Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

A busy few days away...
17th Spends:
Train fare 57.10
loos 30p
milk 1.20

...and a run .

18th Spends:
NSD ...and a run.

19th Spends:
NSD

MS stuff:
Flasks of coffee on the train.
Lived off food cupboards and things I brought with me.
My sister doesn't want any of the stationery, of which there is...oodles. So for now I have a selection of greetings cards, some plain writing paper and envelopes, which is very handy as I'd just run out of envelopes.
Was able to turn the fridge off when I left.

That's about it really. A bit of progress made on Mum's house but only one and a half bags to the bin plus a lamp that was overheating. Garden tidied a bit, some papers gone through, a few small things brought home. The papers are going to take ages, maybe I should take a bag full home to sort every time I go.

Today I'm off out with friends which I'm looking forward to.

Cherryfudge

Time I was in bed so a quick account for 20th:

Spends:
Entry fee £9.00 (entertainment budget)
coffee £3.50 (ditto)
Gift £7.99
Household £4.99

MS stuff:
My friend bought lunch!
I resisted some lovely things while we meandered round the shop...
I had some vouchers that got us a discount.
My friends gave me a couple of recommendations for apps which might help reduce the spending on cards, as will the large amount of cards still to be retrieved from Mum's house.

On the other hand we have overshot our grocery budget - the lost receipts for the other day were 5.88 and 5.64, DH spent £26 today and had an overspend of £2.03 earlier in the week... I really don't know how it got to that state when I've been away and not spending for some days and we didn't get a takeaway today.
The 'household' spend was an indulgence too, as much ornamental as useful.

Cherryfudge

21st

NSD. No run.

DD has moved out: I think this is the third time? It's been very low-key as she and her partner are going to a nearby village and they don't know how long it will be for as they are both looking for first professional posts/ getting appropriate work experience.

DH has dismantled our trampoline as it was getting more rusty than used. End of an era here too!

I've been at work and last week's busy-ness has caught up on me so I am hoping to catch up on a bit of sleep in the morning. Will see DD at lunchtime - it's one of those 'moving outs' that still involves lunch at home and using our washing machine. Their new place isn't walking distance and isn't entirely self-sufficient.

Oh, and does wombling include a 1930s 1 cent piece?

charlies_tribe

I've been a lurked on your thread and just caught up with last few day, just wanted to post to say Mr T currently have the £35 toothbrush at £17.50, we have all just had one.

Good luck with everything, hope it doesn't take too long to sort out.

Cherryfudge

charlies_tribe wrote: »

I've been a lurked on your thread and just caught up with last few day, just wanted to post to say Mr T currently have the £35 toothbrush at £17.50, we have all just had one.

Good luck with everything, hope it doesn't take too long to sort out.

Hi, I am honoured I have a 'lurker', but then I suppose you aren't one any more. As to the toothbrush, thank you! I'm headed down there soon so I hope there are some left.

Just finished another run - 20 minutes with no walking breaks, so progress is being made. Not quite eligible for the record books yet, but it's a personal record.

Cherryfudge

I think someone must have read your post before I did, charlies tribe. The toothbrushes were indeed down to £17.50, but the space on the shelf was empty! I'm hoping I can try again tomorrow.

I have spent the last of my birthday 4mazon vouchers today to cover the cost of a pair of charger cables... looked locally but couldn't get the right ones. Resisted the lure of a return to 4mazon Pr1me. Hard to believe I have already gone through £40 of vouchers in little treats since March.

I'm worn out tonight - 17,000 steps today including the 20 minute run. Is running like a mortgage where it takes 17.5 years before you tip the balance between getting fitter and getting skinny? Only another 17.25 years to go...

The garden looks miles better without the trampoline. Big area of bare soil needs help, though.

I did some food shopping today including replenishing my emergency supplies at work.

Spends:
Toiletries £1.00
Housekeeping £12.47
Charger cable/postage £9.20 (using voucher)

MS stuff:
A friend leant me her charger for today
Bought £1 shampoo to try instead of £5 branded equivalent.
Picked up another sleep-in shift

The rest of the week is going to be busy: the house needs enough tidying to cope with my friends coming round tomorrow evening then a couple staying over the B/H weekend, and meanwhile some of DH's relatives are staying nearby so we are all going out for a meal. I had plans this morning to paint a shabby door so people would think fresh paint was normal for us ( ) but it never happened. We make our choices... today's was a run, then sorting some duplicates from the larder for DD and her partner, then work. Paint never quite made it to the top of the list and tomorrow is likely to be tidying, shopping, prep for a study and popping a card to my friend for her birthday.

Cherryfudge

An unplanned NSD today and a run this morning. I think I'll give the run a miss tomorrow, partly for lack of time and partly because I have a feeling there are only three scheduled each week for a reason.

Good news this afternoon in that DD was successful at her job interview! She will have to wait for Police checks and stuff but it's a good step towards her chosen career and means she will un-accept the other job offer.

I spent a lot of today significantly underachieving. Knowing I had guests this evening, another tomorrow morning, more at the weekend and DH's relatives to visit soon, I was completely stuck as to where to start on the housework. It made me realise there are jobs that haven't been done in ages and no matter what I did, I couldn't get it up to 'perfect' in the time available. :o:o

By late afternoon the pressure got to me and I gave myself five minutes per room to hoover, then damp dust. Not everything has been done, of course, but it actually feels better and looks better. DH got home from a long day and nipped to the supermarket to get us some biscuits, and I made a chicken and bacon pie with all sorts of left-overs for our tea and some over for tomorrow. My friends who came this evening are very accepting and we had a nice time. I could see the dusk growing outside after the warmth of the day and the first flight of the bats.

Later DS went out to attend a hedgehog that was in danger of heading for the traffic. There are plenty of hiding places in the garden and routes to neighbouring gardens, but it wanted to stand in the middle of the path and didn't seem at all concerned about him being there. We fed it chicken and put a dish of water for it, with a shelter facing away from the traffic. It ate the chicken and was still out there when I went to look after the animals later. We have a contact who's a bit of an expert in sickly hedgies so if we see it again I'll let her know, just in case it's unwell.

I haven't managed to declutter much, just a few papers and a rug that was disintegrating. I really ought to chuck out a few more worn out things as we can afford new ones - things like a couple of nicer handtowels for the kitchen would make quite a difference. I also need to repaint a door which is letting the side down. There are places that need new wallpaper but that's not in my skill set, especially not with only hours to go till guests come! I am working on clean-with-some-clear-surfaces-and-maybe-flowers. That's okay for a look, isn't it?

I did have quite a good displacement activity: we have a drawer for greetings cards (some have been there far too long but it generally means I have one to hand when needed). I also inherited back a folder I'd made for Mum when she struggled to keep track of birthdays. It's just a concertina file with each division labelled by month and cards dropped in. There were lots of nice cards still in there so I've revamped it, changing the divisions to things like 'birthdays - women', 'birthdays - men', 'sympathy' and so forth. There are so many cards that I'm set up for years - though nothing suitable for DD, DH or certain others. It helps with my problem of spending what seems like a fortune on cards.

Oh, and another advantage of taking up running - I dropped a birthday card in at a friend's house while pounding past!

So, financially little progress today, but at least the house is approaching acceptable.

Spends:
Nil

MS Stuff:
Greetings cards folder set up
Yet another sleep in to cover
Leftovers for tea

Honeysucklelou2

That's a good idea for birthday cards. I end up losing cards I've bought as I put them somewhere safe...so safe I can't find them for the day! Will have to use that idea- thanks!

Cherryfudge

Decided to improve the garden today... bits of it look better. Retouching some paintwork was a rather qualified success as the paint separated however much I stirred it. I'm told that's because it got too cold in the shed. It will need a fresh pot of paint to cover it but at least there is a base coat.

Spends:
Ready meal £2.17 (not MS )

MS stuff:
Used up pot of paint

Cherryfudge

The busy week continues.

I had work in the morning after which I felt like going back to sleep and in fact did manage a quick doze, probably helped by hayfever meds and the heat. Then I braved going into town - the air con in the shops was gorgeous and cooled me down much better than staying at home would have done. I got the paint and some other bits, went home and repainted yesterday's patchy handiwork and another side of the shed. It all looks better.

I then squeezed in a raid on the loft for summer clothes (so now I have to sort and put up winter things as there isn't room downstairs for both), plus a shower and hair-wash ready for the meal out with DH's family members. It was good to see them again - and nice that the meal was a gift from them as they are visiting people to celebrate their Golden Wedding - but a little sad as the lady now has short term memory loss and wasn't sure who everyone was, and the way the table was arranged meant we were near a speaker playing constant music so my FiL, who has limited hearing and a weak voice, couldn't join in much at all.

Afterwards we piled back in the cars and went to DS1's for coffee, apart from DS2 who took FiL home... and that's where things went at a tangent.

DS2 delivered FiL home and in the foyer (sheltered accommodation) met a lady who was waiting to be met. She was still there once FiL was back in his flat, and DS was concerned about her. She thought she was meeting friends, and it was late in the evening. He's worked with 'EMI' and realised she was confused but couldn't sort it himself (not knowing her) so he rang the buzzer for the on call warden, who was only able to advise. Long story short, he ended up spending 2 hours while a chain of phone calls went up and down the country ending up with the lady's grand daughter's ex-partner who lives locally to us. She was eventually sorted out and today is moving to a nursing home. As DS said, when he finally got home, it's the right place for her (DD and I have both encountered her wandering and confused before), but it meant he didn't get to talk to our relatives and lost study time for something that has to be handed in soon.

In better news, my weight is definitely edging down - the scales hit a new low in the morning (though I ate too much at dinner and it might take a few days to counterbalance that). When I got dressed up to go out, the bra that had fitted my with a 'going out' outfit at the beginning of April was undoubtedly too big. I need a trying on session to save having to search for things that fit.

I also had a letter from the expensive insurance to confirm it's now cancelled and they are refunding a month's payment. :beer:

This evening and tonight I'm at work again and our friends arrive at tea time so DH is taking the afternoon off to tidy up and welcome them.

25th spends:
paint and brush £19.00
cleaning materials £1.00
Toiletries £0.95
Housekeeping £4.50