MeandO's money-shuffling

Mrs_Money_Penny

You’re doing so well decluttering. I think you’re x doing a fabulous job paying down your mortgage and making your house a home.

MeandO

Thank you Mrs_Money_Penny, the de-cluttering has continued. :)

Quite a large item from the shed has gone today, given away to a lady who was very grateful and can make good use of it. Two more bulky items have been removed from the attic whilst I was up there retrieving a suitcase for DS's upcoming trip. One of the items was something from my Grandparents house so a little sentimental, but of no use to us now and not something I particularly like so have let it go. Both items have now joined the charity shop pile in the boot of the car, I am hoping to get that all dropped off and donated tomorrow. There are a few more items in the attic that can go to the tip when I’m next planning a trip there and probably a fair few more for charity, but sorting those will be a job for another day.

I started writing this yesterday and this is as far as I got…
Yesterday was a tough day. Exhaustion seems to be embedded in my bones lately and I am struggling with my whole body aching and a complete lack of interest and motivation for much. I am having to force myself to complete tasks at work and am putting off other things. Every task seems like a mountain to climb. My fitbit clearly shows I don't get enough sleep but with needing to regulate a teen who would quite happily stay up all night watching shows/scrolling etc if devices were left in his room and needing to start work at 7am, there is little I can do to fit more hours in the night. I try and go to bed early when DS is at his father's but with OH here sometimes and the snoring that comes with him (he is under investigation for sleep apnoea), I still don't sleep well. I know I'm not helping myself as I'm not eating well (I confess, I am fuelled mainly by chocolate, coffee and little else this week) and I get very little exercise these days, but I'm just so flipping exhausted.
Whilst DS is away for a week soon I am going to look after my parents and help them with some jobs that need doing around their property, whilst also WFH at theirs for a couple of days, so I am going to come back even more exhausted to a tired, probably jet-lagged teen. Wish us luck!

I didn't get the fence finished this/last week. There is probably a 10ft stretch left to paint which I was hoping to finish on Sunday but I just didn't have the energy. Now it's raining so will have to wait until the weather is nicer again. There are also 4 large walls to seal and paint and the base of the house at the front and side + windowsills to paint for which I have the paint and sealant, but I'll just aim for completion of that by the Summer. It's an ongoing project… and I still haven't painted part of the outside of the house which has never been painted probably 8-10 years since it was built. Everything is so difficult when you're a team of 1.

I have a birthday this week and the ex has insisted on taking DS out for food that afternoon/evening (just him and DS) before DS goes on his week long trip. He could take him any day but has done it deliberately on that day and DS hasn't made the mental leap that it's the day of my birthday yet and I'm certainly not saying anything. I'm not precious about the day by any means, I don't hold myself at high value like others that I have had the displeasure of enduring for years, it just makes me a little sad that no-one really makes an effort for me as I do for them, so I'd rather it passes without mention. I can't help feeling a little 'unloved' on that day every year though. 😔 I bought something a long time ago for DS to give me, I'd feel happy and a little bit loved if he just makes the effort just to wrap it or buy a card but I'm not holding out much hope.

In better news, the roof repairs were done at the weekend so I'm hoping the issue has been rectified once and for all, time (and heavy rain) will tell. Unfortunately though it wasn't as straight forward as thought and whilst I wasn't charged any extra, there is a lot of cosmetic work to do now to make the ceiling and areas surrounding the roof windows to look less like an accident on a building site. I could probably do a patch-up job myself over a couple of days but it's not going to look professional by any means. I don't have the money to pay anyone to do it though, so I have little choice. That too will have to wait until I have the energy to tackle it. The 'needs to be fixed' list is growing instead of getting smaller. 😔

The washing is done and in the dryer now as it's wet outside today. The dishwasher is on and will be unstacked when it's finished. I hoovered and dusted through yesterday for the second day in a row thanks to the dust created from the roofing work.
I've taken chicken out of the freezer to make a chicken chow mein tonight for DS and I (if I feel like eating any - my appetite for actual cooked meals is non-existent atm, especially in the evenings). I will also have a mountain of ironing to do tomorrow as DS has to pack and is fussy about creases in his clothes. 😑 Just getting him to pack is proving to be a task in itself atm. He seems to think he has all the time in the world and can do it the night before his flight, which I know is not going to work for numerous reasons but I've given up trying to tell him.

What a moaning Minnie I am today. Sorry, people. I'm just so very worn out at the moment and can't see an end to it. At least it's pay day tomorrow! That's something to celebrate! I am extremely low on funds and have had to transfer money from savings pots to pay for things that have cropped up or needed to be paid for for DS's forthcoming trip and now the sporting one which is happening again this summer which the ex is pleading poverty to pay for yet again, no surprises there.

foxgloves

Well @MeandO - There are lots of reasons there for feeling so tired, but one that is in your control would be to try & eat at least one nutritious meal each day, so that your body is being adequately fuelled. …though I'm not remotely going to pretend that I live in a coffee-free house! Nice as chocolate is (& I love it) I think using it as a sort of meal replacement will definitely be affecting your energy levels. You wouldn't put cola in your car instead of petrol & expect it to function optimally, would you?!

We now have an old water ingress problem that some builders are coming to inspect this week, so after also paying for a new roof back in January, I am with you on the cost of repairs. Am hoping that the old roof was the cause of the damage/blown plaster. I feel privileged to be a home owner in this day & age, but houses can be such absolute money pits, can't they?

Hope pay-day provides you & your pots with a bit of a boost. It's my Big Budget Day on Friday & I shall be looking at how much I can get into the House & Garden Pot in readiness for builder's quote. It's already been skimmed to add to the Emergency Fund to pay for the roof, paid for gutter & window cleaning post-roofing & some electrical work to sort out a dangerous problem discovered during the roofing work.

Hope your jet-lagged teen isn't too…..jet-lagged.

F x

sudonum-mum

Happy Birthday MeandO 🎉

How are you feeling now?

I am the same as you with food and when I can't be bothered I resort to chocolate and coffee for my tea, when I can be bothered I try to make large amounts of vegetable curry which I eat for days on end and hope that offsets the days of chocolate.

I recall a while back you mentioned taking medication and how much difference that made. Are you still taking them? If you are is the dosage still correct?

The other thing I thought of is menopause, or peri-menopause. I've joined some support groups on Facebook and also follow Dr Amir Khan on Instagram to try to get more knowledge. My main symptom is being awake at silly o'clock hence this post. Today was 3.30am but sometimes it 2am - there is a reason for it and Dr Khan did a great post about it the other day.

Hope DS has a lovely trip and you have a lovely time seeing your parents.

Newstartforme

Dear Meando, happy birthday whatever day it falls , I really do hope you have felt a bit better as the week has went on . I am a firm believer that we are what we eat and I think even small steps like adding in a bit extra fruit and veg would help somewhat . I hope you have a lovely week with mum and dad , you will be tired but happy that you have helped out. Truly hope things improve for you soon xx

Mrs_Money_Penny

Happy Birthday have a lovely time with your parents x

debtfreewannabe321

Happy birthday 🎂 🎁 I could have written at least 80% of your post. My birthday passed without my youngest wishing me a happy birthday. But at least my other two did so kind of made up for that.

Hope you get a rest this weekend. Are you off over Easter at all so you can recoup....I'm limping on for that break myself.

weenancyinAmerica

Hope you had a happy birthday.