My 2020 Vision

XSpender

Electrician turned up and hour early this morning so it was a good job I decided to wash rather than shower before school!


I didn't need to bake after all as I managed to pick up some GF muffins for 35p in Mr T. It was a glitch I had seen on a FB page I go on. They are in date so I picked up 3 packets (6). I would struggle to make them for that price.


I have an interview for a job in a couple of weeks but it is at the other end of the country and will require an overnight stay at my own expense. I ummmed and ahhhed about it last night as it is going to cost the best part of £200 but I have a good chance of getting it I suppose as this is the final round of 3 interviews not including 2 on line assessments. DH is adamant I go for it.


I feel a bit at a loose end today as DS will be picked up by DFIL and is staying with them overnight/tomorrow. It's a bit silly really as there are lots of jobs I could be getting on with including a basket of ironing, I hate ironing.


DH and I are planning a bike ride tomorrow. I have been on my bike once since DS was born:o It is only a 10k route so I hopefully won't have a very sore bottom. :eek:


So, plans for today....

• Complete final assessment before interview
• Job search
• Dust and vac our bedroom and upstairs
• Vac living room
• Make chilli for tea - will see how far I can stretch so I can put a couple of lunch portions in freezer for DH
• Check I have everything for bacon and lentil slow cooker soup to set away in the morning for after our bike ride
• Possibly make ginger cake when oven is on for wedges tonight

Budgets still OK, even after yet another spend out of the food budget yesterday. Only £6 though. If we can keep things under control I will be able to add the whole of October's 52 week challenge amount (£170) to the Christmas pot by the end of the month. If we stick to our Christmas budget(looking good so far:cool:) I should have approximately £250 left in this account to go towards the 2nd mortgage offset ISA:)


Talking of the 2nd mortg, I received the settlement figure I ordered yesterday and my spreadsheet is on track (except for the £150 admin fee they add:mad:). After November's payments we will have under £10k owing and if I get a job soon we could have it cleared by the end of April.:) Then the OPs can start in earnest on the main mortgage.

XSpender

I've come on for a snoop around the threads as the book I am reading is annoying me. Why does he have to start so many paragraphs with 'Anyway,....' it's very irritating.:mad:


The external light fitted this morning is great and I can now see my way to the recycling bin and to open the garage door.:T


Had a good vac, dust and swish about throughout the house today but no chilli or cake made as DH turned his nose up at the thought of chilli so made AGCJ's Chicken in a creamy mustard sauce which was on the meal plan for today originally. We will have the chilli another day.


No job search done, nor did I attempt the assessment for the potential job. I will complete it Monday as I have plenty of time before the assessment day.


I have been mulling over starting a 100 day challenge on 21st October which will take me up to pay day at the end of Jan. I have been inspired by reading Hbbb's thread from the beginning and the 100 day challenges she does.


I do have goals I want to achieve but no real action plan and so many of my financial goals will change dramatically if I get a job so I need to focus on the smaller things such as preparing to go back to work as I want to be much more organised at home.


I am looking forward to my bike ride with DH tomorrow and to the lentil and bacon soup with cheese scones I am making to scoff when we get back.:)

gallygirl

XSpender wrote: »

I've come on for a snoop around the threads as the book I am reading is annoying me. Why does he have to start so many paragraphs with 'Anyway,....' it's very irritating.:mad:

Ditch it. Life's too short to be annoyed by a book. I literally ditched 'We Need To Talk About Kevin' into a rubbish bag on a plane. I wished the son had turned the gun on his mother as well as his classmates then there would have been no book :rotfl:. Chucked it out rather than donate to charity shop and have someone else suffer .

I 'ditched' Moby !!!!!! off the Kindle as well. Decided unless the next chapter said 'The whale came. Sunk the boat. They're all dead' I would stop reading it. It didn't so I did .

XSpender

I think I just might GG. I normally inhale a book but this has been on the go for days. A quick flick to the back to find out the end and then back in the bag for the library:)

XSpender

Drizzly here this morning but mild. We have had to turn the heating back off again this weekend. It was only coming on for a short while in the morning but even that was too much by the end of the week. The fire has been on for an hour or so on the odd evening .


We really enjoyed our bike ride along the river on Saturday. It is usually busy with walkers, dogs and cyclists but was surprisingly quiet and the sun was shining:) Yesterday we went for a long woodland walk with DS. I could tell I had been exercising last night, I was shattered.


We popped into Mr T after using a voucher for DH's diesel and ended up spending £80 on clothes for DS. He is having a growth spurt at the moment, I am going to have to let down his school trousers already! DH cleared out his wardrobe and we now have 5 bin liners of clothes to go to the cash for clothes chappie.


It is sad to see some of it go for so little as it is expensive stuff in really good nick bought my DMIL but I hate the bay of e and nothing seems to be selling on our local kids specific FB page. Some of it I have held on to for a couple of years intending to sell it and never have so will cut my losses and take pleasure in decluttering:)


I also bought some 'interview shoes' and a Christmas gift. I had a voucher for £4 which didn't make a huge dint in the total:o Coming home and ordering a Christmas toy and some wellies for DS as they didn't have his size in store made it a super spend day:eek:


DS has his first swimming lesson tonight after school so I need to get organised today so I can feed him early then DH and I something quick later on.


Plans for today:

• Strip beds, wash and remake
• Vaccum downstairs
• Mop kitchen floor
• Complete online assessment
• Bags to clothes for cash
• Job search
• A little bit of ironing if I have time and cant come up with a good enough excuse not to do it;)

XSpender

A measly £8 earned selling all those clothes:eek: I made myself feel a bit better by adding it to my little mortgage pot on line and then rounding it up to £20 and popping it in the ISA. Under £8k needed to clear the 2nd mortgage now. The first step in our plan.


This is the first little OP I have made in ages and it has motivated me to finally go and pay in the bags of change I have and cash in the euros I have lying around.


It nearly went in the campervan fund as we test drove one we spotted on Saturday. This one wasn't right for us and was way over priced but DH is now re-enthused (is that a word?) about getting one as we have found a type we both like. Not an original 70's westfalia which is my dream but a good compromise. Just need to get a job, clear the 2nd mortgage and save up again.:)


I best get my rear into gear or I will have got nothing done today!

XSpender

I seem to have spent a little bit of money every day this week:mad: I have had to go into Mr T to pick up prescriptions and some wellies I ordered for DS and have spent on bits and bobs like vests and slippers for DS but other bits like sweeties were just naughty.


I have received a refund for part of the cost of a flight I took in May. I was going to OP it but have decided to put it towards my trip to London as I have only paid for the train so far, there are lots of activities planned and it's only 5 weeks away!


Plans for today are:

• Submit closing meter reads to new supplier
• Ring old supplier, submit readings again and see if any credit due back (not expecting any) or if there will be a balance to clear (hope not)
• Dye my hair:o
• Mop kitchen floor
• Think about baking a cake
• Job search:(

The job search is getting me down a bit, I am finding the wait between submission of CV/screening calls by agent to being invited to interview or knock back frustrating. I haven't actually had any thanks, but no thanks yet.


I am also winding myself up by putting proposed salary into next years budgets and getting excited by the size of the OPs and savings. DH is keen to save all my salary as am I so we will hopefully avoid the dreaded lifestyle inflation:eek: I just need to get a job now:(

XSpender

I seemed to spend all day yesterday driving about running errands so didn't achieve anything on my list yesterday so have carried out all over to today. Not sure I will manage the floor though as DH moved stuff in the garage to get out bikes out on Sunday and I cant find the squeezer bit of the mop bucket. It will end up being a hands and knees job for Friday:eek:


I am pulling together my 100 days challenge ready to start 21st October. Need to clarify a couple more of the goals and I will be ready to go.


Leaving the house in half an hour to go into the city to get my hair cut. I really should have stuck the dye on last night but didn't get round to it. My plan is to go in, get hair cut and come home. Its too miserable and wet to be wandering around and there is nothing I need.


DH is at a meeting today and back late so I am planning to make chicken curry ready to warm up and attempt egg fried rice for the first time. The cake is getting made this afternoon, Victoria sandwich with buttercream and jam:D

XSpender

I am having a lovely chilled out morning, well, as best as you can with a 4.5 year old in the house, as all my 'work' was done yesterday.


I was shattered last night after spending the whole day cleaning, tidying, sorting out cupboards and baking. Everything is done now though except ironing which DH will tackle sometime this weekend. I also spent a couple of hours preparing for my interview next week.


We are taking the dog out for a long walk this afternoon and DS is visiting DMIL tomorrow afternoon so DH and I can join a free guided walk around the grounds of our favourite National Trust property. There may be enough money left in the fun budget for lunch too;)


I received more JSA than expected so have sent the extra plus some STC and a TT from rounding down the account over to the ISA. Total sent this week is £55:)


Budgets are looking OK helped by the fact that I did not need to do the usual weekly shop this week as we only needed milk.:D


We have decided to get a quote for replacing the patio doors as we didn't have them done last year when we had the windows and front door done as it was another £900. They are not very secure, a bit drafty and look scruffy. This will be the last major spend on this house, except maintenance and paint, before we move in 4ish years. I will have to learn to live with our annoying wardrobes.

XSpender

Lovely weather this weekend if a little windy. 2 hour walk yesterday with DS and the dog and a walk today for DH and I. We had a guided tour of our favourite NT property grounds. With DS being only 4 we tend to walk on the lower paths but the walk took us up the top end of the estate where they have done so much since we walked up there last. We found a new play area, picnic areas and paths so will be exploring this in the next couple of weeks.


We also discovered that the property is remaining open at weekends all winter:j(it normally closes Nov-Mar) so we can enjoy it for even longer.


Nothing to TT today but Child ben goes in tomorrow so will see if there are any odd pennies to move across.


DH surprised me today as he said that when I have secured a job he wants us to sit down and work out exactly what we are doing with my salary as he is keen to save it all:T This is the first time DH has volunteered to get really involved in our budgets/financial plans so I am chuffed to bits. Just need the job now!