Preparedness for when

charlies-aunt

Thank you all for your friendship, help and support in 2013 - it was a challenging year for everyone but we've made it through

Wishing you all health, wealth and happiness in 2014


Christianne x

fuddle

Happy New Year!

We had a very quiet night at home but hearing the Minster bells at midnight really made our new year.

I need to ramp up my organisation this year and that means more in the way of preps! Food mainly. I shall be painting the kitchen mid month and then we can get the long shelf up that is ear marked for surplus food stocks.

I look forward to spending my free time with you all while continuing to learn and think.

GreyQueen

:j It's a new year - and it made it in without my supervision, thank goodness. I rolled into bed at 10.45 pm as was exhausted but as fireworks had been going off from about 8 pm until 1 am, didn't get off to sleep too early but didn't care as I was snuggly and warm.

Lurched from my pit late this morning, finished the murder mystery, and settled down to number-crunching on the futility bills as my present fixed deal ends 31st Jan.

Worked out that Equigas will see me quids in (only have the stove on the gas) and Equipower will see me a little bit ahead, so will plan to defect shortly. Just got a couple of telephonic queries for the soon-to-be-old provider and the soon-to-be-new one, then I'm good to go.

Re keeping prepping lists on spreadsheets, I freely admit a certain geeky fondness for an Excel spreadsheet, and I keep my personal accounts on one. But for prepping lists, I used a cheap hardcover A4 notebook with those P0st-It coloured tabs to identify which pages are which product.

My reasoning is that it works in a powercut, and as I write lightly in pencil, it can be amended easily. I can also grabbit and go, if necessary. But whatever works best for each individual is the best way.

I absolutely adore MSE Old Style in general, and this thread in particular. It amazes me that there is such warmth, humour, wit and sheer knowledge in these bits and bytes. You're treasures, one and all, and I appreciate your contributions on a daily basis.

Now I've gone and embarrassed meself. I may have to make some remedial tea. Tea fixes most things, and for everthing else there's [STRIKE]M@astercard[/STRIKE] [STRIKE]chocolate[/STRIKE] errm, I meant to say, pure and righteous thoughts.

[Deleted User]

BigMummaF wrote: »

so heard "may be some thunder" & started covering mirrors with table cloths!

Covering mirrors with table cloths :huh:

fuddle wrote: »

I shall be painting the kitchen mid month

What colour is mid month?

Well, the new year has started in fine style up here.

It's persisting down.

mardatha

GQ, I would like to know more about how and what type of thing- you (or anybody ) keeps . What kind of things do you write in there? I love writing stuff down and making lists, but how do you start to keep household accounts?

115K

I mostly read and lurk but I find this thread very helpful. Let's hope we all have a lovely 2014.:A

I've just stocked up on 24 more toilet rolls.:rotfl:

[Deleted User]

Were they on a BOG-OF deal?

GreyQueen

mardatha wrote: »

GQ, I would like to know more about how and what type of thing- you (or anybody ) keeps . What kind of things do you write in there? I love writing stuff down and making lists, but how do you start to keep household accounts?

It's not particularly clever, Mar, just my little way of living.

I have an A4 Hoxfam diary with a page-per-month for accounts in the back. It has a "debit" column on the left and a "credit" column on the right.

At the start of the Debit column I have a list of my fixed monthly costs; rent, service charges, communal heating, home contents insurance, council tax, ISP, landline rental, gas and electric and an entry for Housekeeping.

Housekeeping is listed in a separate A5 notebook, where I sling any receipts from food purchases and note down any non-receipted transactions such as my butcher or the Magic Greengrocer. One a month these are totalled, the figure goes in the Debit column and the receipts shredded.

Below the fixed costs is where I add any expenditures as they go. Small stuff has a group entry like Toiletries or Food Out or Misc Preps. At the end of each month, I divide these expenditures into categories and write them in red ink at the foot of the Credit column (where my income goes, there's plenty of room in there ).

The categories make sense to my life; Housekeeping (food, consumable household items such as t.p. and cleaning materials), Homemaking (non-disposable household items), Clothes & Footwear, Toiletries, Gifts & Cards, Charity, Computer (anything needed for it that isn't the ISP), Books (included lib reservations, stamps, mags and newspapers), Gardening, Haircuts, Holibobs, Entertainment (e.g. a cinema ticket/ DVD rental), Food Out (incs any drinkies), Archery, transport (bus fare or anything needed for the pushbike).

You get the picture. Obviously, when I had a car, they'd be things like Insurance, Petrol, servicing and repairs listed under that heading.

I normally transfer these at the end of each month onto a simple Excel spreadsheet, which is just a list of the headings down the column and the months of the year across the rows. I format the cells to Currency-2 decimal places-right alignment. When the year is done, I highlight the top line and then run into the next column and hit the Autosum icon. Then you can drag that total cell downwards and it'll Autosum all the other lines.

Then I total the totals, using Autosum (gawd I love that function). Result is that I can see at a glance what I spent on anything in any given month and year. I keep my records for the calendar year, not the financial year, because they're my records and it suits me. Plus it's enough of a horror going thru Year End at work, I don't need to do it at home.

I was a bit naughty this past year and didn't enter the stuff onto the spreadsheet each month, which meant it was a bit tedious doing it all at once. This year I will do better.

I've been doing this since 1997 and it works well enough for me. There isn't a lot to it; I'm no maths wiz and just use a big-button calculator. Or count on my fingers if it's less than ten.;)

I did a course called the European Computer Driving License years ago (I've got a plastic card to prove it, too; get me) and can just about remember how to turn the spreadsheet data into a pie chart. I print the spreadsheet and the piechart, because I'm old skool and like hardcopies as well.

I'm rather fond of pies and have taken an FB pie from the freezer to defrost for supper today and tomorrow. Living' high on the hog here at Shoebox Towers.

parsonswife8

Happy New Year everyone! Loads of health, wealth and happiness to all of you.


Here's to a thrifty 2014!

fuddle

Bob:rotfl: Mid Month has hues of 'DH paid' and 'children back to school' and a hint of 'when I can be a*rsed' very appropriate shade don't you think. you are quick

I am computer savvy but not very mathematical minded and for that reason I can't ever get my head around excel or how to use it. It's annoying because it appeals to my organisational side but nope, paper and pen for me