The Ultimate Incentive muddles along

roomontheend

I had a lovely trip away with my friends over the BHW. Spent a lot but it has been planned for over a year. So I have budgeted for it. I am going a relook at our payments and outgoings tomorrow evening and do as much as I can to get the payments down. We could do a lot more if our card payments didn't take up so much of our monthly income. I can't wait for the day we are debt free and can start really enjoying life together. So back on full focus.

Birdie85

Hi all!

I haven't checked in on here for a while! Seems like everyone's keeping busy busy busy!

Glad you weren't late for your class Dinah, it's so frustrating when other people make you late/threaten to make you late, must be extra frustrating when it's your professional reputation on the line!

Well done on the ebay sales Cinny. We've still got loads of Zach's big baby stuff to get rid of but I just CBA with the selling of it all! It's all just at BIL's in storage as we weren't sure about having another baby but now we're pretty settled on no more kids we should really go sort it out... but that means actually going to BIL's to pick it up and storing it at ours whilst we get it all listed and sold and sending it off and blah... I just CBA!!! Maybe I'll sort it out soon???

Glad you had a lovely wedding and honeymoon Archers!! Congratulations!

We're a slightly miserable house at the moment, both of us have bad necks/shoulders/backs that we've realised have come about from years of carting Zach about. Rich also has an arthritic foot so our usual plans for free days of just walking places for miles and miles have gone to pot as it's too painful for him, despite pills and orthotics and physio etc. TBH he's been pretty depressed with it all since January, it's so difficult to be happy when you're in pain and can't be active, and we've not got the spare cash to fill our time with nice distractions. We're going on holiday on Sunday and seriously hoping that the warm weather and a change of scenery is good for us!!!

Big hugs CMD for your brother going back home. Hope you see him again soon. You keep confusing me on FB too with your different name? Looks like you had a lovely time in Disneyland though!

Cinny91

I actually gasped and whispered "Birdie!!" at my computer when I saw you were the last poster on this thread :rotfl::rotfl:

Could you maybe do a carboot with Zach's old stuff? That's our next plan with the bits left over, we're in the "no-more-kids" camp too and I've passed everything I can on to friends. Was going to ask if you wanted the bits your MIL knitted for Zach back? Got so many compliments on his reindeer hat last year she could probably start a multi-million pound business on those alone.

That must be pretty frustrating for Rich, not just the pain part but he was super active with his rugby and things so it must feel even more debilitating. Then here I am, weak as all hell, pulling my shoulder by doing an over enthusiastic 2am dummy raid under Oscar's bed

Must be heartbreaking when they leave, CMD! But we're lucky these days to have the technology that makes really long distances as easy as talking to someone down the road. Will it be long until you see him again?

Birdie85

My shoulder first went 'pop' when I was leaning over the bed to grab Zach. Hardly an exciting injury story! Almost as good as Rich's, which was that his shoulder popped when he was towel drying his hair!! :eek: Bless him, he's started to feel like a mere mortal now, getting breathless when rushing etc where it never used to bother him.

If you know of any babies cool enough to carry them off, pass the knitted bits on Cinny and Pay It Forward. If not, I know of a couple of babies who'll be old enough to wear them when they're seasonally appropriate.

Oh and I don't car boot. I hate car booting! I usually spend the entire profit afterwards on nice food and drink to make me forget how much I hated the ordeal! :rotfl:

Cinny91

Phew, at least I'm not alone! Rich was just throwing Oscar about the other week and threw his back out. These kids, breaking us in more ways than one!

I was hoping the hat would stretch and last forever! I really got the most out of it, he had it on pretty much constantly :rotfl: Have a few friends trying to bagsy things (like the pirate jumper) so I can find them very good homes!

To be fair my view on the carboot is wavering out of the house with a loaded up car for 6am on a Sunday?! Rich wants to bag clothes/toys up for the charity shop but if I hold anything in my hands that cost more than £10 my inner Scrooge comes out and I want some cold hard cash in return.

rubywhatashmoo

All of our old baby clothes have either been charity shopped or bagged up for friends - I'm with Birdie on the CBA front with it all, it's just more time and energy I don't have right now Saying that though I've still managed to keep a LOT of bits and pieces that have sentimental value - right now we're hoping at some point to have another child, but it'd be nice if no.2 was a girl! What's your ebay username Cinny?

Cinny91

Have you thought about having the sentimental bits made into a keepsake bear/quilt Ruby? I'm making Oscar's super tiny bits into a bear, and then have a stash of my favourite sleepsuits/tops/coats for making into a quilt.

It's the same as my usename on here I think!

wendz86

I pass all the nice clothes on and toys to my niece. Any of the less nice clothes i charity bag . I'm hoping to do a car boot this summer but takes a bit of organisation with needing someone to look after kids.

I am lucky that i get a load of clothes from my boss as her daughter is 6 months younger than Poppy but taller so grows out of stuff that fits Poppy. She has so many nice clothes I'm quite jealous.

Dinah93

Sorry to hear about Rich's foot Birdie. Hope the sun helps it and lifts your moods a little.

I didn't realise you were thinking of only one child Birdie, big decision to make but so long as you're happy with it then there is lots to look forward to once the baby phase is done with. I thought you'd decided on a brood as well Cinny after prior 'one and done' thoughts, there's plenty to be said for an only child, can give them more attention and experiences.

Potty training here. This is without doubt the worst bit of childhood in my opinion. I'm so sick of cleaning poop. We've cracked it otherwise.

Also in the cba camp for carboot - its about 8 hours out of my life to pack the car, drive over there, set up, sell, pack up, drive back, and after the fees for the pitch I'm very lucky to clear £30. I do always pass things on on local freebie groups through.

The builders started on site on Monday!!!!! We're hoping to be back in by mid July (they say the start of, but I'm not sure that's accurate given the slow pace of things to date). It's all just a complete and utter shambles. The removal company have been 4 times now, and still haven't actually taken everything!

Swapped my car for something that both stops and gos (the problems facing my most recent two cars). Yes the word gos is hurting my brain but an apostrophe hurts it too. But that was an extra £1000 I didn't want to be spending.

Yoga teaching starting to take off well, I just need to build up some day time work. I have one day time class at present, with 6 people, I only take up to 10 in that studio. I really could do with finding some more day time work in gyms, residential centres or similar so there is no risk just guaranteed work. I'm going to send letters to a few out of area schools about teaching there, as I did a very daft thing and covered a class for a yoga bugs teacher last december, and that means I can't teach within their area for a year from that date.

Feeling a bit of guilt that Ben has a special teacher come into nursery on a Wednesday do music and drama, and I've had to swap his nursery days this week and next because I've started this new morning class. I know nursery is for when I work rather than as a social outing for him - but so far I've always managed to time my work to fit with Wednesdays as he loves this session. He does look shattered today though so not sure if he's feeling a bit under the weather.

Current to do list

• Email Nursery
• Call HMRC - no letter received
• Call Car garage
• Email Keith/Peter and raise merry hell
• Email FIL
• Update spreadsheet about house
• Reply to yoga emails
• Chase invoice from HH
• Tidy bedroom
• Upload birthday party photos
• Send all FBA parcels to Amazon
• Complete assignment 3
• Do any alterations from weekends coursework
• Send DVLA letter
• Medicash claim
• Email George from congress
• Email Yoga leggs
• Update website
• Design NIM logo
• Order NIM flyers
• Order work tshirt
• NIM uniform tax claim
• Email gyms, try to get more work
• Book ferry
• Email tesco clubcard
• Work out how to log onto instructors online system
• Reply to recent emails that are starred
• Get code for nursery place
• Sort car insurance for new car
• DLA renewal form
• Apply for active kids funding
• Book Manchester hotel for next training weekend
• Book hotel for Leicester aqua yoga training day
• Draft letter to schools
• Email Cara
• Return Grace's school trip letter and money
• Do poster alterations for dad
• Get partial train ticket refund

Dinah93

Dinah93 wrote: »

Current to do list

[STRIKE]
• Email Nursery [/STRIKE]
  [STRIKE]
• Call HMRC - no letter received[/STRIKE]
• Call Car garage
  [STRIKE]
• Email Keith/Peter and raise merry hell[/STRIKE]
  [STRIKE]
• Email FIL [/STRIKE]
• Update spreadsheet about house
  [STRIKE]
• Reply to yoga emails[/STRIKE]
  [STRIKE]
• Chase invoice from HH [/STRIKE]
• Tidy bedroom
• Upload birthday party photos
• Send all FBA parcels to Amazon
• Complete assignment 3
• Do any alterations from weekends coursework
• Send DVLA letter
• Medicash claim
• Email George from congress
• Email Yoga leggs
• Update website
• Design NIM logo
• Order NIM flyers
• Order work tshirt
• NIM uniform tax claim
• Email gyms, try to get more work
• Book ferry
  [STRIKE]
• Email tesco clubcard [/STRIKE]
  [STRIKE]
• Work out how to log onto instructors online system[/STRIKE]
• Reply to recent emails that are starred
  [STRIKE]
• Get code for nursery place [/STRIKE] Done what I can, I have to wait for a phone call to give more information on my income to HMRC.... they have my tax credit return and annual
  [STRIKE]
• Sort car insurance for new car [/STRIKE]
• DLA renewal form
• Apply for active kids funding
• Book Manchester hotel for next training weekend
• Book hotel for Leicester aqua yoga training day
• Draft letter to schools
• Email Victoria
  [STRIKE]
• Email Vicky[/STRIKE]
• Email Cara
• Return Grace's school trip letter and money
  [STRIKE]
• Do poster alterations for dad[/STRIKE]
• Get partial train ticket refund
  [STRIKE]
• Email Steve[/STRIKE]
  [STRIKE]
• Email/Call Ian[/STRIKE]

Have not stopped today, feel like I could really really use another 3 days like this to feel even halfway towards caught up on life. Supposed to be going to a friends house for pizza and wine tonight, going to drive anyway as on training 40 miles away at 10am, but really would rather have the time to catch up on life right now, how sad is that. It's my core friendship group too, lovely ladies, great to see them, usually I'd really look forward to it. Just feeling so utterly frazzled.