Cheery's buttling diary: tea in one hand, plant pot in the other, running shoes on

Cheery_Daff

We started right under the Liver Birds KC, so I did a good wave

Fabulous day (well, bit daunted by the freezing wind and prospect of hailstones at the start, but it didn't really materialise). Had a lovely run, knocked 34 minutes off my previous quickest time :j :j Dead on 2.5 hours, which is great for me

So... Just trying to get my act together for holidays. We're leaving today, Mr Cheery has toothache (and is still in bed), and I am rather overwhelmed and don't even know where to start :rotfl:

Going to go and prod him I think and see if he wants me to try for emergency dentist appointment this morning :eek:

Then I'm going to get the palette out of the car (!) and start putting other stuff in. There'll have to be a bit of reorganisation of course, but at least it'll be out of the kitchen - I can't think straight with all this stuff in here!

We're taking so much stuff you'd think we were moving in :rotfl: But there's clothes for every eventuality, books, and two whole weeks o food shopping that's coming with us - and a couple of bikes if we can get them in :j :j Quite ridiculous, but it should mean we don't spend much while we're there! :j

We've got our £252 between us of spare change/ £2 coins as spending money, and I don't intend to go over that. Should do really - we've already got food, probably won't eat out in the evenings, so spends will mostly be ice cream, tea and cake, and the occasional charity shop bargain If we can't make £252 stretch a fortnight only buying that, then I do not deserve all those MSE medals I seem to have acquired!!

Right... Wake Mr Cheery, stuff out of car, water greenhouse plants (and hope to goodness they don't all shrivel up by the time I get back :rotfl: ) then get stuff in the car, then FINISH PACKING! :j :j :j

Cheery_Daff

:eek:

and now the bank's texted to say there's less than £30 in there :eek:

Shouldn't actually be a problem - I don't *think* there's any bills left going out of there (hmm - except union membership and possibly phone bill), but my wages don't go into that account any more, and I don't want to be shuffling while on holiday, so have bunged £200 in out of the savings account to cover any shennanigans.

Really must get this under control when I get back, I'm trying, but there's little odd bits and pieces in different places and stuff coming out of different accounts, and it's all in transition, and at some point it's all going to go wrong, gah!

Anyway - moooving on...

Cheery_Daff

Right.

Food and my clothes in the car :j :j Have made curry and boiled eggs for lunch and assembled a hotchpotch picnic :j :j

Rang the dentist - Mr Cheery has a slot in the ominously-named 'sit and wait session' at 12.05 :eek: I was hoping we'd have left by then but in reality we're rubbish at getting everything packed and out of the door so we probably wouldn't have :rotfl:

So now we have a deadline - get everything packed and in the car, then sit around at the dentist, then go straight on holiday from there :j :j

Three hours and counting... :eek:

Karmacat

I'm really pleased for you with your PB coming down by such a huge amount :j:j:j well done you!

What a shame its temporarily overshadowed by poor Mr Cheery's toothache - I agree the name of the appointment slot is very ominous :eek: but yes, it does give you a goal to get out of the house by (and thats a hanging wotsit, but you know what I mean ).

Transitions are bound to be awkward with finances - my alternative cahoot account, in case my main bank has software problems, still hasn't been set up properly, but its on the way - and yes, a quick transfer for now, while you're on holibob, is best, I'm sure.

I probably won't get back on here before you're gone, so another big wave to you :hello::hello::hello: and have a great time!

starnac

:j well done on PB that's fantastic. Well done.

Hope mr cheery is okay and you don't have to "sit and wait" too long.

Enjoy your holidays :j

Cheery_Daff

Morning all!

Goodness me we had a marvellous time. Little cottage was nestled in a wooded garden on the side of a hill, looking out over Cardigan Bay, and was just the most wonderful place for doing nothing at all

I got up each morning and spent several hours just sitting in the armchair with the patio doors open, looking at the sea and reading and watching the birds on the picnic table in the garden. So peaceful and I feel utterly restored :j :j

Moneywise... well, I can't say it was the most bargainous holiday - the house itself cost £770 for the fortnight :eek: But we only spent £70 on diesel, and took pretty much all our food with us from the normal food budget :money:

As for spends... I think I said I raided the £2 coin pot (£94), the Virtual Sealed Pot bank account (about £130 I think) and the change jar from home, which came to a grand total of £252 - and that's pretty much all we spent :j :j

Oh, except I bought a table and chairs in a junk shop for £25 :rotfl: and Mr Daffs bought a couple of ladybird books and a new mouse (computer, not squeaking) but all other treats/books/cakes/food/cafe spends came out of the £252 :j :j

So not bad at all!

Going to go through the banking at some point today - got paid the other day but not done any transferring. Also need to write a list of the last things to transfer to the joint account.

Think I also discovered the reason for the overdraft in Mr Cheery's Lloyds account - I'd forgotten there was a standing order of £500 to the Natwest one (to pay the bills) - fine, except I'm now not paying £500 a month into the Lloyds one, because most of the bills are coming out of the joint account... So that'll have to be cancelled (in fact, it would be best if the whole account was just closed, but that involves paying the mortgage off, and we haven't quite got round to that phone call yet...)

Sigh, it's just one thing leading to another!

However, I am a competent and capable woman and a bit of paper shuffling is NOT going to beat me, damn it!

Greying_Pilgrim

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

However, I am a competent and capable woman and a bit of paper shuffling is NOT going to beat me, damn it!

^^ :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

WELCOME BACK :T:j:j:T:T:j:D:D

Cottage sounds idyllic! As does how you spent your days

Greying

Karmacat

Welcome, Cheery :j

How idyllic that sounds, absolutely lovely.

And I'd say for a complete break like that, for two weeks for two people, just over £1k is absolutely great, honestly.

Paperwork. Pah! in your wonderful words :T

Hope your weekend is a little bit of a continuation of those lovely weeks

Cheery_Daff

I suppose it *is* £250 a week each - not tooooo bad... And anyway, the important thing is that the dosh was sitting there, in the holiday fund :j :j :j

Nothing to report other than the car tax refund for the old car just plopped through the letterbox, so that's £36.66 to add to the savings pot :j :j Will do that later

Cheery_Daff

Right - delayed April bank account shuffling...

Things are a little wonky with transfers between accounts and holiday payments etc, but this is what we've got for the time being:

£140 car maintenance fund
£120 annual bills
£177 house repair
£50 no quibble weekends
£0 holiday fund

Not toooo bad.

Also done some transfers to long term savings account:

£50 budgeted for savings
£27 extra from ixing gas/electric bill (will do this all year)
£19 from switching council tax to 12 months rather than 10
£36.66 car tax refund :j
= £132.66 added to long term savings :j :j :j

Now then... I am in for a challenge :eek: Technically I allow myself £200 a month discretionary spends (after food/bills/joint treats/work travel etc are all paid for). Rarely do I manage to stick within this (I should point out that technically Mr Cheery has this too, although very rarely spends anything much at all, which makes my over-consumption even worse )

However there is to be NO MORE POACHING of what was *my* savings account, and is now part of the joint savings account... :rotfl:

So - I have £200 in my own personal account, and that has to last til Wednesday 30th April - 26 days :eek:

I know, I know, I should stop moaning, this should be easy, I've lived on far less, and in fact I don't *need* to spend any of it at all... but I've kind of got used to it, and am rather inclined to fritter...

Will get into another post and make up a plan...