Prosperous soul in the making

savingholmes

lucielle wrote: »

Hi SH
What happened to setting up your glass making/designs as another source of income?
L

HI Lucielle

I have lots of decorated bottles and jars that I have done little to sell. Just life catching up with me - but I still have a stock I could sell. I sold 2 bottles for #12 (decoupage) each and 1 x #12 and 1 x #16 (glass painted) and 1 x #8 candle jar (decoupage) :cool: so there is a little money in it for things I was making anyway to destress. The concept definitely works - and I have one person who bought 2 who keeps saying she will buy another but not actually doing so. I could perhaps take a few more into work and see if she is still interested.

I think I should probably have charged 20+ for the bottles. I used a few as gifts (decoupaged animals or book character, a glass painted bird and a rabbit silhouetted against a moon etc) - but still have plenty left. Everyone who's had one as a gift or paid for has been happy with it so I could try again - I haven't made anything new until the other day for a year - other than replacing a couple for my nephews after one of my sisters visited their house and put two personalised hand painted mason jars in the dishwasher! I now add some extra protection against the paint coming off in the dishwasher but still recommend hand wash only.

In other news - two payments went out today so now owe #163.97 less - will update my signature

savingholmes

First day backs after holiday can be such a slog. Lots of meetings this week - which in some ways is easier and in others leaves less time to get things done.

DS brightened my day by cooking us chicken and butternut squash curry - it was as good or better than the M&S version. It was a bit runny until I suggested the last ingredient to him... a 15p tin of mushy peas which thickened it perfectly.

Still not done child benefit form... scuttles off to find it and do it now...

savingholmes

Finally done CB form - going to post it on the way to work. Taking leftover curry, jacket spud and peas in for lunch. Today should be able to pick up the electric bike. DH and DD both have appointments today. Have asked DS to tidy front room for visitor and cook tea. Hopefully there will still be time for a bike trial run tonight after appointment - however DD has asked me to take her in the morning and then she will walk back with DS and puppy meeting her halfway. Think laptop has arrived - bought a lightweight refurbished one with a 1 year guarantee for #500 in the end. New it cost #1.3K so hoping its good. BIL not sent money through yet - need him to do it by the end of the week or will start to cause problems.

Doing_it_my_way

Curry, jacket potato and peas sounds yummy

savingholmes

BIL sent money through which is a relief. Picked up electric bike tonight - managed to get in the car to bring home. Got £10 voucher - may use it towards maintenance contract for the year. Need to get OH to swap kick stand and saddle from a different bike too but will aim to sort that tomorrow. Looking at options around online courses to supplement A level teaching as DD thinks she would prefer it to a tutor. Still debating the value/cost of this.

Feel whacked tonight but still have work that needs doing. Think will go to bed early and then get up early tomorrow. DH is still struggling with the zero-based budget as we discussed yesterday don't spend anything not on plan and then today he wanted to spend some £ and I had to say - not in the budget for this month without reducing CC payment. Have just paid £220 to CC5 so still making progress. Not going to fully over-pay until know what other costs DD has (or DS).

[Deleted User]

Hey Holmes! (I always feel like I should be calling myself Watson when I write that!)

Great savings on the bike, and well done to sticking to the zero-based budget with DH

savingholmes

Hi SSD3 - yes Holmes and Watson are a great duo.

On the zero based budgeting - I have to fess up to it not being as simple as just saying no - it is more about saying we can do that - but only if we don't do this. We have had some originally unplanned spends this month - and this time we sacrificed our CC payment - partly because the due date is not until April or something next year anyway so we can. However, I still want to hit my Nov 20 CC free deadline if I can so need to avoid drifting too far off course.

I knew this month would be tricky - but it is that chain reaction of each time you make a decision it presents a new set of options with associated costs eg tutor versus online course. Tutor could cost me £20 or more per week for 2 years versus £250-400 course (or higher) depending on what option we go for. Online is cheaper - but more importantly could suit DD's personality/needs better. Then its all the little things like £20 contribution to activities on the first day, £5 for locker etc etc etc.... Need to fill out the travel bursary form and submit that too - hoping there are no clauses that rule us out. DH and I plan to use the money to help fund the online course - but that needs paying up front where the bursary gets paid Oct/Nov and then around Feb/Mar next year. Again when it arrives, in practice plan to pay off debt with it - as we've picked up other bike related costs including maintenance etc anyway.

Still trying to make sure DS is not tied into rent contract on £110 per week flat shared with others - currently taking advice from Student Union. We think he should be okay as didn't pay deposit and it was conditional on him having a guarantor which he can't provide... I will sleep much easier when its resolved. He's filled out the paperwork on the other £70 per week property and is submitting it as it has a 14 day cooling off period....

He has managed to get one day's work which is better than nothing. He has also started the process of claiming the equivalent of tax and NI back from Oz. As you can imagine his lack of income (cf his spending) is putting us under pressure. To be fair to him he has cooked our tea each day his week, although I finished cooking tonight's. We missed him over the last year so nice having him back - brings life, energy and lots of noise....

I'm not going to make my ideal debt repayment figure this month - so I need to make peace with that and celebrate what we do pay off along the way. Hopefully at some point DS will be in a position to repay what he owes us and that will wipe off over £1K of our debt anyway. I've built our budget on the basis that he doesn't so that if he does it is a windfall. Still I'm really hoping he does.

clearmydebts

Great update SavingH. I hope your son pays it back too. He sounds like a lovely young man and a joy to be around

savingholmes

DS is great until he asks for £ lol - then I sing to him or send him a youtube of 'there's a h0le in my bucket....'

EssexHebridean

Loving "there's a hole in my bucket" as a means of reminding that money has to come from somewhere! Your children do sound great though - and it's good that they are aware of the circumstances you're in currently.