Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

Sun_Addict wrote: »

Mortgage figure looking very impressive indeed

Thank you. I'm trying not to go back into the account to admire it. :rotfl:

Cherryfudge

Lots of bits of spending today, but pretty well all planned for.

Shopping on DFiL's behalf went pretty well: he was in good form when I saw him which is great. Not very MS so far, though, as he reminded me he needed to pay me back, I handed him the receipts then we got onto other subjects, I showed him a photo of DS2 in uniform and he handed the receipts back when he gave me back my phone! I will ask DD or someone if they can remind him when they see him.

I haven't managed to sort out a present for DH from me, but I have a couple of ideas. I hope I can organise one or the other tomorrow before work as there won't be much time after. I did get a card when I saw a 'perfect' one a while ago. Of course I forgot all about it but found it accidentally the other day so that's all right.

A new winter duvet and some pillow protectors have been bought so I'm looking forward to snuggling down tonight. It's been colder recently and tonight there's a forecast for the first frost of autumn. I have wrapped old sheets round J and L's tomato plants and sent a photo to J&L in the hope they will pick the rest of the fruit and I won't need to create 'ghosts' in the garden for the next few weeks. Tomorrow I will be in work overnight so it might be 'ghosts' all day.

Spending:
Window cleaner £5.00
Household £17.69
Medical £1.00
On DFiL's behalf £27.64 (to reclaim)
Housekeeping £13.22
MS:
Went into a different supermarket than usual and found my favourite coffee 10p cheaper and hot chocolate a pound cheaper than Mr T.
Remembered toothpaste at the cheap shop so got it for £1.
£2 coin for the jar.
10th coin savings 6p
Spent more than I intended on groceries but it gives me a dinner for tomorrow and some chicken for other meals so I think it will work out as a positive.
I had a look for L's birthday present and am going to ask DS2 to order it for me as he has Pr!me.
Decluttering:
2 mugs (damaged), a lid that broke, 12 pieces of paper off the kitchen noticeboard.

My thankfulness list for today: brilliant autumnal sunshine colouring everything as it came in at a low level under dark clouds, dark chocolate, a visit to DFiL, a new winter duvet, two big tubs of hot chocolate and a box of coffee sachets that together cost £2.05 less than the usual lowest price.

Cherryfudge

Remembered to move the rest of DH's last month's money into holiday savings. Always helps to have a holiday to look forward to (at least it helps him, I'm a stay-at-home ).

Paid DS2 £35 so he can order gifts from Amaz0n Pr!me for DDH's birthday... I'm sure there was more I was going to do this morning but my mind's a bit blank. I did some of the ironing and put summer clothes away, and one load of washing, but nothing adventurous.

I found an old purse with £3.18 in so that's going into savings.

Off to work soon till tomorrow so no update tonight.

Cherryfudge

Back from work and pretty tired after a few nights short of decent sleep, but at least I have the weekend off. My poor colleagues are headed for a very heavy workload over the next few days.

I have another hour and half before DH, DD and I are off to the theatre apropos of nothing apart from that we are all huge fans of a particular show. My energy levels are slowly coming back up so I will go and work out what to wear in a minute.

Nothing spent today: tickets were bought some time ago, DD is paying for petrol and DH is paying for parking. I might end up getting a programme because I always do.

HairyHandofDartmoor

I hope you enjoy the theatre tonight, it's good to have a weekend off .

I'm suffering from low energy too at the moment. Maybe it's the time of year or maybe it's diet based. I know I need to eat more vegetables.

Cherryfudge

The theatre was fantastic - a first class production all round. We were all rather awe-struck. It finished about ten thirty and we didn't get home till about twenty past midnight so I'm once again rather short of sleep!

Today has been DH's birthday. J and L came round for breakfast and to pick their tomatoes, and DS2 has been here too. The others had a 40th anniversary to attend but we still had our traditional birthday breakfast and present opening before DH went to see his Dad.

We had excellent news from L: he has a permanent job at last! In fact he's been offered two but can only do one of them so he's chosen the one that makes use of his degree which I think is a wise choice. He has proven skills and will be good in this filed and while he could give a fair go at the other job, it's not where his heart is. It's good to see things looking up for him as it's been over a year since he qualified.

In the afternoon DH and I went to the cinema (Downton Abbey) then got some shopping as there was a much cheaper supermarket nearby. I had been shopping for Christmas and birthday cake ingredients in the morning and noticed I could have bought them a lot cheaper at this other place if I'd realised I'd have the opportunity. As it was, I spent the rest of the £30 I got out at the beginning of the week, plus £6.55 on my debit card at Mr T in the morning, then £34.80 at Mr Al in the afternoon! Some of this was gifts/garden/entertaining though so the food overspend isn't quite as bad as it looks.

Spending:
Garden £2.99
Gifts £3.96
Household (potato peeler) £1.99
Clothing £0.45.
Entertaining (Christmas and birthday cake ingredients - yes there will be plenty left over for other things but that's going to be a bonus - it's too complicated to try to cost all the bits) £11.91
Housekeeping £30.27

I'm clearly going to have to reign things in over the next week or risk losing the benefit of underspending recently - I make that an overspend of £36.82. . However I do have quite a bit of food in and DH can get his usual money out so we should be okay.

MS:
Bought felt to re-line favourite slippers - all of 45p. Part one of the reconstruction is done. When I see how well this glue has held I can do part two, which should take five minutes plus drying time.
I finished hemming the top I reconstructed the other day, but stupidly let the sewing scissors slip as a result of which I've made a nick on the sleeve! So the sleeve length is good, I have matching scrunchies from the cut offs but I have a mend in the sleeve! :rotfl: I'm not trying it on till I have a good light to see if it shows.
10th coins into savings 4p.
Virtually free lemonade as I had to use the zest of a lemon in a recipe. The juice plus sugar and boiling water should have citric acid added but it's okay without and quite refreshing.

Decluttering:
4 tomato plants (J and L did the work but it was because I told them ).
A beer bottle of DS2's. A mending project finished.

I'm thankful for DH and his birthday and being able to spend time together.

Honeysucklelou2

Sounds a lovely birthday celebration

Cherryfudge

I've caught up on sleep this afternoon! What better to do when it's been raining for hours and hours? I feel better for it.
I did buy a few bits for work but I can be reimbursed so it doesn't really count in any of my budgets. It did enable me to get rid of lots of small change so my purse is lighter and there won't be a 10th coin to save today.
I have a rough meal plan based on what's in: I only need to plan Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday as I'm working lates at the end of the week and will take either soup from the freezer or overnight oats while DH buys his own tea. Before that, I think: Monday - lentil and chorizo soup, Tuesday - chicken or chickpea curry, Wednesday tuna pasta. Dh will probably buy at the weekend as well. If I can stay out of the shops this should work, but DH has asked me to get his milk tomorrow as I'm around in the afternoon.
There's work in the morning and DS2 has a training day at his new job. Do I really want to be in work for 7.30? Not really...

Today I'm thankful that DFiL got to church for the first time since early this year - he's doing well. Also thankful for a restful afternoon.

Cherryfudge

Another rainy day, but not as much so as yesterday.

I was at work this morning which was reasonably productive, and fell asleep when I got home, as much out of habit as need, I think!

I made the soup for tea and some spare has gone in the freezer, but I did spend from the entertaining budget for more Christmas cake ingredients including a bottle of brandy. I confess I also bought onions as reasonably large ones were on offer, but that was only 45p which doesn't push Saturday's £30.27 over the £40 mark.

I make that £9.28 left in this week's housekeeping budget.

DS2 seems to have come through his first day in his new career without trauma. I heard him humming so maybe it was even good! Dh isn't too well, though. It looks as though the reaction he had to some medication earlier in the year is making a comeback. It's to be hoped that after half a year without the medication he won't be as poorly as last time.

There are two days off about to happen but as so often, Tuesday will be busy. I scanned and emailed some material to a friend yesterday which saved me having to pop round to hers tomorrow to deliver a book and leaves me with the material to prep for our group tomorrow evening. I've just been doing a bit of research to back some items I'm taking to a work thing tomorrow lunchtime (yes, the term 'day off' is rather a loose description but I'm getting paid and I reckon if we have a three-line whip about going, then I'm going to make the most of the opportunity). I have an A4 paper covered in notes and I've only covered one of the three things I'm hoping to introduce! I wonder if anyone else wants to get a word in edgeways?

Actually I'm not sure I will get the opportunity to say much but I want to be prepared if I do.

Spending:
Housekeeping £0.45
Entertaining £13.10
MS:
Soup for tea using ingredients I already had.
Onions on offer.
My summer slippers are nearly wearable again (I had to stick the insoles back into these old favourites and gave them a felt layer and some of the glue has to be redone but I'm learning).
Decluttering:
One olive oil bottle finished and recycled - we had about three for some reason.

Today I'm thankful for work being easier than it might have been, for days off coming up and for a sleep this afternoon.

Cherryfudge

My day off, and time to catch up on here and around the house, having had a good sleep. (Not till lunchtime, I hasten to add. I've been messing about on the computer).

Yesterday's spending:
Housekeeping £0.24 (housekeeping balance now £9.04)
Household (dehumidifier for upstairs) £34.99
Entertaining (biscuits to share with friends) £1.00
MS:
Curry from the freezer with extra chicken added - a big success with DH
Wombled £1.00
Decluttering:
I doubt it.
Thankfulness list: DH feeling better, good evening with my friends from church group, really positive email from Head of Dept., seeing DS1 even if was through work.

Yesterday's work event was quite productive though I'm afraid I didn't understand a lot of the speech from the Head of Department. What a nice chap, though - late in the evening he emailed DH and me to say nice things about the two of our children who work in his department. At some point this afternoon I need to send an email to follow up the event, and of course one to the nice chap who wrote to us.

There's quite a list for today:
Washing into machine Done
Follow up email
Thank you email
Bake Christmas cake
Do some gardening
Pay CC two items done, two to do later so the payments show up separately
Book tickets for next week's train waiting on annual leave being cleared
Follow up annual leave booking remote access not working
Do some housework
Get dinner
Order new studies for friends - they will pay me back but I know which one to order.waiting to borrow DS2's Am@zon Pr!me
Order DVD to go with study. Done
Put away yesterday's washing. Done
Do ironing and put away.
Clean / inventory fridge
Clean / inventory freezer
Check when laundry liquid order is due

About time I started. 2pm update added