Mini meltdown and light bulb moment

misstara

Merry Christmas AleMrsT, hope you have a great day tomorrow x

AleMrsT

Diary I have been so neglectful, I'm so sorry!!! Lots to update so I shall start off with my last post....

AleMrsT wrote: »

I have around £75 left in my account and STILL have all of savings left :T - still have all of my savings left, and the amount has increased :T:TI need to transfer the money to OH's credit card for my passport renewal, (still not done this.... :eek:)and remembered I still owe my grandma £50 from when she paid my sister for the sofa, (or this, I'm a bad person!)so going to pay those bits off as soon as I can. PROMISE!

I have four more working days at work until I finish for Christmas, and I'm not back in then until Saturday 2nd January :j:j:j:j:j:j So happy about that! I'm actually pleased my first day back is a Saturday, as they are usually quiet so it will ease me back in gently after two weeks off. :rotfl: I was so right about this, it was great having an easy first day back, then getting back into the swing of things today.

The flights for Amsterdam are all booked, £330 but the charity has paid those, we just have to pay for the hotel which is £72 per night as it is subsidised, so a four day break in Amsterdam is costing us £288 (not including my passport renewal). (Now all paid, just need to think about spending money, but we'll get onto that shortly....

My mum told me today that we're no longer going on holiday in September as my sister doesn't want to go now as they can't afford it (they've moved house and bought a new car so have used up their savings). I would still like to go away somewhere, maybe even with my parents, and they've said they will still give me money for my birthday so that we can book a holiday, so I'll speak to my husband and see what he says. I think I'd quite like to go somewhere just the two of us, as we haven't ever been abroad by ourselves before. Hubby is really not enthusiastic about looking at alternative holidays, he said we can't afford it etc etc. so he's gone and bought a new TV instead..... :rotfl: We didnt need the TV, but we now have a decent TV in the lounge and the bedroom, so it means he can play games and I can watch what I want. Still keep looking at holidays, think I would prefer a few shorter breaks spread out throughout the year rather than one long two week blow out holiday, we shall see...

The christmas meal with friends on Saturday is £25 for three courses, so I have budgeted £30 including drinks (my friend or I will drive), which leaves me with £45 in my account until I get paid next Wednesday, which I'm hoping to forget about until the end of the month and treat it as a normal pay day. I hate the long wait until January pay, I usually love getting paid early in December because it means I can buy some extra christmas stuff, but I'm not doing that this year, I'd rather plan better for it. I saw the Soap and Glory offer in Boots today, mum said to get one but I only use one of the items so its an expensive bottle of shower scrub when you look at what I'd actually use. I sold a load of Soap and Glory stuff on ebay when we were at the old house, it was products leftover from two previous half price deals that I just never used. I waffle on so much!!

Think thats all for updates from me, off to make a cup of tea and do some washing and ironing before my husband gets home from work.

Wow, that was all very long winded!! I did manage to save the rest of my money in my account, and the meal with friends came in at £19 so I was well under budget :T:T. It is my 30th birthday on Thursday, hubby has something planned (no idea what) and we're going out for a family meal on Saturday night to a really nice local restaurant, so my sister took me shopping with her for something to wear, and I ended up buying her a jacket for her birthday, and paying for my birthday outfit too, even though SHE was taking ME shopping!! Oh well, we had a really nice day, and her birthday is 29th December so she usually gets vouchers so was nice to actually buy her something she wanted.
Christmas was a very wet, very relaxed affair, the in laws live in the north, which has flooded AGAIN, so I spent £25 on some wellies (actually boys Joules wellies, kids shoes are a lot cheaper) and we went for a wet walk on boxing day for an hour which I thoroughly enjoyed.
We were back for my sisters birthday on 29th, and spent new years eve at home.We did the 'big shop' during the day at ald!, what a nightmare, it was sooo busy. We spent around £70 and stocked up on meat so shouldnt really need to go again until we run out of milk next week. Then in the evening I cooked a nice meal for the princely sum of £4.63, asian salmon with spring onions and noodles, and made a chocolate torte for dessert, it was lovely.
After the meal OH and I had a game of scrabble (he won) and went off to bed, as he was at work at 7am on New Years Day. Since then we've been back to work so apart from the frivolous TV (£499 in the sale:eek::eek:), we haven't really spent anything else.
OH is still to sort out the 0% credit card, I want him to sort it ASAP so we can start making a dent in the balance, and my debt payments have increased to £81 a month now, and I now also pay £25 per month to my private pension (better late than never!!)

I have cancelled my gym membership. I know people tend to sign up to the gym in January, but I'm cancelling it, I have used it 3 times since I joined, so it is just a complete waste of money. I am going to do Slim World instead with my manager from work, she is going to drive us there straight after work, and I am going to use the pool at OH's work when I want to get some exercise.
My goal for this year is to 'do more'. I know I've said on here before that I feel like I'm wasting my life by not doing anything, so I've decided that is going to change. Spending more time with my friends, getting out of the house with OH, and meeting new people is all part of my plan. I joined a fantastic group on Fbook with like minded ladies, and some of the local ones want to arrange meet ups throughout the year, spending the past year pretty much locked away at home has made me quite wary of public transport and travelling, especially on my own, so I'm going to be brave, and venture out to meet some of the lovely ladies I've been speaking to online, OH has said he will take me and pick me up until I build up confidence to go myself. So no real 'resolutions', just actioning the bug bear that I've been discussing for a while, that I need to make more of an effort to do stuff, and not necessarily costly stuff.

I think thats all for my update for now, off to have a nice bath and watch another episode of making a murderer on Webflicks, I'm really into it, and now we have the second TV, I can actually watch stuff that OH doesnt want to watch even when he's not at work! Its just a shame it means I have to snuggle up in bed to watch it......

AleMrsT

misstara wrote: »

Merry Christmas AleMrsT, hope you have a great day tomorrow x

Thank you MissTara, sorry I haven't replied before now. I read your diary updates, you have done so well, congrats on getting to your target! And also it was lovely to read that although you were working at christmas, you just got on with it and still stuck to being MSE, very inspiring. Hope you had a good one. :beer:

AleMrsT

OOOH sorry, forgot to say, I'm taking part in the penny challenge this year, I have written the chart out and am just crossing the amounts off for whatever I pay that day, rather than the 1p, 2p, 3p etc, because its a leap year I should have around £670 at the end of the year, just from loose change Is anyone else doing this?

misstara

AleMrsT wrote: »

Thank you MissTara, sorry I haven't replied before now. I read your diary updates, you have done so well, congrats on getting to your target! And also it was lovely to read that although you were working at christmas, you just got on with it and still stuck to being MSE, very inspiring. Hope you had a good one. :beer:

Thanks AleMrsT

Love your goal for this year and it's one that I should definitely try for too. I often feel like I work too much and then don't do much with my time off. Me and OH rarely do anything together outwith the flat and that is something I'd like to change this year.

I've not heard of the penny challenge, what's it about?

AleMrsT

Hi Tara,

You basically make a payment every day, a penny for the 'number' of days you're on. EG, day 1 you pay 1p, day 2 pay 2p...... day 27 pay 27p....... day 143 pay £1.43 and so on. At the end of the year because of the leap year it works out around £670 ish. I am not doing it in order, just crossing off on the sheet which ever amount I have paid in to the pot, so the first day I crossed of £3.30, the second day 5p, then 30p, today 10p etc. As long as I fill the sheet in and pay all of the amounts, I'll have still saved the same amount at the end. So far I like it, its really simple.

AleMrsT

Hi everyone. My 30th birthday has now been and gone, and what an awesome birthday it was! (I apologise in advance, this is going to be a LONG post)

When I left work on Tuesday I went for drinks with some colleagues at the pub next door, we paid £10 each for a hot buffet, there was so much food it was ridiculous, we ended up fetching tuppaware and plates from the office and plating up the leftovers and taking it back to the office. :rotfl: I only spent £10 as my manager paid for my drink.
Then when I got home my friends messaged me and asked me to call round (they literally live up the road now) so I walked round and they had bought prosecco and a cake and we sat and had a girls night in (my friends husband hid upstairs).

We had a few days off work from Wednesday onwards, so on Wednesday we chilled out and then spent some time at my sisters in the afternoon.
On Thursday (my actual birthday), my husband I went to the cinema to see the new Disney Pixar film The Good Dinosaur, the tickets were free as I used my clubcard boost points to get four cinema tickets :T, so we spent £3 on a drink, then after the film (which was amazing and totally made us both cry!) we played mini golf which is located next to the casino in the city centre, it was £12.50 each, but we were there for over an hour, plus we had such good fun!!

We then had a subway as we were so hungry but didnt want to spend extra money on an expensive meal, but really couldnt wait until we got home to eat. Total spend, £35 including parking, which is not too bad really for a whole day out :T Very happy with that, we usually spend that just on a cinema trip alone.

The following day was OH's work christmas party so we went over to my mums house and she dyed and cut my hair, and then cut OH's hair (she used to be a hairdresser which I think I've mentioned previously, it is very helpful not having to pay or budget for hair appointments). The foster children were at school and were going to another carer for the weekend in the afternoon, and my dad was off work due to being ill, and my mum was looking after my niece in the morning as she usually does, so we had a really lovely morning with my parents and niece. Then my sister came back from work at 1pm and she called in at the chip shop, (free lunch as dad paid).
Back home again to get ready for the party, and back out to the local conference centre connected to OH's work. The party cost us NOTHING, as we got a welcome drink, hot buffef (its a 4* hotel and conference centre so the food is GREAT anyway), then we got given two drinks tokens each to use at the bar. As they had over estimated on attendance there were loads of free drinks tokens left so we got three more drinks tokens, so didnt pay for one drink all evening :T Even had a free go on the casino tables as they handed out 'cashino' money to exchange for chips at the roulette tables. There was also a photobooth which was free, and great fun, we have some fab photos with wigs and props!

So far so good!!

On Saturday we were going for a meal on Saturday evening with my parents and sister, and I wanted to get some new shoes and a red lipstick (who gets to 30 and doesnt own a red lipstick?!), so we went to a shopping centre where there is free parking :rotfl: I got a clutch bag with a river island voucher my OH got for his birthday in October that he hasnt used, and a lipstick for £3.99. As it was lunch time we avoided the expensive cafes and typical fast food places and bought £1 sandwiches from boots as we were in there anyway.

When we got home I decided to have a nap (two days in a row!) whilst other half went in to work to sort a problem with the rota.

When he got home I got ready for the meal and was sitting looking at the menu choosing what I was going to eat, and it was getting later and later and I really shouted at him saying how can we be ready early and still end up setting off late? The meal was booked for half 7 and he didnt even start to think about leaving the house until quarter past, I was stressing that my niece was coming with us and it would be too late for her if we didnt get there on time (she's not two yet and shes usually in bed at 7.30).

Anyway, he then tells me my sister has called him and I need to be blindfolded. I went a bit crazy, I've just spent an hour doing my hair and make up, i dont want to wear a stupid scarf! He said my sister had set up a surprise in the car park and he didnt want me to see it. I took it off half way as I was paranoid that people would think I was being kidnapped (irrational I know) but he put it back on when we got to the top of the village where my parents live.
Then we carried on driving, and it was getting later, and we carried on driving some more, and I then asked him where on earth he was going, the restaurant is on a straight road, how could he possibly have missed it, so he pulled over to turn round.
And he opened the car door and made me get out of the car in the middle of the road! (or so I thought). He then said we were here and I was to follow him.
He led me inside and took the blindfold off, we weren't at a restaurant at all!!
We were only at a surprise party with EVERYONE!!! All of my friends, my family, everyone from work, my friend from London who I havent seen for ages, my IN LAWS from as far north as you can get!!!!!!!!!!! I could not stop crying! It was amazing :j:j:j:j I then felt so guilty about being such a diva about us being late and the blindfold!

My sister had organised the whole thing my with my mum, she had made banners, photo boards, photobooth props for the table, loads of balloons, put up posters from the 90's, organised a cake, everything!

It was the 90's party that I cancelled because I couldnt afford it I keep crying thinking about it.

My dad and brother in law arranged with the local indian takeaway for them to bring in a load of curry and rice and stuff instead of regular party food (the local take away is my absolute favourite!) it went down a storm and my mum said it was far easier than making sandwiches and keeping it all hidden.

My in laws had travelled up on Friday, stayed at the hotel where my husband works, and hid at my parents house all day whilst my husband had taken me shopping! He hadnt nipped to work at all whilst I was napping, he'd been with my parents setting up the venue! I had absolutely NO IDEA!
When he blindfolded me I thought my friends were going to surprise me and be at the meal, it had not even occurred to me that it was anything other than the meal that had been arranged.

Then there was all the gifts everyone got me! Honestly people have been soo generous!
My parents gave me £200 cash and obviously paid for the party, my in laws bought me a £250 voucher to use for booking a holiday cottage up north, my grandma gave me cash, my friends bought me an afternoon tea voucher, the girls from work made me a HUGE hamper with everything in it that I absolutely LOVE, I was so shocked, I got lots of other vouchers and wine and lovely gifts.

Sadly my in laws had to set off home fairly early on Sunday, so we stayed up chatting a while after the party finished and they came back to ours to stay. I apologised to them as the house was a mess and I was mortified because I hadnt even cleaned the bathroom!! (They said it was fine)
I hardly slept on Saturday night, I was so shocked and over whelmed.

I'm more or less caught up on sleep now and took some of my birthday cake in to work to share round, OH took some in to his work too.

OH also arranged a meal at the a new restaurant which has just been awarded a Michelin star, I've wanted to go since it opened, and he also bought me tickets to see Russell Howard but didnt realise he wasnt touring until 2017, so I have to wait 14 months for that :rotfl:

I think my plan for the year to 'do more' is well and truly underway!

We are off to the restaurant this Saturday, Amsterdam in February, then I booked tickets for a burlesque show in March because I've always wanted to go to one (used the birthday money from my grandma), and we have money to use for a holiday deposit and vouchers for a weekend away, and Russell Howard tickets for next year.

It is going to be such a good year!!!

I'm so sorry this is so long, but I've had such a fantastic few days I had to tell you all!!
MrsT x

twiggy86

Oh wow! That all sounds so amazing! Pleased you got spoilt!
And happy birthday! :bdaycake:

AleMrsT

Hi everyone. Just a quick post tonight as I've updated my signature, the balances are going down but its such small amounts its really disheartening that I've not even cleared £1000 of debt yet and I've been making payments for a year. I'm so impatient!! Also I can't get onto my PO account to check my savings account balance which is equally as frustrating. Will have to check back tomorrow.

It hasn't been a NSD today as I had to get 3 birthday cards, so £2.57 spend it card factory, then I got some new work trousers from primark as the button came off the ones I was wearing ( if ever there was a sign that I need to stop eating and get back onto SW that is it!:rotfl:) so £6 spent, then I gave £2 to a homeless guy on the street. He had food and had made small heaters out of tin cans and tea light candles, it was freezing cold today. I asked if he was ok and needed anything, then gave him the money and he shook my hand and was so grateful. On the local spotted page on FB there was loads of people moaning about the beggers accusing them of all being drug addicts and conmen and having houses to go to. Even if they do have houses to go to and have drug addiction issues, I could not just walk by without asking if he was ok. I'm not naive enough to think that there arent people taking advantage, but I would rather be taken advantage of for £2 than have a man die of cold in the street because people walked by as if he wasnt there.

I also bought a book today as I've started an online book club with a group of ladies on Facebook, luckily I had a book voucher for my birthday so will use this to purchase the book club books if there isnt a copy in the charity shop. Its annoying that you can't use book vouchers to order online, but at least it technically didnt cost me anything.

Off for an early night tonight, I don't feel like I've really caught up on sleep since the weekend.

twiggy86

AleMrsT - you told me to be kinder on myself, so you have to be kinder on yourself too! Your debt has gone DOWN - and really that is all that matters! Plus you've paid off the furniture, had Xmas and everything else in between!
I think its nice that not only you gave the homeless person money but you also stopped and spoke to him, even if only for a second. Surely that must bring him some joy as well that he is still seen as a human being rather than "scum" as some people tend to look at homeless people.