30 small steps

cookie9

Exhausted. Spent last two days in work and on my first day off am tackling the housework. Shed should be arriving soon and JL and coming to collect the defective bed so that will be two things out the way. Hopefully I can put some of the wee man's things in the shed once it is built.


Once house is tidy I plan to tidy up my finances. At least I have some extra money from work for the last two days which will go towards the new bed. I am not sure where else I can make some savings but with DH away on business for a couple of days I have some time to go over our finances again. In the meantime any money found during the bid tidy up will be put towards OP. Wish me luck.


Update: Shed up and bed taken away. Did manage to find some money on my tidy up but £0.60 isn't going to make a big different to the mortgage!

cookie9

A bit of a backwards step yesterday. My car started to display a warning message. It turns out I needed new brake pads and discs. £330! Thankfully I have my emergency fund to help. I was going to reduce it and put some towards OP but will leave it for now.

No money made but some decluttering. I put a lot of old fiction books into local supermarket as they have a book club and the old reference books I put into the recycling unit. Project 2007 anyone? The charity shop benefited from some old scarves and handbags. I may try to sell some of my designer bags. Today we are finally going to empty the car boot of toys and old clothes.

On the money saving front not much to report. Once my FIL goes home I will do a stock-take and meal plan appropriately. Hopefully we can eat from the freezer for a week.

gallygirl

cookie9 wrote: »

A bit of a backwards step yesterday. My car started to display a warning message. It turns out I needed new brake pads and discs. £330!

The warnings are great - but a bit of a shock! What's really needed is a pre-alert that says something like 'I don't want to worry you, but in a thousand miles you'll need' :cool:.

cookie9

Great idea Gallygirl. I also need a warning to tell me to look at the opposite road when driving so if it is closed I notice on the drive down not my return journey as happened this morning.

Luckyinlife

Brake pads and disks are not that offer which is great should be good for a few years now :] Happy days

cookie9

Jl have given me compensation for our defective bed so have my refund plus £75 which is nice although would rather had an unbroken bed.


Need to keep food budget down this week to make up for last week. As FiL staying had meat every meal and wine too plus a take away. At least I have some tins of tuna in my pretty bare cupboard so hope to make tuna fishcakes for dinner and tuna and red pepper mayo bagels for tomorrow's lunch.


Not sure if there will be any extra OP this month as just paid for flights to my grandmother's birthday party. The big 100!

cookie9

Food budget not too bad. Did a quick cupboard search and found two bottles of mulled wine which weren't drunk over Christmas. Yummy! This makes up for the pain of all the expenses I am having to pay this month. I can safely say that it will just be my standard £200 OP this month as can't see me having any extra left over.

zootie

Hi Cookie. I have just subscribed to your diary. Sorry to hear about your unplanned expenses.

cookie9

Time has flown! Grandmother's birthday was lovely and yes she did get a card from the Queen. The flights were expensive but for such a special occasion well worth it. This weekend has been my husband's birthday so has been quite expensive too as I organised a meal with 14 of his friends. They haven't meet up as a group for ages so it was lovely to catch up.


With work being super busy my meal planning has rather fallen by the wayside and I need to get back on track. My husband has invited his cousins to stay with us over the Easter holiday weekend so I need to cut back the next two weeks so I can cook some nice food for them. Currently thinking about my Moroccan style chicken thighs with cous cous as fairly easy to do and I have a mountain of cous cous in the cupboard.


Despite all the expenses did manage my standard £200 op but there is no extra op this month. Fingers crossed April will be better.

cookie9

A quick update. Have spent a lovely morning at soft play. Yes it is quite expensive at £13 entry fee but wee man absolutely loved it. To offset the expense Sunday lunch is Beef Wellington from the freezer with bottom of the fridge drawer potatoes and carrots.


As I finally have been paid for my extra days in February I am saving half and spending half on having my hair cut and coloured. I used to have my hair cut every time I went to the hairdressers but now I have long hair this isn't necessary.

Not exactly moneysaving but I have spent time yesterday sorting out my drawers. The folding method is the Kon Marie (?) which means jumpers are folded side by side rather than on top of each other. I can now see exactly what jumpers and tops I have so hoping this will inspire me to crate some new outfit combinations.