5 months to emerge as a butterfly

benbenandme

Time for an update on the list:

Home & Garden:
Fix kitchen tap - friend is doing it when he's back from holiday
Unblock bathroom sink
Paint hall 
Fix hall light
Paint downstairs toilet
Blitz front garden
Clear car boot stuff to tip
Gut garage - work in progress
Weed back garden 
Paint fences
Re-stain decking
Sort outdoor tap - not done yet but with hosepipe ban there's no rush!
Wax coffee table
Deep clean the hoover
Gut wardrobe
Gut shelves at top of wardrobe
Clean conservatory windows and roof
Clean windows
Clean blinds in lounge
Shampoo carpets
Use up / organise freezer
Tidy area by bins
Deep clean rubbish bins


Fitness:
Lose 1 stone
20,000 steps a day
Be able to do 5 press-ups

Other:
Car Insurance
Clean car
Ears pierced
Organise finances
Organise matched betting accounts
Declutter laptop
Pick loads of blackberries
Make £££ 
Get a tv for bedroom
Sort car warning light
Oil / water in the car

Gosh, that's even worse than I thought, I really need to get cracking! The fitness tasks are ticking along - I've been going to the gym every other day but the weight isn't shifting, however I have also been out for lots of brunches etc so no surprise really. 

I have put a couple of bits on Vinted today and both have watchers already so hopefully that will make me a few £££

Blackcats

Glad you are enjoying the holidays.  Good bargains at the outlet village.   You can remember the long hot summer when you are snuggled up in your super dry jacket. 

benbenandme

Thanks Blackcats I have also today listed a couple of pairs of trainers on Vinted - earlier this year I bought 3 pairs, (all on offer), I planned to rotate them but have clearly found a favourite and stuck with them, so I thought it was best to recoup the money for the other two pairs that are literally brand new still. Both have watchers already, hopefully they'll go soon and that is a bit more money in and a bit more space in the cupboard, win win

I have also been to the shop and sent back a couple of parcels, I ordered a few bits but wasn't wowed so they've gone back.

Drawingaline

This week has been too hot to do anything above essential stuff tbh. It's been horrible working in it, then I get home and I am just exhausted and don't want to do anything. Kids are climbing the walls.

benbenandme

I agree Drawingaline, but I did manage a 19 mile walk on Wednesday 

Drawingaline

I think if I wasn't working (and doing extra hours to cover people in holiday) I might be more inclined to do something, anything, but I do a manual job and I am suffering a bit!

Well done on your walking. Once again I am envious. I did a bit when we were away, but really need to try and find more time.

benbenandme

Today has been a quietly productive day - I dropped ds off at the football club to catch the coach to Manchester at 7 this morning, then I went straight to Tesco and did the food shopping. After that I've just pottered doing bits and pieces but it all seems to have come together a bit and feels like I've done more - I've washed all the bedding and remade my bed, I need to remake ds's bed later. I've cleaned and hoovered both bedrooms, washed the covers from the conservatory chairs and managed to put them back on - I have 2 Ikea Poang chairs and the foam cushions are a nightmare to squeeze back in. I've cleaned and tidied the kitchen, put in a claim for a refund for a Higgidy pie I bought (see this weeks email), cancelled my Amazon prime membership (was a free trial), and gutted my paperwork file, some was binned, some is in a separate bag to be shredded. 

Now its time for some lunch then an afternoon of football, I'm avoiding the sun a bit today, I love it but today is just a bit too hot for me.

benbenandme

Gym and sauna this morning for me, then I met someone for a coffee - all went well so we went for a walk down the beach too, 3.5 hours all in and hopefully meeting again later in the week

Other than that not much to report, ds is at his mates tonight so I'm watching the football then an early night I reckon. Thankfully the weather is a bit more normal here today, quite overcast but still warm, but not so warm you don't want to do anything. Tomorrow I'm going to Mums to blitz her housework, not much fun but she appreciates it. 

Looking at my to do list, clearly lots of it won't happen. However I will adjust it as there are other bits I want to make sure are done before I go back to work, such as reading the manual for the new boiler I had in lockdown - I need to make sure its set properly and most efficiently to save me the most money over the winter. I also want ds to go up in the loft (I hate it), and check the depth of the insulation up there. It might say in the paperwork actually from when I bought the house, maybe I'll dig that out. He can also check the temperature of the hot water while he's there too and adjust if necessary. I also want to look at getting some of those strip things you put on the door to stop draughts - I have a door from the hall to the lounge and it needs some. Finally I want to go round each room and check the lightbulbs - I know the lamp in the lounge isn't the led ones, they are much cheaper to run so I will see how many need swapping over and look into the cost of doing that. Can you tell I'm worried about the winter bills

benbenandme

Morning all, so a few money bits that are happening that have huge impacts on me ....

Firstly for those of you who have been reading my diaries since the year dot, you will know I have huge issues around money due to things that happened with my ex, (ds' Dad). For those who have been here more recently the shortened version is that he  tried to frame me for a crime he committed (long after we'd split), had me arrested for money laundering and ultimately he was sentenced to nearly 3 years for theft / fraud. Anyway, that has left me not trusting people, particularly where money is concerned. So I have done something that may sound reckless but actually has taken a lot of careful thought and already its made me feel positive - I've lent the original hottie £12k    It's for his business, we have set up a signed agreement, he's set up a standing order etc to pay it back monthly etc. I know it sounds mad but I have the money sat in my account (its the money that my brother lent me when I bought my house, I tried to give it to him last month but he doesn't want it back any time soon and is happy for this). I actually feel like this is helping me with my issues. Anyway, please don't pile on me telling me I'm crazy, I have deliberated for so many hours over this and at first said no, but that didn't sit right with me as I'd like to think someone would help me if I needed it. 

The second big thing is that for a while my car has been niggling me. Over the last few months several things have started playing up with it, currently it keeps getting jammed in park and I have to press an emergency release button to get it started. Anyway, my best mates other half is a mechanic and he has said he thinks its time I traded it in and got another car. It has an automatic gearbox and once something starts going wrong it can quickly spiral, as happened with my last automatic car. So today is his day off so he's coming with me to have a look at some new cars. When I say new I don't mean brand new, I mean new to me. I've always wanted a Mini, I know nothing about cars and have always settled for sensible little hatchbacks instead, but this time I might just go for the one I've always wanted instead. I should be able to part/x my car for around £3.5k, I'm looking at spending around £6-£7k on the new one. So, I need roughly another £2.5 - 3.5k, Once I know the accurate figures I can move money around properly but based on this I do have the following I can use: £650 in my new car fund (not a lot but helps), £550 in my holiday fund, £1600 from the tutoring I did this year, £450 from matched betting. This means I shouldn't need to touch my proper savings although it will wipe out my various pots, but ultimately that is what they are there for and I won't need to get any finance deals. I will still have my winter gas/electric savings pot though

It will also mean I am about to restructure my savings pots and get my mojo back to get saving again I will report back later when we've seen some cars, I'm excited and nervous all at once

efes_shareholder

I had a mini and I absolutely loved driving that car.

I wouldnt buy an 07-09 year as they are peugout engines and not BMW and more prone to problems.

A mini will bring joy to your life but they are expensive to fix when they go wrong , mainly because the engines are so compact usually everything needs to come out to fix a problem so pretty  labour intensive. I'm sure your mechanic friend will advise you of this 

Happy hunting