Taking it slowly, but doing it well. 13 July 2017 at 7:39PM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in Mortgage-Free Wannabe 1.1K replies 106K views

Karmacat

Thanks for the WFH thing - I should have known that!


I did speedwriting when I was starting out! Taught myself from the books that were all that was available back then - its really very logical, and I still remember (and use, for my own notes) the speedwriting for "people", in particular have a good time with it.

wishingthemortgaheaway

Thanks Karma, the speedwriting looks good. I think I need the 'pressure' of signing up to commit to it. It's £245 - but it is my birthday next week, so I may get some money which I can use towards it. Need to have a proper think. Which reminds me, it's also our wedding anniversary next week too - need to order hubby's gift and write his card.

Small spends in the region of £5 today on bus fare into the city. Not even any Tilly tidies today.

Tomorrow - half a day's overtime. Then packing for our actually holiday next week (although I do have to work one day)

Hope all are well
Wish

Mse August Goals

1) mop pot - £381.42
Interest: £52.16/52.16 :j
Nice round number: £29.26/29.26 :j
£400 capital reduction: £100/£100 :j
£500 capital reduction £12.07/100
£600 capital reduction 0/£100 (to make up for 'falling short' last month.


2) NSDs
2/16

3) work on the house (in priority order)
[STRIKE]Shower to be fixed[/STRIKE]
Living room woodwork stripped
Living room painted
Dining room painted
Woodwork stained
Dining room floor sanded and waxed/stained/varnished/Finished.

Karmacat

wishingthemortgaheaway wrote: »

Thanks Karma, the speedwriting looks good. I think I need the 'pressure' of signing up to commit to it. It's £245 - but it is my birthday next week, so I may get some money which I can use towards it. Need to have a proper think.

Oh my, thats a lot of money I'd be very wary of paying out that much - there's a *lot* of books on amazon for under a tenner, and I bet you there's youtube videos too. Sorry, I can't not say that, when I've been admiring how careful you've been while staying away with OH working. Hope its okay to give that feedback, I'll delete it if you want.

wishingthemortgaheaway

Karmacat wrote: »

Oh my, thats a lot of money I'd be very wary of paying out that much - there's a *lot* of books on amazon for under a tenner, and I bet you there's youtube videos too. Sorry, I can't not say that, when I've been admiring how careful you've been while staying away with OH working. Hope its okay to give that feedback, I'll delete it if you want.

I appreciate it Karma, I really do. If the books came with a cd for practising dictation exercises, I think I'd jump at the 'non commercial' version. But I don't see how I can learn and practise (in a structured way) from a book with no audio accompaniment. I am going to think about it very carefully - it's a completely new skill to me (obviously I can write) I've never actually been taught note taking or minute taking, so it's hard. Urgh - why does money exist?

wishingthemortgaheaway

Half a day's overtime today - I'll send the form off next week and should be paid at the end of the month (1 day's overtime next week too) then alcohol purchasing for our holiday next week and for a thank you gift for one of hubby's colleagues. I then filled the car up as it made sense to do it while I was there - combining journeys and all that.
I should (hopefully pretty please?) get my bank switching cash tomorrow - it feels like it's been a VERY long wait.

My energy levels have been low this week, particularly today - I now feel like I'm back in that stress position of hurtling from one deadline to another and not being particularly organised for any of them. It would help if at least 1 of the rooms in our house was a tranquil, relaxing space - but that isn't happening anytime soon.

Still no contact from the decorator, and nothing I can do about it now. Hopefully hubby will make a start on stuff after we've been away next week - although he'll be prepping for the next job - three weeks between (major) jobs (he is working this weekend) seems ages - but this week is definitely recovery for 4 weeks of 16ish hour day's holiday next week then a week to prep for the next big festival type job.
We shall have to wait and see.

Right - Pickle's bath time...
Wish

Mse August Goals

1) mop pot - £381.42
Interest: £52.16/52.16 :j
Nice round number: £29.26/29.26 :j
£400 capital reduction: £100/£100 :j
£500 capital reduction £13.92/100
£600 capital reduction 0/£100 (to make up for 'falling short' last month.


2) NSDs
2/16

3) work on the house (in priority order)
[STRIKE]Shower to be fixed[/STRIKE]
Living room woodwork stripped
Living room painted
Dining room painted
Woodwork stained
Dining room floor sanded and waxed/stained/varnished/Finished.[/QUOTE]

wishingthemortgaheaway

The bank account switch money is in my account woooooohoooooo

Thank you very much bank.

wishingthemortgaheaway

Spends day today - lunch and a play centre with our nct buddies - over £50.....
Never mind, I was doing so well. Back on the bandwagon.
Nct dos are always expensive as we are at the lowest end of the income bracket of all 8 families. So they don't really think about the cost of everything. I do opt out a lot, but one family have flown over to be with us today, so it was right to make the effort.
Wish

Mse August Goals

1) mop pot - £381.42
Interest: £52.16/52.16 :j
Nice round number: £29.26/29.26 :j
£400 capital reduction: £100/£100 :j
£500 capital reduction £39.42/100
£600 capital reduction 0/£100 (to make up for 'falling short' last month.


2) NSDs
2/16

3) work on the house (in priority order)
[STRIKE]Shower to be fixed[/STRIKE]
Living room woodwork stripped
Living room painted
Dining room painted
Woodwork stained
Dining room floor sanded and waxed/stained/varnished/Finished.[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

Busy_Mee1

Woo hoo to the bank switching bonus :j:j:j

I love free money, unfortunately I have run out now of banks to switch to for both me and Mr Mee

I wouldn't worry about the £50 spend for the NCT do, sometimes these things have to be done and as long as you consider it worth it than that is fine.

House sounds as if it is progressing. I am sure it will be worth it when it is done.

wishingthemortgaheaway

Busy_Mee1 wrote: »

Woo hoo to the bank switching bonus :j:j:j

I love free money, unfortunately I have run out now of banks to switch to for both me and Mr Mee

I wouldn't worry about the £50 spend for the NCT do, sometimes these things have to be done and as long as you consider it worth it than that is fine.

House sounds as if it is progressing. I am sure it will be worth it when it is done.

Thanks Busy - it was lovely to see everyone. Saturday was much cheaper - £15 total spend, but very stressful- no one's' eating/activity time tables really matching up due to the arrival time
Of people. Definitely one of those situations where a day on the beach - picnics and everyone sat around, kids playing in the sand would have been easier (let's gloss over the very unbeach like weather this weekend hey?)

Im on the 'switch & stay' with the bank so, if I stay with them until June next year I get another £50. So, I'll do that, then see what offers are about next year.
My main 'problem' is I pay the majority of my bills annually (even the council tax & water) so I struggle to have enough direct debits for multiple switching accounts. I know there is no advantage to having either of those in annual rather than monthly dd, but the way I look at it, if I was ever really stuck, I could 'cash in' the savings I've put aside and go back to monthly payments.

I would like to get to the point where I've got a 'slush fund' to cycle through regular savers - but I'm not feeling confident enough about that yet. Maybe once I've got all my 'moving fees' put to one side I can look at it all.

wishingthemortgaheaway

Morning all,

Currently sat on a train (2 hours to go) with Pickle, going to meet hubby. I've got to work tomorrow. So we are staying at the conference centre at work overnight (using my staff discount - very mse)
No nsds over the weekend or today, but I have packed a picnic for on the train. (I'm going to do a post about picnics in a minute....)
Pickle is currently watching downloaded programmes on the tablet and I do have a book on the go - but struggling to get into it.

Decorator finally got back to me - she's not available (due to being at the beck and call of her family's decorating wants) until mid September. ARGHHHH! this is not good for my mental health or my fly lady ways, but, it is MSE. It gives me another pay day's worth of savings and, hubby isn't working next week and Pickle
Is at the Childminder's for 3 days so he may be persuaded to make a start on it, there is no way he'll get it finished, but anything he does do will reduce the bill for the professional. Maybe it will all be done for Christmas...


Wish

Mse August Goals

1) mop pot - £381.42
Interest: £52.16/52.16 :j
Nice round number: £29.26/29.26 :j
£400 capital reduction: £100/£100 :j
£500 capital reduction £49.26/£100
£600 capital reduction 0/£100 (to make up for 'falling short' last month.


2) NSDs
2/16

3) work on the house (in priority order)
[STRIKE]Shower to be fixed[/STRIKE]
Living room woodwork stripped
Living room painted
Dining room painted
Woodwork stained
Dining room floor sanded and waxed/stained/varnished/Finished.