My Mortgage Free Mountain - A 7 year expedition to climb to the top

craftingmad

Morning all  

The sun is shining and I am ready to get trekking up our mortgage mountain to get us another little step closer to the wonderful view which will be at the top. 

It's been a costly month for us so far as I enjoyed time in London seeing a show which although bought by daughter for my 50th birthday we still had to pay for a hotel, train tickets and food, We also spent what feels like a fortune in Derby for our daughters graduation but I don't regret a penny of it as we have memories to last a lifetime. Add to these we had to fill up with heating oil £800 (we don't have mains gas where we live), insurance for two cars (another £800 gone) , paying for hubby's engineers license with the CAA to be updated after his course (£500) and maintenance required on one of the rentals (£275), we need to try and be careful for the rest of the month and hopefully limo home without having to transfer any money from the savings over.   

As well as my over ambitious list, I am going to try and be kind to myself today as well as the last few days have been very hectic so I am not going to go all out but also build in some time to rest and relax so I don't burn out See Baileys - I'm learning

So here we go.

So today I HOPE I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (100 points target) - DONE 127 points earnt  
2. Watch videos on WeR8 - DONE three videos watched for a total of 18p
3. Get at least two loads of washing dry outside - not happening as it is far too cold to dry
4. Print Christmas stickers for two Etsy orders and get ready to post off - printed - will take photos and then get ready to post
5. Contact prayer box customer on Etsy and advise that if I don't hear from her in the next 24 hours then I shall go ahead and make the prayer box as per the proof I sent - DONE I have given her until Tuesday and then I shall just go ahead and make
6. Make lucky gnome for Etsy order and get ready to post off - made - just need to package ready to post off
7. Make plantable christmas shapes for Etsy order and get ready to post off - 4 packs made. Will get ready to post off later on  
8. Read lease to check there are no hidden surprises
9. Schedule social media posts for rest of the month
10. Contact Royal Mail and escalate claims where they only sent me a book of stamps instead of cheque - DONE fingers crossed I will get two cheques totalling £15.25 and get to keep the stamps
11. Meal plan for week - DONE
12. Work out hours I need people to work at cafe when I take over to try and save on wages - DONE - I think I should be able to cut around 34 hours each week from the wages bill. It will mean some of the staff working harder but hey ho - I do two days with just one other person so I don't see why the other girl should not be able to either The daughter of the current owners has quit as she thinks it will be a bit weird to work for me rather than her parents. She is a great worker but it has saved me having to decide who I need to get rid off so that is a bonus  
13. Start advertising for shelf rental for crafters to hopefully get some money in from as soon as I take over 
14. Renew facebook marketplace listings - DONE 18 listings renewed
15. List something on facebook marketplace
16. List new item on Etsy
17. Comment on in search of posts to hopefully get a few orders - commented on one so far
18. Take a course from one of my memberships
19. Design something new to sell
20. Check free postcode lottery - DONE not a winner  
21. Complete Prime Opinion survey
22. Download some more clipart - DONE
23. Create another cardmaking download
24. Tidy more of craft room/office
25. Declutter 10 things from lounge/dining room to start getting ready for Christmas
26. Make time to have a little relax - DONE had a little mooch around our village indoor car boot and resisted the urge to buy anything - even a bacon roll  
27. NSD - DONE  

Baileys_Babe

Good idea to review cafe working hours for the cafe so you are not overpaying on staffing costs.

Glad to hear you are including rest and relaxing in your plans.

craftingmad

Baileys_Babe said:

Good idea to review cafe working hours for the cafe so you are not overpaying on staffing costs.

Glad to hear you are including rest and relaxing in your plans.

Thanks Baileys.
I think I can cut 34 hours a week as at the moment they are overstaffed so I am hoping I can just get the other staff to work during the busier periods to save some cash. I know the other lady who works the days I don't has another job anyway so she is not able to be flexible in covering other days so I will keep her on the same days but just reduce her hours by 2 a day I think. Hopefully she will be ok with it but time will tell. I just will not be able to afford to pay people to be standing around. At least I can suck it and see when I take over and go from there. The good thing is that during the winter months I can call on my kids to help me out if I need it as neither of them has a job over winter  

craftingmad

Morning everyone from a very cold Norfolk Broads. Anyone got snow? It feels cold enough for it here but I don't think it is forecast - I hope not - I really don't want to have to drive the country lanes without any grit on them  

I have a 9 hour day in the cafe ahead of me today so know realistically I will not get time for much else but in true me fashion, I will still post along list and see what I can achieve  

So today I HOPE I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (50 points target) - DONE 122 points earnt  
2. Watch videos on WeR8 - DONE four videos watched for a total of 20p
3. Photograph orders made yesterday to use ti promote the items and hopefully get more sales - DONE
4. Post off 4 Etsy orders  - DONE
5. Read lease to check there are no hidden surprises
6. Schedule social media posts for rest of the month - this week scheduled
7. Look for local craft fairs taking place this weekend to approach people for shelf rental so as to hopefully get some money in from as soon as I take over - DONE found the local high school has a fair on with over 300 stalls. Will visit each day and see if any of the things being sold catch my eye and then invite them to rent a shelf with me  
8. List something on facebook marketplace
9. List new item on Etsy
10. Comment on in search of posts to hopefully get a few orders
11. Take a course from one of my memberships
12. Design something new to sell
13. Check free postcode lottery - DONE not a winner  
14. Complete Prime Opinion survey - DONE one survey completed for 80 points  
15. Create another cardmaking download
16. Tidy more of craft room/office
17. Declutter 10 things from lounge/dining room to start getting ready for Christmas
18. Cafe shift (9am - 6pm) - DONE
19. NSD - DONE
20. Take some time out to relax and recharge - DONE came back from work and watched I'm a Celeb recorded from last night  

craftingmad

Good morning. 

It's a little warmer here today but absolutely chucking it down. The doggo was certainly not keen going for her woo woos this morning. She hates water! In fairness I wasn't that keen either. I'm glad I've got a 9 hour shift ahead of me again as if not I may have been tempted to turn the heating on for the whole day

Hubby is picking up some overtime down here for the next two days while he is home so that will certainly help our bank balance and I should be getting paid my holiday pay for two of my summer jobs this month as well so that will all go straight into the OP savings pot once it has been received. 

Other than work, I've not got much else planned for today but in true craftingmad style I will again post a very long list and then beat myself up for feeling I achieved nothing at the end of the day  

So today I HOPE I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (50 points target) - 22 points earnt so far   
2. Watch videos on WeR8 - DONE two videos available for a total of 8p
3. Read lease to check there are no hidden surprises
4. Schedule social media posts for next week
5. Update Etsy listings with photos I took yesterday - DONE  
6. Reply to enquiry about a sentimental gift from existing customer - DONE now just got to wait to see what customer thinks to suggestions offered
7. Reply to enquiry about index cards from an existing customer - DONE won't be a huge order if she goes ahead but as it is a repeat customer who has bought many times previously I want to keep her happy   
8. Reply to enquiry about woollen gnomes - DONE - lady wants to go ahead so I have sent an invoice for £14 over to her paypal
9. List something on facebook marketplace
10. List new item on Etsy
11. Comment on in search of posts to hopefully get a few orders - commented on 3 posts so far
12. Take a course from one of my memberships
13. Design something new to sell
14. Check free postcode lottery - DONE not a winner
15. Complete Prime Opinion survey - DONE one survey completed for 105 points Also applied a code for a 33% boost to points for the next 7 days
16. Create another cardmaking download
17. Tidy more of craft room/office
18. Declutter 10 things from lounge/dining room to start getting ready for Christmas - DONE huge pile of paperwork got rid of which was no longer needed, pack of out of date dog treats, scissor packaging (god knows why I had kept that), wrappers from poo bags, empty ketchup bottle and lots more bits now all in the bin/recycling
19. Cafe shift (9am - 6pm) - DONE actually finished at 5pm as the cafe was really quiet today
20. NSD - DONE
21. Take some time out to relax and recharge - DONE spent an hour sitting at work chatting to owner about life and having a laugh. Also with the added bonus of getting paid for it  

Baileys_Babe

Don't beat yourself up, celebrate everything you achieve today.

We have 3+ inches of snow, but it doesn't seem to be causing any problems with the roads, the local school is closed the only effect this has on us is not hearing the children chatting as they go past.

LadyWithAPlan

Baileys_Babe said:

~FlowerPot~ said:

Wow exciting times! 
Well you have a display of you etsy stock? And maybe some cards for sale?
Probably not the first things to be thinking about, gotta get the coffee and cakes first!! 
Exciting xx

That's a good idea @~FlowerPot~

Boo to the price of the cafe increasing.

I think selling cards and what it is you sell on etsy  (stickers ? and other things) at the cafe sounds great. Maximum the selling

The cafe purchase sounds positive - no more grumpy  bosses, in charge of your own schedule .. Plus you have worked in hospitality for a while so you know your way around. Plus as you say getting the kids to do extra hours where needed and they get paid... All sounds great

craftingmad

Baileys_Babe said:

Don't beat yourself up, celebrate everything you achieve today.

We have 3+ inches of snow, but it doesn't seem to be causing any problems with the roads, the local school is closed the only effect this has on us is not hearing the children chatting as they go past.

Thanks Baileys.

Oooh snow - glad to hear it is not causing many problems

I took your advice and I am proud of the things I did manage to achieve  

craftingmad

LadyWithAPlan said:

Baileys_Babe said:

~FlowerPot~ said:

Wow exciting times! 
Well you have a display of you etsy stock? And maybe some cards for sale?
Probably not the first things to be thinking about, gotta get the coffee and cakes first!! 
Exciting xx

That's a good idea @~FlowerPot~

Boo to the price of the cafe increasing.

I think selling cards and what it is you sell on etsy  (stickers ? and other things) at the cafe sounds great. Maximum the selling

The cafe purchase sounds positive - no more grumpy  bosses, in charge of your own schedule .. Plus you have worked in hospitality for a while so you know your way around. Plus as you say getting the kids to do extra hours where needed and they get paid... All sounds great

Thanks Lady x

I hope so. It is slightly terrifying (especially after yesterday's really quiet day there) but hopefully it will work better for me and like you say no more grumpy bosses to contend with and guaranteed hours for me all year round  

Another place to hopefully sell my handcrafted bits will also be welcome. Especially when it won't cost me any extra in fees etc. 

I am also hoping to get a few more local crafters on board to rent a shelf from me so this will not only give me an extra little income but also give them a chance to showcase their work  

craftingmad

Morning all.

Still no snow for us but it is absolutely freezing! 
Glad I'm at the cafe for another 9 hour shift again today so I can use their heat rather than mine

Hubby is back away to work today and will be leaving straight after he has done a days overtime back here in Norfolk so that means I won't see him now until Friday of next week. I intend to use the peace and quiet to try and declutter a bit more of the house, work really hard trying to get lots of Christmas orders in for my little handmade business and catching up on tv programmes like Married at First Sight which he hates   

Other than the 9 hours at work I am not sure how much energy I will have left for other things but I'm going to hopefully get a moment at some point to sit down and cross some bits off my very long list for today

So today I HOPE I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (50 points target) - 2 points earnt so far 
2. Watch videos on WeR8 - DONE six videos available for a total of 20p 
3. Read lease to check there are no hidden surprises
4. Schedule social media posts for next week
5. Give bank details to gnome lady who could not pay via paypal
6. Make Prayer box for Etsy order
7. List something on facebook marketplace
8. List new item on Etsy
9. Comment on in search of posts to hopefully get a few orders - commented on one so far
10. Advertise cardmaking advent calendar as have one order so need more to make it worthwhile
11. Take a course from one of my memberships
12. Design something new to sell
13. Check free postcode lottery
14. Complete Prime Opinion survey
15. Create another cardmaking download
16. Tidy more of craft room/office
17. Declutter 10 things from bathroom
18. Cafe shift (9am - 6pm) - DONE
19. NSD - DONE
20. Read the MSE newsletter
21. Take some time out to relax and recharge