The march to financial freedom

Ali-OK

Thank you and for the PMs, the support here is keeping me popping in, though haven't posted for a few days.

It's been busy - the office is almost ready to work from and I'll be finalising bits tomorrow before my first client meeting in there on Tuesday. :j

It's been costly - bits and pieces for the office have crept in, but nothing non-essential and made a few MSE choices like taking my uplighter/reading lamp from home that is never used instead of buying a new desk lamp.

It's been frustrating - an order of stuff for the office has been lost, but according to the delivery company, they left a card then 4 mins later someone (unknown to all) signed for it...so a re-order yet to arrive and a refund to come that I expect will need chasing.

It's also been productive - whilst the plumber came out with new taps, they weren't an exact match so we agreed I'd buy and supply. Then friend who moved the sofa into the office yesterday said he'd it them - so will push all that into September. And all he would like in repayment is a roast dinner. Deal!

Financials:
- bank account still being checked daily
- freepostcodelottery still being checked daily
- Nectar Adpoints all done to date - only 55 points this week
- Nectar Search - am up to 58/100
- Canvass has left my mind completely
- Nectar card is at £79.26 (still)
- Inbox Pounds has climbed a tad to £11.41
- Qmee - sits at 22p in the pot

I've had an 18 month 0% BT offer through (3% fee) with one of my empty cards and I am seriously thinking about using it for the final £2,600. Only to reduce the worry that if I need to use more of my emergency fund to support the business during these first few months with the added overheads I can do so without stressing about making payments of £540 to the CC until January. It will cost £76 in fees (or less as it's available until after my Sept payment to current CC). I'm going to think some more on this, but September is going to be a tight month - my use and pay off CC bill is higher than normal and though business is very good, with the set up costs factored in, there's not much to spare.

I took advice from another MSEr and have sourced a smartphone pay monthly capped deal for DS at £7.50 a month with T3sco mobile after the fruit provider debacle. I added another phone for me - same package - as I'm spending more than that on my personal PAYG, so makes sense. DS got a lovely memorable number, typically I got a carp one :rotfl: Might have to swap them round sshhh :rotfl:

I'm off tomorrow and back to client facing on Tuesday, so DS and I are heading to town to get his school stuff - could be expensive with Clark's shoes on the list, plus his eye sight test.

My health has improved day by day and the butterflies aren't emerging when I think of driving, however I've only been doing local journeys, so I need to do a run down the bypass just to get back onto fast roads.

We've had an invite to a freebie day out in September which is right up DS's street and we're looking forward to that.

Sure there's more but that's all I can remember for now! Ooh yes, solar panels - this £100 Government deal where I would own the panels but they'd get the unused feed in tarriff money to pay for them...am looking into that one. Unit price for units used at night is 15p though - 4p dearer than current supplier. Lots to consider.

Hope everyone has been happily MSEing and after a mammoth post I'm hitting bed No problem sleeping at all!

in_need_of_direction

Glad to hear things are on the up. Will there be a grand opening on Tuesday?

Ali-OK

Thanks INOD.

Not sure about a grand opening - more a few of the other business people gathering in my office for a welcome cup of tea or coffee . Popping down there again shortly with more little bits and pieces!

Ali-OK

An early evening update as I'm pooped and dinner has another 10 mins to go - some YS braising steak in gravy with veg.

Office all ready and I'm set for tomorrow. So busy with emails and prep too, so that was this morning gone.

Town with DS this afternoon and a spend I haven't yet totalled up :eek: Suffice to say, his feet have grown so that was new shoes and trainers, plus school bag and stationery. Just another shirt to get. Plus £3 on parking. Oh his sight test revealed he needed glasses again for schoolwork etc, and did I get a dirty look when I asked about NHS frames :eek: They don't even have them on display, so out came under counter boxes with them in - he was happy with a pair of those and they are free

Had my vision checked - the change made last month was too much so they've reduced it down and I need to order new contact lenses again :mad: Different optician this time, not really happy about this but may well have been influenced by the stress that causes pressure behind the eyeball and therefore the exact vision issues I've been having. Still, sight is mega-important so has to be sorted. They've also increased my reading glasses but will buy some cheap shop ones for a few quid somewhere. Any recommendations?

Got my lavender wheat microwaveable neck thing for £3.50 from Wilkos online and that had arrived in store whilst we were in town, so picked that up.

Apart from freepostcodelottery and bank account checks, nothing else done on financials yet today. May do them later but don't feel too well tonight, so nice relaxing evening infront of me and an early night.

Have taken the meter readings as the electricity supplier has found the issue with my online account (can't manage it online!) so they want updated reading. We're up slightly on electric use (no surprise) but still within what we've paid to date. Gas is mega low as expected this time of year.

Thinks that's all for today. Hope everyone has had a good day. Doesn't feel like a Monday, just been so busy it feels like a mad day everyday still. Oh for it all to calm down.

millionaire_in_training

Aww Ali poor you. Just caught up on all your goings on. Hope you get all this sorted. Who'd be a woman !!

in_need_of_direction

Best of luck for today.

Igamogam

Hope all is well with new office and wotnot

Solar panels: I would be interested in what you are being offered in the deal - we have solar panels ( third year now) decided not to go with any Gov deal as they where not worth it in the end..............

Reading glasses: my optician happens to be a very good friend of mine and when it came to the time to start using them ( as he said 'Ah arms too short now!') he said cheap glasses are all well and good but they are cheap for a reason .............always make sure that they have the kite standard mark was his advice.

supersaver1000

You could try this site Foster Grants

I need to get some too so any ideas welcome.

Ali-OK

Evening all and thanks so much for support and kind words and well, everything really - it's only here I can share everything

Office going well, having to create new routines which is taking a bit of time. Mobile router is great, everything working as it should be.

The 2 new T3sco phones have arrived - yet to set up and charge. Return envelope for the previous one has arrived, must send that back to get the refund which was DDd today. Last bits for the office that I'd ordered were found and have arrived. More jobs to do tonight! DS's physio appointment has been moved to a late afternoon one which avoids it affecting work.

Food shop done last night and a trolley full of fresh food again with a few treats and more school holiday rubbish :mad: - over spent but some of that was also for the office (milk, small bin bags, pack of cakes). Total £34.89 :eek: Will update sig shortly, but certainly won't need to buy any meat or store cupboard items next week, so should be a low one.

Financials
- bank account checked
- freepostcodelottery checked
- Nectar adpoints - all 23 done
- Nectar search - at 62/100
- Nectar card at £80.53
- Inbox Pounds - slowly moving up and at £11.54. Several attempts at survey, thrown out of all of them!
- Qmee - picked up 11p and now at 33p in the pot

R&R - doing well on this front and all my symptoms have subsided and I'm not even thinking if an attack will come on now. Looking forward to my massage (£24) tomorrow tea time. However, have been getting lots of friendly advice from family to book a holiday to have a proper break planned in. I think it probably is the only way to get away from work in its entirity and realise I haven't stopped since Christmas (even that was the kitchen declutter and re-org) so we are now going to the Canaries for 8 nights next Easter. Mum is paying half (that sold it to me ). It's costing one month's mortgage payment, so mortgage term goal is now 10 years 1 month or 2 probably when I count spending money, though shouldn't need much as going half board and plan to thoroughly chill out. The office will be established, I'll take a few days off between Christmas and New Year, but mostly will be working the remaining school holidays which will be the first time in 5 years and *should* result in higher turnover/profit anyway.

Should be on the downward trend of spending and things settling. Let's hope so, as I still can't keep up :rotfl: Reading glasses and contact lenses haven't even made the To Do list yet :eek::rotfl:

Hope everyone is doing well, I must catch up with your diaries

Ali-OK

Igamogam wrote: »

Hope all is well with new office and wotnot

Solar panels: I would be interested in what you are being offered in the deal - we have solar panels ( third year now) decided not to go with any Gov deal as they where not worth it in the end..............

Reading glasses: my optician happens to be a very good friend of mine and when it came to the time to start using them ( as he said 'Ah arms too short now!') he said cheap glasses are all well and good but they are cheap for a reason .............always make sure that they have the kite standard mark was his advice.

Hi Ig,

The solar panel deal is pay £100 and have the panels which I would own. They are paid for by the Gvmt deal I understand, with the FiT money going back as payment. I am awaiting the chap next week to come and do the survey to provide the figures. We face SE roughly and have a large roof, so as far as I can tell it's about length of time to pay off from the FiT generation and amount we'll have to use and pay for when the panels aren't generating.

Downside at the moment is the unit cost - at 15p it's more expensive as well as generally we're out all day, so aside from appliances and summer months, we'd be using alot more units when it's dark and from October to March. Aside from that, I don't know any more, but will post when I do.

I take your point with glasses too - I've got some B00ts prescription reading ones, so might just get them to change the lenses - along with my normal glasses as they need changing now as well. More money.