When I grow up

sugar-walsh

Thanks @WinterWarrior and @enthusiasticsaver.  It's something I've been thinking about for a while.my husband doesn't drink, so it's not difficult. I don't intend in giving up completely, but I'd like to cut the week Time drinking out and just stick with social situations.

And yes,  job upheaval is hard. I can't tell you how much its knocked my confidence. The place I left (bad vibes)
Have asked me to do a couple of days to help out. I've agreed as I need the money and i can deal with it for a couple of days. Maybe I'll get that treat for my daughter after all.

sugar-walsh

Pathetically excited that tcb have just updated a missing payment from sainsbos. It was only £6.30, but, I reckon that's a hot chocolate on the slopes for son 3.

My mum did pop around and say she's giving him £100 towards his holiday, so I've suggested, as he is going with son1, that he donates that money to the food budget as I don't think mum has offered son 1 the same. Feels fair.

So far today has been a good money day.

sugar-walsh

Cc £2999
Ski fund £711

Sold a couple of ds games £60 on fb and got around to listing loads of games on ebay.  

Did not make it all week without a drink. After a positive start to Wednesday it all just went a bit urgh, so wine was purchased. That, another bottle last night to share with my mum is acceptable. Did take son 3 out for his birthday and had a few glasses. But overall, an improvement. 

Enjoying paying my cc down quite aggressively, and hoping some more cashback will come through before the ski holiday.

In other news, husbands mum gifted us some money, so like the sensible people we are, we've booked center parcs france as a surprise for daughter whilst her brothers are off skiing.

So far I've found you can boo the eu sites via booking.com, so got cash back. I've also woken out we have enough tesco vouchers to practically pay for 1 ferry journey too. Which is cool.

My sister has offered me 2-3 days work next week at £250 a day, and I have 2-3 booked in the following week. 

Feeling pretty positive about everything at the moment.

sugar-walsh

Ski fund £716.44
Cc £2869.99

Still waiting for some work to come through from my sister, but picked up an hour or so from old work.

Also got lots of bids on ebay for old games. A guy on fb told me i will make £150 max, so hoping to prove him wrong. I hate selling via ebay, but seems its best for this kind of thing.

Still not found any furniture to sell, it's my preferred way of making money, but the auctions seem to have gone wild lately.

Booked nearly all if our week away with daughter, so excited to share the surprise.  I genuinely think we might have paid for the whole ski trip (son 3) with cashback and interest by the time he goes, which is amazing.  It's a very mse ski holiday, if there can be such a thing. The cheapest flights, accommodation etc. Cashback where we can. 2nd hand and borrowed clothes, euros for birthday money. Its amazing what you can achieve when you put your mind to it.

Collected our 1st too good to go yesterday. We live in a small town, so not fortunate to get supermarket ones, but we got a Greggs one for £3. So that meant doughnuts for pudding, sausage rolls for lunch and some treat for tonight too. Definitely something we will add once a week, and maybe try getting some others when we visit different areas. 

Blimey, that was a waffle.

sugar-walsh

Ski fund £941.53
Cc £2839.99

Hello! Time for a check in.  
Ski fund has had a lovely boost by the sales of some old snes games on ebay. The guy who said u would get £150 tops was £100 out. Plus a couple more bits still to sell.  Then it's on to vintage toy cars etc. Need to list tomorrow really to have a chance of selling before we go away.  But, I know for definite the ski trip is covered and we will have extra towards our trip with daughter. We told her about it, she thrilled.

Cc debt is slowly going down. Yes, I know I should be prioritising it, but that's just not how I get motivated. A little every day works for me for both debt paying and saving. 

No furniture to sell still, so glad I have some ebay sales. I did do 8 hours for my friend in my old job, and tomorrow I start a couple of well paid days for my sister. 

Last week we used up as much as possible in the kitchen before this week's shop, meaning I got about 10 days worth of food for under £100 last time (2 adults, 2 teens, household and toiletries included). This week's shop was £85. Though I gave in and we had chips tonight, felt quite poorly. Did only get 2 portions, served 2 fish from the freezer and 2 steak bakes from last night's 2 good 2 go. Just didn't have the energy to prep a full meal. The joys of auto immune issues.

Urgh, I'm boring myself.

Off for a bath and an evening of tv. Take care all. 

sugar-walsh

Ski fund £954
Cc debt £2799

Some more money arrived from ebay, so that has gone to the ski fund.

Decided I wanted to see the next number down on my cc so paid £40 off. May regret my rash decision, but sometimes I need a boost.

Really tired, kdidnt go sleep until 4am. Hoping I can plod on with some work and ebay listing this afternoon.

Husband sold a guitar and made some profit yesterday, which will really help towards our week away.

Things are still quietly, cautiously optimistic.

sugar-walsh

Ski £959.75
Cc debt £2779.99

Another ebay payment towards the ski holiday, and some chase cashback. 

Another £20 off the cc, hoping to get it to sub £2500 by mid April, and below £2k by mid May. I may go even harder jf I can.

Excitingly I've just booked a return ferry from France using Tesco vouchers. £60 of vouchers against the £85 it cost, which is good.

Celebrated ny old work.winning their 1st michelin star last night, so feeling really rough today. Plodding through some work for them though, considering offering to do.more work from home for them.

Man. When will I learn its never just 1 drink.

sugar-walsh

Ski fund £991.66
Cc debt £2699.99

More ebay sales and some cashback into the ski fund, more off the credit card.

Got to find £700 to fix our car before we head to France next week. Husband has sold a guitar and an amp, which is really useful for finance and space.  He's determined we will pay for this holiday without the cc.  We have talked about selling two cars to replace with 1, makes sense, just persuading husband.

Not doing a big shop this week as we go on Saturday and I'd like all fresh food eaten. Did a quick scoot around the supermarket today for yellow stickers. It's a difficult balance between having food in the house to feed hungry teens who are off school and not wasting food when we go away.

The sun has been shining and it's really given me a boost today.

sugar-walsh

Ski fund £995.90
Cc debt £2679.99

Another small pay out from top cashback into the fund.

Paid another little but off the cc.

Paid the garage £735 without using the cc, which is a bleeding miracle.

Off to collect some furniture tonight. A nice bit of ercol, which should result in around £100 profit. Setting myself the challenge of selling before we go away...

Some left over chicken, veg, reduced price garlic cheese and pasta for tea. Curry at mums tomorrow, sweet potato and chickpea curry Thursday. Then my cupboards will be empty.

Cleaned some of the house today, finish tomorrow, packing Thursday as out celebrating a friends daughters 18th on Thursday night and may not be thinking straight Friday....

sugar-walsh

Ski fund £1020.55
Cc debt £2659.99

More cashback went into the ski fund, so I smashed my target of £1000 by the time they go. They leave on Saturday, and I'm pretty sure there's just the accommodation and food left to pay, with the fund more than covering the cost of the holiday.

Holiday costs: (per person)
Accommodation £100 
Flights £250
Transfer £100
Ski pass £291
Ski hire £70
Parking/travel £30
Food/emergency £100
Total £941
Son is taking spending money that was given for his birthday.

Pretty pleased we've saved more than enough to cover it and the rest can gi towards our week, which is coming in around £1000 too.

I've listed more ebay items and lots more to go on. Also got £30 stuck in the ebay system, so hopefully that will get released soon, and still £60 in the topcashback account waiting to clear.

Mil kindly gave us £500 towards our holiday. We will put in the bank to.make sure out mortgage is covered at the beginning of may. It will be, but it's nice just to make sure. The joys if being self employed and never really knowing if your day to day will be covered, especially when you go away.

Right, these things won't sell themselves.