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

themadvix

I had my first win yesterday!! :j :j The postman knocked and was asking my name for the computer/signy thing and I was so distracted by wondering what was in the parcel that I had trouble answering! I won a cat toy and accessories for it - it's a long stick and cord toy with real feathers/toys that you can change on the end. We already have one, but the boys go through the toys quite quickly (real feathers are *very* exciting) and bizarrely, I had only been saying (to them... I'm sure they were listening) the day before that it would be nice to have another so they had one each to play with!

In slightly less joyous news the electrician came round yesterday and quoted for the work - £2100! :eek: :eek: This was quite a bit more than our electrician friend had estimated, so I had a bit of a panic and asked if we could split the work. Electrician replied and said he couldn't do that as he wouldn't be able to sign it off, but he did manage to reduce the price by £200 :T This makes it a bit closer to what I was expecting and he can start on Monday, so we've said to go ahead.

I've asked HiddenShadow to amend our MFW2017 target. This year has not been a good one so far workwise for me, so we were never going to reach anywhere near our stretching £10k target. New target covers OPs already made, £1900 of kitchen (which we're going to put on 0% card as the electrics is now costing as much as the kitchen) and replenishing my buffer fund. If things pick up, hopefully we'll be able to do more.

Due to the continuing quietness on the work front (it's always quiet at this time of year, but in the past I've had temp work at the events venue - that's sadly no more), I've asked Dad to check if there's any temp stuff going where he works (I used to work there on a casual basis, so they know me). Hopefully I might get a few days work there, which will help the situation.

MS things:
* £20 claimed from PA
* 50p YG survey
* Comps entered (fingers crossed for a big win!)
* £10 Smart Panel loyalty bonus paid

Gratitudes:
* Watching ginger cat playing madly with new toy - much growling and huffing going on
* Work on the kitchen is starting at last!
* Cook out with Brownies tonight

try_harder

Morning themadvix i hope something turns up for you on the work front i am sure it will soon .
My MFW 2017 has not been going to plan at all and i feel really annoyed at myself for setting such high targets i am doing quite well in savings but wanted to find much more to use for overpayments but this has not gone to plan and i am way,way down now but the way im looking at it is every pound makes a difference so its all positive.
Fingers crossed for a big win for you soon .

themadvix

Too true about every pound making a difference TH. Stick at it, things will improve - you've done really well on the savings front anyway!

Just a quick update from me. Electrician was here yesterday - no electricity for much of the day, hence no post. I went to Ikea and ordered the kitchen, so it was a **very** expensive day. Kitchen is arriving Monday, but plasterer has now said he might not be able to get here until next week... and then we have to let the plaster dry before we can paint before we can put kitchen in.... hmm.

MS things:
* Have freecycled quite a few bits - saves fuel on trip to dump and helps the planet
* Surveys done (YG, VB poll, YSP - 35p to go!, MM)
* Listed old cooker - no bids yet, but 11 watchers. Finishes Friday (In-laws knackered cooker went for £80 when they listed theirs, so hoping for a decent contribution to the kitchen fund!)
* Sunday's takeaway eked out to cover last night too. 'Cooking' tonight (i.e. reheating frozen bolognaise and using our standalone induction hob to do pasta)!

Gratitudes
* Lovely play time with kitties in garden last night (using new toy)
* Last evening class before the summer break tonight (grateful for class and for break!)
* Seeing sis and niece later, hopefully!

try_harder

The new kitchen sounds very exciting ,time soon goes so it wont be long until its in and im sure it will be much quicker than the stair carpet now that was a long drawn out saga .
Beautiful weather here today ,i have just got back from a lovely walk hope its nice where you are .
Good luck with the oven sale.

themadvix

Thanks TH

Plumber now coming tomorrow morning, so am a bit happier (plumber is by far the hardest to pin down!). I'm not so sure about time going quickly - the problem is it does when we're doing the work too - once these three have done their thing, it's up to us.... and we have a bit of a reputation for loooong projects!

I went to the dump :T I really didn't want to go... but I made myself and now the garden looks more like a garden (with a cooker in it - doesn't everyone have one of these?! )

Off to see that cutey-pie niece of mine!

Jessy103

Good luck with the kitchen MV! We've had a garden with a cooker in it before, that was until the rag-and-bone man came and collected it for us! x

themadvix

Thanks Jess!

Cooker is at £42.00 now... finishes Friday and has 13 watchers. Plumber is here, so that's good (turns up with Costa takeaway coffee - I really want to put him on the MSE path, but I don't think I know him that well... he smokes too!!).

Have actually got some work in the pipeline (and a little bit to do today too), so feeling a bit more positive.

Discovered that I can't do a balance transfer from my Amex as the cc provider considers it to be a debit card as it's a charge card. So savings are going to take quite a hit... good job we do actually have the money. DH has some share options he has to take by the end of the year, so maybe they'll help too. Am somewhat looking forward to the challenge of paying it all back as it's a smaller amount than the mortgage and I can pay it back a bit at a time!

MS things:
* Reached cash out on YSP - £20 Am voucher is heading my way and I will be closing the account when I've received it.
* We'll be eating out tonight, but hopefully combining S&S leisure vouchers with a % off voucher to minimise costs (we have £50 of LV vouchers already, and at nearly £20 in the account so will claim them
* VB survey done and it seems to be a swagcodes day, so will grab as many of them as I can.
* Comps entered... no more wins yet, but fingers crossed! I do enjoy thinking about winning the things though!

Gratitudes:
* Cuddles with niece yesterday and catch up with sis
* Great evening class to end the term on
* DH only working a half day today as we need to put ceiling up for plasterer
* Enjoying washing up in the garden - it makes me feel like I'm on (a camping) holiday :rotfl:
* Dinner out tonight (the novelty hasn't worn off yet)

Better get back to work - have a good afternoon all!

try_harder

Love the idea of washing up in the garden ,its certainly the weather for it.

themadvix

Washing up in the garden is good, TH, very relaxing Although I haven't done any for two days as we ate out on Weds and ate at Mum's yesterday.

Went to the local Beefeater on Weds, to use leisure vouchers from S&S. Was told that they no longer accept them and that this is a Whitbread-wide decision (Whitbread establishments being the main places you can use them, this is a major issue). There is no mention of this on either the Beefeater or LV websites so I emailed LV yesterday to find out what is going on. Fortunately the manager accepted them on Weds, so I wasn't out of pocket in cash, but I have £30 more to use and another £20 I was about to claim. The LV company is owned by Acorne plc, and I can't see anything about them going bust (they run Virgin Experience Days too), so I'm not sure what is going on. Will wait to see if I hear from Leisure Vouchers (not ringing them as the no. is 0844 and there's nothing on saynoto0870!). Has anyone else had any problems?

To top it all off, had text from plasterer - he can't come until Thursday!! So now we're twiddling our thumbs, as it's pretty much ready for him. Not really his fault as it has taken so long to get to this point - he came in April to quote for the work.

Dinner at Mum's was a lot less stressful last night

MS things:
* Have sold something that's been listed on ebay for ages - £2.25 to the pot
* 26 watchers on the cooker - ends tonight
* Received £20 Am voucher from YSP
* Received missing loyalty bonus from Smart App (£10, claimed as Am voucher). Was intending to get rid of this because it was misbehaving, but it's gone back to being okay at the moment.
* Actual, proper amounts of work to do
* Meeting DH for main meal lunch in his subsidised cafe at work (cereal for tea then!)
* SBs credited me 150 bucks for a survey I must have done a while ago - was a nice surprise!
* Comps and surveys up to date

Gratitudes:
* As per MW's new thread, I did some yoga with Adriene yesterday (Youtube) and felt much better for it. Will keep this up.
* Dinner at Mum's with DH last night - was really yummy and nice to spend time with both
* Watching the cats with nip this morning - I think the flowers must be really strong!
* Last Brownies tonight - a walk in the woods and splash in the stream, followed by new ones making their promise

Happy Friday everyone!:j

try_harder

Wow 26 watchers i have never had that many ,fingers crossed you get a great price.