£67,031.92 is a frightening number indeed....

enthusiasticsaver

I am sceptical that expensive vitamins are any better for you than the cheaper ones and a doctor friend of mine told me there is no use in taking them unless you have a deficiency. Saying that I take vitamin c with zinc and seem to have had less colds over the last year. Not the expensive brands ones, just from Boots or the supermarket. I am suspicious of all highly marketed products as I reckon half the price goes on the marketing campaigns. Each to their own though.

Treadingonplaymobil

Suffolk lass I'm interested to read about your symptoms/cause. I have frequently suspected that wheat/sugar exacerbate, if not cause, mine, but am too chicken to cut them out entirely to find out! I get eczema every winter all over my neck and scalp too, which is a complete pain.

Anyway, what I do know is that my sore mouth clears up with a certain multivitamin. I have no idea if its placebo, I'm aware the whole placebo thing can be fairly powerful, but frankly it works and that's all I'm interested in. I won't link as I'm not really up for a debate about the pros and cons of a particular brand. As for putting every one vitamins, after the appalling autumn of illness we've had this year I'm happy to hand over a bit of money to make even the tiniest fraction of an improvement to my entire family's chances of avoiding illness next year.

I'm so raring for the DCs to go back to school next week. It's been a wonderful holiday, one of the quietest we've had in a year or more once Christmas itself was out of the way, and I think we're all feeling really revived. And I am so ready to get going properly on moving the business forward. I spent a bit of time yesterday trying to get clearer on my financial goals, which was simultaneously exciting and terrifying, and I've set myself four levels of income target for my business. They go from 'bare minimum' to 'comfortable' to 'luxury' to 'dream', and I'm planning to reach the first one within the next six months, and the second by the end of the year.

apple_muncher

Are you still seeing your friend for life coaching meetings?

Sea_Shell

Are you still using YNAB? Even if paying down the debt is no longer your main short term priority...I think you still need to keep an eye on the numbers. Are you going to keep your signature updated?

Suffolk_lass

If you think wheat is one of your triggers, you could try making your bread with rye or spelt flour. I sort of came to the conclusion that it was the flour improvers (whatever they are!) in shop-bought bread that was making me bloat. So not wheat for me. Have you ever read the book "Your Daily Bread" by Doris Grant? It was written in the 1940s - your library may have a copy - her obit is here - she died in 2003 but what a Woman! - Anyway, the point is that she was a health pioneer with definite views about foods and combining that you might find informative and interesting. I definitely think her work would appeal to your ethical sourcing side.

Treadingonplaymobil

New week! Love a new week. The DCs aren't back at school until tomorrow so I'm using today to prepare food, tidy up, pack pe bags etc. The aim is to be ready to start work as soon as they are dropped at school tomorrow morning. No last minute bits of housework or anything distracting me from the work in hand.

Life coaching - yes, still doing that. My friend has recently gone fully self employed too, so it will be great to be able to motivate each other and really hold each other accountable.

YNAB - still inputting everything! The debt is currently going up, not down, due to investment in the business, but I'm content that it's a wise decision for what needs to happen if I want this debt cleared in <5 years rather than the ten we're otherwise headed for.

I have sent the first feelers our to attempt to extricate myself from a contract for my client work (I work with a company and need to escape a contract with them to stop client work entirely). I am hoping they will let me leave without drama, but who knows - it's a franchise, so any franchise specialist solicitors out there who fancy a bit of pro bono work... :rotfl: . This company has been the cause of so much drama in my life over the past half decade, from the big issue discussed at times on here about 18 months ago, to the initial decision to work with them in the first place (there was lots of talk of big income from them, which has never come to pass). It has impacted my business confidence so so much as essentially it was the beginning of our financial woes - I took on childcare costs because I was expecting to work more, we moved into a bigger house so I could see clients, I bought better clothes etc etc - so leaving the negativity of this company behind feels like a really really important part of the whole business process for me. I had a successful business before working with them, and I know I can again, I just need to finally close this chapter of my life and move on with a positive, profitable business where I am accountable to no one but myself. I'm trying to calmly wait for a response, but have so far refreshed my emails about 97,000 times this morning.

Suffolk lass - I'll definitely look that book up! I don't buy bread, but I should experiment with other flours for my sourdough really (which forms 90% of my wheat intake). I like to pretend that because it's homemade it doesn't have any negative effect, but I suspect that if I could reduce the wheat content and replace with something better it would benefit me. I also definitely eat too much sugar.

Goals for today are all practical house-related stuff:
1) clear the spaces I need to work in tomorrow so I don't get distracted by house stuff.
2) batch cook for packed lunches.
3) check DCs uniforms and order any replacements necessary - DC1 has continued to limp through without a warm coat so I really need to address that.

Silver_Queen

I am a big fan of a 30:70 mix of wheat and rye sourdough, I don't like rye on its own but find that the addition of a little bit of wheat makes it quite nice.

BettyBoof

Good luck with wriggling free of your contract! It sounds like a weight will be lifted from your shoulders when you walk away.

lindez

Morning TOPM just caught up on your diary missed your posts. Congratulations on your decision I am sure your new venture will be very rewarding for you and your family. Hope you do not have to keep refreshing your emails all day lets hope you get the answer you want early this afternoon. Looking forward to hearing how the extension goes. I am looking forward to your new 2019 posts.

Busy_Mee1

Happy New Year TOPM. I am really pleased to see you posting again. I have really enjoyed watching your journey over the last couple of years.

It has been a real process of learning and transition for you. I know you have found it challenging at times but if you hadn't started to tackle your debt and spending I don't honestly think you would be in the position you are in now and able to make choices about your career path and embark on major building work.

I am really pleased that you going to use your writing as a basis for your new business, you write really well and have engaged us all in your journey as a result. I think that if you stick to the principles of what has worked well on this forum you should be really successful. I think people on here have enjoyed a window on a slightly different and interesting lifestyle, someone who has stuck to her principles, but also kept it real and unpretentious and been slightly self-depreciating. If you stick to this approach I think you will do really well :T

My only note of caution would be to watch that you don't get into s0d it mode because you have increased your debt to invest in your business and I am guessing to fund Christmas and your holiday.

You do need to watch that you don't slip into spending more generally beyond your means. You still have an expensive building project coming up and that is where you can lose all perspective on spending......I speak from experience. When you are spending £1000s on bricks and steel, suddenly a £40 washing up bowl doesn't seem that expensive :rotfl:...but it all soon mounts up.

I would hate to see you back here in a years time in a proper pickle because you have run out of lines of credit.....again I speak from experience of building our house and possibly the most stressful financial period of my life :eek:

Anyway good luck with the new career and hope you get some good news from the franchise company soon.