Enjoying the journey - budgeting, saving and remaining credit card free

fedupandskint

Feeling quite bleurgh this afternoon with this awful chesty phlegm stuff, hoping to feel better over the weekend, will see otherwise it's off to the drs again next week.

A very busy day, finished work, got back to see the gutter cleaning guy who told me the wooden gutters were rotten. No surprise with how bunged up they were. So they need replacing. Not all bad news as the damp assessment showed the same result and replacing the gutters should solve the problem. The new door should solve the damp patch in the front room and it needs time to dry out. Also discovered a real fire or stove solves done of the condensation problem with the air exchange.

This leaves me thinking this also might be an option in my bedroom to solve that problem. Will see and make some enquiries after Christmas.

First priority us to get the gutters replaced and the flashing replaced on the roof and also check the roof slates. Then leave the plaster to dry out, then get the rooms replastered and decorated. In the meantime I might start decorating the living too and do that room first then upstairs and the stairs. So all's not lost just a change of plan.

Paid for the door, nice chat in the office there and will see them again next year. Hair cut nicely for crimbo. All budgeted for our of accounts then walked into town and bought the final 2 presents along with a little treat for me of some perfume I've been after when I discovered it at a decent price at last. Also bought some Christmas food and got a refund after a mix up over prices and totals whole I nearly wilted in there as I felt myself going downhill fast in the supermarket queues.

A quiet day at hme planned for tomorrow catching up again home with the usual cooking, cleaning and housework.

fedupandskint

Forgot to mention - Christmas food shop came out of Nectar points saved up all year - got almost everything apart from about £5 worth still to get - good going there!

fedupandskint

Feeling a little better today, plenty of vicks last night did the job! More bunged up today than phlegmy chesty cough which is better.

Well, decided I'd better ring the roofer today and see how much all the work will cost of new gutters front, back and extension, down pipes and roof slate repairs. Looks like it might get done before Christmas which is good if it does. Cost is more than I thought but as I'd factored in the estimated of damp proofing upstairs as one figure this is the actual work that needs doing and the total cost of this work plus plastering and redecoration should still come in around the same cost I originally estimated.

Will write some figures down for costs then see what else is needed for the remainder of the budgets.

Onto other more boring things next of cleaning to finish for today and then some ironing and cleaning the windows and doors outside as it's a lovely fine day here today!

fedupandskint

Banking checks done - all ok with no surprises which is always good.
A few jobs to do to do this morning then its off to visit family for the day.

One small sale yesterday on ebay and estimating around £30-35 to go into the loan settlement account once the fees and postage have been paid and everything has arrived safely.

A previous buyer has opened a dispute for an item that hasn't arrived and has started to get a bit narky about things after they opened a dispute. Looks like the only option is a refund which is a shame but not worth that much so a bit of a bonus then its off to appeal to the post office for a lost parcel once more - 2 in the last 12 months now.

Today is looking quite likely to be a NSD which is good! Enjoy the day everyone!

fedupandskint

A lovely day at home with the family today and updated then about my loan settlement plans - now I open up about the debt repayment plans to make it real and not keep it all inside like I used to do before all then changes took place

Anyway one spend to report - a sander on offer out of house decorating account which I wanted to get before the offer ended - a very good price.

Finalised Christmas food preps and only a couple of things left to get in this week.

Refunded to buyer for the item that has gone missing out of paypal account so that's their money going back to them. 3 items sold this weekend on ebay and will post these on Tuesday when all buyers have paid then that's it for this year on there. Me and mum devised a plan to sell some more things we have around the place to get new homes for and some funds into my loan settlement account. Anyway that's for Jan onwards along with house decorating plans to start off the New Year with.

So it is NSD 13 today and no clothes spend day 15

fedupandskint

NSD 14 here today although did buy some reduced salmon today while buying cheese selection for Christmas. A good fat massive side that I divided up into 4 huge pieces and 2 more normal size pieces for some easy teas once Christmas is over with.

Checked paypal balance and once final items have been posted and arrived there is £50 in there now fees and postage have been paid for so my VSP is now at £212 which I am very pleased with the total at this point.

Not much else to report from went to drs after work to have a chat about this chesty cold and see if my asthma is making it worse. Seems all I can do is what I am already doing and give it another week as its almost at 2 weeks now. Oh well, at least I'm doing the right thing despite feeling very up and down and taking my inhaler much more than usual which turns out to be needed. Hey ho, hoping to feel better this week.

Came home to find a charity bag which I have cathartically filled with items that no one wants on ebay for the last few months which makes life easier than lugging them to the charity shop at the weekend.

Jobs left for this evening are to parcel up ebay sales for tomorrow, mend a jumper and find something to wear tomorrow for work without ironing anything. Will do the ironing tomorrow as I really don't feel like it today.

Lastly, just deciding on whether to buy a wallpaper stripper now or later to use up my e-voucher or wait to see if it can be reduced later and use money from the decorating account, oh the glamour, oh the romance!

fedupandskint

A surprise tonight when I got back from worm to discover the work has started on the gutters. I had a feeling if might be today as it was a bright quiet day, hope it gets finished off tomorrow, or at least around the back then one big job is done before Christmas.

Busy night tonight, cooked tea for tomorrow, tidied up the dust and muck from the work outside that fell through the ceiling gaps and surely something else, made 3 lots of porridge for the rest of the week. Let's see what I come home to tomorrow or Thursday!

NSD 15 and no clothes spend day 17.

fedupandskint

Firstly what a mega boring day at work today was, thankfully early finish tomorrow. A NSD too of course and posted my freepost letter of to reclaim the lost parcel money.

Came home to find the gutters have been finished, all shiny replaced with heavy duty UPVC ones opposed to the wooden rotten ones that were on and I had no idea they were rotten, no wonder I have damp all over upstairs. Time now for that to dry out before replastering next summer. Pleased it went well and smoothly and got done before Christmas too.

What else? Root canal to finish off tomorrow, pay for work and catch up on some housework after the dentist and the ironing to take advantage of nit working late.

Then I will get round to wrapping the presents at the weekend and hope I have enough paper! I'll just give a bit more time for the final eBay sales to arrive before making the transfer into the settlement account.

Also big bag for charity collected today which has decal uttered and freed up more space in the spare room of doom!

fedupandskint

Finally the root canal is sorted out after 2 months and one week! Next time it the plan for a crown in 3mths time and check all is ok with the root. Hefty bill next time around so will have to devise a savings plan to save up for it.

Nice to not be working late tonight for once and tonight while I wait for the anaesthetic to wear off, I will do the ironing and maybe clean the bathroom, woo!

Anyway a NSD today making it NSD 17 and no clothes spend day 19

fedupandskint

Ironing done tonight after paid for the gutters and a long old chat with the man who replaced them. Got invited out for game of tennis - might take him up on this next year if I remember to! I'd love to play again. Anyway, happy with the price and I'll be even happier if the damp problem goes as a result

Next job is to price up a new fire, get some ideas for colour and wallpaper and then carpets then organise the work to be done for early spring time I think. Once Christmas is over with I'll make a start having a look around and budget for the costs.

Last day tomorrow at voluntary work placement where I've enjoyed working the for last 8 mths, have a card to take in to say thanks and goodbye. First though have another boring morning at work then it's the weekend!

Forgot to mention - set up ebay funds transfer to the loan settlement account so now I don't have to physically withdraw the money I can transfer form one account to another. The last lot of sales arrived in 1 and 2 days 2nd class - good going there! Loan settlement account now at £212 in the account. Along way to go but still £200+ is good going over the last couple of months. Hopefully that will keep going while I have a think about how setting a little business up to get a steady extra income in over the next year