Building towards a complete life overhaul....might take a while but determined to do it

mumblingtaff

Just heard from the garage and the service will be £160 plus VAT, so almost £200 in total. It was about what I expected from googling it so not a surprise but could do without spending £200 on oil 
It will come out of the house and garden account and hopefully get replenished when the back pay comes next month.
Doggo seems to be much brighter now - been for a little tiny walk and he was desperate to carry on and has eaten a bit more. He's booked in for a check up on Friday afternoon, that was part of the cost so nothing extra to pay then hopefully.

Spoken to mum for a good while this morning too - think I cheered her up a bit - she seemed happy anyway. Its tough being so far away sometimes....

Going to investigate getting rid of Sky tv today - only have the most basic package but I don't use it at all and mainly watch the terrestrial channels or Netflix on the Amazon Firestick thingy. My broadband is with sky so I'm hoping I can just lose the tv aspect of it. We'll see.....

mumblingtaff

Well, a successful morning 
Spent ages on the phone to Sky initially cancelling the tv contract but managed to negotiate with them what is effectively free tv and a reduced better speed broadband cost taking the package cost from £56 a month to £23 for 3 months then £32 thereafter - it's effectively free tv, a new Q box and better broadband for less money - I'm not sure how it ended up that way but I'm taking it! So I got .....£23 a month for basic sky tv, superhigh speed broadband with a new free router, phone line and a new Q box installed for free on a weekend ..... they must be desperate to keep people. They even threw in 3 free pay per view movies! Worth a go if anyone else is thinking of cancelling - took ages on the phone but will save me more than £300 a year.

Whilst on a  roll, I looked at the gas and electricity tariff and have swapped to a green energy deal saving £30 a month so £360 a year.
So, a torturous hour has saved me approx £675 a year ! 

My other bills are as low as they can be (including insurances etc) so I think I've run out of people to badger now. Might get inspired later on though if there's anything else I can think of.

Been meal planning for the rest of the week - I made 2 cheese, onion and potato pies last night and there's one left over (yummy and keeps in the fridge for a few days too), will make fajitas tonight to use up the veg before it goes soggy and have another portion for later in the week, there's a vegan fancy pie in the fridge that needs eating up that I'll have with some homemade wedges and I need to make a quorn spag bol to use up the mushrooms and half bags of quorn in the freezer (3 portions to make).
I'll do a shop on the weekend and put a couple of the spare portions of meals that I make this week in the freezer for when I'm at work. There's bits and bobs to use up for lunches for the next few days so I don't need to buy anything before then.
Will start a shopping list so I don't go berserk as soon as I get there - very prone to thinking I know what I want but then going off piste!

enthusiasticsaver

Well done on getting the bills down and yes if you really hate your job then 6 years is a long time. Glad the pooch is a  bit better. 

mumblingtaff

Thank you Enthusiastic - it does seem a lifetime away....

Been doing a few chores this afternoon to pass the time while pup recovers including tidying out some wardrobes. Things were getting crushed and it needed a turf out.
I have three wardrobes - one in the spare room full of work clothes, and two in my bedroom with all of the other clothes in. I actually quite enjoyed it - just goes to show how little I been out this year (mainly due to Covid) - there were countless things that still have the price tag on them, a lot only worn once and things that I'd forgotten I had. I've lived in either work clothes, exercise gear or scruffs since lockdown began and forgot how many nice things I actually have. That's a good thing - I don't need to buy anything for a while - not that I'm going anywhere!
I had a go at dating in the summer (just with one man) and bought some new things to wear out but it didn't last long (just couldn't be bothered with it even though he was a nice enough man) and there's lots of things that can be worn out, casual and dressed up, if I ever go out again! I need to have an in between - not just work clothes or dog walking/running clothes.

Talking of running, I've kept it up over the last year or so and have run up to three times a week until about 3 weeks ago - I tore my hamstring and ruptured a tendon in the back of my knee and was on crutches for three weeks until I finished work (bloody hard work as a teacher!). Its a bit better now and I'm not using them anymore but I have a limp and a very weak knee that keeps giving way but is less painful, Its really annoying as I love/hate running and have trained the dog to come with me - I'm wishing the days away so I can start either gentle gym work or slow trotting again. I didn't realise how much I missed it until I couldn't do it anymore. Who'd have thought!

mumblingtaff

Morning all!
Just back from a longish walk with the dog that's forgotten he's supposed to be resting. He's completely back to normal now and raring to go - he's not allowed to have off the lead runs in the park as he usually does so we're stuck with walking the streets for now. Not great for my knee but he's like a banshee unless he's exercised. Managed to get out before the rain starts again - the forecast is miserable again today but its dry for now at least.

Have a few jobs to do today - I need to keep busy, I don't do sitting around, I get so bored so quickly, probably because my life is usually a million miles an hour.
So a little list (love ticking things off!)....

• Walk the dog again, hopefully around the water park if its stays dryish (mucky but worth it) - done
• Finish tidying out clothes by going through the chest of drawers, it will be all sorted through then - done
• Pop to Wickes for a new shower hose and head and fit them - bought them
• Mark some tests so they're out of the way - will do this when its raining
• Sort my errant eyebrows
• Buy some cheese using the change in my purse - done
• Phone mum - done
• Make a quorn spag bol for the freezer for when I'm back at work - done
• Go for a quick sunbed - I have one about every two weeks to keep my small psoriasis patches under control ( a course for £10 lasts me about 2 months and its already paid for) - done
• Cut back the small trees in the front garden -done
• Tidy out the car ready for the service tomorrow - done

Will probably think of a few more things as I go along - feeling quite positive today and in the mood to get things done

mumblingtaff

Got most of the jobs on the list done, so pleased with my productive day.
No school work done other than email as it was a rare bright sunny day so I made the most of it by doing a lot of outside jobs and going for a nice long walk with the dog. Quiet tired now as I haven't sat down all day - a quiet night in store.

mumblingtaff

Have been to get the car serviced this morning - dropped it off at 8am and then walked home with the dog, killing two birds with one stone. Aching leg today though.
Have also changed my bed and the spare room bed and turned the mattresses - was also going to wash the cover for the bed settee in the box room but once I wrestled it off the label said don't wash so will have to get some Vanish type stuff to give the grubby parts (from the dog) a clean. Dropped the cleared out clothes off at the charity shop so the boot of the car is tidier now.
Was going to walk back to pick up the car but it was chucking it down so went mad and spent £4.20 on a taxi - can't remember the last time I had a taxi anywhere, felt sorry for the driver who was telling me about how little work they have these days.

The car cost just under £200 but my lovely dad phoned this morning and told me he'd put a cheque in the post for £100 towards it - really nice of him. He said that they couldn't have coped without me doing their online grocery shopping for them since March (I do it every week for them, the internet and my parents do not mix!) and also for sorting out his golf handicap online for him this week - that's the most important thing in life for him!
So its only cost me £100 to get sorted, happy with that.

Its still pouring down here so will have to find some indoor things to do this afternoon - still putting off doing a load of marking but can't hold out for much longer.
Will have a go at fitting the shower head and hose and maybe sand down a bit of woodwork in the shower room that's been stained by bleach ready to give another coat of paint to spruce it up. I have everything I need already so it won't cost me anything to do.
Tea tonight will either be leftover fajitas from earlier in the week (have the filling already cooked in the fridge) or a yummy sounding vegan pie and veg from the freezer.

On a completely different note, I'm really sad to hear of Bobby Ball's death - for some reason its upset me, maybe because he reminds me of my dad or because he was always on the telly when I was growing up. Its a real shame - he seemed like such a nice man. Very sad.
Going to busy myself with some chores now - need to do something, hate just sitting waiting for it to stop raining. It gets you down after a while doesn't it?
Time to crack on....

Karonher

Nice to see you back. I was looking for your diary as I lost track of it a few years ago and wondered how you and the dog were getting on.

mumblingtaff

Karonher said:

Nice to see you back. I was looking for your diary as I lost track of it a few years ago and wondered how you and the dog were getting on.

Hi Karoner - thank you for popping in!

Have managed to fit the shower head and hose - its nothing spectacular but the en suite shower room is desperate for a full makeover but I don't want to spend any big money on it until work out what I'm doing with the future.
Also sanded down the paintwork and gave it a coat of gloss - looks much better - will do for now at least. There's only me that sees it these days!
Took the dog for another walk when it stopped raining for a short while - my leg is killing me again - both my hamstring and my knee and now my ankle has decided to join the pain party 
I've rested it for weeks now with no vigorous exercise at all but just walking hurts. So I've relented and booked a physio appointment for next week - its £48 for a 45 min assessment and £40 for each appointment afterwards. Not great but I can't carry on like this. Hopefully, it won't take much to put it right...... famous last words.....

Have also had a spree of cleaning grouting and tiles using the Pink Stuff - its a miracle how much it brings things back from grim to fairly respectable. I'm a convert. I'm running out of jobs to do around the house now that aren't major projects - the en suite bathroom needs complete replacement, the hall and landing need painting (this was booked in but then Covid struck and it got cancelled and I haven't rescheduled as I need to take the dog away for a few days while it gets done and I can't do that at the moment - the majority of the money saved to pay for it is squirelled away though), the spare room needs painting (will do this myself and I have all of the paint and new soft furnishings etc already bought and waiting from lockdown but didn't get round to it) and the garden fence panels all need replacing. I'm going to go halves with the neighbours but they seem a bit hard up at the moment so don't want to broach it - he's a handy man too so will do the job, its just the materials that need paying for.
I'd also love to completely redo the conservatory but that can wait as its hardly used in the winter.
Oh, and the kitchen could do with ripping out and starting again....
The house is 20 years old now and its the sort of time that things like kitchens and bathrooms need redoing.
I'll think about the future plans though and see whether its worth selling "as is" if I decide to move in the medium term or if it needs doing before then. Its a clean, neat and tidy and clutter free house so some of the jobs are superficial whilst others are projects that will swallow cash.

Just done the budgets again as its two weeks to pay day and if I'm careful I can make it without spending the contingency fund. I've done a meal plan for next week and shopping list for the weekend buying just want I need. Just need to stick to it now

mumblingtaff

Morning all.
Its not raining ! Yet....
Will take the dog out soon for a walk (a hobble on my part). I need to take the dog back to the vet for a check up this afternoon and I have a few errands and jobs to do including trying to get a new watch battery sorted, setting up the new broadband router that arrived yesterday, fixing a small leak on the downstairs loo if I can and a bit of cleaning and laundry. I want to nip to Currys too to look at TVs - mine is on its last legs (its about 14 years old) and has had a good life but will need replacing soon - just going to look though! Will price up washing machines whilst I'm there too - no buying until it completely dies but I can at least be prepared.
I will have to do some school work today - can't put it off any longer.....