Prosperous soul embraces creativity & mortgage neutrality

girlatplay

Wax for after painting. Noted.

savingholmes

Hi @Tahlullah.H 

Tahlullah.H said:

In the interest of following your dream, sending stuff back would be a plan as you already have more than you need.  And the free returns isn't going to be there forever!  You can still create and save money.  Win win.

I love how you put that "in the interest of following your dream." I think that's the right call - I felt peace as soon as you made your suggestion. I also felt like I was in danger of getting into my next hobby (furniture upcycling) before I'd used up my stuff from my previous hobby - which is something I've very definitely done before - and a habit I need to break.

I'm sending back some pigment powders, some empty spray bottles (that cost more than if they'd had product in - what was I thinking??), some pretty glass jars with lids for storing paint in, some curtain rings - and will get about £13.50 on gift card and close to £40 back in my account. It all helps.  I still have other things I can use to experiment with - and if I save glass jars from other things we use up - I can recycle them for use with chalk paint...

In the meantime - I have also made myself pancakes - yum (using 28p batter mix) and unpacked and packed the dishwasher so feeling much more virtuous now.

Tahlullah.H

That's a good lump sum to get back.  As they say, it's money in your pocket you don't have to earn!

Pancakes sound nice.  What did you put on them?  Bananas and chocolate?  See, I am wishfully thinking now.

savingholmes

It was refusing to let me post so did screenshot

Thanks Tahlullah

Scottiedog_3

I love those repeated squawks of "You don't have permission  to do that."
 
 

EssexHebridean

Good work on releasing stuff back to Am@z0n - better to have the money back by far. Kudos to you for recognising that you were potentially about to “hobby leapfrog” too. 

Your Christmas shopping is going brilliantly too - I’ve got some bits that will need wrapping this weekend ready for seeing my friend on Thursday, but everything else will get done next weekend I hope.

boxofpaws

I wish I had the motivation to sell stuff. I agree with you on the charity shop comment though. I can get a warm feeling from donating or deal with sometimes terrible humans on fbook.

You’re doing great on the switching. Well everything really. 

savingholmes

Scottiedog_3 said:

I love those repeated squawks of "You don't have permission  to do that."
 

Yes - at least having been on this forum for years it occurred to me to do a screenshot. It wanted me to sign back in 

EssexHebridean said:

Good work on releasing stuff back to Am@z0n - better to have the money back by far. Kudos to you for recognising that you were potentially about to “hobby leapfrog” too. 

Your Christmas shopping is going brilliantly too - I’ve got some bits that will need wrapping this weekend ready for seeing my friend on Thursday, but everything else will get done next weekend I hope.

Thanks EH. Hobby leapfrog is a great description. Love your way with words. I realised I have 13 people I'm getting presents for - but I have an adult book 'in stock' which will work well. Good luck with your xmas prep. I may even put up some xmas decs today. 

savingholmes

Monthly round up

I paid £1084 in conveyancing costs this month including the remaining funds  for buying Ex out. I was able to borrow about £1K less than I wanted on the mortgage - hence CC use this month. When I first joined MSE - I was advised to do the 'make £10 a day thread' to help pay for clothes, xmas, pocket £ etc. I still follow similar principles. I get paid mid month - hence round up now...

Put towards costs of buying Ex out - and clearing debt
£130 refunded from old mortgage 
£250 cashback from new mortgage
£380

Things in my control - put towards CC and Xmas
£62 FB sales
£5 pcm saving on switching BB (so worth £60 a year) Just counted 1 month's worth
£40 Am**** voucher from taking out a CC
£15 pcm saving plus £16 joining fee by going through Health Scheme for gym 

£138

CC shuffle - still debt neutral (just) due to EF
S75 protection on mattress, 0% credit with 0 transfer fee. Moving debt from CC1 to CC2 to get an extra month 0% 
£587 Debt repaid this month from CC1 - bringing CC down from £1329 to £742 (0% runs out end March)
£1258 New debt added to CC2 (includes new mattress and divorce solicitor fees) (0% runs out end April/early May)

Mortgage neutrality £201999 starting point 1.84% interest
£20 Mortgage repaid this month (month 0)
£62.50 Private pension increase including tax relief

Future
Not sure what I can do for an encore in future months but hopefully something will present itself. Need to limit spends and increase sales. Need to go through a process of cancelling CCs so can get paid to take new ones and only use long enough to get vouchers etc - or if immediately paying off spends.

Future cashback - only counting once received in case don't pay out
£40 Car Insurance - think incurred in October pay period - due to pay out Jan/Feb (+saved £40+ on renewal price)
£60 BB cashback - didn't originally track and had to raise claim so may have to wait full 6 months for this
£250 Bank switching bonuses to come (will count in month they arrive)
£40? Possible MnS voucher if they accept me for a CC
£390

Future refunds
£54 from Am**** (my biggest spending vice) - debating sending another £11 item back too which would increase this to £65

savingholmes

boxofpaws said:

I wish I had the motivation to sell stuff. I agree with you on the charity shop comment though. I can get a warm feeling from donating or deal with sometimes terrible humans on fbook.

You’re doing great on the switching. Well everything really. 

Thanks @boxofpaws You are doing great too with everything you are contending with.

I have 2-3 bags of stuff in the garage waiting to go to the CS - but want to do a job lot when I do go to make it worthwhile. Will send some of what hasn't sold on FB. That could be Thursday's job - as I have a half day of leave and am getting my hair done but it coincides well with when a particular CS accepts goods that I can park outside.