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

craftingmad

Morning everyone.

It's feeling pretty chilly here on the Broads today. Hubby has even put the heating on but I'm not complaining as it has warmed the house up nicely and will hopefully keep the chill away for the rest of the day as it won't now go back on until around 5pm tonight for a few hours. My extra pair of socks (still cannot find my slippers!) and wearable blanket thingy are at the ready.

The chip shop was so quiet that we closed early last night. The boss was talking about not opening again on Mondays during the winter so sadly that might mean me losing more hours each week. I really do not know whether to start looking for another job as I just cannot see how they can carry on with all the staff they have but I love working there and get on well with everyone so I am really torn.

I'm quite pleased with how much I managed to get crossed off my list yesterday so am hoping for another productive day today. The puppy dog seems to have other ideas though and is demanding a lot of cuddles and attention - mind you I'm not complaining - what better way is there to spend a day  

 So today I WILL:-

1. Continue tidying our bedroom (I'm determined to get it finished in the three days I now have off from the chippy)  
2. Follow up on display card enquiry for display cards as she replied last night - DONE sadly only wants business cards now but should be a £10 order so that's better than a kick in the teeth isn't it  
3. Design stickers for goal planner and send proof - DONE  
4. Make more plantable heart stock for Farm Shop wholesale customer
5. Schedule the remaining social media posts for my business for this month - scheduled today's post and will try and schedule rest of this week later
6. Fill in claim forms for missing parcels from Royal Mail and send off (as I cannot seem to do them online which is a pain in the bottom)
7. Promote business in three different places - DONE advertised my new plantable Christmas shapes in three different Christmas groups  
8. Comment on In Search of posts to hopefully get a few more orders - DONE commented on 11 posts so really hoping I get at least one sale from them  
9. Move Christmas items into a box so they are all together
10. Design a new item for my Etsy shop and promote it - DONE new Christmas themed plantable shapes have been launched in my shop and promoted in a few different groups  
11. Play on Mistplay (aiming to cash out a £25 voucher next month) - DONE 57 points earnt today  
12. NSD - DONE  

That little lot should keep me busy for a few hours and out of mischief  

craftingmad

Morning everyone.

I'm quite pleased with how much I achieved yesterday although I may have overdone it a little bit as my tennis elbow is really hurting today so I think I may need to take it a bit easier to save it flaring up again to an unbearable level. 

Wednesday is running around for son day as I need to collect him from college at 11am and take him to work for 12pm before collecting him again at 3.30pm-4pm ish. That takes a big chunk out of my day but he 's worth it and hopefully it is teaching him a good work ethic so he will be ok in later life. 

Hubby has somebody coming around about making a claim against a previous company he worked for for loss of hearing (he's an aircraft engineer so working around loud noises all day long) so fingers crossed that may get us an unexpected little amount to throw towards the mortgages without having to do much. 

We have had a little bit of interest in father in laws car but sadly although it is up for a very reasonable £7200 the offers received were for £2k and £6k and we are not prepared to go that low so are now thinking that we may need to pay to advertise it somewhere such as Autotrader to achieve the price its worth. I really want to get rid of it as quickly as possible so we can start earning interest on that money again, not have to insure it for another month and get the room on the drive back but we shall see. I cannot make people buy it so it is what it is and I just need to chill out about it I think as it will sell when it sells. 

I'm really tempted to treat myself to three sets of clipart (well really its two sets and one template set for learning photoshop drawing) which are all half price in black Friday offers but at £35 in total I'm going to have to justify if I could make some money back from them or if I want to use the money for a little treat as I haven't bought anything for me for a long time. I must be getting better as previously I would have just gone ahead and bought them. I'll put it on today's list to consider along with the wholesale orders I need to make to fulfil my customers order.

So today I WILL:-

1. Continue tidying our bedroom (I'm determined to get it finished in the three days I now have off from the chippy)  
2. Set up a custom order for returning order on Etsy for 1500 thank you slips and 43 sheets of stickers - DONE £162 custom listing set up. Now just to hope she purchases it  
3. Print goal planner for Etsy order
4. Create cutting file for stickers for goal planner
5. Make 3 bees in bags and post off for Etsy orders - DONE  
6. Make 5 mini friendship packs for Etsy order - DONE
7. Make 25 double sided business cards for returning customer order
8. Make more plantable heart stock for Farm Shop wholesale customer
9. Schedule the remaining social media posts for my business for this month - posted today and getting good engagement  
10. Fill in claim forms for missing parcels from Royal Mail and send off (as I cannot seem to do them online which is a pain in the bottom) - DONE I tried again online and they both went through this time so happier that I don't have a long form to fill in and should hopefully pay out quicker this way I have another 3 to claim for but will do those tomorrow as need to find the paperwork  
11. Promote business in three different places - posted on my neighbourhood for the first time  
12. Comment on In Search of posts to hopefully get a few more orders - commented on three posts so will keep looking for more  
13. Move Christmas items into a box so they are all together 
14. Play on Mistplay (aiming to cash out a £25 voucher next month) - 17 points so far
15. Work out figures for clipart I really want and see how much I would have to sell to get my money back - DONE I worked out that I would only need to sell 8 items at £5 each and then I would get my money back so I have treated myself. I felt I needed a little pick me up after the events of the last few months I will work on some new products using these items over the next few days and promote like crazy as set myself target to get money back by the end of this year - admiring my own optimistic nature today
16. Look at wholesale order and work out how to make the order up to minimum amount which would give me the best profit - added a post on my FB pages to ask what my likers like best. That should hopefully give me a better idea on what to order  
17. Take a survey on Prime Opinion (close to being to cash out a £10 voucher)
18. Contact farm shop and see if they want any christmas plantable shape sets
19. Contact new local gift shop which has opened and see if the would be interested in my items on a wholesale basis - DONE they do not buy stock in but rent shelves instead so I have asked for more details although I have done this in the past and it has not been successful. At least with more info I can make an informed decision  

~FlowerPot~

hi Crafting thats a big list again, dont overdo it!!

Love Flowers x

craftingmad

~FlowerPot~ said:

hi Crafting thats a big list again, dont overdo it!!

Love Flowers x

Thanks FlowerPot. 
I don't think I'm that good at this self care milarkly - you are right. I will see if I can come up with a smaller list for today.

Hope things are getting better for you too x 

craftingmad

Morning all.

I had a really good day business wise yesterday getting £202 in Etsy sales (£160 of that was from the custom listing I set up). My promoting seems to be paying off so I must keep doing more of that  
I've decided to try and set myself a target of £20 in sales today which may not seem like much but given how bad it has been this year it may still be a stretch. Let's see if I can do it - wish me luck

I appear to have inadvertently upset the chippy boss somehow I think - he is not replying to any of my whats app messages which is very unlike him. He was in a foul mood for my shift on Monday so I cannot wait for my shifts Fri-Sun. Think they are going to be fun - NOT!!!!

I'm really confused as to what to do for the wholesale order. I need to buy in the things my very good regular customer wants but need to work out what to add to the order so I can actually sell them and make some money back. My post on social media yesterday didn't really help me narrow it down as most people liked both designs of bracelet when I was really hoping to only buy one variety. there was so much interaction on the post which is great but nobody actually committed to buying anything so I really don't know if it is too bigger gamble to invest £150 in stock which I may not sell. I suppose if the worst comes to the worst I can always sell them for just over what I paid for them which would mean I would at least get my money back. I just don't know what to do   

Hubby is out out tonight at a meal at a local pub with his work. I cannot remember the last time we had a night out out like that so I'm a little jealous if I'm honest! He thinks they may try and tempt him to stay put with them as they have won another couple of contracts back after losing their big one earlier in the year so we will see what will happen. I did try and talk to him about my worries for when he takes the job in Plymouth last night in that our money per month will be much lower as he will not do overtime there (or if he does we will never see him) and it did not go well. He just screamed at me that I was spending too much (I hardly ever spend money on me ) and that we only put it in the savings anyway which we don't need too so it's made me question if he even wants to continue with our MF journey at all. 

He has also transferred £2400 out of our investments ready to buy another car for himself (apparently he has found one he likes which is £5k) so it looks like he is not going the MSE route on that either. If I'm honest I'm feeling a little hurt by his actions and wondering why I am carrying on but cannot work out if my menopause is making irrational or I am feeling like anyone else would in this situation  

So I need to keep busy today I think to help take my mind of everything swirling around in my head so today I WILL:-

1. Continue tidying our bedroom (I'm determined to get it finished in the three days I now have off from the chippy)  
2. Print goal planner for Etsy order
3. Create cutting file for stickers for goal planner
4. Make 25 double sided business cards for returning customer order
5. Make a little bag of Friendship for an Etsy order received today - DONE  
6. Make 5 packs of plantable Christmas shapes for an Etsy order - DONE  
7. Make more plantable heart stock for Farm Shop wholesale customer
8. Schedule the remaining social media posts for my business for this month - posted twice today  
9. Raise claims online for 3 more missing parcels from Royal Mail - sadly I can only find the proof of posting for one of them (I'm really annoyed as I usually have a good system in place) and it is not letting me claim online for the one I do have at the moment so I will wait until next week I think and then hope it will work then  
10. Promote business in three different places - DONE posted in three groups, placed a listing on FB Marketplace and posted in the Neighbourhood app too  
11. Comment on In Search of posts to hopefully get a few more orders - commented on 5 posts so far so fingers crossed for some enquiries and orders  
12. Move Christmas items into a box so they are all together 
13. Play on Mistplay (aiming to cash out a £25 voucher next month) - DONE 74 points earnt today  
14. Make and promote something using the clipart I treated myself too yesterday - DONE made a  giraffe name print which even though I say so myself is very pretty and super cute. Lets just hope there are lots of giraffe loving kids out there with parents/aunties/relatives who are looking to buy presents for them I also designed an off the peg logo which if I sell it it should bring me in at least £20 so I'll advertise that tomorrow
15. Design a backing card for the crystal earrings due to be being delivered today
16. Work out what to order from wholesale site and place order (even though it scares me sh**less) - DONE I pulled up my big girl panties, sat down and worked out figures and made sure I can make a profit and then went ahead and ordered £230 worth - eeeeekkkk
17. Take a survey on Prime Opinion (close to being to cash out a £10 voucher)
18. Contact farm shop and see if they want any christmas plantable shape sets

Baileys_Babe

I'm very surprised at your Hubby, screaming at you and taking money out of the investments. I suspect he feels stressed and under a lot of pressure what with the recent family deaths and injuries, paying rent for another family, selling FIL's car and upcoming job relocation.

I hope he finds better ways to vent and starts to communicate with you.

Fingers crossed that the work meal is about him staying where he is and not needing to relocate.

What about self care? Today's list is only 1 item less than yesterday 🤔 Could you prioritise 3 items and once they are done give yourself a little reward? Then repeat the cycle 3 items & reward repeat.

I would take a break from messaging the chip.shop owner until after your next shift or they have messaged you. Their is enough stress in your life at the moment you don't need to look for more.

craftingmad

Baileys_Babe said:

I'm very surprised at your Hubby, screaming at you and taking money out of the investments. I suspect he feels stressed and under a lot of pressure what with the recent family deaths and injuries, paying rent for another family, selling FIL's car and upcoming job relocation.

I hope he finds better ways to vent and starts to communicate with you.

Fingers crossed that the work meal is about him staying where he is and not needing to relocate.

What about self care? Today's list is only 1 item less than yesterday 🤔 Could you prioritise 3 items and once they are done give yourself a little reward? Then repeat the cycle 3 items & reward repeat.

I would take a break from messaging the chip.shop owner until after your next shift or they have messaged you. Their is enough stress in your life at the moment you don't need to look for more.

I think you have hit the nail on the head with the reasons why he is getting angry. Sadly he has never been  great communicator and he seems to be getting worse as the years go by  

It is bittersweet if his company wants him to stay and really hard to know what to do for the best. It would be great for him to be able to stay at home and work close by but it will only be a temporary gig I fear for maybe two more years at most and then we would be in the same boat we are now. The Plymouth gig although it does have several drawbacks (like being away from home and not being able to earn the extra amounts from overtime) is guaranteed to be a secure job for him for the rest of his working life so who knows what the best option is. What I do know is that he will make the decision based on his thoughts and nobody else's so I guess I just have to stop stressing about it and just take the attitude what will be will be   

Good news on the chip shop though as the boss has got back to me. Apparently he has not been feeling well so seems to be all good on that front. He says the rotas are coming out today (I didn't even chase him for them this week) so I'll soon know how many hours I will have. I have a feeling it will be even less again next week but only time will tell.

I love the idea about rewarding myself after doing three tasks. I'm not sure I can prioitise my top 3 as I want to achieve them all so I'll just throw in a little reward to myself after completing three tasks and then move on to the next three I think. Thank you for the idea and caring about me x 

MatyMoo

You know I said be kind to yourself, I should have added be kind to DH too 😉 He is grieving the loss of a parent & a niece and I find that men are worse at trying to shut out feelings 😢

When my mum died I seemed to have a very short fuse for 12-18 months and made the most ridiculous decisions now I look back on it. Especially financially, just nothing seemed to matter, why bother sort of thing. 

I think going down the what will be, will be route may save your sanity for now 🤷‍♀️ 

LadyWithAPlan

@MatyMoo is v wise - I don’t think you can expect much rational behaviour from OH as that’s a lot of stress and grief 

Of course that doesn’t mean you should be yelled at and all financial goals forgotten. Maybe find a quiet time to chat about communication and how you are also feeling 

take care of yourself - you are v busy - but glass Etsy is working and sales up 
Are you clear on possible profit on the £150 investment and how many you would need to sell to break even?

craftingmad

MatyMoo said:

You know I said be kind to yourself, I should have added be kind to DH too 😉 He is grieving the loss of a parent & a niece and I find that men are worse at trying to shut out feelings 😢

When my mum died I seemed to have a very short fuse for 12-18 months and made the most ridiculous decisions now I look back on it. Especially financially, just nothing seemed to matter, why bother sort of thing. 

I think going down the what will be, will be route may save your sanity for now 🤷‍♀️ 

Thank you. You are very right and it is great to hear it from another man's perspective.
I am trying really hard to give him the right space to grieve and open up and I totally get it is going to take time so I will just have to be patient and hopes he can work through this incredibly hard time.

Thank you x