Prosperous soul embraces creativity & mortgage neutrality

girlatplay

Love a freezer surprise for tea!

savingholmes

Thanks GAP - well I kind of had a 3 course meal - soup, a small bowl of veggie pasta with cheese topping and a YS custard doughnut.

Need to crack on with the decorating today. Also need to get dog food. Will check what paint I already have but otherwise nip out. Just given the dog some bell peppers for breakfast! A healthy snack but not really a meal.

I'd also like to put some xmas lights up. DD says she'll walk the dog. We will see.

Have a great weekend all.

savingholmes

This shopping from home malarkey @foxgloves really does work. 

I have found a full 750ml tub of satinwood. Other finds this week - I have been working through my third paint tin to paint the study / garden room with brilliant white emulsion. I already had all the brushes and rollers a girl could ever need and decorators wipes and sugar soap.

I randomly found gel insoles in the lightbulb box (obviously) and have put them in my trainers which were feeling a bit thin underfoot - so extended their useful life hopefully.

Most of the tat I sold on FB were things I wasn't that aware of having. £62 from that. Nothing new has sold since Tuesday even though I have 9 active listings and have reduced prices. I need to find other things to list. There is a mini treadmill in the garage so will try and sell that. Still in its box - we were given it... Technically it's DD's but still... 

I found some unopened boxed woodworking tools I plan to give DS as a surprise present at xmas. I have loads of wrapping paper. Even found 3 or 4 rolls of cellophane for hamper making. I may do a book hamper, a craft/card making hamper and lego hamper for my nephews for xmas with 'found' items. I've bought some bits and pieces for my youngest niece. I can probably add to it with things from when my kids were small. 

I have loads of journals but some I may never use as they are too heavy or in the wrong style (and I'm fussy) so will try and pass some of those on too.

I don't know if I already said but I found some QVC type jewellery I can potentially give one of my sisters. I found an adult colour book I can give another. I found a cat colouring book I can give my neighbour.

I enjoy giving so I am encouraged at what I've found that will be good for others without increasing costs for me.

savingholmes

I've been waiting for the confirmation of my first mortgage payment - and I thought I had to pay upfront for the month and that therefore Nov's interest would be added to a normal payment. It turns out - I pay in arrears and therefore because the first month was shorter - my first payment will be lower. This is a huge relief! It should mean I can pay more off my target CC in December.

However given my divorce lawyer has sent me emails this week - I've put £200 into next month's budget just in case. 

My energy provider has said they won't be ready to take the first payment until mid December - so I have doubled up December's budget allowance - but I think we've used less than that so it should give me money I can pay off the CC instead.

My new CC has arrived and I have activated it so I now have a  £40 free gift card. That will help me finish off xmas gifts.

MovingForwards

Would it be worth keeping in a few tins of dog food and a bag of kibble? Worst case is it gets taken to a pet food basket for a local home a few months before being OOD.

You're doing well with the finds and it'll help keep winter costs down, also rejigging budgets quickly makes future planning easier.

EssexHebridean

Blackcats said:

I've been reading along and agree with others that who, when and what you say about your divorce is entirely your choice.  I thought this might be a good promot for you .... it helps me.

Love this - for a while now one of my mantras has been “you can’t control how anyone else behaves, but you can control how you react to that behaviour “. 

Glad you’ve had the pooch back for a visit too SH, and my goodness I’m with you on the plug in air freshener things - vile!  On the dog food thing, I’d be inclined to ignore the previous conversation re  cat food and just clearly state to OH that he needs to supply the relevant amount of her regular food when she spends time with you in the future - on the basis that you may not know if he’s changed her food, and “of course with it being bad for dogs to switch their food around like that, it’s far better for her that way, too”. Then you’ve got across the important information that it appears he doesn’t know, and hopefully saved yourself being put in the same position again, and all from a position of concern for the dog… 

savingholmes

Thanks MF - when Ex left he took her main pack of food and the storage tub. I had a few dog treats left. I bought her a box of food a couple of weeks ago but she stayed longer than expected so went through it quicker etc. I've boughher more today. I doubt I'll have her again this side of xmas but Ex said he may go away around New Year and drop her off then. I wasn't expecting to have her this weekend so it just took me by surprise as he dropped her off a few hours after suggesting it.

Bought xmas pressies for DS and my parents using my £40 gift card. I may spend a little more on gifts for my nephews I'm not due to see. I may pick up some mini-wine bottles for one sis and a proper one for BIL who has been great to the whole family this year but am pretty much done. I'm hoping that the gift vouchers I'm due to get from work will help with the wine purchase and extra xmas food spend - as it can be spent at MnS, the land of ice and W1lk0s. I have stuff for DD already and am due to give her and DS some cash on top. At least I have stuff to wrap now.

Really hoping that the energy bill matches what I estimated as if so - I may even be in credit.... I know I'm repeating myself but with all the recent price rises it's been a big worry for me. It's also frustrating having been between suppliers for a couple of months.

DD wants me to take her to see a friend. It's a bit of trek so I suggested she stayed overnight. The friend agreed so off out later. I've done one coat of paint on the door and it seems to have taken half a tub of paint - so hoping that there's enough left to finish the room but may buy more while I am out plus blackboard paint. Nearly done. Just touching up to do on the emulsion. I have got some paint splatters on the wood floor but it'll scratch off over time... I will also need to clean up my glass desk top.

Need to get curtain rings. I need either DD or my cleaner's help to physically lift the curtains back in place once they are ready to hang as it's wide and they're heavy. Once that's done - I may list some curtains for sale.  Looking forward to laying out the room. Still debating whether to put one of my FB chairs in there. I'd want to chalk paint it if I did - but am still debating the colour. Not sure whether to keep it monochrome or add turquoise/teal. I already have teal chalk paint I could use...

I then need to set up my work stuff on the desk and decide what to put in the 8 k@ll@x unit slots. Whatever I decide it should help the front room become a lot tidier!

EssexHebridean

A vote for teal here - everything looks better with a bit of teal if you ask me! 😁

beanielou

Teal would be fab.

savingholmes

Thanks EH and Beanie

Will give the teal a go on the chair I got free a few weeks ago. That way if it doesn't work as planned only paint lost. It needs a good clean first.

Ended up filling up as saw a garage about 6p a litre cheaper.  Just enjoying a carvery out. Will then go back to grindstone. Flooding on main roads today. Some blinding. Scary in the dark Still got to drive home after dropping DD off