Prosperous soul in the making

savingholmes

Thanks Blackcats, MF and SandyShores
Well regardless of outcome - I am glad to have stirred up some healthy debate - should help ward off loss of grey cells... I think it is good to keep the rear view mirror small and ditch the coulda woulda shoulda - but I think it is healthy to consider what kind of future we would like and make a plan for getting there - that balances happiness now with saving/investing for the future.

Quiet day here. Finished reading a ya fantasy book series today which was a light read but just the right amount of warmth and snark. I really enjoyed it. Other than that - groundhog day. Gammon for tea. I've been sleeping much better this week...

Next scheduled CC payment is due Thursday. DH is blowing my budget - he's bought something early - but agreed it can come out of next month's spends. Worse though he thinks the Cam belt should be done on his car...  That could blow our DFD out the water or at the very least drastically shrink our EF/Savings. I suppose he could get quotes. I've said use my car for now... 

Tahlullah.H

Oh dear.  That's not something that can be ignored.  Best pay now or really pay later.
Glad you were able to relax, read a book and get a good nights sleep.  Life always looks better after a good nights rest. 

savingholmes

Thanks Tahlullah - I know you're right really - and that is partly what the savings are for... I just want to keep them intact

I've written another 340 words of my Book 2. I got a sixth 5 star review at the weekend on Am**** which was very nice. If any regular MSE posters are interested - PM me for details. It's a  fantasy story - if you liked Harry P you should like this although my main character is 14...  Any other of you kind people who have read it - please leave a review and tell your friends - it can really help get the word out for new authors like me.

hugglemonster

Frustrating about the budget pressures, do agree that if dh can use your car for now and push back the work needed on his it would be more helpful at the minute. You're not both out at work at the moment so need to be flexible.

Glad your writing is continuing to go well.

H x

MovingForwards

Never replaced a cam belt / chain on a car and have no plans to do it on the one I currently have. It's just not worth it on a runabout unless able to DIY. Worst case is it ruins the engine and the car goes to the scrap yard. 
If DH is determined make sure several independent garages are contacted for quotes and avoid main dealers.

The only time I look back, is to see how far I've come forward. We can't change yesterday or 10 years ago, but we can shape the future.

Your book is coming along well 😃

badmemory

I agree on the need to avoid main dealers.  Too many of the dept managers (who work out the charges) have targets that affect their income - monthly bonuses.  When times are bad as at the present the only way they can reach their targets are to charge the earth for any job they do.  Someone I know is down over a grand a month & that is after his 40% tax.  One of their biggest earners, the sale of new cars & their preparation for sale is virtually non-existant so someone has to pay for it.

You can see why they are all giving a lot of years warranty on vehicles now.  You can be fairly certain that anything out of the ordinary that needs doing will not be covered by that warranty.

savingholmes

Thanks HM, BM and MF
Well I worked a long day today but did get to take the dog out for a walk at lunchtime so that was nice. Good to get some fresh air. DD has her tutor tonight - and after that I'm due to take her to McD. My turkey and sausage casserole wasn't good enough for her apparently. I'm due to take DS to the butcher and to get some meds tomorrow. I'm getting him to use some of our cash on the meat and put his own towards it too. Hopefully it will end up a bit cheaper.

I decided against doing matched betting in the end - too much maths involved - and no spare brain capacity - so have withdrawn £25 of my full original deposit back out so that's on its way back to me. Most of my personal spends this month are currently sat in my business account. Need to get quotes sorted for a paperback cover. One of the first people to read my book told me of a glitch I'd missed - but I've had no more feedback since then - so I feel more confident getting it printed (POD). To do that though I need a cover with a spine and a back which I've not sorted yet. I seem to have £79 in my business account (that I transferred from personal spends) but my advert on FB was due to be about £8 of that and it hasn't gone out so confused.

The family finally want me to send them the MS Off1c3 code that I offered them last October!! I need to work out how to log in and invite them again... Feeling blessed that life is going reasonably well given the state of the world! DH has had to go to work twice this week which I wasn't thrilled about but we're lucky it's not more. An extended family member lives in a hotspot for the new strain - but they haven't been going out so think they should be okay. It's a bizarre life we're all living. I have a sore throat again today - don't know why.

Tahlullah.H

I looked at the matched betting a month or so ago and decided it wasn't for me.  If I wasn't prepared to up the ante, then making around £15 a month would be all I would realistically get, and that's with hard work.  I think if you follow the instructions to the letter, then yes, it can be done, but I just feel that I can get the same returns from the surveys with no money into the pot from me.
Hope you get the book cover sorted soon.

savingholmes

Thanks Tahlullah - I was going to try at xmas but they wanted proof of id and a whole load of other barriers - and when I read the stuff - they said it still required quite a bit of time. I decided there were more fun way to make money.

DS had a lucky escape today. He fell over while out and dropped his phone but didn't immediately realise. Someone came up behind him and initially took it. DS realised he lost it - some kids told him a guy behind him had taken it. DS dashed home. He has a phone tracker set up and was able to lock it down so they couldn't power it off and so that we could track it to an address. The only number they could call was mine. We initially rang the non-emergency line to see if anyone had called about it but they hadn't. We were advised to try and get it back ourselves but they would take action if that didn't work. Then just as we were about to set off we got a call from a guy who had found it who said he was homeless - could he meet us and would there be a reward. We arranged to meet him at a shop and DS gave him £20. Felt very lucky to get it back! It was a S@msung S20+ Not sure if the homeless story was true - given we had a really specific address for the phone literally down to a house number - but either way good to get it back without aggravation. The guy said he had good use for the £. Hope he was blessed out the situation.

Not sure if I will see my £20 back from DS... Will see. He has zero £ currently... Waiting on an invoice to be paid for around £700 for the whole of his earnings for Jan. Beat the £300 for Dec! He needs more clients... He didn't get an interview for the role he applied for but we didn't feel it was a good fit anyway.

mark55man

I agree the £20 sounds a bit dodgy, but at the end of the day view it as reverse insurance!!  

I think your DS is doing very well, but tell him not to have too many eggs in my basket with his clients - or at the very least if the work is above a certain amount get some paid up front.

Good luck with February - already 10% gone - but it will be bleak while winter works its way to an end and spring comes in