I've had the worst of times - now for the BEST of times!

giblet1979

Sorry to hear you're overbudget, but with YNAB's finger wagging, and your determination, I'm sure you'll get back on track x

peaceandfreedom

Well here I am, just running in and out again. I really ought to be going to bed.

The good:

• Yummilicious courgette soup for tea from our glut of courgettes, with leeks and chicken stock from the freezer - it was lush with some goats cheese grated on top.
• Tomatoes, mange tout, cucumber and lettuce for lunch all came from the garden.
• Finally got a refund I've been waiting ages for.

The bad:

• Late in to work again so had to pay for parking.

Not much else to report. Will do monthly round-up tomorrow but I will issue a profits-warning and say I have NOT done very well with my targets.

giblet1979

Mmmm.....goats cheese x

peaceandfreedom

Hi everyone,

As we are now 3 days into August, I thought I should post a round-up of how I did in July. The verdict is a resounding - fair-to-average, must try harder.

Money-wise, this was the aim: raise £600 in July like this (actual in green):

Freelance work ........£265...............282.50
Bay of E...................£300.................. 0
Car booty or two......£100................ 81 (one car boot)
Misc other selling......£100................ 72
Misc other income....£50.................. 13
Total ...............................................448.50

I suppose, not tooooo bad but clearly the big fail here is the Bay of E. Not surprising I didn't make any money - I didn't list anything. It's just so much bother and I resent the various fees and the sheer hassle of posting stuff.

Of the other things I was supposed to achieve in July - well, what can I say - this ain't pretty. :doh:

1. Raise £600 extra through the various means outlined in an earlier post. Well, we've seen how that went.
2. Look into changing utility company - with cashback if possible. Looked into it but decided to stay put on a better tariff.
3. Lose 4 pounds in weight (have put on a few pounds lately ). I lost a measly 1 pound.
4. Declutter the garage. Started, not finished.
5. Sort out the back flower bed. Started, not finished.
6. Paint back fence. Nope. Can't be done until 5. is done.
7. Get out mountain-biking again. Utter, dismal failure here.
8. Go for 4 small walks, 1 long walk every week. And here.
9. Get back into studying for my Microsoft certification. Hmmm, did some work naturally because of work, but no concerted effort.
10. Do pathways between raised beds (this is a big job). Nope, Have decided to defer this until the growing season is over, the place is (happily) inundated with harvest-laden crops.

I have got a few other jobs done that weren't listed here so I don't feel entirely useless. However, the lack of proper exercise is a worry. I am not sleeping very well lately and I am sure that getting more exercise would help with this. I am also starting to eat more rubbish than usual, absolutely unacceptable.


Will be back shortly with my August targets.

peaceandfreedom

Sooooooo - having performed not-greatly in July, I am planning to have a better August.

Financial targets:

Raise £250 in August like this:
Ebay selling................100
Non-ebay selling .......100
Other income ..............50

As you can see, I have lowered my ebay expectations. I think that the non-ebay selling is a tad optimistic but let's give it a go.

'Other income' is a few quid that is owing to me plus other bits and bobs like Quidco.

I am using YNAB and it makes it absolutely clear how I am failing on a monthly basis to stay within budget. The past few months I have been spending too much (although having a great deal of fun) and for the next few months I need to rein it in and consolidate a little bit. Having said that, there are still more big spends to come this month, so I am using YNAB to see how I can reduce spending in other places.

One thing - it's only a small thing but it helps - is that I've become much better at making what I've got do, instead of running out to buy new stuff. Things like foundation, face cream, hair styling spray etc. I have a very small budget for these things every month and I am making myself stick to it.

Although it is proving painful I feel that YNAB will soon whip me into better shape. Meanwhile, raising extra funds every month is still a necessity.

Wish me luck. :beer:

peaceandfreedom

So here goes with August's other targets. Some will be July's unachieved ones with a few new ones thrown in.

1. Raise £300 extra through the various means outlined in an earlier post.
2. Lose 4 pounds in weight.
3. Finish decluttering the garage.
4. Finish sorting out the back flower bed.
5. Paint back fence.
6. Get out mountain-biking again.
7. Go for 4 small walks, 1 long walk every week
8. Get back into studying for my Microsoft certification
9. Start playing badminton again.
10. Go for at least one day out just for ME ME ME .

A bit of deja-vu there, plan to tick off a few of those heavy-duty jobs by the end of August.

Also, will be posting weekly updating to keep myself on track better.

Soooooooo here goes........ :j

giblet1979

Loads of luck p and f...don't be too hard on yourself, there was a lot on the July list and you did great x

peaceandfreedom

So today has been quite a good day all in all. I finally went out for a nice walk this evening, it was lovely actually and has brought home to me how incredibly unfit I am. Everywhere around here is either up or down, there is no flat, and your legs really feel it. Must do it more. :j

It was beautiful out, one of those summer evenings that just make you grateful - for the lovely place I live in, the gorgeous sunset, nature's bounty, totally free and waiting for me whenever I choose to step outside the door.

Today's summary:

The good:

• Finally went for a short walk (about 35 minutes)
• Listed 3 more things on local Facebook pages
• Got loads of good work done today at work and cracked a technical problem that's been bugging me for several days
• Had some very delicious tomatoes from the greenhouse and leftover chicken for lunch
• The runner beans (planted late ) are almost reaching edible size and when they do we will have enough to start a shop.
• Cucumbers EVERYWHERE in the greenhouse
• Did loads of washing from the coats cupboard that I decluttered yesterday and found some rather sellable items.
• Found a cafetiere that I'd forgotten I'd bought lurking at the back of a cupboard. This will replace the one hubby broke

The bad:

• Arthritic toe is feeling particularly arthritic today

The ugly:

• With C*******s approaching, the budget does not balance - methinks a second job is going to have to be found, at least for a while.

Overall though, feeling OK today. Bit tired so I will take myself off for a reasonably early night.

giblet1979

Hey p and f,
Hope you had a nice sleep.
Have you any thoughts about what a second job might entail? x

peaceandfreedom

giblet1979 wrote: »

Hey p and f,
Hope you had a nice sleep.
Have you any thoughts about what a second job might entail? x

Hi Giblet

I am thinking just something very casual like seasonal shop-work on evenings and weekends, something along those lines. Not necessarily all that easy to get but I will give it a go I think.

I really need to get a better-paid full-time job and it wouldn't be that hard with the skills I have. But I really think I am better waiting until after Christmas when I will have more experience, some juicy projects and some qualifications under my belt.

I can hang on until then but could do with raising some cash in the meantime.