Paying the car tax via EBay, and other shenanigans.

mfmaybe

in_need_of_direction wrote: »

Impatient? You? :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Not me, no. You must mean someone else

mfmaybe

Well, I had a very spendy weekend. :mad:

Leaving gift contribution £5. Then team lunch on the Friday as someone else was leaving. Wasn't too expensive (£8 or so) and it sort of came from my surplus the month before. Then I went out at night, but I was driving, so managed to spend nothing, until two of my friends suggested we go for food afterwards. £20 each. I put the whole thing on my Amex as I should be getting a £10 credit, and they gave me cash, which got spent the next day…

Very big local event on, where I went and spent a fair bit. Parking £8, £180 :eek:on various horse and rider boots that I've had on my "must get" list for ages (went on the 0% card), £25 on two presents (cash) and £26 on other things for my horse (cash). The tickets were free at least, everything I bought was on a list of "things I really need" – including fly repellent for my poor ponies - and I got some decent deals, but it was still a lot of money in one weekend. I have some horse boots I can sell that I was waiting until I'd bought replacements - anything I get for that will go on to the 0% card to offset the purchase.

So what does this do to my budget? Well £60 was pencilled in to spend on horse stuff this month (other than feed) and I also had some supplements etc in my budget that I won't buy. So I reckon I am about £120 over, less whatever I get for the boots I need to sell. That is an increase to my 0% card. The dinner was technically in budget, but I was hoping to offset some of that against my shortfall. I've therefore slashed my "slush" budget for the rest of the month, will turn down another leaving lunch on Friday and make sure no going out! I am really going to struggle to make savings anywhere else, at least from a cash/bank account perspective. So currently looking at a £190 cash shortfall. Worst case scenario is this goes into overdraft, but better scenario is I finally pull my finger out and get some stuff sold.

I have brought in my own lunch today, but have a meeting over coffee later so will spend a couple of pounds on that. Annoyingly I will probably have to be in the office every day this week which results in more fuel useage, and it's harder to take my own lunch every day.

I have, however, bought sugar and lemons and am going to try making elderflower cordial from Pippi's diary. Of course it's forecast to rain a bit this week so might need to time it very carefully. In garden news I have courgette plants still alive but not romping away yet, rainbow chard just about resisting the slugs, and some decent germination of lettuce seedlings. No doubt they will all be ready just when we go on holiday :rotfl:

OK better go back to work. Gotta pay for all that shopping somehow.

mfmaybe

Yesterday ended up being a NSD after all as the person I was meeting bought the coffees. Today I will spend a bit. Have a Foursquare/Amex £5 off £10 spend in MrTs. I need stamps and cotton wool anyway, and have some bonus points coupons for the latter. A bit of strategic buying and I get a decent discount on my stamps. The Pizza Express credit already came through, fingers crossed the T£sco one works too.

Had a look for a few things to sell and have jotted down a few ideas. I'm really struggling for time just now though. By the time I'd finished riding last night it was 8.20. I then shoved on a load of washing, did another couple of chores, then got dinner on, and it was nearly 9 by the time we ate. Once I've sat down at that time I'm not very good at getting up again to achieve more. I've also been a bit lax at the "3 things before and after work" so really need to squeeze that back in again.

The TCB payout I am currently due can only be taken on certain vouchers. So have decided to use Q&B and put it towards our chosen bathroom flooring. I already have a £25 gift card so if I top it up with the TCB I should only have to put £50 towards it – or rather half each. I'll get that bought soon (wonder if you get TCB if I order online, now I think about it!).

Ages ago I was wittering about a pair of shoes I couldn't decide whether to sell or not. Well, yesterday I nearly went my length twice. My shoes are so old and worn that the heel tips are like metal slopes instead of flat rubber. Every time I walk in our canteen (polished floor) I risk breaking my neck. So today I'm wearing the (old but new) Mary Janes to see if I can cope with them. They are lovely, but high, which I don't mind, but squish my toes a bit. Just not sure if I need to break them in a bit, so going to give it a go. I doubt I'd get much for selling them, so this way I get "new" shoes without having to buy any. I hope!

Today is credit card statement date, so after that we need to start booking some holiday accommodation. Not the proper MSE way of doing it (savings, what are they??!) but you only turn 40 once. Thankfully. :rotfl:

mfmaybe

Wore the shoes all day. Luckily I was sitting down for most of it! I think they will be ok if/when they soften. I wore my old pair to go back to the car and they felt like comfy slippers. Don't think I realised how lived in they actually are.

Spent £10.32 in MrT to trigger my £5 credit, most of which went on stamps. Feel good about that.

MrM was accepted for a new credit card today, one with no overseas forex. This will be our holiday card. No idea why we've not done that before. Double Avios for the first 6 months as well so will probably divert our spending to it for a bit. All gets paid off each month though, don't worry! He gets cashback for it too.

Washed the pair of horse boots I have to sell so will hopefully get on FB tomorrow.

One poll now at £32.50. Haven't looked at Swagbucks recently. Another 50p on way from clicksnap :T

I've confirmed that I can indeed get q&b cashback for online purchase.

Think that's enough idle chatter. Bed beckons.

mfmaybe

Quick post as mega tired. Today I went out to buy colleagues leaving present. Put it on my Amex for the points and have the cash in wallet. Will bank it, but can't decide whether to move to savings for when that bill needs paid (which actually will be 2 pay days away) or use it to plug my gap this month. Cash is £50, gap is £190.

Have photographed my boots that I need to sell but need to check fleabay for a fair asking price first.

mfmaybe

Had a very MSE moment today. Noticed a random 9p interest charge on my credit card statement today (the Amex which is paid off in full each month). Phoned them up and they couldn't explain it. They asked if we'd withdrawn cash, we haven't. They confirmed I pay in full and on time. Very odd. Anyway they've said they will refund the 9p, - just as well I'm monitoring it so closely, every penny counts and all that

At home today so should be an NSD - 3 out of 4 this week if you don't count yesterday, when I only spent a collection from work. Have decided to put the cash into my bills account for now but to move it into current account if I need to avoid going overdrawn. Next month so far looks considerably less tight so I can replace it if needed.

Have just made elderflower cordial for the first time, or rather it's now steeping. Hope it tastes good once it's made. It was very easy. Other garden stuff alive but not doing wonders. Salad leaves appearing but not growing very fast, courgettes resisting slugs but not romping away as expected. Blackcurrants and redcurrants starting to ripen though, so will have to look out my recipes to see what to do with them. I'm nearly out of compost so will have to go and buy some more this weekend.

mfmaybe

Fairly busy day, even though somehow I feel I'm just treading water. Horse ridden and all the various chores done, and we finished painting the road side of our very long and high fence today. This is a major achievement (and thankfully we use 5 year stuff, couldn't face it every year). But now all I can think is that I've got to pressure wash and paint all the other side, as well as the fencing around various bits of the garden, the stables, the shed, the field shelter....sigh. Anyway I also planted out another courgette, made up a stool from the Swedish shop that's been waiting patiently in its packet for a month; and hung a wedding present on the wall that's been waiting for 18 months . This one was mainly because I couldn't figure out how to do it, and suddenly had inspiration. Well ok, Pinterest helped. And OH came up with the final piece of the puzzle. Managed a NSD though. Earned 3 Swagbucks too

Tomorrow need food shopping and probably compost too. And carry on with my overwhelming list of things I must do. At the weekends I usually get to the end thinking either I did some things off the maintenance list, but now the general housekeeping has fallen apart, or that all I've done is run to stand still - the house is tidy and we've eaten and I've washed clothes, but that's just survival. I've neither had much fun nor taken steps forward.

I realise this is my mood tonight so best stop whining on the internet and get some restorative sleep.

in_need_of_direction

I'd say finding a place for the wedding present and sorting out the stool are definite steps forward.

mfmaybe

Thanks INOD I was just being cranky :mad:

Busy day today. Riding, shopping, pressure washing, planting, repotting house plants, cooking, ooh and bottling the cordial :T. But spendy, what with food shopping, couple of house plant pots, compost, and soda stream gas. Suitably tired now.

I may have tried the cordial in a small GnT :beer:

roxy7699

Very busy but productive day, hope you enjoyed it and rounded it off nicely with your tipple.