Progress not Perfection

Sun_Addict

Strictly watched and enjoyed apart from when Mr SA decided to randomly start looking for something on Netflix halfway through which was very very annoying indeed 🤬 

Made an aubergine, tomato, chickpea and spinach curry for tonight’s dinner. No particular recipe just made it up as I went along. It was very nice and there are a couple of portions to freeze. 

DD has only just got back from work. Mr M getting their money’s worth from her 😆

milann

Funny you should say that about Dd. A friends son in law works at our local store and we had a similar conversation about them taking the mick recently 😡

Sun_Addict

Trying to be productive today. 

The dog had a good run on the park this morning, no football match unsurprisingly the pitch was waterlogged. A dog walker commented on how nice the park is looking these days, totally litter free thanks to me. Makes me feel my efforts are worthwhile when I get comments like this. My wellies are leaking unfortunately. I’ve had them a few years though so can’t complain. Adds new wellies to list. 

I’ve emptied the laundry basket as the weather is beautiful today. Also done some weeding.

Discovered Mr SA only planted 8 sweet pea seeds yesterday so have planted a lot more. When questioned about lack of planting he said he’d just done a few to see how they go 😐

Tidied and did an inventory of both freezers. I had 31 veggie chorizo sausages 😮 Now 29 as I cooked 2 to go in a pitta bread with roast peppers and onions for my lunch. I also roasted at the same time some tomatoes, red onion and red peppers to go in the tomato and basil soup I’m making for work lunches. I could do with Lid! having another Asian week as am down to my last bag of edamame beans 😢

Next on the list is make a start on decluttering the cupboard of doom in the dining room. 

Apart from making the soup I’m making a meat free lasagne for tonight’s dinner with a bag of plant based mince from freezer stocks. Secret ingredient of aubergine roasted in tin foil which makes a massive difference to the flavour somehow.

I’m going to a retirement do on Friday afternoon and a work friend has asked if I’d meet her beforehand for a drink so have decided to take the day off. Otherwise it means going into the office and taking my laptop with me to the do which is a pain. I thought I could go for a coffee and potter round the shops before meeting my friend and make it into a nice day. 

Mr SA is having his siesta so lovely and peaceful right now. 

Oh and it’s another NSD 🙂

milann

Enjoy your day off on Friday 👍

beanielou

Friday sounds like a lovely day for you 😊

Sun_Addict

That's Monday done. Worked in the office until just after lunchtime then finished up at home.

Friday is booked off. 

This week is going to be quite a spendy one. Nothing that isn't covered by funds set aside for such purposes though. Started with me going to Mr S today and taking advantage of the 25% off TU clothing. I was happy to tick off a few things from my need to buy list including new wellies for the park.  Thursday I'm going to buy the M&S beauty advent calendar and this is budgeted for in my Christmas spends. I buy it every year and it's well worth the money. I think you have to spend £35 to buy it for £45 (or similar) but that's fine as I need some new slippers and leggings. I've got the £5 off voucher and I can also buy a gift card via work that will get me 7.5% discount. Friday is the retirement meal/drinks. 

Today's exercise is 24,000 steps so far - not planning any additional exercise. 

Tonight's dinner is salmon with steamed veg. 

Sun_Addict

Morning all.

WFH today 😁 

It will be a NSD no 8 or 9 I think, have lost count. I'm happy if I can tot up between 8 and 10 a month.

I need to sort out where the Principality RS is going when it matures next week. They've offered another RS at a fixed rate of 5.5% for a year. This might not be the highest rate but I need to take into consideration it's fixed, although I can't see interest rates going down for a while - but then who knows! If I decided on the new RS they will open it with £250 then the balance will go into a lower interest rate account or transfer to my current account. 

Still another week until payday but it will be a decent one as the pay rise backdated to June will be in there. We can view payslips online tomorrow so will have firm figures to put on my payday shuffle spreadsheet ready for next Tuesday. 

I also need to sort out the reason why Mr SA has suddenly been asked to submit a self employed SA return when he hasn't been self employed for over 10 years! This was meant to have been sorted out a few years ago and taken off his records but looks like a gremlin in the system has thrown it back into the mix again. 

Exercise plans are dog walking later this morning, a lunchtime bums & tums session and resistance bands tonight. 

Tonight's dinner is an old favourite one pan harissa prawn orzo as I need to use up some courgette and coriander. 

Housework is bathroom and kitchen cleaning after work.

EssexHebridean

Irritating when HMRC suddenly does silly things like that isn't it. I think I was pretty fortunate when I came off Self Assessment although that may have been something to do with going straight onto PAYE at the same time. With MrSA is a maybe because they don't have any record of what he's doing now, so they want something in writing to clarify the position I wonder? You'd think joined up thinking would work here allowing that he does have benefits though wouldn't you! 

We've got a similar quandary about the Principality savers too - although I think allowing that we've already had to step back on the payments into each of ours for the final two months to fund the Nationwide 8% one we will probably actually just take the money from Principality and stash it into our long term savings/add to a pot for a fix that will also be finishing inside the next few weeks when we put that somewhere else. 

Sun_Addict

I've chosen the Principality RS again, it will open with the maximum £250 and the old RS will be closed with the remaining amount and interest going into the current account. This pot was destined for home improvements anyway. I looked at the YBS one at 7% but you need to have been a customer for at least a year to open it and I'm a couple of months shy of a year. 

Have contacted a local fencing company for a quote for either repair or replace the fence that runs along the drive. 

A letter is going in the post re Mr SA's self assessment explaining the situation and asking for confirmation that he doesn't need to fill one in. 

The £25 from Opinium has finally hit the bank account so that's been stashed in my personal spends pot. There's another £26 plus to cash out from PA but leaving that until the end of the month. 

foxgloves

Good survey earnings there, @Sun_Addict. I have just declined a £7.50 PA as I can't spare a whole hour, but I'd have done it if I'd seen it this morning. All the smaller ones defo add up, but a few bigger ones really do help towards our monthly targets.
F