The march to financial freedom

Ali-OK

So after being AWOL last night, there's 2 days of catching up to do in the diary.

Yesterday was a looonnng work day - I got home about 7.15pm. I don't mind when it's an odd day like that, afterall when I was Londinium based many moons ago, I didn't get on a train until 7 and was lucky to be home by time the clock struck 8.

Dinner, a long phone call with Mum later and catching up on the post, sorting doglets and other routine domestic wonders, twas late and bedtime called. So that was yesterday and a welcome No Spend Day too.

Today yielded some excellent financial news. College have refunded me £325 of the £360 course fee (£35 admin fee). :T:T . They use netbanx so could be between 5 and 30 days for it to hit my bank account :eek: Will be watching that very closely - not like I don't check it daily or anything :rotfl:. Will be a welcome boost to the coffers.

I've sorted the clash of appointments next week of DS's Podiatry, my opticians and a work meeting and I have a local artificial grass company coming out tomorrow to look at the garden and quote for that. Depending on the cost, the work to flatten it might get pushed forward as the DIYers could do the kitchen/utility room insulation, bathroom tap/plug and various other bits and bobs on the 'To Do Indoors' list first. Decisions to be made there in due course.

Financials then:
- bank account checked. Being Friday, a TT of £2.61 was made to savings - that's now at £33.32. CC statement due out tomorrow :j
- freepostcodelottery checked
- Nectar - only change is to card value up at £71.35
- Inbox Pounds - up a tad to £19.15
- Qmee - nothing new added
- Another No Spend Day :j

I've started on the usual weekend housey stuff and will get the other half of the dining room deep cleaned. Is it really a week since I started that :eek: :rotfl:

Tomorrow, elec and gas readings to do and batches of chilli and bolognaise to be made which should lead to doing a freezer inventory. Forever the optimist

Happy weekend everyone.

Brogden

Good news Ali on the course refund You just happened to mention the course thingy on the first post I read

Have a great weekend - knowing you you'll be busy !!

Brogden x

Ali-OK

It was ashame about the course, but the right thing to do given the health problem. Refund not showing in my bank account yet though.

I have indeed been busy today :rotfl:. A lay in til 8.30am and then just a day of walking doglets and domesticity resulting in a clean house top to bottom and a self-congratulatory cup of tea .

Artificial grass chap has been and I want to go ahead with that :j It's expensive, not sure I dare admit on here how much though if I look at it in comparison to how much I've spent dog proofing the house and cleaning floorings and changing them, then it's good value for money. Lead time is 4-6 weeks so looking at end of year or early next for it to be done. I can also put any Christmas money towards it so the hit on funds won't be so harsh (as well as the college refund).

Elec and gas readings done and entered into the spreadsheet. Elec is lower than this time last year :T think the LED bulbs are starting to show the return on investment from Feb.

Tried to line dry the washing done this morning as it was nicely blowy out there, then the rain started so that's on airers now.

About to start cooking the batches of chilli and bolognaise and they'll be plenty for the freezer. We're having chilli con carne and garlic bread for dinner tonight and a chicken is defrosting for roast tomorrow night.

Financials:
- bank account checked. CC statement is in, so £260 payment to it set up to go on Monday. :j Will be into the £1's then :j
- freepostcodelottery checked
- Nectar - nothing done Need to start on the search for Nov.
- Inbox Pounds - up a tad to £19.58 (realise yesterday should have said £19.51 not £19.15 Oops!
- Qmee - still just 54p in the pot
- It's been a No Spend Day so far and already got Ald! choc ready for infront of tv tonight

I've a free morning tomorrow and friends over in the afternoon so might look to bake a cake and pop to see if the chap at the garden nursery is there. Alternatively I might just lounge in PJ's until the last minute :rotfl:

Still outstanding :
- check Christmas presents against list and get organised for that
- put winter duvet on.
- deep clean rest of dining room (rather than dust/polish as have done today)
- got some work I must do before Monday

Hope everyone's weekend is going well.

Ali-OK

I also checked my free monthly N0ddle credit report today, all good there (still 5/5) and information all correct. But I do wonder if they're starting to go down the road of the others with charging - they already offer the 'score' for a price, now they've launched 'Noddle Premium' at a charge too.

How long until they charge to view the report itself I wonder?

Still, whilst it's free, I'm enjoying seeing the £0s balance on the other CCs I have and the mortgage amount is up to date.

I've got alot of available credit though - something like £52K :eek: over 4 cards. Wonder if I should reduce some of those?

in_need_of_direction

Hey missus, how have you been feeling?

Ali-OK

in_need_of_direction wrote: »

Hey missus, how have you been feeling?

Mostly pretty good of late - I minimise the worst things so very little fast road driving as vision is no better and rest when the left side body weakness/weirdness/face numbness kicks off. Diet of anti-inflammatories seem to help the shoulder/arm/upper back pain. Joints round there have been clicking away today so will pop the heat pad on tonight as that tends to help.

Might have had an Irish coffee tonight too For medicinal purposes of course :rotfl:

supersaver1000

Oh Ali, your house sounds like a shining example. I wish I could get mine to that point. There always seems something more pressing - one day soon as I really want to get clutter free ready for a move in about 18 months time. There's not really too much to do I guess, its just being assertive and starting to bin some bits.

Glad to hear your garden coming together. I've never seen artificial grass, but if it helps keep things clean then its got to be worth it and you don't have to cut it - wonderful.

Look forward to hearing how it goes.

SS1K x

Ali-OK

Oh I don't know SS, more my standards aren't that high :rotfl:.

So the half way house between plans to do stuff this morning and a PJ morning was get showered and dress and sit and read MSE and confuse myself silly about pensions, investments and overpaying the mortgage . Took time out to remember the fallen watching the Remembrance Service on tv too.

Friends been and gone, cups of tea and plain biscuits later, a roast is in the oven for dinner.

Nothing remotely financial to report today either. A playabout with figures this morning was about my lot.

Garden discussions tonight to come, no doubt over copious mugs of tea and drawings of possible designs for border and grass. Gotta chuck a bit of gravel in there too to balance the look and use up the bit that's left over. No wastage here! Somewhere in my mind, the subject of concrete fence posts and gravel boards has come up, primarily as one wooden post is loose in the ground already aka rotten :eek:. With sleepers going to be set in, will make it a nightmare to change wood for concrete after the event.

Hmm...rambling stopping there - going to check dinner :rotfl:

Brogden

Ali-OK wrote: »

Oh I don't know SS, more my standards aren't that high :rotfl:.

So the half way house between plans to do stuff this morning and a PJ morning was get showered and dress and sit and read MSE and confuse myself silly about pensions, investments and overpaying the mortgage . Took time out to remember the fallen watching the Remembrance Service on tv too.

Friends been and gone, cups of tea and plain biscuits later, a roast is in the oven for dinner.

Nothing remotely financial to report today either. A playabout with figures this morning was about my lot.

Garden discussions tonight to come, no doubt over copious mugs of tea and drawings of possible designs for border and grass. Gotta chuck a bit of gravel in there too to balance the look and use up the bit that's left over. No wastage here! Somewhere in my mind, the subject of concrete fence posts and gravel boards has come up, primarily as one wooden post is loose in the ground already aka rotten :eek:. With sleepers going to be set in, will make it a nightmare to change wood for concrete after the event.

Hmm...rambling stopping there - going to check dinner :rotfl:

All the best with the garden discussions

Don't do your nut with the figures......you said it yourself before......get an IFA and make sure you have a free initial consultation so you can be sure you like him / her

x

Ali-OK

Good point on IFA free initial chat to see if they're compatible with my 'worry head'

Great discussion on the Garden Project last night, though it has expanded somewhat all thanks to new ideas from key DIYer who thinks some lights in the side of sleepers would look good as would moving the water feature - both entailing cabling work to the current socket and agrees concrete fence posts and gravel boards should be done beforehand. So moving the next stage to the Spring which gives me chance to save some more money towards it, a run of work days with the Bank Holidays (though I'll be sunning myself in Lanzarote over Easter ) and hopefully better weather to work in. Makes sense to me. The expensive bit is the labour and I'm getting that free still in exchange for providing dinners and cake and the tea making facilities so they can make their own if I'm at work/on holiday :j.

So next week, alot of the indoor jobs will be done instead and I keep adding to the list :rotfl: . Costs should just be the insulation above the kitchen and utility and any small stuff that needs buying - replacement cupboard roller ball closure was one which I bought today in B&Q at £4.98..looked online after and could have got it for £1.98 with free P&P :mad: Trying to source another door bar matching the laminate as managed to break that recently when it popped up and got trod on.

I only went in B&Q as I was in the area to take the Springy for his groom, shows that a lack of research costs money. Oddly the groom bill was £19 cheaper than last time at £41. He smells gorgeous for a change instead of the black swampy stinky stuff he goes in most days on his runs :rotfl: I've got to send off the loyalty card as they're giving 25% off next groom and the doodle goes in for hers next Monday. Fingers crossed I can get it in time, alternatively I could move her appointment. Bit cheeky but £10 off is well worth it.

Plenty of batch bolognaise and chilli in the freezer now too (5 boxes of each) and I've got some lamb mince so will make some shepherds pies, plenty of sausages for Toad in the Hole and I'll be in trouble if I don't make at least one roast dinner and plenty of cakes .

Financials today and exciting news on 3 fronts:

- bank account checked. £325 refund is in my account from the college :j:j £260 went to the CC, so that's down to £1,785 :j:j

- freepostcodelottery checked
- Nectar - I'm out of love with
- Inbox Pounds - I've finally done it :j £20.07 achieved and I can cash out now and put towards the CC - that's either £80 or £100 I've had from there this year, but need a new challenge now as it's taken 4 months for this £20 and has gotten tedious
- Qmee - another 6p, so 60p in the pot

Tonight I've got to pop out and buy some ingredients DS tells me he needs for his cookery lesson :mad:

Work looks quieter but steady this week, taking advantage of that to play catch up and plan for next year Need to top up the biscuit barrel though as ate my way through a few too many today.

Hope everyone's week has started well