Over the Rainbow and Happy Ever After

castlelough

Hi DreamerHelen! Thanks for your kind words of encouragement! I am chuffed that anyone would find my journey inspiring, so thank you for that!

And HOK your post made me giggle! Thanks for all the cheers and the bouncy men! You'll be posting your own bouncy men soon, if you keep up the hard work!

I must say that MSE has played such a huge part in getting me this far. It has been motivational to update my signature each fortnight, as I shaved a bit more off my debts. And reading about other people's journeys and sacrifices, their scrimping and saving has encouraged me to try to stick carefully to my budget.
This in turn has helped my DH as well, to focus on what we want to achieve. I won't say he made sacrifices like I did spending-wise, but unfortunately most of the debt was mine - not his! And unfortunately I was a spendthrift, and he wasn't! Now what I am left with L1 and L2 are both loans that I borrowed to put into the build, so I don't feel as 'guilty' about them as I did about the OD and the CC.

castlelough

I just want to do a little post to keep track of my tax refund and what I did with it all!

So I received €2299.29

To date this is what it has been spent on:

€617.87.......................Cleared my credit card at last! :j
€116.00.......................Paid ESB bill. We should have but we hadn't budgetted for it.
€500.00.......................Registered my horse to run on the track!
€100.00.......................Auctioneer fee for house valuation (mortgage)
€400.00.......................Engineeer fee (mortgage/house build -reduced that bill)
€233.00.......................Flights to London for Cheltenham weekend! :T
€150...........................Gynaecologist appointment

---

€1966.87......................Total spent so far

€182.42........................Remaining balance

I am strongly tempted to go to town and buy some new clothes for DH and I - we are going around in rags.

And for the first time ever DH has more clothes in the wardrobe than I do! I have been weeding out the items that I absolutely despise.
You know: the ones that you grab in a hurry in the morning, and have to wear because there IS nothing else? The ones that have gone out of shape, shrunk, you got too fat for, they've gone bobbly, you've worn the hell out of them for 5+ years, there is a hole under the arm....those clothes have gradually been getting their final wear and have been washed and placed in the charity bag.
But the wardrobe is looking sparse as winter approaches. I could do with some trousers or skirts, and some tops and jumpers. I resolve to ignore the lure of the Joules website....:A
It is DH's birthday tomorrow, so I am going to head into town and pick up some cake, and buy him something. The flights to London don't seem to be enough now...

It's been a lovely sunny morning. I did some pottering in my container garden, transplanted some strawberry runners. I hope it did it right. I probably should have looked it up properly, but I just snipped them and planted them in new containers....does anybody know if that will work? The two raspberry plants that I picked up in Aldi a few weeks ago are flourishing! I wasn't sure they'd survive, they looked miserable - but at €1.69 each I thought I would risk it! Must find time this weeked to dig up the potatoes and onions I planted down at the site!
Wishing you all a lovely MSE weekend!
Castle

beanielou

I think the flights to London are more than enough TBH.

clearmydebts

That's fabulous news about the mortgage CL. Am thrilled for you

cazmanian_minx

Try eBay for Joules? I'm too tight to pay £40-50 for a polo shirt, but don't mind paying £7-ish for a slightly used one.

EchoDelta

Hi Castlelough, just discovered your diary. You're doing so well! Hope that you have had a good weekend.

castlelough

Hi Echo Delta! Nice to see you here! Thanks for the encouragement! Thanks for stopping by clearmydebts.

Beanielou I should have taken your advice! I spent €140 in a men's shop in town on a jumper and a shirt for DH. I usually buy him Tommy Hilfiger, but I went for a cheaper generic brand - and DH was disgusted! The spoilt brat! I was so mad! So they are going to be returned and DH can sing dixie for being so ungrateful. There are plenty of other things we need the money for!

Anyway, a no-spend day today. We had a lovely dinner in DMil's house. DH's aunt cooked. It was a lovely treat to come home from work and not have to cook or clear up. I really, really look forward to having a dishwasher in our new house. It's a job I detest, and DH rarely does it. As well as farming and a little bit of plumbing he works nights (he leases a pub, so works most nights there) and goes off shortly after dinner, and then I get stuck in... He is hoping to give up the pub after Christmas. I so hope that he will; it is a bit lonely here at night by myself.

As soon as we move into our own house DH says I can get a dog! And that I really look forward to! :j
On the equine front it looks like my little horse may take to the track for the first time next week!!! All going well on the gallops tomorrow... I'll be at work, but DH is going to see how he goes!

Cazmanian Minx I'm not that mad on the Joules polo tees but I do love their dresses and skirts! I don't find the t-shirts keep their shape that well (or else, I got fat...:o) I did buy a tee before on ebay and it shrank, but I bought a lovely Joules skirt on ebay that I've worn lots!

beanielou

:eek: is all.

castlelough

Um....I forgot to mention that I went clothes shopping yesterday evening.....in Dunnes Stores (an Irish chain). I spent a LOT.

I spent €270. :eek:

But I don't regret it. It is a relief!

For the first morning in weeks I got up and had something to put on that I felt good in. I shopped in outfits. Have never done that before! In the good old days I would have bought 4-5 expensive items for that kind of money.

Yesterday I didn't spend more than €30 (1 item) on any item. I got 3 pairs of trousers @€20 each (same pair in three colours) and I bought vest tops, tops, jumpers to keep me warm at school, tops for wearing out - casual, and smart - a skirt, and leggings.
The quality is reasonable - better than Primark or Tesco - and I should be sorted for the foreseeable future!

<whispers> I paid with my credit card....now I'm going to shuffle off with my tail between my legs to rejig my budget.

castlelough

Well, I returned the clothes I bought DH for his birthday and had the €140 credited back to my account. I had loaned him €100 last week, so I told him to hang onto that instead.

So... I am going to lodge that off the credit card for my recent clothes shopping splurge, which brings the balance down to €127 now. And I will chip away at that over the next month or so.

I need to renew my car insurance in the next few days, and I am determined to knock something off the initial renewal quote given me by my current insurers.

My piano lessons start up again tomorrow and I have budgetted to pay the teacher in three instalments, starting with a large lump of €150/€330. That is for 15 lessons. I really enjoy this luxury. I just dream of actually owning a piano - I'm using a borrowed keyboard at the moment.

I have to have a stern chat with myself about getting back to regularly exercising again. Am going to weigh myself in the morning and see what damage I've managed to do over the last couple months .

Last little bit of news. It looks as if my horse may run his first race at the track next Tuesday! Fingers crossed! That would be so exciting! :j