Prosperous soul embraces creativity & mortgage neutrality

savingholmes · 20 January 2022 at 10:41PM

Thanks Tahlullah, skint, MF and Dancing

My balance class went well. We worked on arms and shoulders part of today. I wanted to shout 'I surrender' and have done!! Sure it will have helped though.

I've had £222 extra in a week between bank switching, a refund, £c0, other cashback and facebook sales. Some of mine was 2-4 months in the making even though it happened to all arrive this week...I don't know what to do for an encore though?? I'm hoping to get another £12 in a promised sale tomorrow and then a further £8-10 a week after that when I deliver a FB item.

Any thoughts? My gold if I sold it for scrap would barely scrape £140 and I'd rather save/give it DD than get that little for it... However she is very unsentimental so would probably sell it in a heart beat. I'd like to check whether it has resale value as is before I scrapped it. I have a lot of silver jewellery too.

I will look for a few more things around the house to sell at the weekend. Two people this week in RL have suggested I do a financial blog / vlog...which is another thing I've thought about. I'm storing these ideas up - but don't want to over-face myself by doing too much at once. I'm just looking for the one-off quick wins for now. Longer term though I want to create passive income streams.

I have a banking referral code that would give me £200 - which I'd be happy to split with someone but the people I've asked in my circle already bank with R3v0lut as they've already helped the kids get bonuses. I also have £co referral codes if anyone is interested PM me. I'd get £25 and you'd get £5 as part of the sign up - once you've made and been paid out for a qualifying purchase. I've made over £2050 since 2008 on there. Definitely worth buying stuff you'd buy anyway via cashback.

I still need to list on £tsy - but still don't feel ready. The person I gave a painting to last week - is a super enthusiastic individual but she raved about the depth of colour and the combination of flat colour and metallics on such a small piece of art work. She felt I should do a craft stall. I know I should.... Again not ready. I did offer for her to come round one day so she could give it a go. Next time I will offer her a time and date and see if she is up for it in practice.

At the hairdressers Saturday. I've upped my exercise this week going back to the balance classes and doing some walking. I want to make sure I fit in some exercise tomorrow and over the weekend too. I still need to return my Am**** parcel. I also need to go to RM tomorrow to pick up a parcel they didn't leave outside - even though there was an Am**** parcel on my doorstep when I got home presumably delivered by someone else. I forgot to take my will to work - so will ask someone who lives more local - if they will do it for me over the weekend. It's a weird thing to ask someone - although this couple witnessed my last will.

Hope you are all staying safe and well. Nearly the weekend.

savingholmes · 20 January 2022 at 11:22PM

£62 paid off CC today - so revised balance currently (until I book cam belt and water pump) - £1644. All being well - I plan to pay another £50ish to CC this month so may not be as far away from debt neutral at my month end as I'd thought I'd be.

savingholmes · 21 January 2022 at 11:10AM

I was very proud of myself last night. I took all my clean washing back upstairs - and decluttered a pile for CS rags. I put the laundry in the wire basket unit - and sat on the edge of my bed and folded my stuff - always a good start. I have 1.5 baskets clear now and hung all my dresses and tops (other than camis) in the wardrobe. I don't know if I said - but I had the hilarious realisation this week that I'd never used my 'real' chest of drawers for clothes.... despite getting the kids to use drawers and cube units for theirs... I need to move my journals at the bottom 2 drawers - not sure to where yet - perhaps the spare room - I could then if I chose put my clothes into 'hidden' drawers. It did work really well last night though - partly because I dumped everything into the top basket - and then sorted down from there.

I also put some stuff back in what used to be the airing cupboard. Currently I've put 3 crates of laundry I'm debating releasing at the bottom of it. I had a little LBM when I realised - if I got rid of that stuff - or even piled the crates on top of each other - I could put my Dys0n away and have a set of drawers for cleaning products and spare toiletries. I have a set of plastic drawers originally intended for that - in a hard to get into understairs cupboard. I think that's my next mini-project - sort those two areas out. I brought a load of stuff from work in the last year - and a lot of it got dumped in the latter - blocking access. I could now return some of this to work - free up my space and make it all more usable again. Happy days.

My weight is heading back in the right direction which is also cheering.

I'm going to try and sell curtains and a bedspread this week. I think about 5 sets!! Possibly up to 7. If they don't sell within 14 days - I will give them away.

Have a good day all

boxofpaws · 21 January 2022 at 11:21AM

I wouldn't sell the gold either. Jewelry is a lovely thing and doesn't take up much room.

We must have some kind of telekinesis going on but just this morning I made Mr Paws rip the front slat of the lower airing cupboard shelf out so I can put my ironing board in there. I am so pleased. It's bugged me for 8 years that there was no where to store it. I also need to decide what to do with all the that storage now the hot water tank is gone, so will be following for inspiration

Good work on the folding. I am trying to take a bit more time over this type of thing. Have you seen them folding boards you can get? Box Legend?

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain · 21 January 2022 at 11:41AM

savingholmes said:

I can't currently imagine having another partner - but maybe that will change at some point. Weirdly I could picture it more while going through the divorce than I can right now... No rush. Absolutely zero rush. I want to experience what it is like to be single and get my house sorted and DD and DS established as independent adults. I also want to work on myself so if I do end up in another relationship I don't repeat the same mistakes / or allow others to repeat patterns.

I totally understand that. I really thought I would be alone for good, maybe date now and then but nothing serious. I certainly wanted different to what I had previously had and wasn't prepared to settle for second best or compromise. I acknowledged that I had been in a really toxic, narcissistic relationship and Ex was always playing mindgames and gaslighting me and the children. I grew in self confidence and finally got to know the real me, I had always moulded myself to what other people wanted or expected, I realised I had always done this, even in chilldhood. I am for the first time in my life being true to myself and also for the first time I am truly happy, I unexpectedly met someone who loves me for me and has no demands or expectations. I love my 'new' life, I have honestly never felt so happy, calm, contented and in control as I do now.

It sounds like you are gradually winning the battle against the dreaded laundry/clothing mountain so well done, little changes here and there really make a difference, keep going! I'm trying to lose weight too, it's not easy, especially as I love food and drink but I've done it before so I know I can again. I find 16:8 fasting works for me, it means I can sit and eat the same meal as the rest of the family every evening, have you tried anything like that?

You are doing so well, just enjoy the ride whatever it brings!

MvTMM

savingholmes · 21 January 2022 at 2:28PM

Thanks @boxofpaws
Telepathy indeed. Good luck with it all.

I have even been considering trying to set up a designated space for my dust pan / brushes so they hang on the back of a door or something similar... Got to be a better solution than leaning against the wall. (Full length as no bending solution desired!). I have a load of sticky strips and cup holders and the like somewhere. Just need to find them - and then actually use them. Another novel thought. I'm not planning folding aids. I have some of those 1k3a boxes that I can use inside the wire baskets /drawers - squashed under the boxes in the spare room. I'll get to them eventually. Meanwhile - I am reusing boxes through the mail or baskets that are already in the house and not buying new. I'm trying to stamp out this kind of fritter spend - as it has cost me dearly over the years - and I just end up with multiple spares...

Thanks MvTMM for sharing your story. It is encouraging. I am thinking of trying TRE so 16:8 could be a good way to go. I feel like the tide is turning on the clutter and can start to see it clearing and not coming back. Still a long way to go though. My goal is to get to the point people can come round without me over-worrying. I still need to shift the equivalent of an L-shaped sofa's worth of stuff from the lounge and give it a home or get rid. TBF some is already designated to go / be sold - it just hasn't left yet.

I've set up my BG account and submitted a reading today. They should send me details of how to set up my first direct debit shortly. I tried to read my water meter but even after cleaning it - it was impossible. I tried photographing it but the dial doesn't show up. It's as long as my arm down in the ground - and so I have no chance (varifocals) - I'd need binoculars. I might ask if next door have got any - yes seriously... Of course I'd have to take my glasses off to use them!! I tried taking a magnifying glass to it but couldn't fit it down the pipe - so yeah no chance. I've ordered lots of free water saving gadgets will let you know if they help the bills at all - and which if any I end up using.

girlatplay · 21 January 2022 at 4:35PM

Your decluttering is going great!
You've inspired me to do a bit more. I've plugged my shredder in beside my desk and I've got the big bag of paperwork (from my Christmas task list 😳). I keep shoving a few sheets through every now and then.

Edited for spelling error

savingholmes · 21 January 2022 at 5:00PM

Progress is progress GAP. Well done.

I am just picking up a parcel I missed yesterday. Will catch up any missing hours over the weekend.

Someone collected the FB sale £12 more in the kitty.