Getting a Grip and Saving towards the mortgage

Moneyfordreams

Sounds like a lovely start to the day,

I'm waiting for our guests to leave anytime now so i can throw the bedding in the machine.. too many grey clouds here for my liking..

abi_a_mfw_mum

Hi BusyMee,
Sounds like you're making great progress... Those 'free money' totals are really impressive and show what you can make from bank account switching. I haven't yet been brave enough to start, but I'm hoping to soon.
You've also just reminded me that I should really do some washing ... Enjoy the good weather, and don't spend it all doing the ironing!

Busy_Mee1

Hi Moneyford and Abi - thanks for popping by.
On the way to London and feeling shattered after a hectic weekend.
All the washing and ironing has been done ( including DDs) and she was very appreciative)
I did Park Run and unfortunately since I have set myself a target of beating my PB, I have got slower :mad: Not sure why but will try to do better next week.
In MF news I managed to do the grocery shopping and only spent £47.48, so on track to only spend £200 this month on food. I did a meal plan based on stuff we already had in and a shopping list for the extras such a fruit and salad and this really helped.
My Boss is back at work a day early after his holiday so my peace is shattered - I swear it is like working for an overgrown toddler !

themadvix

Busy_Mee1 wrote: »

All the washing and ironing has been done ( including DDs) and she was very appreciative)

My Boss is back at work a day early after his holiday so my peace is shattered - I swear it is like working for an overgrown toddler !

Lucky DD - my Mum hates ironing - at 16 we were handed the iron and I don't think she's ever ironed anything since for me! Not that I'm much better

Great spending on the groceries - it definitely is all in the planning.

Hope the boss settles down

Busy_Mee1

It has been a long and busy week this - I have been shattered and only managed the gym once this week. I am working from home today and hoping to get some actual work done rather than constant meetings.
I have waited this month until the web of standing orders have finished swishing through my accounts before doing the money shuffles. I was a bit too soon last month and ended up overdrawn for a day - luckily I have a free overdraft facility ! I have shuffled a good chunk of money into my fluid savings pot - which is a good job as it does look like the painter is coming next week, he rang to ask what colour paint we wanted.

The O&S account is looking healthy:
Expenses £23.99
Tilly Tidies £18.27
Barclays Blue £12.00
TSB interest £8.31 x 2
Total so far this month £70.79
Total since April has now broken the £1000 barrier and stands at £1026.25.

Eb@y sales have been rubbish - just one item sold and I have come to the conclusion that it is not worth the effort to sell in drips and drabs. I would much rather sell a batch of items and do one trip to post. So after the items that I have relisted have finished on Sunday I am going to pack in until September.

Grocery shopping is going fine - nothing extra bought this week and we haven't run out of anything, it is amazing what a difference a bit of planning made.

I have been debating how soon I can switch my C@@P accounts - I absolutely loathe their online banking and I would quite like another couple of switching bonuses I am thinking about doing another switch in September ( we switched to C@@P in June) to another bank that I don't intend staying with and then a final switch in March to N@tionwide to get the 5% on £2500 in the new tax year. That would net me approx £500 in switching bonuses.

Anyway better go and start work - have a good weekend :T

themadvix

Great news on the painter!

Hope you manage to get lots of work done today - having never had a 'proper' job (i.e. one in an office), I don't really understand why so many meetings are needed. I often think I am more productive (when I'm busy and focused, not messing around on MSE!) than people in an office because I'm not being constantly interrupted... I don't think I could cope with that!

I know what you mean about Ebay - nothing happening at all now, and it's just irritating. But... free unlimited listings.... so the temptation is still there. Hope you get some bids on things before the end of the week.

Have a good weekend!

Busy_Mee1

Hi Mad Vix - I do like the interaction with people, so I am not sure I could work from home all the time but this week has been ridiculously busy.

You never know there might be a mad flurry on bids on eb@y before the weekend, but I doubt it. I think a fresh start in September and I have some more Autumn/Winter stuff that I can put on then. I hate eB@y really, but like the extra money from stuff I would have just given away in the past. I have sort of come up with a set of rules for myself, to avoid any problems:

1. List to finish on a Sunday evening when most people are in to get their bids in. This allows me to dispatch as a batch on Monday (providing everyone pays promptly.
2. Use detailed descriptions and measurements to stop people asking stupid questions and complaining that it doesn't fit.
3. Don't sell anything that is less than perfect and detail any small flaws.
4. Check items over carefully all over(I once sold a jacket and the buyer came back wanting a reduction because the lining in the sleeve was split) I didn't know whether it was or wasn't.
5.Use a tracked delivery service ( This is my latest rule and I am now using Parcel2Go after a recommendation from Floxxie)
6.Dont give feedback on the buyer until after they have given you feedback. I used to give feedback after receiving payment and then problems - non receipt/ quibbling happens afterwards.
7.List the item at the lowest price you would be happy to receive for it
8.And now don't bother listing during summer Holidays..

Yep I really hate eb@y

try_harder

Wow ,you got your shopping down ,that was brilliant well done.You sound like me ,rushed off your feet ,but i dont work too.I have replied to you busy mee1 on my page so probably repeating myself, ebax has been awful for me the last 2 or 3 weeks so i have started listing locally on gumtrex and have had a few sales on there so adding in bits of interest earned on savings i am meeting my £10 a day target .Have a good weekend and dont work too hard ,

Busy_Mee1

It's Monday and I am on my way to London again. I am feeling fairly chipper for a Monday, and for the first time in ages I don't feel exhausted ( am finally sleeping better ) and I feel like I have had a good MSE weekend too. The grocery shopping was done for £50.31 - I can't believe the difference a bit of planning and thought has made and it helps that Mr Mee is on board too. We are well on track to spend within our £200 budget this month - we just need to keep it up.
I am really enjoying a less packed freezer and I can actually see what we have in there without having to play freezer jenga :rotfl:
I did some cooking yesterday and made a giant toad in the hole to use some nice sausages from the butchers....a sort of poor mans roast dinner and DS has taken the LOs for his meal at work tonight. He works long shifts so takes 3 meals a day when he is working. I also made a big quiche to use up some eggs and this will be a quick tea tomorrow because the boys are going to watch football.
The weather has been lovely over the weekend and I managed to get loads of gardening done, but it has turned a lot cooler today.
In other MSE news I discovered £15.11 in TCB ready for payment which I have duely cashed in. Also after all my whining last week, two items sold on Eb@y which means another £38.50 in the pot, I am leaving this in PayPal for now and am going to let it build up to use to buy currency for our holiday in October.
I have a long day scheduled in London, so not sure I will make it back for the gym, but have my kit in the car just in case I get back in time.
Have a good week everyone

Busy_Mee1

It is very grey and cold here today, I don't know what happened but I am sure we were promised some warmer weather this week.
The painters arrived and after a couple of false starts - he had wrong paint and wrong roller and it was all really difficult, they are now cracking on. This guy is a real Eeyore personality, everything is always too difficult and he does a lot of moaning, he does however do a good job when he eventually gets on with it. It is looking really nice, I am just hoping that they will finish it by Tuesday because that is all I have budgeted for.
I popped out at lunchtime to do a bit of house shopping with DS. It has to be quick because his attention span for shopping ( much like his Father's:rotfl:) only lasts for a hour max. Anyway a quick nip to @sdahome and Sainsburys and he got duvet covers, cutlery, oven gloves, tea towels and mugs, all at bargainous prices. These have now been added to his bottom drawer pile that has now taken up residence in my study. I might have also treated myself to some new bargain mugs too:rotfl:but I might save them until DS has left taking with him on his untasteful football and Harry Potter mugs and his large collection of slightly stolen beer glasses. My son was a student far too long :eek:
In MS saving news I have added £15.11 TCB to the O&S account. I have been also trying to work out how to get some more TCB, I need to earn £10 in my account so the OH will get the £15 refer a friend into his. I spotted that Asda are doing £8 TCB off a £25 home delivery so I think I will do this to buy the groceries for our long weekend away at the end of the month.
In non MS news the painting is going to cost more than I had budgeted for, he has just told me he needs more paint and will probably be here until Wednesday next week :mad:
The final payment for our holiday has also been taken from our H@lifax Clarity card in dollars and is £180 more than it would have been if I had paid for it before the referendum :mad:
The good news is that although this is all extra, I do have savings that will cover this whereas at one time we would have had to borrow to cover it :T

I am finishing early from work tomorrow and going for afternoon tea with a friend, a groupon deal at R@adisson Hotel. She emailed to ask whether we wanted afternoon tea for £10 or afternoon tea with prosecco for £12. What a daft question

Happy Friday for tomorrow