So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

themadvix

Afternoon all,

Thanks Cheery. I overdid it a bit yesterday though and ended up collapsed on the sofa watching the football. And then, despite being exhausted, only slept properly until about 2, so am very tired again today. A quieter day is in order today (and preferably one where I have energy to cook at the end of it - Mr MV is also very tired so dinner last night was a tiny portion of crumble and custard each! 

I did get to the allotment yesterday (cause of overdoing it, me thinks!)  harvested 2 more giant courgettes, a pannettone tin full of potatoes, some strawberries and a stick of rhubarb. Also picked a plum, but think it's not quite ripe - most of the rest aren't quite there, but it won't be long. After some advice from SL, and a look on FB marketplace, which didn't yield anything, I ordered 6 0.5l Kilner jars from the Big River company - actual cost 50p as I used my £15 tv survey voucher win to pay. I'll keep an eye out on marketplace for more though, as I don't think these will contain all the fruit on the tree that I might want to preserve. Have also contacted a lady about some small (250ml) bottles on there. I have a litre of rhubarb and ginger vodka 'brewing' currently and will need something for these to go in. Hopefully I can collect them, but it won't be until next week. 

Now reading Foxgloves diary on DFW and have been inspired to 'shop from home' in the garden a bit more - have planted up a couple of bits of mint pinched from the in-laws - picked a couple of weeks ago and intended to use all of them in food, but they rooted in the glass of water I was keeping them in, so have popped them in some compost. Also took a couple of cuttings of our lovely fuschia - I'm a member of a local plant swap group on FB, so would be good to have some things to offer! I love reading old diaries - there's always some inspiration to be gained and it's hilarious (and scary) when people are complaining about fuel prices and inflation back in 2018....!

Just paid myself, invoiced and done money shuffles. Huge credit card bill is in the process of being tackled - just need to go through a few bits with Mr MV to decide who is paying for what and then the rest can be settled. We are two-thirds of the way to achieving the spend on the card to get the bonus points (and have realised that adding the in-laws shopping to the card works too, it not being our money!).

Have set up a small savings pot to fund a caravan break in October as we've friends who have just moved to Devon who are looking forward to visitors. Goal is £150 to cover caravan cost/some petrol. Thinking is that we might eat at theirs/out with them and otherwise we can cook in the caravan, with NT trips/walks for entertainment, so should be generally low cost. We haven't had a caravan holiday since 2016, but we do love them for the rain beating down outside and feeling cosy inside - and the tight budgeting they inspire! I may even take my laptop and do some work while there (when my new laptop returns from its repair!). Currently already at £34 from small Ebay sale, some stray survey money and a couple of TTs.

Roofer came yesterday (changed from today) and seemed positive (Mr MV dealt with him). Reckoned about £6k and would get us a quote today. Not ideal, but I'm sure we'll work it out.

Have just had meeting with Cambridge friend and have some work for this week - just an hour a day, but a) it adds up and b) it's within my capabilities at the moment.

MS things:
* Food from the allotment
* HW - winnings slowly climbing (to the heady heights of £5 in each account, I'm not venturing into Cheeryland yet)
* Clicks done
* Signed up for a 3-day PA survey
* CD element of postal survey starts today
* Should receive my first posting pack as well this week
* £43 PA cashed out, with £8 pending
* Cat sitting since yesterday, with an additional cat from tomorrow

Gratitudes:
* The women's football team - fantastic!!
* Allotment time - was nice to get down there
* Enough energy to do some things.... although definitely a slow recovery process

Have a good afternoon all!

Cheery_Daff

Some good stuff in there, well done! Don't overdo it today... I saw that 3 day survey but decided against it - I'm driving to the office tomorrow and Wednesday, and meeting friends for tea both days after work, and didn't want to have to commit to anything else after that. 

I too like reading back on old diaries - sometimes even my own from 10 or 12 years ago are fun 😂 so funny to see  how things have changed.

themadvix

Seems sensible for you to avoid the survey then Cheery - I’m not one to commit to ongoing ones but haven’t got too much on for the next 3 days, so thought it would be a good boost to PA earnings.

I also need to get my finger out and get some cash back for checking my credit report as per Martin’s email - it’s been a while since I did them, so think I’ll qualify.

In my covid-addled state last week I signed up for some recipe box offer... just had the call (while I was making lunch, which of course Mr MV needed for a certain time between meetings) from their rep.... lengthy call, all for something I shouldn't have signed up to. However, the first week's three boxes come with a hefty discount making it £21 delivered for three meals, which if I opt for 2 of them coming with fish, is probably reasonable. I might do it and then cancel - something easy on the menu that isn't courgette might be quite nice... even though we have plenty of courgette and other stuff to eat. I've cancelled this week's veg box as we didn't need it and wouldn't be scheduled to have one for the following week so it would come in a gap. Needless to say, it will definitely be cancelled after that as the normal cost is £40 + delivery! 😮 Who pays that? Especially at the moment - I can't see these companies lasting tbh with the current cost of living crisis.

Just enjoying a delayed cheese and basil panini, with panini from Olio (via the freezer). Very nice! And good to know we can make the paninis from Tesco edible without a panini press (cold they tend to be a bit stale, but this is yum!).

savingholmes

Food sounds tasty

Well done on the allotment

I read about 200 posts of a diary from 2008 and thought - gosh I worry a lot 

Baileys_Babe

themadvix said:

 A quieter day is in order today (and preferably one where I have energy to cook at the end of it - Mr MV is also very tired so dinner last night was a tiny portion of crumble and custard each! 

On days where I'm not sure I'm going to have enough energy to make the evening meal, I do as much preparation first thing, or cook dinner so it only needs reheating later or put something in the slow cooker, that way I know we will be able to eat without resorting to a takeaway. Learnt the hard way after many episodes of my fatigue flaring up.

Suffolk_lass

You can of course use ordinary jam jars for preserving fruit, and I regularly put a large ziplock bag or two of halved and stoned plums in the freezer. Just make sure they are the pimple pop top jam jars so you know you have a seal, and make sure you remove any stickiness before screwing them tight or they can be impossible to get back into. HTH

themadvix

Afternoon all,

Thanks for popping by ladies. A good suggestion there BB - and yesterday we had a 'free' dinner as there were leftovers from the night before, which was good. @Suffolk_lass how would you do that? I wouldn't want to put the plastic lined lids in the oven - just stew it up on the stove as per jam and then jar? (Good tip on the stickiness - it feels like you know me so well! 😂). I now have the ingredients in to make some rhubarb and ginger jam too - just need to pull some more rhubarb and have the energy for it (and jars of a suitable size).

Still up and down with energy and having to pace myself (literally in the moment and throughout the day), but progress is being made. Olio collection last night (swapped with my friend) and annoyingly, I wasn't able to collect the fresh stuff, even though that's the point of going in the evening. However, this did mean I didn't have to stay up late as it was all best before stuff that can go today too - which was quite good. I did have a nap/lie down in the middle of the day to make sure I had the energy. So we've had pastries and Mr MV took a sandwich to work as well as a cheese straw. Since he's been back in the office (two days a week), he's been buying lunch. This has been his choice and it's subsidised and very healthy - he usually has a huge, lovely looking salad - so not the end of the world, but given roofing situation, we need to get back to him taking food with him. Hopefully in future weeks, when Tesco managers have got the message, we may have ready-made sandwiches for him to take too. I have stashed a couple of packs of paninis in the freezer for a repeat of Monday's lunch too.

Money shuffles now completed and I had a pleasantly surprising amount to put into savings... still can't see my payslips from Cambridge for tax purposes, so there's a possibility it'll have to come back out, but have chased this up and hopefully that won't be the case. Cambridge boss has asked me to do 1 hr/day until end of September at least on a specific job. They have a temp starting as they have some staffing issues but I suspect they may still have other things for me to do too. Also had contact from a potential new US client, so have provided the information they have requested. And there's still a potential project in the background from my main US client - maybe I need to ask about that.

MS things:
* HW - won £3 yesterday (that's a big win for me!)
* Clicks done
* MM survey done
* 3 linked PA surveys done and should get a good bonus on that too.
* A second box litter tray for cats ordered - via Z00plus, so TCB, 3% savings club discount and free treats with their loyalty scheme. Also discount on the litter, so a result there too)
* Did credit karma via TCB - not tracked yet, but should be £4.25 
* Cat sitting - last visit for one lot this morning and started other client yesterday
* Mr MV has brewed a batch of beer from ingredients he already had in (keep dry yeast in the fridge folks, it apparently lasts forever!) - saving on beer purchases

Gratitudes:
* Lovely chat with Olio friend about her holiday - they're going to Scotland and wanted recommendations (they're Italian) 
* Energy to do things
* Work from Cambridge - it's a nice filler

Mum's popping up this afternoon and we're going to the newish M&S - I don't need anything, but I desperately need a change of scene (not entirely sure this will do it!). I'm finding I'm very fed up at the moment and I think it's because I'm just not getting out - with Covid partly, but (Glasgow aside) Mr MV and I also haven't had any days out recently (nor have I with anyone else) - haven't seen the sea, NT membership largely unused (we've been working on the other mini and clearing in-laws loft) .... and nor have we seen anyone either (I will text friends now who invited us for a BBQ while I was ill and get a date in the diary). Just a general malaise, but it's impacting my mental state and I don't like it. 

Have a good afternoon all! 

the_cross_rabbit

I would advise you not to pull any more rhubarb as it needs to build up energy for next year and it can’t do this if you keep removing leaves. We generally stop harvesting rhubarb early July.
CRx

themadvix

Ah, but my garden rhubarb has triffid-like super powers CR! It will be the last lot I pull, but it won’t affect it in the least. Wouldn’t pull the stuff at the allotment as it’s definitely not in the same league, but one more lot from the garden stuff will be fine! 😁

the_cross_rabbit

🤣 I used to be scared of triffids  when I was little because of that program .
CRx