A Budgeteers Continued Quest to be Debt Free & Mortgage Free By 40

DedicatedDFW

Well i've got a bit of a list going again - i don't know why but my attempts to simplify things always result in long lists :think: :rotfl::rotfl:

I am so glad i did some cooking today - it is smelling delicious - but i am happy i did it because i enjoy cooking and baking - not when i'm totally exhausted had a long hard day and then have to cook to eat but when i have a bit of energy and can throw the ingredients together I am happy too that it has used up a few bits of ingredients that were hanging around and that just by doing it i have been reminded how straightforward it is and this has encouraged me to start cooking some more. I had planned lots of batch cooking this summer but the freezer is groaning at the moment Hopefully i'll be able to cram a few portions of cooked goodness in there As i said last week - the day just seems nicer with a bit of cooking / baking thrown in I'll just need to make sure i make the time for this from now on. Today, for example, i hadn't slept well and had a big demand on my time this morning. I still cleaned the whole house, packed and posted all bay of e stuff, washed pots, moved pots and did the same again, went shopping put all shopping away and though i just wanted to sit down i just started chopping the ingredients and i was re-energized :T So i should just try and get on with it in future - even if i'm not in the mood for it

I was just too tired to try anything on after my shower so instead came up with my to do list - quite daunted by the number of hours on the revision :eek: and am wondering how many hours i'll realistically have to myself this weekend anyway.

Now i'm going to relax and have tea

jwil

Hey DDFW :wave: I'm back

You are still as busy as ever I see! Yum to all the baking, send me a cake my way please

Well done on all the listings and sales, you are doing so well

DedicatedDFW

jwil wrote: »

Hey DDFW :wave: I'm back

You are still as busy as ever I see! Yum to all the baking, send me a cake my way please

Well done on all the listings and sales, you are doing so well

Jwiillll!!!!! Lovely to have you back cake duly posted

Aw thanks hon - i am just plodding to be honest - sales were re-lists at lower prices as failing selling on bay of e for 99p they'll be on my carboot and lucky to get a £1 - not that the items aren't worth that but i think its just the nature of a carboot when its not something you do on a regular basis

Hope all is good for you jwil - i will pop over to your thread in a bit hopefully - i'm trying to post on here / do something / read on here / do something :cool:

DedicatedDFW

Where to begin ? I am, unfortunately, shattered I have, however been for a run today :T It was brilliant - not the run itself which was hard work and slow :rotfl: but the being outdoors, getting a bit of headspace, reminding my body what it can do - the finish was very good too i was so pleased with myself and did have a burst of energy afterwards too

I tried all of the clothes on that i needed to - i have got rid of some lovely things recently - including my favourite dress :eek: (its pointless keeping it when there is rarely an occasion i can wear it) But i was pleased my bargains really were gorgeous - need to lose a bit of weight to fasten 1 up mind but hopefully that will happen for me

I accidentally left out some minced lamb yesterday :eek: It was when i was putting the shopping away and re-organising my over-full freezer Instead of throwing it away :eek::eek::eek: I made a shepherds pie with it today and froze it :T (well half a pie - will do the mashed top bit when we're going to eat it ) I also baked the cake :j It was harder work than i thought - mixing always makes my arm hurt But it is happily cooling on a wire rack right now

I am hoping i am improving in my spendy ways - for the event i am going to (got the new dress for it) i saw the perfect shoes to go with my dress - lovely simple and same colour and in the sale... and i left them in the shop :T I can make do with some i have already as i don't need to try and be perfect. I know the other girls have all had their hair done, facials, eyebrows, manicure, pedicure (which i think they have done all the time anyway) and a false tan - as i was asked if i wanted to book too - i'd love a bit of colour but can't justify the money for 1 day. I imagine they'll all have beautiful new outfits too if past outings are anything to go by - but it is all relative - they / their partners earn significantly more than me and if i could have regular treatments - especially pedicures i would. I am pleased i can go out and have just as good a time in my £8 dress, shoes, bag etc. etc. already had for some years. So i still feel i am being quite frugal i don't want to not have fun thing in my life just because they cost money but what i can do is set a budget that is reasonable and realistic for me and enjoy myself just the same

In past years i'd have *had* to have had the shoes and then the right bag and so on so i am happier i have become a bit more relaxed about this

DedicatedDFW

Mmm had tea and also decided on the section to declutter - the shoes - went through them and although there is maybe 1 pair i'd part with i'll still wear them -its not worth the £1 or 2 i'd get at the carboot and also not worth listing them on bay of e due to postage costs.

Following the declutter i checked my money situation :eek: Hopefully without any extra costs i'll have paid £100 off overdraft before next payday i really need to think about the extra money i need to raise too for all the events coming up. Now wish i'd sorted some clothes out instead as they i could at least list those humph! Isn't that the way

jwil

Sounds like you've had another busy day Well done on the run, and yay to cake!

It is sod's law about the shoes isn't it. Hope you manage to find stuff to sell soon.

DedicatedDFW

jwil wrote: »

Sounds like you've had another busy day Well done on the run, and yay to cake!

It is sod's law about the shoes isn't it. Hope you manage to find stuff to sell soon.

Aw Thanks jwil I am soo proud of the cake - it smells and looks amazing :T

DedicatedDFW

Well i have had a long hard day and don't feel like i've achieved much at all! I am completely shattered though and so have to shelve the studying :eek: *eep* so, so much to do for that but pointless when i'm feeling this rubbish Forced myself to get the washing done so at least that won't need doing tomorrow - so am staying up until thats done and then i'm off to bed - as my Mr commented i am just all about the rock and roll :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Moneywise i returned an item today thus saving £3 :T

Hope all are well and i *will* try and catch up tomorrow but i am really tired xx

PositiveBalance

Hi Dedicated!

I refuse to believe you have had a bad day...you're version of a bad day is still 10x more productive than mine!

Still, as I keep saying to you, GET SOME REST! There's no point rushing to the graveyard before the rest of us...xxx

DedicatedDFW

Well the washing is still being done :eek: I did have 3 loads to do and what i really didn't want was to have spent from wednesday up to and including sunday doing cleaning of one form or another - so a later night than i had hoped for appears to be the order of things. Still, this gives me a chance to post a bit of an update

Over the next few weeks i am really going to try and focus on reducing the food budget - this has improved over the last couple of weeks and as both myself and my mr are trying to be a bit more health conscious and eat better foods - fruit not crisps etc. then at the mo. i feel i am doing quite well as eating healthily seems to be the expensive option. Anywho's i've really enjoyed the cooking and baking that i've been doing and am going to aim to start cooking at least once a week - using up freezer stuff like meat / fish /veg - hopefully this will have an impact on the food bill too although i won't have all the ingredients in for each recipe so there will still be things to buy.

I am desperate to pay off this last amount of debt and then i can seriously focus on the mortgage - i have sold so many things that i wanted to keep and am struggling to find new things to part with now :eek: Although i enquired about overtime at work there does not seem to be any available still so that moneymaking idea has not worked out as i'd hoped. I've not found any MS jobs for months and to be honest am getting frustrated with the amount of time i am spending searching and given up on this too Well that all sounds a bit negative doesn't it ? So, the positives are - i have paid back the money i owed. From the overdraft i'd partly re-paid i also used the money for car repairs. I am not quite back to square one as the money i owed has been repaid and that is a good thing. Down to just the 2 overdrafts outstanding.

I have looked at the days i need to travel into work next month and worked out the cheapest way to get my tickets for this - thus saving money

What i really want to do is get this house in a bit of order - move those 1 or 2 things that are left out and make the place look untidy, deep clean, declutter so items aren't left out as they'll have their home to be put easily away into. At the moment, i am virtually lay down and still have the 3rd lot of washing on the go :eek: I am shattered but when i am well enough to tackle these things i really want to make and see a difference. Every time 1 thing is moved its an improvement and that is good to see

I have poured myself a beer :beer: Why oh why is there still at least an hour to go on the washing? i have not stopped all day and in fact have had to point out to 1 or 2 people that the weekend is also 'me' time to do what i want/need to do - not for them to be trying to get me to do the things they want me to do - they were a bit surprised about this but it needed saying. I'm not talking about someone wanting me to go on a lovely day out with them or anything like that but more like trying to structure my day as to how it suits them - or assuming because i am home that means i am not doing anything so why not come and visit for several hours unannounced :mad: especially :mad: and with reference to the bits of things making the place look super untidy

Oops bit of a rant there oh well :rotfl: