Go Lily Go - Paying off the mortgage

lilyp

Ranting at BF about Royal Mails new prices whilst trying to Ebay list. He looks a bit harassed so I hope you don't mind if I vent on here:D

I really do seem to be missing something here. Its like RM are being run by a mad man. Surely in the event of the email era it is small parcels that have saved RMs business? Surely it is the average Lily who just wants to sell a few items on line for a few extra pennies, who cannot be bothered to seek out couriers so pops down to her local postie and sends her parcels and buys stamps and milk at the same time who has been their core customer?? I always thought I was a valued customer (despite grumpy PO lady) but as my business has been forced elsewhere I was obviously wrong.
Nearly every single parcel I send used to cost £2.20. I could charge £2.50 to cover a bit of packaging and everyone was happy. Because my parcels will now cost £5.60!!!!!! to post I have to change to My Hermes but they charge £3 so I have to charge £3.50 (a bit for packaging, a bit for increased paypal fees).
The whole thing is crazy. RM are going to lose 50% of their customers over night, we are all going to be paying a lot more to have things posted and sellers are going to be losing more to paypal. Everyone loses. Everyone. Apart from possibly the retailer on the high street because for the first time it is actually cheaper to park in town than order online.:mad:

Rant over. Feel better now

lilyp

Morning everyone - :easter:

Have decided I like the idea of the Tilly Tidy concept but as I get paper bank statements after 20 transactions is probably best not to do it every day. So I have decided to round up the savings pot to the nearest £50 at the end of the month. A reverse TT I guess. Or a Lily Tidy perhaps?:)

£16.64 sent in today bringing the savings pot to a nice £2050:j

lilyp

Have just thrown caution to the wind and increased our mortgage payments by £100. Mortgage 1s payment is around £370 a month but it is actually in my Dads name and he forces us to op £50 extra. This was a pain in the neck during the financial woes of the last few years but I am grateful to him now as it means the mortgage is less than it would have been. He keeps all the extra dosh in an account and ops once a year so if we really get stuck I can beg for it back. I would rather keep the extra and earn interest on it but the temptation to spend it is probably more than interest rates right now and if it means Dad thinks his financial failure of a daughter is learning something then so be it :rotfl:

I am really hoping BF gets his promotion (and not the redundancy which is the only other option) otherwise plans will have to change drastically.

lilyp

Evening everyone,

Hope everyone has had a good Easter. I have barely left the house which has been lovely.

Listed a load more stuff on Ebay. There is much excitement in our household as we can now get all the way to the back of the garage without needing to climb over a mountain of boxes. BF is so pleased with me for beginning to seriously declutter and has stopped threatening to put me forward for that Hoarders programme. I am loving the extra pennies so win win :beer:

Have told Dad about the extra £100 a month coming his way and he sounded pleased with me. I must show him my spreadsheets some time. He will be amazed.

Making a list of what I can do this April to make some money:

• Cash in surprise cheque from solicitor £77
• Hound Southern Electric about refund cheque £50
• Monthly payment of £200 into pot
• Still lots to Ebay
• Get a bit of extra cash for working last Friday and tomorrow.
• Still waiting for £40 ebay payments
• Hopefully get a bit of overtime at work
• Write to taxman about uniform allowance

Fingers crossed that lot gets me to at least £500

lilyp

An easy NSD at work today. Have now worked both Friday and Monday Bank hols which works out about £50 extra which can go to the pot. Latest Ebay stuff not doing so well although I seem to have reached £40 and still £40 left from last months non payers if they ever cough up.

Starting to think about what I am going to do to raise money once ive decluttered. I really don't go in for the surveys and comps way of thinking - I just get confused by the sites and fed up. I would rather use my time to set up a very mini business but I don't know what yet. Ebay seems an obvious idea but I have no idea what I would sell. Might be better to quickly learn a skill... hmmm will have to brainstorm a bit harder.

lilyp

Asked my Dad to check if Barclays (the evil empire that control mortgage 1) calculate interest daily and it turns out they do. Dad wont increase monthly dd :mad: but has agreed to op the extra every 3 months and I will be able to add to those payments.:j Feels like I am getting somewhere with this now.

A NSD work day and some Ebay hiccups.

BF has discovered he has gained weight and we have both vowed to do some exercise and stop eating the junk. 3 months no smoking now so about time we break the bad habits we replaced it with.

HelenDaveKids

I love decluttering onto ebay too but only selling small amounts and made a whopping £3 this week but hey ho! Hope you do better than me! MY dh is fed up of utility looking like a charity shop so next FLW going to put stupid sell me prices.

lilyp

Hi HDK

Yep not doing much at all at the moment. Fingers crossed a fresh batch of freezing weather send everyone indoors and online:)

I have had another clear out this morning and found a few more things to list. We have lots more junk in the garage but I wont go in there without BF as it is like a scene from Arachnophobia. Im not scared of spiders usually but some monsters seem to have made it their home and bred at an alarming rate. BF is given the job of rummaging and I stand helpfully outside giving instructions:D

lilyp

Spent a tenner at Tescos getting dinner and then BF came home and requested Chinese. He paid for once which was nice.

I have also been a proper grown up and got us some RAC membership. My mum was illegally still adding me to hers from when I lived with her about 10 years ago but now we are back on our feet we can buy our own. Went through Quidco although I cant see it as being tracked. Still at least I tried.:T

andrea_louise

Hi Lily, re quidco, if it does not track, chase it up via the support inbox. Well done you! And the tenner you spent on dinner, means you can use it tonight! :-)