Money-shuffling towards mortgage freedom

savingholmes

Hope the procedure went well.

MeandO

Thank you for your kind comments and support all, sorry I have been AWOL for a while, I'm really struggling with motivation to post lately as my financial situation just feels so stagnant atm no matter what I do to try and improve it. 

Drawingaline, I hope things go well with your son whichever option he decides to take. It is very difficult knowing what's for the best sometimes isn't it.

My son's procedure went well thankfully and he was up and about within a day or two. I am awaiting biopsy results from the procedure, but the specialist said everything looked ok at the time and he had no side effects with his airway this time which I am so thankful for. The weekend prior was more expensive than planned as I had to buy in food items for a special diet, but it had to be done although the budget didn't thank me.

I have had 3 weigh ins at SW now and have lost 11lbs so far which I am really pleased with, I was hoping to get to the stone loss this week, but so far, I have been having a terrible week food-wise and just want to eat everything in sight. It will be a miracle if I don't put on weight this week. Doing this diet has really highlighted how tiredness affects my craving for sweet things, especially chocolate. The friend I started with gave up after 2 weeks, tbh I didn't expect her to stick at it for long, but I am disappointed she quit so quickly. I need to get myself in gear now this week and attempt to get back on the bandwagon. It is costing me more food-wise but it is worth it if it improves my health and confidence.

I had the boiler and heating serviced a couple of weeks ago, but unfortunately cannot get an invoice from the plumber despite asking him first for one, so I have given up on claiming that £50 back from Sky. The boiler did need servicing though and it's what I would have had to pay for it to be done, so I'm writing it off and not stressing over it.

I have started buying some Christmas gifts and also gifts for the three birthdays I have to buy for in November. I have no idea what to get DS this year for Christmas and he says he doesn't want/need anything, so it's proving tricky. I have been paying on my CC and then transferring the money over from my gifts pot, but that is diminishing quickly. I have also bought things for my parents to give to people as they are unable to go out shopping. They will pay me for those when I see them next and that will then get paid off my credit card.

Last week I received the local government £200 energy grant which I was eligible for which I sent straight to the credit card to pay off some of the balance. I will do the same with the second cost of living payment which I will hopefully receive in November and also the £66 energy rebate every month.

I have also had to notify Tax Credits of my increase in hours and pay, although it's not to the same level as I thought I would be working/receiving due to issues at work which are ongoing. I am really nervous about this change as I have a horrible feeling it will leave me worse off every month due to the drop in tax credits. If so, I will have to scrap the extra hours completely and revert back to what I was doing before as I really can't afford a drop in income. I am hoping that I will be able to go back full time before May as a colleague who does the same job is retiring, but they have threatened retirement for some years now so I don't know if it will come about. I really don't want to work full time as the job is really getting me down now, but I can't turn down the extra money. I will then not be eligible for any tax credits though.

DS has made around £100 on ebay this past week after I listed some of his old toys for him. We are also working through listing lots more items he wants to sell, but it will take some time as they are card-based items of which there are hundreds of variations and some are apparently quite valuable. I am dreading listing them, think it will be an ongoing project! I have made around £12 on ebay and also £10 fb sales, hopefully another £15 sale later but that is OH's.

Lastly, the strangest thing happened at the weekend. I found £5 on my doorstep, wet from the rain. OH and I had come in only a couple of hours before and it wasn't there then. The location of my house and step means it would have been a very peculiar place for someone to have dropped it as it would have had to get through two gates to blow in there! I checked with the neighbours and even the postman but none have laid claim, so OH and I decided to buy a lottery ticket with £1 of it which then won us £3. I then found £1 in the shopping trolley I used at a supermarket, so decided it was my lucky weekend! 

badmemory

Re DS's Christmas/birthday presents.  I have given up & now just give him amazon vouchers.  I buy him bits of clothes but after that I have to ask him what he wants.  Then I look - & it is a bit like really!!  So I have to ask him to be more specific.  Then I land up saying  "please tell me which of these it is that you want".  At least if I give him a voucher I feel that I have had SOME choice, not a lot but I'll take what I can get. 

The really interesting thing in this is that he only uses his account for the vouchers the rest of the year he uses mine & pays me straight back.  He seems incapable of paying £10.99 & so pays £11 so plus the cashback I get - can you see why I don't complain?

savingholmes

Nicely done on the 11lb weightloss that's phenomenal. 

Good that you had some small wins. The bay sales are great too.

MeandO

Thanks both xx

I got paid this week : +£130 for the extra hours I worked, but £200 down on tax credits now so I'm down by £70. Next month will be much the same as I didn't work the full amount of hours this month after the stress and trouble I've had at work lately.
Next month I need to make sure I work 32 or 34 hours a week so that I'm actually up on money and to make it worth my while.
Child maintenance has gone up by £23 a month and I'll try and make another £50 on ebay or FB to balance things out. I have covered all of the bills and should be ok as long as I'm savvy with the grocery bills but am not looking forward to another tight month.
The car is booked in for an MOT in a couple of weeks but also needs some work doing to it first and probably a new tyre. I have £700 in my car pot currently which needs to cover all of this, plus the car insurance just before Christmas, any more than that and I will have to dip into the EF. I have £2600 saved in that now, but have got rid of the other savings in my signature as they are savings pots that fluctuate for things like the car and Christmas/birthday etc. There is over £4K between it all at the moment, but thought it easier just to concentrate on the PB account that I only withdraw from as a last resort.

I batch cooked a cauliflower curry last night and a big veggie pasta dish the night before - both SW friendly and freezable. The pasta I'm using for lunches this week and the curry for tea for a couple of nights, it fed OH last night too. Whilst the oven was on for DS's tea on Monday, he and I made three trays of his favourite jam cupcake type bakes and some fairy cakes with the leftover cake mix. He's been munching on them after school and I may freeze some this week too or give them to him to take to his Dad's this weekend.

One load of washing is drying on the line and I'm off to peg the second load out now. Praying it doesn't rain before it's dry!

MeandO

Thankful that I got all the washing dried on the line before the rain came today. It’s dry again outside now but with a strange golden/pinky glow about the sky - quite beautiful. 

I wrapped, addressed and posted the three eBay sales today and have listed nine more items. All of it is items that I’ve advertised on fb but haven’t sold, so am not holding out hope for much of it selling, but at least I’ve tried. 

I need to return some walking boots I bought from DS in a sale but didn’t fit. Adult Size 8, wide fitting and they’re too small for my 11 year old! That’ll be £24 back on the card, but if I can find some that do fit him for the same price I will exchange them. 

DS and I are both fed for the night - DS had a hot chicken wrap and veg, I had some more SW curry, but definitely not had a good SW week. Am feeling a bit ‘All or nothing’ this week about everything and am frustrated with progress in lots of things. I feel like there’s so much that I want to do and am restricted by lack of money, time or just life in general. I can’t really put my finger on what the root cause of feeling like this all of a sudden is either. 

I keep looking round the house and thinking of the changes I’d still like to make and things that need doing but I don’t want to be spending the money - nor can I afford to. I really want to tile the huge fireplace in the lounge as the brick is in terrible condition and black with soot that I can’t get off (have tried everything). I also want to put some shelves up in the alcoves so we have more much-needed storage and really want to paint or decorate my little box office room somehow as it’s in a bit of a state from the previous owners, but I just can’t justify the spends. I feel a bit like life is in limbo atm.
, but on the same hand am very aware how lucky we are - we have food on our table and a roof over our head and I can pay the bills.
Likewise, I just want to eat a load of chocolate but I can’t! I hate feeling like this.

Moneyfordreams

Glad to read your son's procedure went well. How annoying regarding tax credits. Definitely a catch-22 situation. 
But at least you can focus on the positives- weight loss and ebaying .  

MeandO

Thanks Moneyfordreams x

MeandO

After my last post I decided to throw my energy into doing what I can without spending a fortune, so I'm pleased to say I have a nice newly decorated office (box bedroom) which has cost me the grand sum of £16 on a tin of paint! I went to wilko first to try and get some cheaper paint, but wasn't impressed, so B&Q came up trumps with a tin of their own brand paint at the same price as Wilko. Thankfully, one tin was just about enough to do the whole room, albeit it is a very small bedroom (I'm not even sure if a single bed would fit in here, although according to the estate agent who sold it to me, there'd be plenty of room...).
I've moved some pictures and a notice board around that were in here before, rearranged the Mac and Laptop (I use both daily) and repurposed a few bits I had elsewhere and I'm really pleased with the result. Although, if I'm being totally honest, I chose the wrong colour of paint and I'm not in love with it, but it's staying as I'm not doing it again for some years!
Whilst I had the ladder out I tried to scrub a bit of what I think are mould spots around a window on the old plaster in one of the rooms downstairs. The plaster is old and there are a few cracks in the ceiling but it is the only original ceiling in the house with beautiful plaster decoration so I don't want it replaced. I've been assured the cracks are cosmetic, I really hope so as it's an old lath and plaster ceiling above it which I really don't want to come down.  The spots scrubbed off in some areas, but I know OH has some mould remover spray, so I will try that this weekend. What was evident from getting up on the high ladder (really, really high ceilings!) was that the section above the picture rail really needs re-painting. I'll put it on the list... 

Myself and DS both found a few more things to sell on FB/Ebay so have listed some of those, hopefully they make a few more£££'s. No takers on any of the current ebay listings yet. Someone has just enquired about a £10 item on FB as I type, so hopefully that will sell.

I've done a load of washing today and dried it on the line whilst the weather is nice. Tea is YS sea bass from the freezer and traybaked veg from the fridge that needs using up. I need to get some shopping tomorrow but will keep it to a minimum as DS and I are going to visit my family for a few days next week (I can't wait, even though I have no time off and will have to work from there) and so we won't need as much food in next week. I also need to fill the car up with diesel tomorrow which will be around £70 as it's running on fumes atm.

I've dug a spare outside light out from the shed for OH's parents as theirs has stopped working. I had several solar security ones from the old house that I don't need here and it will save them around £15. Some books I bought in a charity shop and read recently are going to a friend this weekend too. A few more bits leaving the house and being put to use elsewhere.

Best go and save the veg before it's charcoal, have a good weekend all xx

savingholmes

Good luck with FB sales. 

I like the damp stopper paint - worked a treat on my kitchen which had been flooded multiple times from the bathroom overhead!