Cutting it Fine - the challenge is on!

savingholmes

Oximeter gives me peace of mind

SandyShores

I know what you mean savingholmes, the thermometer is already reassuring.  I felt a little hot earlier, but only half a degree raised which soon went down.  Nice to feel informed.

Tired again today and feeling a little below par, but I know its due to being tired, so just need to rest up.  No spend today, which is good.  Will have to do a bit of food shopping tomorrow - might be a good time for some comfort food.

Not a lot else happening apart from work and feeling a bit rubbishy.  Holding on in here until it passes.

SandyShores

Early morning wake up call from the cat again this morning.  Recently he seems to have taken to being annoying at 4 am or even earlier.  I'm not very good at sleeping anyway, so this is really having a negative effect on me.  I normally get up and feed him and then go back to bed, which is fine if its 5 a or later, but 4 am is just the wrong time.  I've made the decision to just ignore him in future until its after 5 am but he's a persistent little imp so it might take a bit of time for him to get the message.  I think the lack of sleep is why I'm feeling a bit under the weather - if I get overtired, or have sleepless nights I always end up ruminating about stuff - its amazing what you can find to beat yourself up about late at night/early in the morning.  Last night I was regretting all sorts of things - including decisions made over 20 years ago.  But honestly, would I change things - well yes if I knew then what I know now I'd have made better decisions, but would I change things that may have meant I wouldn't have my DD, then no of course not.  Oh my goodness what a little lack of sleep does.

I was reading the article earlier about the 50  year old bloke who wasn't given a job because he wouldn't fit in with the younger (female) team.  Ageism does worry me as I'm planning (need) to work at least another 10 years - my job is as secure as any job is in the public sector, but at the mercy of reorganisation anytime.  I really need to focus on my targets - will go and refresh my memory....

caeler

Sorry hear about the lack of sleep @SandyShores
I also ready that article and I must admit it made me think.  I always look for "fit" and how do you get the balance without being discriminatory.  Although I'd love it if we had a boy in our team, the only boy retired last year so now we are all women! 

SandyShores

Thanks caeler, yes I know what you mean about fit.  When I interviewed for the first time, my boss wanted the person with a degree, whereas I wanted another person.  I bowed to my boss but wish I had stood up for my choice as it was a disaster - and in hindsight the other person would have been a much better fit.

savingholmes

Our cat sometimes wakes us up too. If it happens too often - it is encouraged to go outside overnight. Sometimes it still wakes us up by howling under our windows... They know every trick in the book.

SandyShores

Yup, he's got me well trained  😻

Reporting another 50p on the Xmas fund.  Ooh and a £30 lottery win last night.  When I woke in the middle of the night I checked my emails (for some very strange reason) and there was an email from the lottery saying 'you've won something'.  But of course you can't log into the lottery app after a certain time so I had to wait until early morning to find out (very frustrating).  Part of me thought it was either going to be a free ticket or £2.50, so (although it wasn't the required million£) I will certainly accept £30.  I usually spend a tenner on the lottery each month, so that will keep me going for 3 months.  I know its £120 a year that could be going to the mortgage, but well, you've got to be in it.  I like to think that good things come in threes - so bring it on

Logged into the mortgage account - I've paid forward January's interest, so its interesting to see it working its way back up to the 0000's.  

I've also been looking into DH's website.  He needs something, but don't want to spend too much.  Skills need to be minimal and I think I've found something.  Now just to sort the technicals.  I need to set him up a facebook page at some point too and link them up.  Not much point at the moment while everyone is isolating but something to plan for next year.  I was thinking of where we could put DH's second income and pondering on a car fund.  Might give him some motivation.

I think that's all today, and I'm yawning away, so will have a quick flit round the diaries and then off to sleep.  Night all.

savingholmes

Always nice to have a win. I don't really approve of gambling (due to addiction risk) - but even I have done some recently - but it can be a slippery slope. At the same time it offers a glimmer of hope - albeit a remote one.

SandyShores

Hi savingholmes, thanks for dropping by.  Yes I know what you mean about gambling and completely see it.  I've read awful accounts of people building up huge gambling debt which is devastating for them and their families.  That's one thing I have been lucky enough not to have experienced.

I used to be in a work lottery syndicate which cost about £3 a month and when I left that job I starting buying the odd ticket here and there as I missed having that thought that one day it could be me. But, it can be difficult to know where to stop - really I should have limited myself to one ticket a month but its so easy to feel like the next one could be the one.  And I guess how gambling works is that you can feel that you've already invested so much and therefore can't stop just in case, I can see how that works.  I calculated that if I played the four main games every week it would add up to about £36 a month (although I don't think I ever did this but who knows when you are doing the odd transaction here and there) but there's no way I wanted to spend that much.  I decided to set a limit of £10 a month and now pay £25 into premium bonds every month.  I have a bit of fun choosing my lottery tickets, but I only do lucky dip numbers, and once that £10 is spent that's it.  Its worked for me as I have a chance of a premium bonds win and still  end up with £300 saved each year.  The £120 a year on the lottery seems worth the thought that my numbers might come up big time - and I guess now I've won £30, it will only be £90 for a year of wishful thinking. 

ps - almost forgot, popped into to report that I've used some of the emergency fund for a spend on the house.  Not technically an emergency but its an investment which should pay off for us.

savingholmes

Sounds like you've found an approach that works for you.