Finally I have a mortgage I can start to pay off!

try_harder

I was wondering where the sun had gone themadvix ,it is raining here today so no washing on the line in this garden .
I must say i love being at home and pottering around doing jobs around the house ,pottering in the garden ,walking the dog just wish i was earning money at the same time that would be the icing on the cake .

themadvix

Yesterday was a productive but spendy day - I ordered some bits of glass we needed for internal door and more significantly, ordered the new landing and stairs carpet, which was quite exciting!

Did various bits of work, had a client pause a project just as I'd finished it, so will be expecting to be paid for the time I've spent, whether it's needed or not. I think they'll pay up.

Also spent £2.50 on ice cream at the theatre last night. Went with a friend to watch a production that another friend is involved with. Tickets were bought in November, so just the £2.50 spent last night.

Still surveying etc... All very boring, but cashed out on Cr-wdology this morning and £2.10 to go on 1P. Sold two more items for 99p on the Bay - to same person so saved on postage (which was a large stamp that I already had). £2.97 moved to OP fund. Wish some of the other stuff would sell - more because I want it gone than because of the money!

I should be doing some business development stuff (and I have started), while its quiet, but am on third night of not much sleep and have a headache, so currently sat on floor with lappy with back against radiator feeling sorry for myself. DH has been feeling a bit rough the last few days - I hope I've not got what he has.

Things I'm grateful for today (and yesterday)
* lovely cheap night at the theatre - every year the show is great and really special.
* Doing some good - met friend to take some needed bits to local refugee centre this morning
* Thermos - DH took his hm soup to work in it this morning and it worked (quelle surprise!)
* Not having to venture out into the cold again today - so glad I don't commute
* Having a plan for dinner (veggie) sausage supper

atypicalblonde

I hope you don't develop a bug - our bodies have a canny way of telling us to slow down, maybe you need a relaxed evening on the sofa and a super early night? Look after yourself xx

PS Agree so much about spring flowers, we have snowdrops to and they are FAB to see

Kittenkirst

Theatre trip sounds like it was a success- love those mini ice cream tubs in the intervals

eBay sales all sounding positive, out with the old & in with the pennies :T

themadvix

Thanks ATB - your suggestion worked well and I'm feeling much better this morning!

Kittenkirst - I had toffee fudge, it was delicious! It's definitely 'pennies' in from Ebay at the moment, but slowly slowly catchy monkey.

I have a feeling I'm going to have to revise my target for this year - with lots to do still on the house it seems a bit unrealistic and DH is struggling with not having any cash. He's not a big spender, but he seems to be *very* skint at the moment as a result of paying mine and his credit cards last month (which was a long month). We'll see how this month goes, but life's too short for him to be miserable and unable to spend a little on his (potentially money-making) hobbies.

Another spendy day today - going to pick up the glass for our internal doors (£30 + VAT) and need to buy a litter tray mat for the cats. I was also going to order some curtains for our dining room. We don't have any currently, just a big (new) set of French doors and a blind. We haven't decorated in here yet, but found some curtains in Dunelm that we liked and could work with for the new decor, but they don't come in the right size, which has put the price up rather (ordering two sets to get the width and then having to stitch together and take up the bottom for length!). It all seems a bit faffy. And expensive. Why is nothing ever simple?! Will have to have a think on that....

Jessy103

Hi Madvix! Fingers crossed for getting your money from the Ukrainians! Also on the spring flower front, you might like crocuses. I planted the bulbs last year and now have some lovely purple buds popping up! x

themadvix

Hi Jess, I love crocuses too - all spring flowers really! But at the moment the garden isn't really ready for planting - like everything else in this house it's a long-lasting project! Will get there this summer though, so next spring will be a riot of colour!

I ordered the curtains in the end - just opted for slightly less gathering. And I've been out and bought the pole and finials (came with rings and a finial we won't need - I hear ebay calling them!), forgot to use up the £2.50 on a Dunelm gift card that I had as I was struggling to manage the pole. Very annoying! Also found a picture frame we needed which wasn't in stock the other day. Total damage £38. Collected glass too - £36; cat litter tray mats - was unsure what how big they were (folded into quarters in the shop, helpfully. Think we might need two, but they were on 3 for 2 (really? This makes me really cross as it's not a consumable!), so bought 3 and if we only need one will return the spares. Otherwise, the free one can also go on ebay and bring the price of the other two down! Have spent a shocking amount today... but then we tend to save things up until we get to the point that we just want it all finished, so there's often no spending and then a 'splurge' - but it's all on things we need for the house.

It's absolutely revolting outside this morning - sleeting everywhere I went.... Glad to be home now!

Things I'm grateful for today:
* central heating!
* upcoming lunch of carrot and lentil soup
* discovering the showroom of the glass place - didn't know they had one and it had some interesting stuff
* watching the seagulls fly around outside, at least someone is enjoying the weather!

themadvix

We spent the weekend doing DIY again - so many small bits to finish off on the hall, but we're getting there. It has been a major transformation though, and I love it. Topped up with fresh veg and a beef joint (for DH) on Sunday - £17 (£9 for beef)! Meat is SO expensive. It did allow him a nice Sunday roast and will do at least two lunches this week. It might have done more, but greedy cat got into the kitchen just after I'd sliced it all up and stole the biggest slice! It was hilarious watching him growl and run around with it, as if it was a prize kill. It was less funny yesterday, when it left him with an upset stomach though

DH had a successful time on the MB at the weekend - he tried the no-lay accumulator method and so far we're up ~£80 - the theory is that the odds are in your favour so 3/4 times you'll win and this will offset the loss. Which you have to combine with the free bet offer to make the money and therefore it works... or something like that. I leave it up to him. He did get banned from the particular bookie he was using for that offer though Also had success with another bookie on the horse racing - again, it's beyond me, but he seemed pleased with how it was working out.

I did talk to DH about money at the weekend - I was concerned that stressing about it was making him feel miserable. But it seems that isn't the case, and he's had expenses from work come through, so he's less broke than he was.

My car went in for its MOT yesterday and.... passed! That's the first time in a very long time that it's passed first time, so I'm really pleased. I used a local garage that DH found for his MOTs last year - really friendly, helpful service, at a bargainous £38. It's nice to use an independent company and save money. Will need a new tyre or two, and a track rod tie, but I have money in my car maintenance fund for these. £12 will be transferred from MOT fund to OP fund as I allow the full £50 for an MOT in my budget.

Work is still very quiet, so I've sent some follow-up emails this morning to see what's happening with a couple of projects. And I'll continue with some of the CPD/business development work I've been doing in the hope that that will attract new customers/I'll look like a pro with the complicated software I bought last year! No news as yet on the debt collection front either.

Things I've got listed on the Bay are just not shifting, so I'm going to try some of them on FB. I just want rid and soon! Surveys etc. all continuing as usual - VB up to £10 now, so cash out soon. NV at £41.75, so that will also pay out soon.

Easy list of things to be grateful for today:
* Sunshine
* Line dried washing yesterday
* Cuddles with niece yesterday afternoon (my sis came around at 1 and left at 6 - good job I didn't have any work! :eek::rotfl:)
* Car passing MOT
* Narcissi I bought have come out into flower (this is tempered by reading the label which said compost was 80% peat - last time I buy plants on a whim from Wilkos!! :mad:)

Have a lovely day everyone!

try_harder

Beautiful day again here too themadvix .Hope the ebax picks up soon ,it seems very slow at the minute .Have a good day .

themadvix

Still no work Things have been unusually quiet from the late paying client recently. I hope I've not put them off working with me - I have a great relationship with the person I deal with and enjoy the work, so I don't want to lose them. With the others, it's a normal lull in proceedings, I think, even if it is very irritating (and somewhat concerning). I've been working on some major updates for my website today - I don't know how much this will help, but it's something.

In better news, I sold three items on the Bay last night, all to the same buyer and as I'd included P&P, I saved a lot there. Only £4 profit in the end though. Sold a couple of the things I put on FB yesterday too - another £2 and no fees to pay, yay!

Reached pay out on VB today, so now it's a case of increasing earnings between now and when they do the pay run, so I can maximise the benefit. Keeping up on other surveys and SBs - got to earn some money somehow. Signed up to Prolific too. It's depressing that it's come to this!

Curtains arrived today, so will be putting them up this evening, to see if they need taking up. There are a couple of other (cat-care related) items I need to buy, but am waiting until I actually have some earnings to buy them with. At the moment I'm struggling to see where next month's OP will come from.

Went to PO to post Ebay bits earlier and resisted the temptation of a creme egg. Came home and made flapjack instead and chucked in some chopped dates I found lurking in the cupboard - pleased to have used them up and they taste yummy in it.

Things to be grateful for:
* A clean and tidy house (I haven't got much else to do!)
* A mild day, heating only on once (unfortunately not dry, washing on line had to be spun again!)
* Flapjack
* This book which DH bought me (at a fraction of that price!) for Valentine's Day (we don't do Valentine's - it's an over-hyped waste of money in our view, but this was a nice random present and it's very funny/accurate). Will pass it on when we've amused ourselves with it.

Have a good evening all.