My Busy Life

girlatplay

Mmmmmmmm Liam Neeson.

x

MissOptimistic

Hi Sidneysmum - I'm glad the reunion went well and that you enjoyed yourself & also that the tablets are working and you are feeling much better. It sounds like you have been busy!
I have been a bit lax with the Ebay listings, I have a few bits ending on Sunday again, but nothing that will sell for huge amounts.
I went to B&Q to buy the paint for my lounge, I am decorating in shades of soft mauvey pink & a minky grey italian wallpaper on the main wall. The paint is 'dusted fondant' by dulux. I think it will look lovely. I sold all my old cushions on the settee and have treat myself to new ones - now just need to get on with the hard task of actually decorating it!
We are off this weekend to our rental house too this weekend to do a couple of bits of maintenance. Its at the seaside, so will combine the trip with a walk on the beach and maybe even some fish & chips
Still been a bit lazy with the running although right after my last post when I said I probably wouldn't manage any running for a few days, I asked myself what my excuse was, put my ipad down & did half an hour there and then!
Anyway, hope you have a lovely few days, there's definitely a Spring feeling in the air today & now I'm off to make pancakes

sidneysmum

MissOptimistic - Hi and thanks for posting. I love your contributions. We are definitely the "same kind" of people !! Your lounge sounds as though its going to be lovely. Keep in touch x

Its been a bit of a hectic few days. Tuesday I was at work and i almost lost the will to live as I started to feel really ill again with this labrynthitis. Anyway I phone the doctor and he arranged for a further prescription to be left for me at the surgery. As soon as I took a tablet I started to feel ok ish again. The doctor has explained that this ailment could take a while to go away. Great ! Anyway I just stayed in once I got home and tried to occupy myself with ebay listings. My sons friend called at tea time and fitted me a new rubber seal to my UPVC french window. Something else ticked off the list of jobs.

Yesterday I woke up early .....and felt great. So I cracked on with some jobs - made some cauli soup and also some mushroom soup. At 10am I went to the gym and did my usual 60 minutes and then went to a zumba class. Its only the second time at this class and i am loving it. I had a bit of a lazy afternoon until tea time when a friend called for me and we went to a massive Indian buffer restaurant in Manchester. I ate exactly what i wanted as i know i do enough exercise to counterbalance a blow out.

Today i have felt fine again. I was up early and went to the gym and did my usual 60 minutes. A quick dart round the shops then i went to dance aerobics. Before coming home i went to the doctors to see the nurse for a blood test. I have an underactive thyroid and have to have a blood test every 12 months. This afternoon was spent with my next door neighbour Ray. We spent a couple of hours putting up some fencing between our 2 properties. It looks great now. I also listed all my ebay drafts today so they finish in 10 days. I have listed about 35 items as I am off work for a week or so and i can deal with all the packing and posting. Anyway I have just been to another zumba class at tea time and been on a walk round the neighborhood with my friend who is doing slimming world. All in all, a good day. I have got a couple more busy days planned then I am going to have a couple of lazier days on Monday and Tuesday next week.
I hope everyone has had a great moneysaving few days.

sidneysmum

Its been all go the last few days. On Friday I was up early and at the mot station with Gladys the Minger by 6.50. The plan was to have her MOTd whilst i went to the gym for an hour n the treadmill. By the time i went back for her, she had failed and was ready for collection. I have deliberately given myself a bit of breathing space with the MOT. Actually I am chuffed to bits as she goes back to the garage on Tuesday for her repairs and a clean bill of health and I am expecting change out of £100. Anyway I came home for an hour or so then went back to the gym to try out a new dance aerobics class. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was a male instructor and we all did nothing but dance and laugh ! Back home again and i spent more time creating draft listings for Ebay. My neighbour also called round for a chat which was good as I can always pick his brains about bits of DIY i need to do. Tea time saw me at my zumba class and then i picked the children up for them to stay overnight with me. My work friend Andy called round to be introduced to the children. He said before meeting them that he wasn't too fond of kids. Anyway ......he has now suggested that he takes us all out for a day trip on Saturday.....so much for not liking kids.

Saturday was a nice day. My grandaughter went home to her mum in the morning so I could take my grandson to the cinema. I took my friend and her grandson with us. We went to see "Free birds" and i had a great snooze. After our lunch my grandson helped me to hoover the car out and he loved it !! He went home at 3pm so i spent the rest of yesterday doing yet more ebaying. Also someone called round to collect an item I had sold last week. Last night was just spent relaxing, having a google.

Today has been a nice change for me. I was still up very early and i went to the car boot sale. I spent almost £11 but bought some really good things. Most items are to keep but some i plan on reselling some as i can see pound signs. I bought a lightweight buggy for my grandaughter £4 for pram and raincover, £1 for a wooden clothes airer which is now in my wash house. It looks very in keeping with my style. I bought a huge wooden clog for 50p which i plan to use as a garden ornament. Also a large heron to stand at the side of my garden pond £1. I bought some toys for my grandson and a book. I also bought him a dressing gown for 20p !!! I bought a few items of kitchenalia to sell on Ebay as i know which items are sought after. I bought an electric meat slicer and some vintage cutlery items. I am sure i will be able to sell them for at least 20 times what i paid for them. The profit will cover the rest of my spends !! I like to buy toys for my grandchildren if they are in really good condition because the little boy spends quite a lot of time with me and as i dont have a tv, we need things to do. Today i bought a pot dinosaur which he can paint. I know he will be so excited when he sees it.
Anyway the rest of the day has been spent just eating and drinking. I took the tram to Manchester with 5 of my girlfriends and we have spent all afternoon drinking cocktails and eating tapas. I actually spent about £35 but i thought it was about time i let my hair down. I live very frugally in some areas of my life so i can join in doing things like this. Anyway we had a great time and i cant wait to do it again.
Anyway I hope everyone has had a great moneysaving day .

MissOptimistic

Hi Sidneysmum - sounds like you have had a great weekend! The tapas & cocktails sounds particularly nice, always nice to treat yourself when you are careful the rest of the time. I like browsing round car boot sales but my OH doesn't like them, he can't understand why I would want to come home with a load of someone elses tat! There is quite a good one not far from us too, maybe I will have to twist his arm!
We went through to our rental house and took delivery of a new fridge freezer (we have a number of young professionals who rent room by room and they were struggling for fridge space, so hopefully now they will be all set up) we didnt have fish & chips, we settled for some sandwiches on a bench overlooking the sea, but I did have a naughty jam & cream scone. We didn't get finished till after 6pm so we called at a nice pub on the 2 hour drive home and had a nice meal, I was shattered when we got in though and went straight off to bed.
Still not got any decorating done, we have decided now that we are going to have some wall lights so we need to get an electrician to visit.
I also had a few bits ending on Ebay, a couple of them went for more than I was expecting, so put a little more into the savings which are coming along nicely.
Have anice couple of days x

sidneysmum

MissOptimistic - Thanks for posting. I just love a car boot sale. The one in our town centre can be very hit and miss. We have a better one nearby which i might give a try this weekend if the weather is still fine.
Rental houses are great.....as long as everything is going swimmingly. I have done very well so far but am anxious when a repair needs doing as i am not handy myself and always end up getting workmen out. However i do seem to have got a good band of people helping me out when needed. Have a good day x

I was off work yesterday, as i am today and decided to get up nice and early to make the most of the glorious weather. I went to the gym for when it opened at 7am and when i got back all my washing was hung on the line. Yesterday morning was spent doing lots of little jobs. Parcelled up a few ebay sales. I have got a lot of sales ending on Sunday so I am hoping for a marathon posting session next Monday. A lady came to collect an ebay sale from my home. It just feels brilliant to be getting rid of all this stuff I no longer use. She collected a casserole dish I have had for donkeys years and never used.
In the afternoon I went to see "The wolf of wall street". It was a long film, and very naughty, but enjoyable. After a quick tea i went out for a walk with my friend and we called at the local co-op and picked up a couple of bargain. I bought some reduced choritzo and some reduced stilton.
Anyway I hope everyone had a great moneysaving day.

sidneysmum

Took Gladys back for her MOT repairs this morning and whilst she was being attended to I went to the gym. Did my usual 60 minutes on the treadmill followed by a dance aerobics class. When i went to collect her I was very pleased to find that the bill was £72. In fact I was delighted. I now have the best part of 13 months on her MOT.
Went straight to Aldi and just bought a few basics - milk, cereal, yoghurt and carrots. Posted this weeks ebay sales then went home. The rest of the day has been very bitty. I did spend a couple of hours sorting through the garage. I put some items in the wheelie bin, some items in the back of Gladys for the tip tomorrow and some items i put in my front bedroom to add to the ebay pile. I have just pottered about a bit too, doing bits of jobs here and there.
Anyway I feel as though i am making a bit of progress with this decluttering and ebaying. Also the MOT is out of the way.
Anyway I hope everyone has had a great moneysaving day

sidneysmum

I have had a busy (and a bit stressful) couple of days getting my rental house ready for new tenants moving in today. Over the last week I have had to sort out - new UPVC front door, alteration to the rear french windows, new bedroom carpet, door shortening due to the new bedroom carpet, blocked grid and the gas safety certificate. And....I have tried to have a life in between !!
On Wednesday I went to the rental house first thing and did a few jobs. Next stop was the Post Office with my ebay sales. Then the tip !! I had a car load of junk from my garage which just needed getting rid of. I then went to the gym and did my 60 minutes on the treadmill followed by my new zumba class. When the post arrived, I found my water bill had arrived. It was the first of all the big bills I am expecting, so..........I paid it. It feels good to be paying thing outright and knowing i dont have to worry about them for 6/12 months. I prefer not to pay by direct debit as my income can fluctuate greatly and I just feel better knowing that my bills are out of the way. As the weather was so nice, I spent some time in the garden before going on a walk with my neighbour. We called at the co-op and i got a vegetable curry and some crumpets for pennies really. Very pleasing to get a bargain!
Yesterday I called at Sainsburys on my way to the gym at 7am. I have decided to try a few new types of tea. I bought some earl grey and some citrus grey. Luckily I had a gift card left over from Christmas so it was a no spend for me. I went to the gym and did my usual 60 minutes on the treadmill. I managed to do a bit of shopping- new bra, new black socks and some free leaves for the guinea pigs. I also got a huge bundle of reduced brocolli for 52p. I then had to spend a few hours at the rental house so missed dance aerobics. I decided to call at the discount bakery and bought 4 small egg custards for 50p and a huge bag of chocolate covered ricycles for £1.50. I am just fancying something sweet at the moment. At lunchtime I went out to the carvery with a friend. She is actually someone who i have met in the last 12 months and i feel so glad to have her as my friend. She is great fun. As she doesn't drive i dropped her off at home before coming home to find (for once) a nice letter behind the door - £25 premium bond win. Although its not much I was really happy to have it. I spent an hour yesterday afternoon altering my draft ebay listings to "real" listings. I have 75 items for sale!!! Half are due to end on Sunday and the other half the Sunday after. I deliberately did this as i am off work so I should be able to deal with the packing etc quite easily. At tea time i went to my very energetic zumba class which was great fun. I was due to go for a walk with my neighbour but she had a headache and decided not to bother. I was fine with that, it was nice to just get my pjs on and sit at the computer for an hour or so.
Anyway I hope everyone has had a great moneysaving day.:)

sidneysmum

I have had a good few days. Not done as much exercise as usual but will be back to it next week. On Friday I was up early as usual and made some broccoli soup which I intend to stir some reduced Stilton through when its ready to be eaten. Did some washing and took Sid out. Next did a fleet of jobs - petrol, Aldi and Asda. I just bought basics but did buy some more earl grey tea as it was greatly reduced in Asda. The afternoon was put to good use. I sorted my loft out. The only thing I need to do now is sell some of the extra loft boards I bought in error. I will probably sell them on Ebay. All the stuff in the loft (of which there isn't a lot) is packed away in plastic storage boxes. Its the most organised i have been in my life ! I had a little read of my book after doing the loft before going off to zumba at tea time. On my way back I collected my grandchildren. My grandson just loved all the bits and pieces i had bought him from the car boot sale last Sunday.
Yesterday we were up early and my work friend came to collect us all and we went to the seaside for the day. Unfortunately it was a bit cold so we spent a few hours in a brewers Fayre pub which had a fantastic kids play area. Had our lunch and just sat all afternoon nursing refillable hot drinks which cost £2.50. What a bargain ! Even though we didn't do much, we had a great day and it was just nice to do something different. Last night the kids went home and i just chilled out for an hour or so before bed.
Today I decided to skip the gym and do a bit of car booting. I visited a couple of sales. I didn't actually buy anything for my grandchildren but i bought a couple of vintage phones which I plan to resell on Ebay as I know i will make a killing with them. I did buy myself a lovely limited edition print which I have put on one side. If I feel like it later in the year, I am going to paint my stairs and landing, and the painting will be put up there. It was a bargain at £3.50. The frame was worth more ! I have just pottered about about today - reading, washing, dog walking, meter reading. This afternoon I sold a lot of items on Ebay and I have packed all those up which have been paid for. I intend to just chill out for the rest of today and pack up any remaining sold items which get paid for.
Anyway I hope everyone has had a great moneysaving day.

sidneysmum

The last couple of days have flown past. On Monday I went to the out of town gym at 7am and did my usual hour on the treadmill. Cam home and had a quick shower. I had about 30 parcels to send so I dropped them off at the Post Office with my instructions. I have come to a very nice arrangement with a local Postmaster. I go to the same gym as his wife and she arranged for me to drop my parcels off and just leave them (with some cash) and go and settle up another day. It saves me loads of time as I can go back at my leisure and no standing for an hour whilst the parcels are processed.
I did a few more draft listings then my friend came to pick me up as i had day surgery at the hospital. As I felt OK when I got home after my small shoulder operation, I just pottered about and had a short walk with my neighbour. My house insurance (both buildings and contents) arrived in the post so that's another bill to deal with.
Yesterday arrived and i felt great after my surgery. My shoulder is so rubbish on a daily basis that once I have had some treatment, I feel good for a time afterwards. I was up early and i took Sid a walk followed by a trip to the gym for my usual 60 minutes. I then took part in my dance aerobics class. I called at the post office before going home and dropped off 4 more parcels and settled up with the Postmaster. Its been a great arrangement which i intend to carry on with. After a quick shower I called to see a friend who lives very nearby and to see her new baby. He has been very poorly even though he is only 3 weeks old today. Thankfully he is OK now. When I got back home i decided to sort out my house insurance. My renewal quote was £236 which I thought was OK. I checked on MSE comparison and was offering a price of £168. I then rang my insurance company and told them. They decided to drop their original renewal price to £155. Dear God, its just a minefield. I got exactly the same cover for £80 less. Just goes to show. Anyway I renewed on the spot and paid my premium for the year. I have saved up so hard recently and hardly spent anything on myself so i could pay all my bills on the nose and not pay any interest.
At tea time i met my school teacher friend at the local carvery and we had a good catch up. Spent £6.50 . Came home and just chilled out.
I just hope that at some time in the not too distant future, I can afford to give up work completely. I just love being at home. However if i cant give it up, then working 2 days a week will be OK !!
I hope everyone has has a great moneysaving time.