Pay Off Before Lay Off!

Habibiboo

:wave:

Just when you think the weather can't possibly get any worse, thunder. lightning and hail come into the mix!

Today's MFW actions: NSD, Mr. Hbbb's dressing table kill into sealed pot, tiny tilly tidy!

Today's grey cloud: weather, indigestion, dropped my bowl of muesli as soon as I picked it up this morning ...

Today's silver lining: ... bowl didn't break and dogs like muesli (apparently)!

Daily Declutter: Four parcels off to Ebay peeps! 28 / 365

Today's simple pleasures: In the midst of one of this afternoon's storms, Mrs Blackbird came down to the backdoor (as I was on my way up to take hens their pm mash). Dropped off some mealworms for her and she stayed there having her meal. She didn't even move when I came back down from the henhouse, just allowed me to step over her to come back into the house. Such a sweetie!

Hope everyone's managing OK in this weather, hugs to you if you need them.

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

What a lovely simple pleasure you've described

Batten down the hatches.

Tilly x

Lois_E

Habibiboo wrote: »

:wave:

Hello Lois, butt ahead, it's lovely of you to stop by!

I know what you mean, every year group has a grot class and you can never take it for granted what a year group will be like. We were quite lucky with our feeder primaries, they'd always give us the early warning if a particularly grotty year group were on their way!

Great to meet you!

Great to meet you too! :beer:

Ours come from too many primaries for us to get that kind of warning, but let's just say that teachers who've got year 8 this year have all been warned what little menaces they were last year in year 7! :shocked:

Thanks for the welcome to your thread. :wave:

Habibiboo

:wave:

The sun came out! At least I think it was the sun, been so long I'm not sure I remember what it looks like!

Today's MFW actions: harassing clients who owe me money, NSD, storecupboard dinner of tuna pasta bake with frozen broccoli and sweetcorn!

Today's grey cloud: it's our anniversary but Mr. Hbbb has to work until late so we've postponed celebrations!

Today's silver lining: my sister popped in with a bottle of wine for us. Will save it till we can drink it together tomorrow (I think it's meant for us both ....)

Daily Declutter: another parcel gone off with the courier! Total 29 / 365

Today's simple pleasure: I took a computer break about 5, to prepare said pasta bake and it suddenly occurred to me, I was making the dinner without the aid of a light on in the kitchen ... it's finally still daylight at 5 pm! I can't wait till it's actually proper sunlight too!

Hope everyone's OK!

Alchemilla

Loving the longer days. Happy Anniversary.

apple_muncher

Hiya Hbbb, I've finally subscribed! See ya soon!:wave:

Habibiboo

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS wrote: »

What a lovely simple pleasure you've described

Batten down the hatches.

Tilly x

:wave:

Batten down indeed Tilly! New hole in hen run roof courtesy of the extraordinary hail - not that they shelter in the run during the day, of course, they're too happy running round their bit of garden, getting soaked that way! However, it will need a repair as their corn hopper's now full of soggy corn!

Hope your end of things isn't too blustery!

Habibiboo

Alchemilla wrote: »

Loving the longer days. Happy Anniversary.

:wave:

Thanks Alchemilla ~ we incorporated a little of it belatedly into Valentine's last night.

It's half term next week here (same there?) so Mr. Hbbb will be around. I'm going to take a couple of days off too so we can spend a little time together and Mr Hbbb has said he'll take me out for an anniversary dinner during the week, so it will be celebrated eventually!

Hope you enjoy a well-earned break!

Habibiboo

apple_muncher wrote: »

Hiya Hbbb, I've finally subscribed! See ya soon!:wave:

:wave:

Why, thank you A*M, that's kind!

The most important factor to me for starting a thread was that it would keep me focused on the very important mortgage matters in hand.

However, although it has indeed started to fulfill that, the importance of that aspect to me is fast being overtaken by how much I'm appreciating the overwhelming support that has come from others
* of my thread itself
* of my personal MF endeavours
* and of the whole general MSE and frugal living challenges

It's been unexpectedly gaining that whole sense of community (and personal) support which has given the true value to my having a MF thread ~ and I love it!

Thanks to yourself and everyone for that!

Habibiboo

:wave:

To start, then ... yesterday's belated update ~ miserable weather, a bit of a spendy day but plenty of money-saving within it!

MFW actions: A Friday spell with my accounts resulted in another MOP, this time £300 - total so far this month £540.

Grey cloud: had to go to town and got wet, so very, very wet. The lady behind the PO counter called her colleague over to come and look at how wet I was! She was very nice and tried to bring down the costs of my Ebay parcels as much as poss though!

Silver linings (yes, in the plural):

* Met up with youngest HbbbBobbin in town. Don't tell NSK but we did pop into coffee shop (run by local Autistic trust) but I got my drink for free as I had full loyalty card from way back. The bobbin's new job is going well and he's happy ~ although very wet, we both got the giggles as we sat steaming by the radiator in the coffee shop!

* Valentine's dinner for two at home ~ courtesy of S&M £20 meal deal, treat for Mr Hbbb as he likes scallops and sea bass, treat for me as no real cooking from scratch involved, apart from H/M garlic and onion potato wedges!

To be fully MSE with it I priced it up before buying the meal deal by checking at the fishmonger ~ would have had to pay nearly £20 just for the fish and that's without making sauces etc for it.

The wine I chose to go with the meal deal should have been £10.99, so I could have spend £20 just on the fish and wine alone, but the meal deal meant that for the same money we'd get three courses, wine and little heart chocs (which I gave him as I'm still trying not to eat choc). I reckon I did well really although, yes, it was still a spend (but have been amazingly frugal since start of New Year and I made the MOP first to reinforce the sense of priority).

It was all lovely ~ he's still telling me this morning what a great evening he had (even though I still beat him at cards after dinner)!

Daily Declutter: 3 parcels of random stuff to Ebay bods via PO = 32 / 365

Simple pleasures: blossom starting to come through on our apricot tree ~ in this weather!

And so to the weekend. Today's plans:

* More parcels for courier
* Catch up with mum
* Try to get dogs out in between showers (will depend on when mum pops round though)!
* Read something I want to read, not work-related research
* Declutter a drawer
* Hoover
* Touch base with my other sons if possible (both work shifts which include w/e so it's a bit hit and miss)!

Better get going then ... hope everyone's good!