Trying to escape the Rat Race

picasso2

Why is that when you decide you want to reduce your outgoings in order to make positive changes in your life everything seems to come flying at you ?

I went to put up the bargain curtain rail in my bedroom and discovered why there has never been a curtain rail there before. Yup the wall is crumbling away ! I've filled the holes back up and am considering using some No Nails glue !!!!
Within minutes of this DD told me that there seems to be a fault on her very expensive computer that has just run out of warranty. So thats a begging call to Apple tommorow

I've agreed to go to a festival with DD this weekend , she has free tickets as she will be doing some 'work' there. We have a tent but I've had to get some new mats as I'm too old to rough it and I'm dreading driving there - I hate driving and especially to places I don't know. We go Thursday and have the expense of boarding fees for the animals - she was originally going with a freind who dropped out. If it rains we will be home Friday !

We went to a comedy night on Friday , we booked it through Groupon about a month ago. It was good to relax and as we had a discount voucher the deal was cheap - the wine and taxi fares added up though and I got an eye opener of town on a friday night :eek:

On a better note we are doing well with food waste management. The broccoli that was starting to turn is now soup in the freezer and we rarely buy sweet stuff - I have found that a chopped banana with cheap intant custard gives you just as good a hit as a bar of chocolate ! It is also cheaper and more filling

We walked to the local boot sale this morning taking the dog for a walk. Managed to get some cheap morrisons cat food , new slippers for DD and a couple of herb plants I've been wanting. But my favourite bargain was two 1938 magazines for 50p ! I love these things , wonderfully innocent. We went the long route home and ended up having walked for 2 hours so felt :A at having all that free exercise.

Still going on the survey and competition front. Just waiting for an Amazon £5 code from one survey which will be though in the next few days. I've got a T-shirt and face wash coming from competitions that will be put aside for DD for Xmas and a voucher for a packet of crisps. I've a few MOCs on there way and looking forward to a cheap shopping trip shortly.

I generally check my loan and credit card statements mid month so thats a job for the coming days. I don't however think I have made enough of an impact to consider applying for other jobs yet though as the drop in pay will not be manageable

So its been a bit of a mixed week all in and the next couple of weeks are going to be full of challenges. Fortunately I feel fit enough to meet these and will keep my eye on my goal :A

picasso2

These are some piccies from the sting concert. I took them with my old phone which even with the zoom made us look further away than we were. We were actually about 10 rows from the front. It was spectacular.

picasso2

I'm trying to have a positive day today to see what I can achieve after the fiasco of the weekend. I checked my bank account and realised I can nicely cover the weekend at the festival and the energy bills. Any left overs will go to an extra payment on CC1 next week.

Postie came early today and brought a 1.5ml sample of L.I.L.Y the new Stella McCartney perfume that I had requested through the freebies board - Its so nice though I'm going to be tempted to buy it
She also brought a voucher for a free carton of tropicana from the FB tropicana competition.
I have a Drs appointment this evening so I think I will take the car and go to the supermarket afterwards with all my coupons and see how much I can get for how little

Right , time to get on the phone to Apple while I'm feeling confident . Wish me luck!

picasso2

This week has been a bit pants really. The computer is a whole big issue i'm not going into but on top of this my work situation has brought my mood down.
I'm kind of in Limbo workwise , I'm off sick with stress following a restructure - I was working my way to a breakdown when the reality hit. My employers have not been supportive and whilst occupational health said if my employers went through with the plans I would deteriate my employers said Occupational health did not understand the needs of the buisness. Its all rather messy. Today I started writing an application for a part time secondment but as I wrote it I realised I would still have to work part time in the job that is making me ill. Problem is I don't want to stay off sick and my managers say they can't (or I feel won't) find any alternative employment.
One idea I am mulling over is approaching the pensions agency and taking out part of my lump sum (kinda don't feel I will live to retirement at this rate anyway !) This may support me or at least pay off my debts. My freinds think I may be able to go for constructive dismissal considering I have written evidence for the past 6 months where I have said I was stressed and they told me not to worry - this is compounded by the fact I have long term issues with anxiety and depression so just saying 'don't worry' is not really adequate.
Anyway , now thats off my chest ....

So I've been looking at starting my own buisness which I know is stressful in itself but I think I can hack that . The courses at college are not running until next year and so I'm trying to decide whether to hack going back to work for a while whilst I do some research and develop a buisness plan and do the course or just go for a lump sum and leave - having spent my sick leave developing my buisness plans. Hmmmmm decisiveness was never my strong point.

Ive been looking around banking websites etc - I really wanted some savings first and this is why I think I should take the lump sum and try and work a short while to get some money in the bank.

Moving on.

Apart from the computer fiasco its been a relatively low output week financially. I needed some shoes for the races next month so got some sale ones on line through Dot Perkins via quidco. They are simple and cheap which is fine as my dress is a statement in itself - it has been in my wardrobe for 3 years unworn just waiting for an event .
We did do some low spend shopping at the supermarket and I was pleased how much I got and for how little - though I think the checkout girl was rather bemused by my vouchers and it caused a bit of a wait for those behind me. But I also got some yellow stickered stewing steak for £1.60 which is nicely in the freezer for next week.
DD and I have drawn up a meal plan with the intention of eating as much as possible from the cupboards but the milk and bread go down quickly and I'm getting low on teabags :eek:

On the positive side I had a nice win on the competitions - I have won £30 of arcadia vouchers - very timely as I really need a handbag to match the shoes. I'm still entering a lot but just winning the odd voucher. Still it keeps me out of mischief on a rainy day.

I'm doing well on the surveys etc . I need to update my signature but I will have £400 quite soon and thats the maximum I intend spending this xmas so after that and 'earnings' will go towards debts.

Ebay is not great. I seemed to spend ages listing on the free listing weekend but hardly any bids and those that are going are things I listed for my daughter. I'm running out of things worth selling myself :rotfl:

I cancelled my bank account from a paying account back to a normal one this week. I agreed it last year but I was unwell with a chest infection and it was much r'later that I realised none of the 'benefits' of this account applied to me. So that £13 a month no loner going out of my account.

I'm not going to be tempted into applying for low or 0% interest cards at the moment as my mortgage deal comes to an end next month so getting a good new deal is my priority. I think my current provider is going to say no as I had an AP on my file 18months ago and they are quite harsh. I'm not in negative equity which is one relief .

Okay debts have been totted up for this month and are :

Loan - £1356 - £113 monthly and 11 months to go
CC1 - 24.9% - £427 - gone up !
CC2 - 21% - £1320
CC3 - 16% - £12,645
CC4 - 0% - £1366
CC5 - 0% - £1324

So around £285 less than last month.

No way I will manage any further overpayments this month but its going in the right direction !

picasso2

Oh and I'm not at the festival as we have adverse weather warnings here and the site suffered flash floods last year - i'm too old to wade in mud !

picasso2

Just a quick update as its been and eventful and yet dull week.

I have rung to get an update on my pension. It has to be requested formally so sent off an email. They did say though that the pension I have does not release any funds early. oh well.

I have applied for a part time secondment to another department at work but I would still have to work part time in my current post. If i'm successful i Will be back at work in the next few weeks. I'm rather nervous as I called into base yesterday and its not a good place to be

My daughter has sold a lot of things on ebay recently so she is buying what she needs herself rather than nagging for cash. Indeed she is reluctant to come shopping with me at all as she never knows when i will pull out a voucher. She finds this embarrasing but equally likes the fact I get things cheaper or free. Ive sold a few small bits and pieces myself so i have a little extra to go to CC1 at the end of the month and its a free listing weekend so lots more things going on. In may respects its good just to get the space from clearing out. I was burgled 10 years ago whilst on holiday and came home to find most things stolen or vandalised so i tend not to hold great emotional attachments to a lot of things - its no use things gathering dust in a cupboard.

Ive continued with the competitions and surveys. The surveys are slowly stacking up and as soon as I am at £400 any cash will go to debts.
Ive had some small wins on the competitions , a facewash and some loyalty points for a train company. As it happens i use this train company a few times a year and they will go towards my tickets to london in November.

Today however has been a very expensive day. I had to pay my professional registration fees , my energy bills and now my washing machine has broken down. I have a trusted repair man coming tommorow and if i am lucky it is as simple as the belt , if i am unlucky the drum has gone - and from the clunking noise it made i think its the latter:(

Why do things like this happen when you have had a poor wage for the month ?

I have given DD and myself a challenge for next week. We spend a lot of money on food , yet our cupboards and freezer are always full. So we are limiting ourselves to £10 for the week and eating what is in. The £10 is going in a jar monday morning and is for milk , bread and salad. We are very good at not wasting food as it is and i can whip up oatcakes at the drop of a hat if a sweet fix is needed.

Here's hoping for a troublefree and low cost bank holiday weekend

floella80

Great pictures from the Sting concert!

Also, what survey websites do you use? I'm interested in starting signing up myself for a few.

Good job on the competitions! I don't enter as many as you (my OH said only the ones I want or need should I enter) but I have won a bottle of perfume and a signed Jenson Button cap so not too shabby.

picasso2

Hello Floella

Survey sites I do well on are My Survey , Valued Opinions,Pinecone and Yorkshire Panel. I also do OK on Toluna but it is slow, Panelbase but you have to be quick and I occasionally get surveys for Just The Answer. I have a bit if time on my hands at the moment which helps but for the past 3 years I have done surveys it has paid for xmas - there is only me and DD who is 19 at home and I don't have a big family which helps.

With the competitions I also tend to think before I enter - Do I need / want this or do I know somebody that does. My laptop , camera and now washing machine are in a poor way so replacing them is my focus but I also would like (big ask) to replace my bathroom with a shower room , would love a holiday, love kitchen things and I adore beauty products.

I do't want a BBQ or to go to theme parks or go skiing so these get avoided. The only FB competitions I do are for little things like the vouchers for Copella - which is scrummy but an expensive treat at the moment.

I'm planning an overnight trip to London shortly with my freind so loyalty points for the train company I use are great to cut costs and I also won a voucher for tea for two at the Ritz so we are really excited about that. We love the luxurys in life but can't actually afford them for various reasons :rotfl:

So my extensive wish list keeps me busy on the competitions and as I say it keeps my out of trouble - the old saying 'the devil makes work for idle hands' for me means straying onto ebay and buying treats to cheer myself up

I've rarely recieve somethig I cant use and when I'm at work I can give things away there too. Recently I raffled a few things off to raise moey for a local charity which is a good feeling :A especially as I don't have money to donate much otherwise.

Good luck on the surveys , Pinecone and I think Yorkshire panel (if you live in yorkshire) need refferals so if I get an email asking me to reffer people I will DM you

Thanks for popping in

picasso2

Today has been a good day.

We started our no more than £10 on food for the week yesterday but I realised we didnt have a great deal of main course food stuff in. I went to our local Co-op early doors and picked up some reduced price chicken thighs and some reduced price fish cakes . We have a bit of salad in for the fish cakes and ample potatoes and frozen veg. So we have accouted for our week of meals and still have over £7 left. We will need more milk and bread during the week but DD is keen we cotinue with this as certainly for the last 2 days we have had 2 good home cooked meals supplemented with my fabulous yorkshire puddings and home made jellies with fruit.

Its going to be a tight month but not as bad as it could have been as my washer was mendable - phew. I have a great guy that repairs white goods , he's really passionate about the machines so you know you are in safe hands. So the machine will keep going for a while longer but I'm £40 lighter.

Sunday is a bit of a treat day. I allocated myself £10 for the day as i like the boot sales. So I had a nice day with my tenner - I got a paper for £2 and it reminded me to get the red spotted hanky points - I think I entered it okay but i guess will find out in a few days. I should be halfway to my next train fare to London with these added. We went to a local cafe and got a cuppa each for another £2 and bumped into DDs grandad. It was nice to have a chat and to see him out. The boot sale itself was another £1 for us both to get in but we got a couple of nice bits. DD got a vintage camera for her collection , I got some vintage baking tins - to cook with and I got DD some sequins so she could customise her bedroom curtains - this gave me a couple of hours peace and quiet this afternoon :j
Ive entered a few competitions today. Not many as I start on the dailys and today was stunned to win a pair of wellies on the ribena competition. Its fair to say I was nearly close to tears as my wellies are a poor fit as i have muscular calves and my 5yr Old £10 asda specials have big cuts in them to make them fit. DD was a bit dissapointed she wasn't benefitting but she does have a nice pair of M+S ones. So at some poit I will have a pair of adjustable hunters. Woohooo. I was so excited I haven't been able to do any more competitions today :rotfl:

Finally settling down for a bit of a pamper evening. DD is going to cut and colour my hair. I haven'y been into a salon for years as DD did a hairdressing diploma, unfortunatley the chemicals caused dermatitis so she cannot work professionally but does a good job for me, I used to pay £50 every 6 weeks :eek: So once thats done we are going to put a film on in her room and paint our nails.

So a nice bank holiday sunday instead of a dismal day:D

Evcakes

HI, just popped over to say well done on your progress so far and doing all the comps and surveys!

Glad the washing machine wasn't as expensive to mend, we had the car break down and the boiler in the space of a few days in January hence the loan as it cost us about £1400 to repair both! Hate paying for these things :-(

r.e. the curtain rail, ours in the lounge came down due to rubbish walls so in the mean time we've attached a strip of wood with no-more nails and then attached the curtain rail to that, certainly working for now.

Hope the job situation sorts out, it might be a good idea to stick with it therefore having money coming in but at the same time your business plan may develop quicker as you want to get out.

Great pics from Sting concert, Desert Rose is one of my faves too!