went very quiet for me for a while as well, but now they are fairly steady, just dull as ever.
I'm making more money with the selling stuff, but I am finding the posting off and worrying whether people will like the items quite nerve wracking. I've sold 3 stair gates this weekend, waiting for payment for one, and have just spent half an hour polishing 2 of them and another half an hour hunting for the screws to fit them into the wall which I hadn't packed up with the rest of the fittings. Mercifully I never throw anything away, locating stuff is alwways a hit and miss affair though.

the gates are cleaner than they have ever been and smell lovely now, but still I am worried!

Zapper have emailed to confirm they'll be sending a check for just over £30 hand have accepted all my items (again, I was worried about whether they'd accept the condition of all of them, but they seem to have).

on the downside, I think my microwave is on the way out, it works, but trips out the rest of the circuit when it finishes, i guess I'll have to check the fuse first before chucking it!

still smoking, arggghhhh, have to make an appointment with gp for repeat prescription this week so will ask for patches at the same time. I've also spied a lovely piece of fabric on ebay that I've wanted for over a year (its discontinued) but is (shhh....) £50!! I am going to tell myself that if I can give up smoking after 21 days (which is what is left of the listing) I can buy it if it's still available (will have saved more than that if I can give up smoking for that amount of time and hopefully the incentive will be enough.

mum2one

that def sounds a brill incentive for the material xx

brizzledfw

Agree..that's sounds like a great reward system...go for it!!

lobbyludd

payslip through today, had a leaflet in it reminding me that my pension contributions are to go up from april, which I had completely forgotten about, so that's £40 a month less income. Not sure how the tax credit changes are going to affect me, so budgetting in the new financial year is going to be a bit more of a challenge, £15 of bids on ebay though, so hopefully I can declutter my way to solvency!

MJ41

Really enjoying your diary and can relate to many of your struggles - I'm a non smoker but have weight issues so am totally onboard! You've inspired me to start my own diary so hoepfully that can help to keep me motivated - keep up the good work!

lobbyludd

Thank you everyone, go for it MJ41, I find it therapeutic to waffle on here (although reading back I wince at my typos! nd everyone is so supportive

In better news today, I've posted off another stair gate, one left for buyer to pick up, has paid but not arranged a day/time yet (I'm hoping they're waiting on another of my listings), bids up to £24 on ebay, and hx cc have written to me saying I can balance transfer to them now for 0%. I rang them a matter of weeks ago to see if they could give me ANY deal on a BT lower than the 29.4% :eek:interest I am currently paying them, and they said a big fat no.

I'm hoping that this and barclaycard upping my limit unasked is a) a sign that my credit file is improving and b) an omen that Mr T are going to offer me the 0% BT credit card, either way I have more debt-shuffling options now, but it's going to take an excel spreadsheet to work out what to shuffle where!

Son has been poorly this week with an upset stomach, home for 2 days, I only had one day's leave left to take, thank fully boss let me work from home for half a day and make up the rest by adding half an hour on to each day for the next 7 days, so that I don't have to take unpaid leave.

not doing much craft stuff at the mo, and house is a pigsty, "decluttering" is at a stage where it's making things worse rather than better LOL

mum2one

hope your sons better, had daughter off 2 days with sickness bug again, theres just so many going around at the mo.

That souns brill news re credit cards. all on the up xx