We will get this debt down & the savings up

Makingabobor2

Well they didn't ring as promised....now there's a surprise. So I rang them & they say they are coming next Tuesday now, between 8-1.  I will definitely be contacting them re compensation, as we have ended up paying normal water rates when we thought we would be on a meter by now. 

Makingabobor2

So finally got round to sitting down and doing a catch up post. 
Today was line dancing and I went to L!d! on way home....wish I hadn't, it was sooooo hot,  and had to stop at the lady in the village on the way back to pick up plants for £1 each.....courgettes, and tomatoes.  Got stuck behind 2 different bin lorries, and then the tail end of a massive long funeral procession coming through the village with horses and so many cars. By the time I got home I was just so hot and tired...the AC in the car is not working very well.  DH has been tasked to get it re-gassed, hoping he doesn't take too long about it

Loads of orange sticker items and offers in L!d! and reached 2 spend thresholds, so nipped back in after I'd loaded car and picked up free carrots and free Belgian bun for DH

Tomorrow I need to sit down and redo some spreadsheets and transfers to savings pots etc, as we thought DH's wages had been sorted correctly after his rise, only to find that they hadn't....lol.   Things seem to have stagnated a bit after my original big push at the new year, and the bill for putting the downstairs loo suite in, was a bit more than we thought it would be, so need to re do that.   But on the plus side.... we had the money, where as in the old days, we wouldn't have done.  Of course STW not turning up, hasn't helped, as that meant they took another £100 water rates out today, where as we should have been on the meter at £44 a month by now if they'd come as promised.   My brain was too tired to do it this afternoon, so I went out and did some bits in the garden, cleaned the bird bath, pulled up some weeds etc. 

I do need to finalise my meal plan now, as might change a few bits round.  

So that's it for now. Off to get dinner and then we'll watch Race Across the World from last night.  Hopefully tomorrow I'll be more "with it" and can sort stuff out better. 

Blackcats

I do think that the Lidl "freebies" are good.  We hit 2 spend thresholds today too.  I get my dad's shopping from oh Cado and spend quite a lot but we never get any freebies other than they do price match a number of items with one of the major supermarkets.

Makingabobor2

Just catching up, I am still here, but just been AWOL for a bit as had a lot going on, family-wise, health-wise and things, feeling a bit stressed and just didn't feel like writing anything really. I've still been reading other diaries though and making the odd comments.  So today I am trying to give myself the proverbial kick up the behind and get back in the "zone".  I can always tell when things are not right and I am feeling off, as I neglect my exercise and eat too much junk.  That has definitely happened the last week or so. I even went back to sleep this morning, after the alarm at 6, never heard DH get up and next thing I knew it was 7.45!!   Why he didn't wake me up before then I have no idea.  I had line dancing at 10, and TBH, when I first got up, I thought I wouldn't bother going, but then I remembered how much I enjoy it, so I  made myself go.  Only just made it in time....lol. I can't just get up and rush around as it always makes me feel awful, so I had to do my stretch routines, uncover the veggies, have some breakfast and get ready.  So plan is to get back to getting up early tomorrow. 

So what has been happening?  Still plodding on and trying to get the debts down and the savings up.  I feel really bad as the debts haven't come down as quickly as I had hoped, due to a few unforseen things, but hopefully things will get back on the right track now.  I am just about to make a few alterations today, with regard what we pay/save/transfer etc and how/where/when.  So that should make a difference.  

Next month is my birthday and DH said he would buy me a now set of hair straighteners, as I had been banging on about how good my hairdressers straighteners were, compared to mine.  I told him not to though, I said I would rather he just gave me some money to put towards the holiday pot, as at the moment, I think our having a life/fun/experiences is much more important than my hair....lol.  My straighteners work they are just very old and my hair never looks quite as good as when I go to the hairdressers, but not worth spending over £150 on a new pair at the moment.  

Seem to have over spent a bit on housekeeping this budget period, not sure how, other than I did stock up on a few things, and haven't yet got my "stock up" savings pot up and running.  So think we will need to be extra cautious this next week.  New budget period starts on 26th.  

Remember the hearing aid dilemma?  Well, I finally went and got them and they fitted them and tweaked them etc etc.  Had to go back after 2 weeks for another test and more tweaking etc and to let her know how I am getting on.  Still well within the 12 week period where I can return them for a full refund.  So far I am not impressed.  Everything seems way too loud and the TV, radio etc just sounds so loud and echoey and I can't wear them for line dancing as the music there is just sooooo loud, it woud be even worse with hearing aids in.   So I don't know, I'm not convinced about them at all.  The audiologist says 50% of people end up not keeping them, and I can always say no now, and then try again some other time.  Maybe my hearing just isn't bad enough that the aids are making any difference.  DH says I am just getting stressed by them and I would be better waiting a year and trying again.  I think part of me thinks I should persevere and make them work......but at the moment, they really aren't, and then part of me just doesn't want them because of the cost.  I can hear, I just can't hear clearly sometimes, depending on the tone of voice or accent, and these are not providing clarity, so far, even though they are the top range ones.  I appreciate that there are so many different tweaks/ear pieces etc that they can do, but I'm just not sure yet. Just starting my 4th week now. 

Garden is coming on, I have had a few plants from the lady in the village who sells them from her massive allotment.  Got courgettes, tomatoes, strawberries and another raspberry cane all for £1 each and having a go at rhubarb which was £3.  Never done that before, so we'll see what happens.  The blueberry, stawberry plants and raspberry from last year, are looking healthy, and my first attempt at sowing rocket seeds is looking good so far.  Not got round to sowing any carrot seeds yet as I used my large planter for the rhubarb, so need to see where I can plant them.  Using the old double glazing panels that DFIL gave us, to cover stuff over at night, and lots of bubble wrap on the tomatoes.  

Studies and surveys seem to have been very slow so far this month, although this afternoon seems to have improved on P/fc, just got to wait for it to approve now.  Some of the other sites have really been slow. 

Sold a couple of bits on V*nt*d lately, which has boosted the finances a little bit. 

Water meter is finally installed and up and running and they have updated our account, to show we are currently £123 in credit, as they had already taken 2 months water rates when we were waiting for the meter.  So that should cover us until the first bill in 6 months time, with any luck.  I shall be adding an amount to the annual bills pot to cover water, as they originally forecast that we would pay about £42 a month, but I don't think it will be that much....fingers crossed.  We are being very good at not running tap much and keeping a bowl in the sink to catch any waste and then using it in the garden.  Water butts are still ok, but we could do with some rain.  DH tried to clean the car with water from the butt, as it said you could, but it was so dirty and streaky, he did have to use the hose pipe for a last rinse.  

Decluttering is still going well and I even cut up some of DH's old boxers to use as polishing cloths the other day.....lol.  

Well, I am now going to update my signature and do some finance and have another think about these hearing aids and do the meal plan for the next week/10 days. 

Have a good evening all

foxgloves

Nice to hear from you, @Makingabobor2. And you raised a smile too, as Mr F offered me a pair of his old boxers for cleaning rags the other week & I said, "I'm not that desperate". He was quite offended 😆.
F x

Makingabobor2

foxgloves said:

Nice to hear from you, @Makingabobor2. And you raised a smile too, as Mr F offered me a pair of his old boxers for cleaning rags the other week & I said, "I'm not that desperate". He was quite offended 😆.
F x

TBF, these were ones he'd hardly used as he said they were too tight. Apparently Pr!m**k don't make them as well as Mr S!...

Makingabobor2

Well actually got up early this morning. DH went off swimming before work. I've actually done my morning stretches, an online class to help the knees & I've had breakfast..whilst doing Wordle & crossword.  Let's see if the day continues at the same pace. Need to uncover veggies next, strip the bed, get washing on, hoover & do dishes. If I can get it all done in time, I am hoping to go & try a WalkFit class, down where I go line dancing. I've already paid for a pre paid pass to make classes cheaper & I can go on bus for free, as DH has the car today. Its about 10-15 min walk when I get off bus. Of course bus goes all round the houses to get there.  I'll see if I make it. 
Also need to finalise meal plan & pop in butcher's on way home

Makingabobor2

So the day was a mix of good and bad.
Good was that I got my jobs done, the bed stripped and washing done, hoovered upstairs and cleaned bathroom.  Looked up the time of the bus to go to the Walk Fit class and off I went....this is where the bad creeps in.  The timetable on the bus shelter was not the same as the one I had seen online, and I had apparently missed a bus by 2 mins!  Next one was due at 12.26. I thought if it comes on time, and I walk really quickly when I get off, then I can still get there in time.  But it wasn't to be, I waited until 12.35 and no bus, and yet 3 went in the opposite direction!!  So there was no point going and being late, so I walked back home, got changed and walked to the village to buy the meat in the butcher that I was going to get on my way home.  
Got a lovely chicken that will do 3 meals and some stock, also some sausages, that are so huge we only need one each for a meal.   Dropped the plastic recycling in C00p and picked up some orange stickered crumpets for 56p.

Then came back home to deal with some online admin and read some diaries on here. Have been really inspired today by one in particular and has made me realise how slack I have become. So my next task is to make a list of things I need to do, such as....

* A digital detox - unsubscribe from the many emails that keep filling my inbox; stop checking FB so much and unfollow so many people on there. I would come off it completely, but I do use it for exercise group and a few other things, so need to be more strict with myself and just basically stop the doom scrolling;  delete some of the many photos that clog up my phone and go through my contacts list

* Make myself a proper time table for exercise and stick to it, so that I know I am doing all the ones I really want to do every week.  If I went out to classes, there would be a timetable, so I see no reason not to have the same for home exercise and I can easily swap things around if I need to go out etc. 

*Sit down and finalise my finance plans that I keep talking about and don't seem to get done properly

*Print off and complete LPA for both myself and DH. This is something we keep talking about and still haven't done.  Also funeral plan. This is another thing we keep putting off.  Its not morbid, its important and something we should have in place I think. 

* List of all the little DIY things we keep talking about and still not doing....repaint the kitchen cupboards ( DH did them a few months ago, but either the paint was rubbish, or he put it on too thinly, as its all chipping already); Get a splash back for the downstairs basin; floorcovering and bath sealant for bathroom;

There are lots of other things I should list as well, but need to have a think.


Managed to get some studies/surveys today, so should be cashing out a bit later. At the moment there is just over £6 payable and £14 waiting approval, so will wait a bit and see if any more of it approves before cashing out. Not had much on other sites, but that's probably as I've been busy. 

So off to get the washing in now, which has dried well in the sunshine today.  DH tells me he has secured a TGTG bag from Gr**gs, to pick up on his way home, so hoping there might be something decent in there we can put to some meals. Nearly £9 worth of stuff for just £2.95.  I know a lot of it will freeze as well, which is good. 

Oh yes, one more thing, I emailed the audiologist about how I'm not getting on with the hearing aids and she doesn't have a free appointment until next Friday, so has booked me in for that, so she can have a look and see what "tweaking" she can do to improve things. ......I'm still not convinced about them at the moment. 

So hope you all have a good evening. 
Just edited to say I just cashed out £8.79. Will allocate it to savings/debt pots

Sun_Addict

I don’t think the hearing aids are right for you at the moment. I think you had doubts before you had them. If you don’t feel they’re right the best thing would be to return them. You could always revisit another time. 

Makingabobor2

Sun_Addict said:

I don’t think the hearing aids are right for you at the moment. I think you had doubts before you had them. If you don’t feel they’re right the best thing would be to return them. You could always revisit another time. 

I'm thinking you are right SA. I suppose I don't want to give them up without trying, and everybody says it takes weeks to get used to them & my hearing tests do show a slight hearing loss. But so far they are not helping and they are stressing me out.