Caz counts it down

brizzledfw

Hi there

Yes I guess it's the post Christmas blues plus saw in the paper that personal debt repayments have hit a high in last month ( or quarter?) as people pay down debt. Sorry that affects your business of course but I guess we have to expect that some people aren't spending as much as they might have done in the past and applaud their 'MSE ways'!! . Doing lower priced jewellery sounds good. A friend of mine who does silver jewellery mainly has diversified and tbh it's the 'pocket money' stuff that goes better at the moment. Also perhaps try an angle for Valentines Day? Have to assume there'll still be a niche market for that!!

Have a good weekend

Brizzle

cazmanian_minx

I'm ashamed to say that for all my good intentions I've not got a single item listed for eBay's free listing weekend. Nor have I done any Textbrokering. However, I did take Merlin and Finn for a walk round the village (individually, not both together - there'd have been carnage!). They're both striding out well on tarmac, even after two months in a soggy field, so no shoes required and Mr Minx was lovely and fed and mucked out for me this morning so I could stay in my pyjamas and watch the whole of the Australian Open final from start to finish.

As far as spending goes, it hasn't been too horrendous - £84 in Tesco, half of which Mr Minx has paid me back for, and £15 on a birthday present for my next door neighbour.

catshark88

I'd have gone with pony walking too, I hate ebaying!

Am sure we are due for some nice pics of them?? :-)

cazmanian_minx

catshark88 wrote: »

Am sure we are due for some nice pics of them?? :-)

OK, just for you They're soggy, muddy heaps at the moment, but here are a couple from earlier this month.

Merlin:


Finn:


Sales are still down, but this seems to be the same for absolutely everyone at the moment. Hopefully February will be better.

cazmanian_minx

I know it's a very British thing to moan about the weather but honestly, it's horrendous here at the moment We've had gusts up to 75mph since last night, which makes the roof tiles rattle, so I've not really slept. It was supposed to ease off this afternoon, but I still can't stand up outside without risking being blown off my feet and I'm having to use a lead to take the dog between the house and the annexe because it's raining so hard that it looks like someone's hosing the windows and she just stands in the door and goes 'No $%*&$%ing way am I setting paw outside in that!'

Touch wood we haven't had too much damage - so far the total is a half slate off the annexe roof, the solar charge panel for one of the outdoor lights, the downpipe on the porch and the cables for the satellite dish have come loose, so no telly until the wind drops enough for me to get a ladder out and put them back in. It's not that high - if I was six foot tall I could probably reach it from the ground, but as I'm short-backsided and the dish is right in the path of the prevailing wind, I shall leave it for now.

16 orders to go today and I've written two articles for textbroker. It would have been more, there are masses available, but I've got a headache and I'm hormonal and generally a bit down and it all just seems like too much effort right now I'll perk up when the weather changes, I'm sure.

In the meantime, I've paid my tax bill and am now trying very hard not to look at my nearly-but-not-quite-four-thousand-pound overdraft

Mara_uk7

Its no funny is it Caz, When my dog needed to go out for .... well whatever they go out for, I wanted to put her on the long lead and use her as a kite, but DH said I couldnt !! Winds easing back now and the rains here with a vengeance !

catshark88

Ponies are lush! Love Merlin's colour and Finn's markings. I must not get into ponies again,I must not..... Etc.

DH did his tax today too. I understand the requirement to pay it, but I cannot say that I enjoy it, lol.

We're nearly as far away from you as it is poss to be in the UK, but we have had mad winds too. I am surrounded by trees, so I always wonder what may have fallen down overnight. So glad we had a big branch off one of the oaks last year. It was v heavy and unbalanced and was an accident waiting to happen.

cazmanian_minx

Anyone seen January?!

It appears to be month end, so here's a quick look at what's happened to my personal debt in the last 31 days. Look away now, this is going to be nasty

Debt 31st December 31st January

Overdraft £2995.29 £3786.63 £791.34
Egg card £3225.00 £3190.00 -£35.00
Barclaycard £2850.00 £2800.00 -£50.00

Total £9070.29 £9776.63 +£706.34

I'll confess, that's not as bad as I thought it might be. The tax bill was £1054.09 and I was expecting the overdraft to have increased by at least that.

Payday tomorrow. I'm currently £204.52 short of being able to pay the Royal Mail bill on 6th Feb, but I've just had an eBay order for £95 - I'm hoping that things will pick up now that people have January's pay cheque in their accounts.

cazmanian_minx

Proper Friday scores on the doors and there's going to be a big red number at the end of this one!

(last week/this week/ + or - amount)
Business
Overdraft: -£-2940.77 / -£4503.02 -£1562.25

Business total: -£-2940.77 / -£4503.02 -£1562.25

Personal
Overdraft: -£2673.67 / -£2966.63 -£292.96
Egg card: -£3190.00 / -£3190.00 no change
Barclaycard: -£2800.00 / -£2800.00 no change

Personal total: -£8399.37 / -£8956.63 -£292.96

Grand total: -£11,604.44 / -£13,459.65 -£1855.21 :eek:

That's what happens when a little over £3500 gets paid out of your accounts in a week

Spends this month should be as follows:
Tesco - £400 (with £200 back from Mr Minx)
Hay - £120
Fuel - £75
Car tax - £135
Haircut (really getting necessary now) - £25
Farrier - £40
Cash - £20

In an ideal world, the personal overdraft will be £3361 or less at the end of the month - that represents the 31st January figure minus the £250 I transferred into it from my First Direct account and £175 saved towards the July 31st tax bill. So I have £395 plus Mr Minx's £200 to pay for £815 of spending and need to find £220 extra in Textbroker work or eBaying stuff. OR I need to persuade Mr Minx to have a super-budget month with the food and put off the haircut again. I think finding an extra £220 will be easier somehow

LAM2011

Have been trying to get on top of your diary but get distracted (honestly doesnt work know I have things to do ) not sure if I am quite up todate lol. I saw on Piq and BB diaries you were a horsey peep so tried to catch up.

Love your ponies. Love Merlin's colour too. I have three redheads but would love a dun. I actually had a coloured called Merlin but lost him tragically 2 years ago.

Good luck with the budget for Feb.