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

craftingmad

Baileys_Babe said:

Well done for dealing with the wages shortfall.

I too would want to opt for the path of no confrontation but it would eat away at me.

You should be very proud of yourself 👏

Thanks Baileys.

I have to be honest I normally would have done but I knew that yourself and FlowerPot would sheer me along so it really helped me tackle it head on. 

Hopefully I never have to do it again though  

craftingmad

Morning all,

The beef stew for yesterday's dinner was delicious and I have enough left for one more portion so that was safely put away in the fridge and I may enjoy it one day this week or it will go in the freezer ready for a quick meal for another week. 

I still didn't achieve much yesterday - I really don't know what is wrong with me at the moment! In fairness Covid has left me feeling really tired and difficulty focusing so I'm going to blame that for now. 
I won't get much done today either as I'm at Burger King for a 5 hour shift from midday and we are one staff member down so I think it's going to be busier than usual. Wish me luck - its been a while since I was last there so I'm worried I may have forgotten everything I knew  

I'll add my list but as I said, I'm really not sure how much I will manage to get done other than the shift but we shall see - you never know I might surprise myself  

So today I WANT TO:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - 2 points so far 
2. Delete more emails from inbox to hopefully save buying expensive subscription - DONE 130 emails deleted today so far
3. Post off two craft kits sold on FB Marketplace - parcelled up ready to take on way in to work as go past post office   
4. Check payment for thank you cards has been received and send over proof - DONE payment received and proof sent to customer
5. Check to see if payment from website order last week has been received - DONE £6.65 transferred into OP savings account to start earning interest
6. Comment on In search of posts to hopefully get a few more orders - commented on one post
7. Schedule social media posts for week - scheduled week for one page and posted on the other one for yesterday
8. Check free postcode lottery, winadinner and freeemoji
9. Complete Prime Opinion survey
10. No heating on all day (son has been told not to touch that switch!) - FAILED me and hubby were cold after work last night so it went on for a few hours  
11. Draft letter in reply to Council who are claiming pothole damage is not their liability 
12. List something on FB Marketplace
13. Take dog for walk before going to work (to avoid any accidents on the floor) - DONE and we really enjoyed it
14. Burger King Shift - DONE will be paid in a couple of weeks
15. NSD - FAILED we had a Burger King for dinner (at least it was 50% off with my staff discount)

craftingmad

Morning all.

I feel like I did achieve a little bit yesterday even though I don't really have much to show for for my efforts. On the plus side I did manage to pay in a small amount into the savings account though which is the main aim so in my eyes its all good.

My shift at Burger King was actually really quiet. So quiet in fact that I ended up cleaning pretty much the entire shift just for something to do (don't tell hubby as cleaning is his job at home )

We really fancied a treat last night so we got a BK using my 50% discount (the three of us all ate large meals for £16 so not too bad really) and it picked us up enjoying something a little naughty so I don't regret it Hubby and son really enjoyed it so that makes it money well spent in my opinion

I've got a chippy shift tonight so I'm going to try and get my head down and get as much done before I have to leave at around 4pm as I can. lets see if I can power through the list  

Other than that nothing exciting at all to report - I'm so rock n roll

So today I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - DONE 151 points today thanks to a 50 point new game bonus 
2. Watch videos on WeR8 - DONE two videos today for a total of 16p
3. Delete more emails from inbox to hopefully save buying expensive subscription - DONE 286 deleted today
4. Print and post off thank you cards for returning FB customer - DONE
5. Meal plan for rest of the week (no more takeaways for us) - DONE mostly from fridges/freezers but will need a small shop for a few thoings like rolls for burgers etc
6. Comment on In search of posts to hopefully get a few more orders
7. Schedule social media posts for week for other page - DONE scheduled all posts for this month  
8. Check free postcode lottery, winadinner and freeemoji - DONE not a winner  
9. Complete Prime Opinion survey - DONE 3 completed for a total of 112 points  
10. No heating on all day (son has been told not to touch that switch!) - I've not turned it on today and its been off up to 4pm when I went to work
11. Draft letter in reply to Council who are claiming pothole damage is not their liability 
12. List something on FB Marketplace - DONE listed 10 craft cuttings dies for sale - fingers crossed they sell
13. Chip Shop shift - DONE only ended up being two hours though as sent home early due to not being busy and them choosing to keep the young girl who works there as she is cheaper  
14. Finish colour cube type idea
15. Create new product using the mountain of wooden bees I bought last year and now do  not sell very well - bees coloured and wings glittered - now just have to devise the little cards to go with them  
16. Create a new way to sell the wholesale bracelets I bought
17. Take a course from a paid membership
18. Send an email to my subscribers about my £10 offer - DONE finally plucked up the courage. Fingers crossed it will result in at least one sale  
19. Research Etsy gift mode and tweak listings to see if this will give me extra exposure 
20. Look at SEO report from website and make small improvement
21. Finish tidying craft room
22. Action one thing on my business growth list
23. Create a cardmaking download to sell on Craftsuprint
24. NSD - DONE

Maybe a bit ambitious but we shall have to see  

craftingmad

Morning everyone.

Well it was a bit of a mixed day for me yesterday. I got sent home from the chip shop early because we were quiet and they kept on the useless (their words not mine) young girl instead because she is cheaper. I was also told that they will be giving her my Tuesday shift but there may be a chance that I get a Friday shift as well as the Saturday shift I already do if the other teenager who works there decides she doesn't want to do it anymore. If she decides she wants to still do Thursdays then I will lose the Tuesday and only work on Saturdays which will mean I will lose 4 hours a week. I was told however that I need to be on standby to cover any shifts the youngsters cannot make. I'm not going to lie I feel a bit annoyed to be messed around like that as I was told before I joined that Tuesday and Saturdays were the days I would do and these fitted in well with my other jobs. 

I was also meant to be working at the National Trust cafe today for a 4 hour shift but this got cancelled last night as well. As much as I like working at the cafe it feels like every shift is being cancelled (apart from the ones where I am doing the work of two people as covering when they cannot make their shift) so I am beginning to feel that maybe Burger King would be the best option as I have always completed a full shift with them when I am supposed to be working. I will have to have a long hard think about what I do next as honestly I am sick of turning work done or not planning anything for the days I am supposed to be working and then end up not and therefore not earning anything I know things are tough economically for everyone at the moment but I cannot help but feel used by these two employers a little bit. What would you do?

I also had to bite the bullet and buy extra storage as it turns out my computer memory using the Microsoft cloud but on the plus side I did manage to save £60 a year (was £80 now £20) by switching to the most basic plan I could find which still perfectly suits what I need. I figured that the £20 was well spent as it will save a lot of my time which can now be spent doing other money making activities

On another positive note I feel like I achieved lots yesterday and I managed once again to get some money paid into the OP savings account which is the ultimate goal so its a win in my eyes. Not so sure where the money will come from today as I have no orders but I am sure I will hopefully find a way.

Hubby is on a shopping spree at the moment (although sadly he never seems to take any notice of the things I tell him I need). He is spending £25 a day in the supermarket and worse the coop on his way home from work. I tried talking to him yesterday about it and it didn't go well - I cried after being shouted at so left it alone but I currently feel I might be on this journey by myself and its starting to get quite lonely. I hope its just my menopausal hormones playing up but I've got a naggling doubt that it's not and I may need to re-evaluate my life I suppose only time will tell. 

So as I have a whole day of no work to go to I am determined to try and improve my business so I can hopefully pick up more orders (this month has been terrible - the worst in the 15 plus years I have run it)  

So today I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - DONE 27 points so far
2. Watch videos on WeR8 - DONE two videos today for a total of 16p 
3. Read the MSE newsletter - DONE and will be phoning our broadband supplier today to see if they can give us a discount
4. Phone broadband supplier to see if I can negotiate a discount - DONE and we are now paying £18 a month instead of £38.62 which is a massive saving of £20.62 a month (£494 over the two year discounted rate)
5. Provide hubby with a list of items to get from shop for meals for rest of week (seeing as he is bound to pop in again after work) - DONE whether he will take any notice is another thing!!!
6. Comment on In search of posts to hopefully get a few more order
7. Check free postcode lottery, winadinner and freeemoji - DONE not a winner
8. Complete Prime Opinion survey - DONE 9 surveys completed for a total of 102 points   
9. No heating on all day (son has been told not to touch that switch!) - even though its billy baltic I'm sat with my oodie snoodie and slippers on and that switch is not being touched until at least 5pm when the boys come home  
10. Draft letter in reply to Council who are claiming pothole damage is not their liability - DONE it was very strongly worded with evidence that the reasons they gave for not admitting liability were false so I have given them 28 days to reply with my compensation for the repairs required. Fingers crossed they pay up - its more than just the £103 its the principle   
11. Design some cards for a charity who needs them and is paying £1 a card (although I may end up just donating them) -, DONE just hope they like them
12. Claim for another lost parcel from Royal Mail - DONE hopefully they pay up as I have had to send replacements to customer  
13. List something on FB Marketplace - DONE listed some craft decoupage books so fingers crossed for a sale Sold one book for £7
14. Finish colour cube type idea
15. Create new product using the mountain of wooden bees I bought last year and now do not sell 
16. Create a new way to sell the wholesale bracelets I bought
17. Create an item from the teddy bears I bought for 50p each a while ago
18. Take a course from a paid membership
19. Research Etsy gift mode and tweak listings to see if this will give me extra exposure 
20. Look at SEO report from website and make small improvement
21. Finish tidying craft room - tidied desk  
22. Action one thing on my business growth list
23. Create a cardmaking download to sell on Craftsuprint
24. NSD - DONE  

craftingmad

Morning,

I'm so happy with my achievements yesterday, I may not have managed to finish my list but I feel like I achieved lots and all the things I did do will help us make inroads into our mortgage mountain. I feel a bit stupid for not tackling our broadband cost sooner! I also finally managed to tick off the letter to the Council which has been hanging around for ages and it feels good knowing that the ball is back in their court to pay up. Its not necessarily the money (although the £103 back will obviously help us with our quest) - its the principle that they knew about the pothole and done nothing and then tried to say they were clueless about it so I'm going to stick to my guns and take it all the way if I have too to show them they cannot just take our Council tax and give us nothing for it  

No work again for me today but it was a meant to be a day off anyway so no shifts cancelled to annoy me  

Hubby actually took notice of my list yesterday and bought home things we really needed so maybe miracles do happen  

Absolutely nothing exciting planned for today (no surprises there then I hear you say) so its on with my list:-

So today I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - DONE 2 points so far
2. Watch videos on WeR8 - DONE one video watched for 6p
3. Post off decoupage book purchased via FB yesterday - DONE
4. Answer sticker enquiry - DONE need more details before I can quote  
5. Answer goal planner enquiry - DONE fingers crossed it turn into a £12.75 sale
6. Comment on In search of posts to hopefully get a few more order
7. Check to see if I have been paid from National Trust - DONE £409.77 transferred into OP savings account - a nice little bonus as I had forgotten it was payday
8. Check free postcode lottery, winadinner and freeemoji - DONE not a winner
9. Complete Prime Opinion survey  - DONE 2 surveys completed for 105 points  
10. No heating on all day (son has been told not to touch that switch!) - no heating will be going on until the earliest 5pm when the boys get home  
11. Make some more cards for a charity
12. List something on FB Marketplace
13. Finish colour cube type idea
14. Download new clipart from membership and actually make something to sell using it - downloaded now just to start using it
15. Create a new way to sell the wholesale bracelets I bought
16. Create an item from the teddy bears I bought for 50p each a while ago
17. Take a course from a paid membership
18. Research Etsy gift mode and tweak listings to see if this will give me extra exposure 
19. Look at SEO report from website and make small improvement
20. Finish tidying craft room
21. Tidy bedroom - made a  good start. I can see the floor again and have a small pile of clothes to sell still with tags on (mainly sons he has dumped in my room) and two black bin bags full of clothes to donate to our village jumble sale   
22. Action one thing on my business growth list
23. Create a cardmaking download to sell on Craftsuprint
24. NSD - DONE

That should keep me out of mischief for today I hope

  

craftingmad

Good morning

The sun is shining but my gosh it's cold - there is ice on the car windscreen!! The heating is not going on though - I refuse - it's nearly May!!!! I might change my mind later though depending on how cold I get. 

Is anyone else really struggling with hay fever? My eyes have been streaming for the last few days and today they seem to have stepped up another notch. I've heard that local a spoonful of  honey a day can relieve symptoms but I'm not sure I believe it - has anyone tried it with good results? 

Nothing planned today apart from I'm hoping to finish tidying the bedroom and try and get my craft room back to some sort of order. Oh and I really need to work on my business too - the orders seem to have stopped these last few months  

I also need to cook a chicken for the doggo so will need to pop it on my list to stop me forgetting (another thing I blame on the menopause!)  

So today I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - DONE 202 points today thanks to a 50 point new game bonus  
2. Watch videos on WeR8 - DONE three videos watched for total of 18p
3. Post in three FB groups to hopefully get some interest in my items - DONE  
4. Give prices for stickers following on from enquiry yesterday 
5. Comment on In search of posts to hopefully get a few more order - couldn't find any to comment on - my gosh it is tough at the moment  
6. Transfer money from FB Marketplace sale into OP savings account - DONE £9.90 transferred
7. Check free postcode lottery, winadinner and freeemoji - DONE not a winner  
8. Complete Prime Opinion survey - DONE one completed for 167 points  
9. Cook a chicken for the doggo
10. No heating on until at least 5pm - son turned it on this morning sneakily without me knowing but I turned it off after 30 minutes and hung the damp washing from yesterday over the radiators to air off so not totally wasted
11. Make some more cards for a charity
12. List something on FB Marketplace
13. Finish colour cube type idea
14. Create a new item to sell using clipart from membership - made an anniversary print so far so just have to list it and promote it  
15. Create a new way to sell the wholesale bracelets I bought - DONE trying displaying them on little motivational cards I bought ages ago presented in an organza bag personalised with a name. I will promote them tomorrow. Fingers crossed they sell as I really want rid and to claw some of the money back I paid for them   
16. Create an item from the teddy bears I bought for 50p each a while ago
17. Take a course from a paid membership
18. Research Etsy gift mode and tweak listings to see if this will give me extra exposure 
19. Look at SEO report from website and make small improvement
20. Finish tidying craft room
21. Go through drawers and wardrobe in bedroom and donate anything no longer worn
22. Action one thing on my business growth list
23. Create a cardmaking download to sell on Craftsuprint
24. NSD - DONE  

That sounds like enough to keep me busy today. Have a good one everyone x

Baileys_Babe

By golly it has been cold here the last few days, I am wrapped up and resisting to turn the heating on. I am wanting some dry warm days  so I can enjoy spring.

I have been using a spray on my eyes as they have been affected by hayfever recently. I havent tried using local honey but if I remember correctly you need to start taking it months in advance of when you are likely to need it. We all have hayfever and I buy our antihisatimines in bulk online using this guide   https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/cheap-hayfever-remedies/

craftingmad

Baileys_Babe said:

By golly it has been cold here the last few days, I am wrapped up and resisting to turn the heating on. I am wanting some dry warm days  so I can enjoy spring.

I have been using a spray on my eyes as they have been affected by hayfever recently. I havent tried using local honey but if I remember correctly you need to start taking it months in advance of when you are likely to need it. We all have hayfever and I buy our antihisatimines in bulk online using this guide   https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/cheap-hayfever-remedies/

Oooh thanks Baileys. I'll save my money then as local honey is very expensive and I'll grab those antihisatimines instead. 

PS today is not only cold but raining too    

craftingmad

Morning all. 

Not only is it cold but it's chucking it down in buckets today as well  
On the plus side I got two loads of washing almost line dried yesterday so glad I got it out of the way while I could. 

I've got a double shift today so won't have time to get much done. I'm at the cafe from 12pm - 4.15pm and then straight on to the chip shop for an extra long shift of 4.30pm - 9.30-10pmish as we have a large order of 100 fish and chips in at 8pm plus its deep clean day. Deep joys but it all adds money into the coffers to help pay these mortgages off as quickly as we can so it's all worth it (although I might not be saying that at 10pm tonight!!).
It means I've got to take son into work an hour and a half early so he's not happy but hey ho - sacrifices have to be made by all of us to achieve our MF dream

I'll post a quick list for today but really not sure if I will achieve anything other than going to work as I need to leave by 11am and have to also get the dog walked before I go.

 So today I hope to:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - DONE 42 points earnt   
2. Watch videos on WeR8 - DONE two videos watched for total of 12p 
3. Design logo for neighbours hairdressing business (its a freebie so I'm not earning anything sadly) - DONE  
4. Complete Prime Opinion survey - DONE 34 points earned from 7 surveys (kept getting kicked out so gave up)
5. Cafe shift (4.25 hours) - DONE ended up being 4.5 hours  
6. Chip shop shift (5.5 hours) - DONE ended up being 4.5 hours
7. NSD - DONE  

 

Baileys_Babe

You will be exhausted by the time you finish work.

Despite being at work for over 9 hours today don't forget to drink, you don't want to get dehydrated.

What are your plans for eating today?