Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

Honeysucklelou2 wrote: »

What a blessing you have been able to make those overpayments...well done .

Thanks. I am deliberately not kicking myself for the years when I could have overpaid but didn't. I know it was because it was 'one thing too many' in a world of 'too manys' and we've come a long way since then.
The rain continued all morning and into the afternoon but I know from pictures on the Internet that we have had it a lot better than many people. By late afternoon I even put washing on the line before going to the shops with DH - then it started raining again, so I have had to put some in the dryer.
Shopping with DH gets a bit complicated as we sub each other for things so I hope I sort out what's from which budget.
Spending:
e-book that I forgot yesterday £0.99
Clothing (Jumper for DH) £25
Housekeeping £3.93
MS:
Baking - carrot cake and fruit scones
I got £30 out for food at the beginning of the week and already had some change from the previous week. I've got £8.22 left to roll over before taking out 10th coins to save... and I didn't get the full £40 out. I make that £21.78 plus last week's change spent and £18.22 left over. I think that's a record but it's partly because we are invited out tomorrow so aren't feeding the family.
Sadly, feeding the family has dropped away over this year. DFiL isn't strong enough to get up to our house (steps to door so not wheelchair friendly), H and A come from time to time but have a lot going on socially, as do J and L, but J and L have fallen out with DS2 so we don't see much of them now. Then again DS2 is often at work, and so am I.
The plus side is that it saves money.
10th coins saved £1.30
Decluttering:
Handed a plant over to DS2 (it was his originally).

I'm thankful for: a quiet day at home. The rain stopping. Carrot cake and scones.

in_need_of_direction

I know you miss feeding the family but isn’t it great that, for the most part, it’s because they are busy enjoying their lives?

Cherryfudge

in_need_of_direction wrote: »

I know you miss feeding the family but isn’t it great that, for the most part, it’s because they are busy enjoying their lives?

Very true. They haven't fallen out with us (though DD struggles with the chaos here... if I could change it I would but I am actually happier with a lot of visual input than simplicity).

Cherryfudge

Lovely day today, not just beautiful weather but time spent as a family with L's family to celebrate a significant birthday.

Strangely, he and his brother's girlfriend share a birthday, and his other brother's wife and I also share birthdays.

DS2 tells us he has split up with the girl he was seeing over the summer, though they are still friends. He doesn't seem upset, but I think it probably happened a little while ago and he's worked through it.

Nothing spent today.

Honeysucklelou2

Cherryfudge wrote: »

(though DD struggles with the chaos here... if I could change it I would but I am actually happier with a lot of visual input than simplicity).

You do make me smile Cherryfudge...couldn't have put it better! I too prefer a lot of visual input than simplicity.:D

Cherryfudge

So here I am in my visual input zone...

First frost today, and cold and bright all day. I've been on a course for work, but only locally.

Am off into work again in a few minutes but only for the sleep in, then tomorrow is a day off. Am hoping to get the low down on what on earth was going on over the weekend: my work is better than a soap opera at times! Not sure it's good news, but my suspicions may be erroneous and at least we have a new member of staff starting who is reputedly experienced.

I got £20 housekeeping out today - would normally be £30 but there were no receipts and no tenners in the till, so I'm noting it here.

Spending:
Housekeeping £8.55
MS:
Refund of £4 postage for a delivery that got split into two by accident.
The jumper I ordered for DH has come but neither of us likes it so I'll return for a refund.
Decluttering:
Nope

Today I'm thankful for beautiful, dry, bright weather, for a packet of crisps and for a prospective good night's sleep!

Cherryfudge

I think I have day-off-itis, in which the sufferer is unable to chose and commit to a line of action on their day off. Otherwise known as 'I am selling myself short and need a couple of real days off'. However I have those booked at the end of next week and in the meantime have emailed my manager about a meeting that I really ought to be at and which he seems to have plonked in the middle of the time I was intending to be over the other side of the country working on Mum's house. I can't be absolutely sure of this as it's in the diary but not on the rota, hence email.

I have achieved a little today: there's washing on the line, the CC payments are sorted apart from two where a refund is due, and I've divvied up the rest of this month's money and made a bit of a payment to the mortgage. L came round with DFiL's spare telly: not sure why it needs to stay at ours but I don't think they have a key for his flat. We had a chat about how to 'finish' the lounge window and have come to the same conclusion but I'm not sure DH thinks the same way. First world problem, I know.

Still to do today:
Prep for my friends coming tonight
Make scones if time and energy allow
Clean and photograph the big fish tank to go for sale. Can't go on leaving it by the shed as it's unsightly and the frost might crack it. Trouble is that it's bulky and difficult to handle so I am busy putting it off.
Sort out dinner which probably means a bit of a freezer edit as I'm sure I have chicken in there.
Find and eliminate mysterious dodgy smell in kitchen! None of the usual suspects...
Tidy dining room.
Clean out our fish tank (the one we're keeping).

Cherryfudge

I did about half the list. The fish tanks took ages! I still have to do the lid of the one for sale but other than that it's about ready to photograph. The one our fish use has had a lengthy clean and looks spruced up.

Two of my friends sent messages pleading exhaustion so we decided to pull this evening's meeting which is probably as well as I'm at work early tomorrow. It also meant I didn't have to tidy the dining room!

I've done a lot of cleaning in the kitchen but won't know if I've found the smell till I come in from work tomorrow. It's only when you come in from out of doors that you can smell it. However I've included a clean and inventory of the freezer and we don't need to buy any food for weeks provided we're happy to live off blackberries, lemon wedges, peas and chorizo. I've taken chicken out to defrost and today went for tuna pasta as it's quick and easy.

DS2 gave me a surprise this evening. He asked me how much rent is. Now I should explain he's been broke as long as anyone can remember. He worked his way though his pre-nursing qualification but only had a relief post so there was little spare cash. He got a bursary (one of the last ones) to study nursing but we had to sub him, especially to run the car which he needed to get to placements due to the area we live in. He buys his own food and petrol but we cover housing costs. He's been talking about moving nearer to his new job but it's an expensive area and accommodation is hard to come by, but when he asked this I assumed he'd seen somewhere so I suggested he ask his sister as they are renting. It turns out he wants to contribute at home! We had intended to go down that path but hadn't broached the subject yet as we wanted him to enjoy his first pay packet (more than I get, LOL). I explained this to him so we are all going to have a think about it. I did mention it would be good to have the money we lent for car costs, but maybe after Christmas. Such an interesting piece of timing, as DH has given himself a time limit in his present job, and L mentioned a job that DH may be suitable for which will be advertised in January.

I had to think back to what his brother paid us all those years ago: his brother was an apprentice so we didn't actually ask for rent, but he contributed his share of all shared bills.

Spending:
ebook £2.60
Mortgage overpayment £69.42.
MS:
Freezer inventory: I need to eat things up before I buy more.
Decluttering:
A few frozen blueberries finished up in tomorrow's oats.

Today I'm thankful for a quiet evening, continued improvement in DH's health and DS2 thinking about paying us of his own accord.

in_need_of_direction

That’s very responsible of your ds.

Cherryfudge

It's so cold this evening! The heating is on, though not high. We had quite a frost on the roofs first thing but it got warmer as the day went on. I think I'm feeling it more because I'm tired. Four and a bit hours' sleep last night was definitely not a good idea.

Work went okay, though. I took someone out and bought myself a coffee shop coffee which was nice and helped sustain my sleepy self. Colleagues arranged that I could finish early to take DFiL to the hearing clinic, which I did. I rather wanted to wander round the shops on the way back but resisted it: apart from cooking tea I haven't done much since apart from eat, watch telly and doze.

Rather annoyingly, my manager has booked a meeting on one of my days off and I've missed a couple already this year so I ought not to miss this one. It means coming back a day early from working on Mum's old house - and I thought I was so organised. I've taken the week off from my Tuesday group and booked annual leave for the end of the week to enable me to rest after working an extra day or two on the house. Now I can only go for two days! I've just booked my ticket.

I really need a plan so that I can make the most of the time there. I was too shattered to do heavy work last time so I worked on the papers. The time before, I packed a lot of books but that's on hold till I have more small boxes. I really need to push on with clearing the areas that need re-plastering so that the radiators can be put on the walls in those rooms. The biggest difficulty is the little room where my Dad had his photographic equipment and kept his papers. I can't just throw out as there we have already found some WW1 photos that my Grandad took, and who knows what else is there. And I have nowhere to put it all! I'll look into moving the bookcase off the landing into my sister's old room and using the landing space for some stuff, but I'll have to spread the activity over a few days as the dust makes me cough and headachey. I don't somehow think I can get it all done this visit but I'll do what I can.

Spending:
Coffee (entertainment budget) £2.45
Phone cable for DFiL £1.99 (to reclaim from him)
Rail fare £47.21 (to reclaim from estate)
MS:
Split ticketing again - saved £13.69.
2 x £2 coins in change - added to savings.
10th coins saved = 60p
Eating out of the freezer (still not got much space in there)
Got given a luscious chocolate cake at work that was probably all sugar and butter calories but ate that instead of lunch and so have tomorrow's tea already in the fridge at work.
Decluttering:
No.

I'm grateful for a kip on the sofa after tea, and for extra hours at work.