Giving every £ a job

PennysIntoPounds

Ooh a study revamp sounds exciting, regular progress report please.

Is there anything you need from the garage for the revamp, like a box of nails for pictures, which just happens to be right in a back corner and will mean Mr BC having to sort a few items to get at it..?

EssexHebridean

The study revamp sound like a great idea - would be far better to have it as a place you really enjoy going to even if the things you do there are a bit "work-like" wouldn't it. 

Sun_Addict

I have my WFH desk in a corner of the dining room and I’ve made it really cosy with a sofa complete with fluffy cushions/throws, fairy lights, pictures of beaches and two bookcases with my beloved books. I love sitting in there even on weekends when I just ignore my desk in the corner. 

savingholmes

I deliberately created a beautiful WFH space next to the garden so it was very light and bright. Definitely find a way to liberate the room - and as the others have said - if there are items from the garage that will help that may add motivation for both of you.

What is it you are wanting from the space? What's the minimum amount of stuff in there that will help achieve that? Editing is a huge part of making a space work - I'm slowly learning - but them for me bright shots of colour and/or art work lift the mood.

Blackcats

 a cunning plan @PennysIntoPounds but I fear MrBC would enjoy shuffling items around the garage for a while, forget what he was looking for and then come back indoors for a coffee 🤦‍♀️.  However, to be fair, he spent an hour in the garage today sorting out cardboard boxes that needed to be broken down and sent to recycling.  He also decluttered 2 pillows.

thanks @EssexHebridean and @Sun_Addict - you are both right that I need to make the room a place I want to spend time in again.  I hadn't realised that I had felt so uncomfortable and had come to dislike the room so much.  So today I shuffled around the bookcases which makes it flow better and I freecycled the office chair that was very bulky.  It was a great chair for sitting in for 8 hours of working but hip hip hooray I don't need to do that anymore.  I have some bright and cheerful pictures that I can put up and a very fancy reed diffuser that I got for Christmas so a couple of shopping from home wins.    Tomorrow I am going to organise 3 boxes of papers and hopefully keep the shredder busy.

Spent some money on a gift today - 3 January birthdays is always a challenge.
decluttered 2 pillows that managed to be both lumpy and flat and were extremely uncomfortable.  Also a bag of mixed "stuff" from the office desk and a bag for the charity shop.  It looks like the textile donation bin at the leisure centre has finally been emptied so I've got a bag to drop off there too.

time for a cuppa and a slice of homemade ginger and pear cake.

savingholmes

Your plans sound lovely. Pass the cake... 

PennysIntoPounds

Well done to you and Mr BC for your productive days, the study sounds as if it's coming on very nicely (and mse-y!)

Are there any bits in study or garage that can be revamped or sold for the other January gifts?

lucielle

Study sounds like it’s coming together. 

L

Blackcats

Thanks for the encouragement about the revamp from work office to Blackcats HQ.  I've made some more progress including taking out the bar stool that was in there because when I was working MrBC would sometimes come and sit with me and do Popmaster.  

@PennysIntoPounds - I have kindly donated a plastic storage box from HQ to MrBC which I helpfully labelled up as STUFF TO BE SOLD.  I've put 2 things in there and dropped hints that currently fall short of being nags.

Re the presents saving pot - we have more grandchildren than months in the year and very inconsiderately their parents clustered their birthdays mainly between October and March to collide with the expense of Christmas.  This means our gifts /Christmas pot takes a real battering, builds itself up again and then like a game of kerplunk most of the money pours out again.  

We seem to be managing grocery spends quite well so far this year - all 12 days of it.  We stuck to our list yesterday and whilst I'm not officially doing dry January I haven't bought any wine so that really helps with costs.  

I'm due to cash out my Prolific earnings that cover mid December to mid January.  I'm at £47.67 and am hanging on until Sunday to see if any more surveys get approved so I can hit £50.00

feels very chilly here tonight - snuggling under my sofa blanket and drinking tea should help. 

Sun_Addict

How many grandchildren - more than 12 😱

Or am I reading that wrong 😬