Follow the Yellow Brick Road 2023

KajiKita

SandyShores said:

I like the look of this site I just found: Make Money Without a Job.  Haven't looked into it in depth so will have a good review of it tomorrow.  From an initial glance it looks good and even has a section on the Trading Allowance.  I think one thing I need to do is check with work if I need to report to them that I have other earnings.

Thanks for this. I shall explore this along with you.

KK

SandyShores

I haven't had a chance to look yet Kajikita but will do once I feel better.

I bought a couple of holiday items from v1nted, and was still able to cash out over £40.  I now have another £20 to cash out pending delivery.  One thing about prioritising selling stuff is that it distracts from buying.  So I'm also managing to keep the credit card spending under control this month.  The points are useful, but want to be sure they aren't encouraging spends so will review over the next couple of months.

I watched Our Welsh Chapel Dream the other day, episodes 1 and 2 were a great watch.  Really heartwarming, can't wait for the follow ups.  

SandyShores

V1nted balance now £29, it was slightly more but I found a nice summer hat I'm hoping will work for my holiday.  Its been a good selling week, great feeling to be getting rid of clutter and useful to have the  ££££s this month.  Another three items are hung on the back of the bedroom door ready to list.  The FLeAbay sales have been dire though, so some work needed on those. 

It was definitely an outside kind of weekend.  We did a few jobs around the garden and it was so lovely in the sunshine.  Found an old packet of sunflower seeds, the use by date was last year, but I had some pots and compost so have taken a chance.

I used up an old opened box of plant food, if its going to rain it might as well get washed into the soil.  Hasn't rained yet, so I've watered it in a bit.  Then of course a trip to the garden centre was needed so I took some old pots and bags for recycling.  In 'exchange' I bought a few container plants to put into a ceramic pot that's been empty since I planted its contents into the garden.  Looks really lovely - very pleased.

I also sorted out a carrier bag of gardening bits that was shoved in a box, and I've got to say that the garage looks tidier already.  I need to keep up the momentum now.  DH is an absolute pain for putting things back in the wrong place, if everything is tidy and has a place it will be much easier to keep him in check.

In the craft room I sorted out the various boxes of pens, pencils etc. into one pile.  There are a lot!  I've a plan for a temporary place to store them all but its going to be clutter jenga while I free that place up.  I also had another furniture move around and its all now in its 'home'.  It may all be back where it was before - whoops - but at least I'm sure of the arrangement now.  We're in a good place to start sorting/decluttering/hanging things on the walls.

When I sat down to watch Antiques Roadshow last night, it was with an aching back, aching feet and just plain tired, but very satisfied.

SandyShores

I've had a bit of a restless night, finally got up to find the cat had left a mouse present on the bedroom floor.  Feeling awake now!  So have just completed the Asd@ order for pick up over the weekend - it seems to get more expensive every week.

A few other things to sort are:
- update our wills (free service through work)
- purchase some undies from M&S
- buy holiday sandals
- diy store to buy a bag of sharp sand for MrShores done
- book the car in for its MOT and service
- contact the builder re. a crack in the render
- other holiday related stuff
- sort the spreadsheet for next month

There's also garden related stuff but I'm taking that off the list as a nice to have e.g. a new rose.  I did say I would only buy cheap plants in future but there's a specific rose I have my eye on.  I'm really pleased with how the garden is looking, its taken four years (and a lot of plants lost) to get it into some kind of shape - it just needs to grow now.  I'm still considering digging a bed towards the bottom centre of the garden, but I need to plan out what plants will look best there and what kind of shape it should be. 

Right I might try and grab another hour or two sleep if I can.

SandyShores

A few other things to sort are:

- update our wills (free service through work)
- purchase some undies from M&S
- buy holiday sandals
- diy store to buy a bag of sharp sand for MrShores done
- book the car in for its MOT and service
- contact the builder re. a crack in the render
- other holiday related stuff
- sort the spreadsheet for next month
- buy the rose
- new socks

Whoops, added the new rose to the to do list.  Its an early flowerer, so I feel like I should give it the best chance for next year by planting as early as possible.  I'm delaying the actual purchase until after the cc statement received mid-week and I'll definitely leave the new bed creation until summer hols.

SandyShores

What an amazing weekend, still shocked that the orange thing in the sky made such an appearance.  

Visited a garden centre and saw 'the rose' so couldn't resist buying it.  Luckily I had some v1nted payments to cash in which will cover the purchase.  Also did a bit of window shopping and went to a large R@nge - there are lots of bits I'd like to buy so will need to get selling more clutter to replace it with pretty clutter   But first I need another visit to the garden centre to purchase some garden essentials - definitely waiting until the statement is here for that visit though.

savingholmes

Glad the fabled orb paid a visit. Hope it returns again soon... 

SandyShores

Went to the garden centre today and almost bought another plant.  It was half price in the clearance section.  Going to have a think about it over the weekend and I 'need' to go back to the garden centre on Sunday.  The rose from the far off garden centre is beautiful and already has loads of buds and one rose with a gorgeous scent.  I think I am definitely converted to rose lover now - not sure why I didn't like them before.  

savingholmes

I was tempted by a yellow climbing rose today but didn't bite. It was the fact it said that it needed regular treatment to protect it from insects and diseases that put me off. The roses in my parents' garden always look beautiful however. If the plant brings you joy and you can afford it... 

SandyShores

Its interesting @savingholmes because when I bought my first rose, the garden centre sent me home with a spray to kill off bugs and black spot and the like.  I used it the first year, and I did have a bit of a spray earlier this year (before the bees came out) and I did spray it once in the evening last year.  Its not good for insects so I don't like to use it much.  Its been virtually no issue at all, but the rose looks absolutely fantastic.  I think we may have had it 3 years now, and there are so many roses on this one (its a bush).  I have to keep going out and deadheading as I want to keep it flowering as long as possible.  The flowers smell beautiful so I love deadheading, the fragrance is gorgeous.  

My new rose is a climber and already has lots of buds and even a rose - smells gorgeous again.  I may have to give it a bit of a spray in the evening just to make sure but to be honest it looks very healthy.  We need to train it up the trellis - not sure how long it will take to do that, but I'm excited to see all the roses.   My two purchases are David Austin roses - they aren't the cheapest but they do stock some disease resistant ones.  I have also got a cutting of one that someone gave me - fingers crossed it comes through.  But from nought to three - I am a definite convert - must be some sort of rose bug

I have got a hankering for a lilac, I was thinking of a pot but we are running out of space.  Then I read that you can hard prune them to keep them small.  They like sunshine as my garden is very sunny (I lost an acer because it was too sunny) and you can grow clematis through them to extend their 'season of interest'.  Clematis are another one that I am growing to love.  Really have the gardening bug at the moment - very expensive.