Budgeting by the beach

savingholmes

On the HRT - patches tend to be lower risk. Perhaps worth investigating more of the positive sides - and the opportunity cost of not taking HRT if your body needs it - not just potential side effects which may or may not happen. My life is better on HRT - especially my sleep. It can also impact bone density not to be on it... so that is something else to consider.

DaisyCheerings

Thank you savingholmes, I really appreciate you letting me know your experience with HRT and your advice.  

There's so much to think of on both sides and so many pros and cons it's all a bit mind boggling.


I hope you're feeling better overall.  I need to spend some time catching up on diaries today.


Edited because my original message was a mental dump of what's been swimming around my head about it all.

DaisyCheerings

Thank you doingitanyway.  I've tried so many times to cut down on sugar and have then forgotten, so I'm not sure why it's stuck so well this time.  Especially when I have an Easter egg and some creme eggs in the house, as well as my outright favourite chocolate wafers.  Are you keeping a check on your blood sugar levels?  I have a glucose machine, so I should see if I'm making the right changes.

I don't have a particularly sophisticated palate, so I've found it easy replacing coffee with the chicory, but it did take a bit of time to find the right one and then the right amount to use as it's weaker than coffee.  I think I've found the right brands and balance now though.

The more I think about it, the more I also feel that taking both trips is the right thing to do, provided I really don't go on other trips.  I already have a trip planned and paid for to Scotland in August (except the train fare), and I'll hopefully do that again next year too as it's becoming a bit of a group ritual, but other than that I'm happy to sit out holidays until the debt is done after the 2 big trips.

My tastebuds are similar to a three year old!!!! They absolutely need upgrading to the adult version!!! 

DaisyCheerings

Another week of controlling the shopping budget so I'm hoping that after 4 weeks that's now a habit that sticks, so I won't keep mentioning it.

Regarding the weekend trip, the location has been decided and so we just need to book flights and accommodation.  We almost booked the flights yesterday but realised we were leaving on the day we needed to arrive home, and it's an overnight flight, so need to get that amended.

I have a local craft fair to go to today which I'm really looking forward to.  The Spring one isn't generally as good as their Christmas one, but it's always a lovely place to have a wander around and see how talented the locals are too.  I find that quite inspiring in itself.  I'm hoping the weather will stay dry for us all.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

savingholmes

Enjoy the craft fair.

doingitanyway

You are taking both trips. I'm pleased about that 
Enjoy the Spring fair.

DaisyCheerings

Thank you savingholmes and doingitanyway.

The Spring fair wasn't nearly as good as the winter/christmas one.  I did buy a buddha made from coal as a little trinket for my new shelving.  I've wanted one for a while but couldn't find the "right" one, and this ticked all the boxes and was only £10.  Other than that there wasn't really anything else I was interested in.  Many of the makers are there for each market so I've seen and purchased most things that I've liked over the last couple of years, but I'll go back again at Christmas and see if I can get gift inspiration.

I was away last weekend, staying at a friend's house as we had a cheese tour arranged on the Sunday.  Saturday evening was lovely as he'd invited lots of mutual friends over for dinner and they brought their pets etc so it was very busy but fun.  Normally a group meet up like that would dissolve part of my brain, but I found it really fun this time.  

On Sunday the cheese tour was excellent.  The man hosting the tour was very charming and fun and just made the whole experience really enjoyable.  We had a cheese tasting event at the end, and it was a lovely way to spend a morning.  We then went to have a roast at a pub around the corner, which was really nice.

I've got a surprise party to attend this weekend, and have bought a bottle of whisky for him which came out of my shopping allowance.  I didn't need to buy too much due to having good stocks in, so that feels kind of like a free gift!  

Regarding the holidays, one is now booked and paid for, but I just don't feel like I can justify another big spend immediately afterwards.  I've mentioned this to my holiday buddies and they're going on 3 major holidays over the next few months so they'll let me know where they're going and costs so that I can jump on one of those, if I want to.  On the one hand I really don't want to spend the money, but on the other this could be my last chance to go away with those specific people due to some lifestyle changes they're making after October.  So I'll let their location choices, length of trip and costs determine my next move on that while I try to put more aside into the holiday budgets.

I've also found that with my subscription on Spotify, I have access to lots of really good audiobooks, including the one savingholmes recommended.  I'm currently listening to a book called "They both d*e in the end" and will move to the recommended books when I've finished this one.  I didn't realise I could listen to so many books within my music budget, so that felt like a great bonus.

Lastly, I've been reading savingholmes diary and it's motivating me to get things done and organised around the house, so I need to get back on track there too.  Maybe I should also watch the decluttering Netflix too, as I have the book and found that quite inspirational.  I definitely need to do something!

I hope everyone is enjoying their week.

savingholmes

Hi Daisy

Your holiday plans sound lovely - and I think taking the opportunity to go away with friends sounds magical.

On decluttering - I found the slob comes clean on utube and her related book that I listen to while decluttering really motivating. She simplified things for me. She has a few simple rules: If you don't know where to start - start with trash - there's always trash. If something is not in it's home and it has a home - take it there now. If that home is full - what can you let go of to make room for it. If it doesn't have a home - where would you look for it first - take it there now... etc HTH. 

https://youtu.be/j6zSnySTo6Y

DaisyCheerings

Thank you for the recommendation savingholmes.  I'll check out her YouTube channel and subscribe.

doingitanyway

I second that recommendation. I used to listen to her podcast as I sorted through my home (when I had one!)
Thanks for your comments on Spotify I hadn't realised their were books available as part of the subscription...
Keeping your holiday commitments flexible sounds like a good compromise.
Have a lovely weekend