Plodding determinedly up a 300k mountain!

CathT

Great news about your christmas a/l. How lovely that you can actually make some plans when your line of work probably means you usually can't.

michelle09

Ah, hiring a skip is a bit of a pain for us - we have one allocated parking space which a skip might fit in, but then we'd have nowhere for the car! We've done so much since moving in and keeping costs down that I'm done with the kitchen. A nice man with a shiny brochure came and measured up, then sent us a 3D model of what it would look like. They will come in, do the work, and clear up. Even if it is a small fortune!

Thanks CathT! I am really thrilled we both have the two days. And OH is on an early on the 24th so we can leave for my parents at lunchtime and miss the rush (I hope).

Saturday again. Worked this morning but have this afternoon off and when OH gets up from the night shift we will go and see Thor. OH has seen it but I missed it because I was so shattered from work.

Got some extra tutoring work tomorrow, dissertation proofreading so I don't have to go anywhere. It will take all day though...

Current Balance: £248,000.00
Kitchen Savings: £8,250/£13,000

michelle09

Successful MSE-ing occurred yesterday, so a happy Michelle over here.

1. I filed my tax return, with only a small amount of help from my friendly related accountant. In even better news I can add the 2016-17 tax to my PAYE for 2018-19 which means I can pay it after we finish repairs. And as my tutoring is a 'small business' I won't have to pay the first £1k of tax for this year (spoiler: I don't make enough from that job to pay £1k in tax). Nice to avoid a large bill nine weeks before the kitchen starts.

2. Found an Iceland voucher on TCB. £6.99 voucher plus 4% cashback if you spent £36. We needed to spend £42 (pre voucher) to qualify for free delivery which is extra awkward as our local Iceland is under 5 minutes on foot. But with the cashback we ended up with £8.50 off a £40 bill. (And Iceland isn't exactly pricey).

3. Sorted Christmas presents for my nieces too. They are super keen readers, or more accurately as toddlers, they are super keen to be read to. Unfortunately kid's books are a little repetitive when you read it several times in a row. TCB was offering 17% cashback at the Works and when I checked out their website they were offering 10 children's books for £10. So they worked out at 83p each and my SiL has far more variety in her reading choices!


Current Balance: £248,000.00
Kitchen Savings: £8,250/£13,000

beanielou

All good then

michelle09

At least on that front!

Work has been truly awful this week, resulting in a talk in the head of departments offered that has achieved about as much as these normally do (hint: vague improvements for 24 hours).

BUT it has kicked my backside into applying for the three PhD programmes I'm interested in right now. References are in so now I just have everything crossed that at least one of them likes me.

Picked up £100 on Sunday for marking a university dissertation, and the family sent a £25 tip and a lovely phone call as a thank you because this is the last I'll see of that particularly student. Really nice to be appreciated.

smallholdingsister

Fingers crossed for the PhD. X

Karmacat

Wow to the dissertation marking - that sounds really impressive.

atypicalblonde

I hope work is much better for you this week Michelle xx

michelle09

Proofreading marking rather than post hand-in marking, but thanks KC. It's just more longwinded than a standard essay check because it tends to have a much higher weighting in the markscheme.

My main tutoring agency has merged with the agency I never seem to get jobs from. Hmm.... may have to start signing up for some others!

Thanks SHS! Me too, read the reference my old team leader wrote for me yesterday, not sure I recognise myself in it but it's very nice. I think I owe them some wine.

ATB - Unfortunately, I don't think this is the job for me. It's not felt like a good fit and even after a year I don't feel like I've settled in to the place. I should hear back about the PhDs next month and if I don't get one, I shall start job hunting in the new year. Got a really interesting offer via linkedin but it's based 80 miles away.

Went out drinking with a couple of the other managers at work last night. Advantage of where we are, a whole night of drinking and a meal out - total cost was under £25 each. I only go out drinking in pubs a handful of times a year so feel it's an acceptable expense.

We may have also sold our dining table this week to someone who is going to come and collect it. It's a bit big for us really, takes up about 1/3 of our living room (but it worked out £50 second hand so we dealt with it). Now we have no lodgers we don't need a four seater table so am poking on gumtree/preloved for anything interesting to replace it next year.

Busy_Mee1

Morning Michelle
Sorry to hear that work is not great at the moment. The trouble is, work is often a big part of our lives so unfortunately any unhappiness does have a big impact on us. Glad to hear that you have a plan to sort it though x