Spend Nowt, Buy Nowt, Owe Nowt

Suffolk_lass

I'd echo what others have said - a huge relief for you, but tinged with sadness for your colleague. Don't forget to keep in touch with her - spreading that network in case her new role also has opportunities or vice versa - you can offer something on to her in the future.

brizzlegirl

Echo what SL said above...perfectly put.Have a good weekend and get that CV in great shape. I also have an 'odd' CV and largely rely on word of mouth for work opportunities. Agencies were a waste of time. But having a couple of options for the CV has been useful - ones with different emphases has been good - as its sometimes hard to describe a pretty unconventional career.

XSpender

[STRIKE][/STRIKE]Update on progress if you can call it that :rotfl:

1. Set up DS ISA including CTF transfer
2. Lose 4lb
3. Sell DS old clothes on faceache
4. Sell DVD's, CDs and books and charity shop leftovers
5. Re-hang breakfast room curtains
6. [STRIKE]Smear test and flu jab[/STRIKE] DONE
7. Save another OP to carpet account (£47.97) - currently at £4.53
8. Book holiday flights and airport hotel, cancel Folkestone hotel
9. A boots-on walk
10. A National Trust visit
11. A cinema visit with DS and DH (some corkers coming out around Christmas)
12. Deep clean every room in the house
13. [STRIKE]List and organise the 2 freezers[/STRIKE]DONE
14. Do a Park Run or a run around the streets at least
15. Update address on 'C' pension
16. Book eye test for me and DH
17. Change my mobile phone to SIM only
18. Complete a comparison/change gas and electricity supplier
19. Have my CV professionally re-written

DH and I went shopping for my Christmas present on Saturday (new coat) and spent far too much money. Money from my personal spends and Christmas pot will need to be shuffled to cover the coat (in sale), a work dress in the sale and a pair of trainers for me and DS. A couple of items have gone on the CC so money will be transferred to there.

Busy weekend and I haven't achieved anything in the house but the turkey and the pigs in blankets have been bought

I'm not convinced I will get everything done on my 19 by 2019 list but will keep working on it until the end of the month.

lindez

Hi XSpender,
just caught up on your diary, so pleased about your job, yet echo what others have said about your friend. I hope she finds another job soon. Good luck with your CV and if I don't get a chance to catch up before Christmas. Happy Christmas to you, your family and all on your diary. x

XSpender

The last week or so has been manic and I am stressed about getting everything done before my visitors arrive on Sunday. DH breaks up this evening and I finish lunchtime tomorrow. Presents are wrapped but we have a lot of cleaning and tidying and some interior jobs to do like hang a blind and minor repairs. We've spent a lot but apart from 1 food shop and 1 cheap local meal it's all done now.

My colleague had a job lined up and resigned within 4 days of being informed of redundancy. It is a great job for her and I am chuffed to bits for her.

DH got a tax rebate which was unexpected and will go towards some essential work on the bay window roof that has just become apparent. We have tried to get quotes from 2 places. One didn't want to know when he came around and told us it didn't need doing but was happy to do the other, easier job we wanted doing. The other fella didn't turn up. The first one hasn't yet supplied a quote.

I got a discount on the CV re-write so that has been paid for today.

1. Set up DS ISA including CTF transfer
2. Lose 4lb - err maybe 4lb in the other direction is more accurate
3. Sell DS old clothes on faceache
4. Sell DVD's, CDs and books and charity shop leftovers
5. Re-hang breakfast room curtains
6. [STRIKE]Smear test and flu jab[/STRIKE] DONE but just informed have to go back for a re-test
7. Save another OP to carpet account (£47.97) - currently at £28.42
8. Book holiday flights and airport hotel, cancel Folkestone hotel
9. A boots-on walk - planned for 1st Jan so I'm counting it
10. A National Trust visit
11. A cinema visit with DS and DH (some corkers coming out around Christmas)
12. Deep clean every room in the house
13. [STRIKE]List and organise the 2 freezers[/STRIKE]DONE
14. Do a Park Run or a run around the streets at least
15. Update address on 'C' pension
16. Book eye test for me and DH
17. Change my mobile phone to SIM only
18. Complete a comparison/change gas and electricity supplier
19. [STRIKE]Have my CV professionally re-written[/STRIKE] - DONE

WannabeFree

Hope you have all wonderful Xmas

x

apple_muncher

Remember to breathe!


And maybe, just maybe, cut back on the cleaning? If it is friends or family coming, then they should just take you as you are - as you would do for them.


And enjoy your time as a family x

XSpender

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, we have had a great time with family and friends. DS and DH pleased with their gifts and we have received some useful bits from DPIL. Visitors left yesterday afternoon and DH is back to work today, DS and I are having a lazy morning before doing the last bits of tidying up and making his HP lego train.

I'm still working on my 19 before 19 list!

1. Set up DS ISA including CTF transfer
2. Lose 4lb - err maybe 4lb in the other direction is more accurate
3. Sell DS old clothes on faceache
4. Sell DVD's, CDs and books and charity shop leftovers
5. [STRIKE]Re-hang breakfast room curtains[/STRIKE]DONE
6. [STRIKE]Smear test and flu jab[/STRIKE] DONE but just informed have to go back for a re-test
7. [STRIKE]Save another OP to carpet account (£47.97) - [/STRIKE]DONE
8. Book holiday flights and airport hotel, cancel Folkestone hotel
9. A boots-on walk - planned for 1st Jan so I'm counting it
10. A National Trust visit
11. [STRIKE]A cinema visit with DS and DH (some corkers coming out around Christmas)[/STRIKE]DONE
12. [STRIKE]Deep clean every room in the house[/STRIKE]DONE
13. [STRIKE]List and organise the 2 freezers[/STRIKE]DONE
14. Do a Park Run or a run around the streets at least
15. Update address on 'C' pension
16. Book eye test for me and DH
17. Change my mobile phone to SIM only
18. Complete a comparison/change gas and electricity supplier
19. [STRIKE]Have my CV professionally re-written[/STRIKE] - DONE

DH basic wage isn't great and this is what he received in December. He is expecting a new salary package in the NY as the company have restructured all of his teams.

We have had a further 2 roofers round to give us quotes which we should receive over the next few days. We have also spoken to someone we know about a small refurb on our utility for which we have most of the materials left over from doing the kitchen 2 years ago. My brother (landscape gardener) has offered to draw up a design for our back garden for free. We will attempt a lot of the work ourselves but building the decking/patio we will offer the work to him but he does lives some distance away so may not be practical. Mum has also offered plants from her garden. They are looking into moving next year into sheltered accommodation and have a beautiful garden at their current home.

We have set ourselves the challenge of only having the work done when we have the cash saved to pay for it. We have agreed to have a frugal January and February, save the tax rebate and my annual bonus which should hopefully be enough to cover the roofing work.

Credit card has taken a bashing which will need to be transferred to 0% as we wont get it paid off as quickly as we would like.

XSpender

I spent the morning plotting and planning my goals and targets for 2019 and looking up some new recipes to try. The financial ones are similar to those I posted after our mortgage went through and the rest still need a tweak.

I would like a frugal Jan and Feb to pull together some of the money required for the roof. We are still waiting for the quotes to come through. It is DH birthday but we bought concert tickets last year for both our 2019 birthday gifts so no big expense there and no other birthdays requiring nights out or gifts.

The freezers are full and need to be listed again. We will eat out of these in January and February. We did buy a bit too much as we were unsure if DPIL were coming and I forgot to serve something on Boxing Day so it's still in the freezer! We have managed to eat all the leftovers except some turkey which has been frozen in gravy for dinner either this week or next.

Other things achieved today:

1) Signed up to a C25K course with a local running club to get me back in the swing of it. Will be good to have a regular 'date' with like minded people
2) Visited local friends for a couple of hours
3) Walked the dog
4) Did some laundry
5) Found a fee free CC offer that I have a good chance of being accepted for to transfer the spending on to. I can then concentrate on clearing the carpet finance and then DH CC.

Panto tomorrow (oh no it isn't ). We usually go for a meal afterwards but have decided to eat at home. It may end up being a £20 takeaway or may be 3 x frozen pizza but either way will be much heaper than a 3 course Italian meal for three. I think we are all a bit sick of eating :rotfl:

We are planning to get the bus into the city and a taxi back. We live quite close to the city so it works out only slightly more than the parking costs and avoids the panic of not finding a parking space which we have had several times when going to the panto. We go the same time every year. We all have Christmas sweets to take and I budgeted for a alcoholic drink/soft drink and an ice cream each.

WannabeFree

Sounds like a lovely Xmas XSpender

Is the CC debt 'new' debt? or Debt left over from before the remortgage.

Hope you have a lovely time at the panto

x