Getting a Grip on 2013

poddle911

Cindy, that's so exciting! And your ideas sound lovely - exactly what I'd go for! I loved choosing my bathroom - we got a bargain suite and I bought all the tiles from eBay. Pale grey metro style for the walls and big dark grey tiles with a little bit of sparkle for the floor. It's still my favourite room

We'd love to move early next year, but no point looking until we've put our flat on the market - properties are selling within days, quite often before the open day, it's crazy!

Glad that Ryder gets his own room too

poddle911

And also, YAY PANTRY!

Cinny91

Thanks, Poddle! At least you won't need to worry about your place not selling in that kind of market Where is it you're wanting to move to? Or is it just to a bigger place?

Everything's coming on really well at the new place and we finally ordered the shower tonight so we're D-O-N-E with buying things. Phew Was fun, and it's all paid for but it's never nice to see money seemingly vanish New windows and doors went in yesterday too, so it's looking very swish!

Paid the credit card balance off this morning, and got a little notice to say we've earnt nearly £100 cashback since April, how sweet is that? We also had a letter through from BG to say we're due a free £12 cashback on our gas card for having both gas and electric with them, apparently the bonus is capped at £15 so I think we did quite well Money is ticking over nicely, everything works to the penny up until December 6th and then I need to adjust

Getting so excited for Christmas, almost there with our free £40 Morrisons voucher and OH is picking up a pre-order form for the turkey and all the other goodies this week for me to drop off when I do le shoppe on Saturday Officially having the day on our own so we plan to get drunk, walk Ryder and get lots of goodies in. Have OH's main present sorted (caved and gave him it early :cool:) But I have two side pressies and budgeted to buy him another 4 (his manly perfume, and some little 3 4 2 boots gifts) before Crimmus so he can feel a little spoilt/like I actually care for a day

Cinny91

Cannot believe it's Friday again!

Working out my budget for next month. I've budgeted £100 for London, another £100 towards the Christmas shop (£140 with our voucher) and £100 towards Boxing Day sale shopping. OH said he'll put money towards the sale shopping too. Even with all our bills and other expenses I'm hoping we'll have a couple hundred surplus to carry into the NY So we'll be heading into 2014 with no debts but the secured car loan, so while it isn't great to have £240 a month hanging over our head we know it'll never fluctuate and we're good for the money. In the NY we'll be getting a goal together to start clearing it, as so far we've only OP about £500 off it.

Work at the house has started speeding along. Me and my Dad agreed on a January moving date but it seems like since then everyone has really started pitching in, even my Gramps is coming to plaster some walls. I'm going there tomorrow to do some more painting after I've popped to Morrisons to do the shopping for my voucher! We actually don't need anything, we've been buying more than what we need to make up the money since we started so the freezers and cupboards are full but obviously we need them to be less full for filling with Christmas things! So I think we might get some house things to make up the difference. I really need to stop using the new house as an excuse to get new everything

My Sister leaves for America on Thursday, I actually can't believe it. We're having a family pub meal on Sunday, and she's over for tea on Tuesday. Will be seeing her Wednesday and while I can't go to the airport with her because of Ryder, I'll be popping across in the morning before she sets off to say bye. I know it's sad but I'm tempted to talk the day off work and spend it at the house, I think I'll be too tearful to come to work. I get so sad just thinking about it! She's made me this awesome picture frame, filled with pictures of me and her growing up. I'm too hormonal for this right now!

alioops78

Hi Cinny

Sounds like you've got some really good plans with everything and 'only' having the car loan is a great way to start the new year and knowing you it'll be gone in no time.

I know what you're going through with regards to saying goodbye to your sister. I moved to the UK 7 years ago, I was only meant to be here for a year but met my now husband 6 months in and the rest is history. Every day I miss her especially as I know she's going through a hard time now so just try to be as supportive as I can via messaging, skyping, etc.

I too get really teary thinking about leaving them all behind (Mum and Dad, Sister and her 3 kids not bother about the brother in law :rotfl:). Just remember that what you're going through your sister is going through it worse as she won't have any other family members around her (sorry if the thought upsets you), I have a very supportive group of friends and my in laws aren't too bad either but nothing replaces your own family and I'm going to stop before I get too upset :rotfl:.

Will only say if you need a chat pm me.

x

Cinny91

That's lovely Ali, thank you I am worried for her being homesick. She's super independent, and has always traveled around, but here has always been her touching ground and that's going to be the big difference. I can't imagine how difficult it must be, I'm trying my best to be supportive but in the end she is pretty alone in it, which isn't nice to think about She's a tough cookie, I know she'll be okay but I'm also thinking getting through the holidays will be the roughest part for her.

Had a lovely meal with the family yesterday, it's not often we're all together but it was great. Had the evening to ourselves so I mastered the ironing and watched some Christmas movies, because my heart says it's Christmas :rudolf:

Thinking I'll start a thread for the NY? Can't be getting a grip on 2013 forever! I've also borrowed a little money from my Grandparents to pay for the bigger improvements that need making on the house, but it's being paid by via paying a little extra rent. We're also planning on a trip to see my Sister in June so we need to save about 2k for that :eek:

Cinny91

Getting so obsessed with next months budgets, hard to guess everything with a break and it being the holidays. So I've seriously (or, at least I hope..) overestimated everything, still have some to carry over into January which is a bonus. Hard work starts again in January, while everything's set to a plan to pay my Grandparents back I'd rather have it saved up and ready as soon as possible. I managed to pull money together to pay the sofa off in a few months so it isn't impossible, I just need to behave

Found the most perfect wedding present for my Sister and her OH, this and these from the Disney shop in America. Just hope I can order and buy them on my card to be shipped to their address Only works out around £35 so way under budget. Might be cheeky and check back on Friday to see if there's any Black Fridayness going on

Can have another cheapy shopping week, my Grandparents are going to Morrisons today so I don't need to do a £40 shop as I can have their voucher. Hoping we can get away with spending £20 or less, which will balance out the £35 deposit I left on the Christmas shop preorder.

Taking tomorrow off work to spend with my Sister, she's staying over tonight too so I'll be sick of her by the time she leaves At the house for a few hours this afternoon, and OH is cooking tea. Everything (bar my Sister leaving) seems to be a little too perfect right now. Money is good, plans are coming together nicely, my hair is looking okay, I haven't wanted to kill my OH for at least two weeks. Something has to give!

alioops78

Homesickness sucks and I always get worse around this time of year and around birthdays too but the family is only a skype call away or a message so it's not too bad.

Love the wedding presents, there's also figurines called Disney Traditions that look fantastic which OH and I are addicted to now.

Spending all the time you can with your sis so you'll be sick of each other by the time she leaves is a great plan . then you just need to make sure that you get top ups every year or so.

I know what you mean about it seeming like something has to go wrong as we're now at the stage where everything is running too smoothly. I think we're all so used to having to struggle or contstantly rework things to make it happen that it's weird when everything works.

Great plans for everything.

Birdie85

Hope you have a lovely last sleepover with your sister! I'm sure she'll be just fine when she's away, the trick is just to keep positive and think about the awesome things she's up do rather than thinking about missing each other. Put some energy into making her wonderful care packages as no doubt there'll be loads of stuff she misses so you can be that awesome sister who sends her lovely treats and nice long letters complete with doodles and paw prints.

Great to hear everything is ticking along nicely otherwise. You've worked hard to get to this stage so don't question it, just enjoy it! I'm jealous of you feeling hair happy right now though, my mane has gone mental and I keep forgetting to sort out getting it cut!

Those gifts are very cute, I'm sure they'll be very well received!

Cinny91

Well, the thing that went wrong went wrong. Yay! We've had problems with our oven smoking all Summer, last night it was seriously bad. We had to have all the windows and doors open, up until then we'd assumed something had just dripped onto the bottom and was burning (despite me cleaning it near obsessively and using liners :A) so last night after it cooled down we pulled it out and there was a massive burnt hole. Taken pictures and I'm trying to sort it with the kitchen men as it doesn't sound too bad written down, but I'm surprised it hasn't started a full kitchen fire So we're currently ovenless. Just hoping we don't have to pay for anything, all our spare money is going onto the new house so things are pretty tight.

Had a lovely weekend though. Went shopping with my friend on Saturday, she was getting things together for a rescue dog she's after adopting (you can send in Christmas boxes ) so I bought stuff to make Ryder a Christmas stocking and hung it over his crate ready for Santa Treat myself to a couple things, that aren't even treats and things I needed. Like new socks and undies, but I bought cute ones so it counts as a treat! Yesterday I went and bought Christmas presents, for friends I didn't think of during last years Sale. I said to Rich that that's me done, and if there's anyone I've forgotten to buy for they obviously don't matter so aren't getting anything! Also got some dog treats for Ryder to give his doggy pals. Is it sad I'm planning on writing on them with odd backwards letters so it looks like he's done it?

Budget is almost set for next payday. Just a couple tweaks to do, and a final write up in neat hand writing Feeling like it's Christmas, and I shouldn't be tight, but equally I want to go into 2014 with a little money behind me and less stressed so something has to give.

Had a long think over the weekend of things I want vs need. I have so much I'd love to start saving for, but I need to focus on one thing at a time. I need to save around £250 by July for Freddie's MOT, there's £2,500 for a trip to America (could lower to £2,000 if we get a good deal and go earlier.) Would love a new car as ever but I'm thinking, we've got my little beater paid for and he runs fine. Going to get Ryder a proper clip for the back seat and not have him in the boot. So keeping Freddie in shape and getting to America are kind of paramount. We've got no goals set so far in terms of OH's car, but that's kind of his own project and he was getting all excited to pay it off yesterday saying how great it would be to just have his phone bill as personal bills each month