MeandO's money-shuffling

Honeysucklelou2

So sorry that your plans have changed. Hope that your DS is feeling better soon. 

Aimingforthegoodlife

Hi MeandO, I am sorry that you hadn't been able to get to your folks, am hoping you may be there now getting some time, and if not, that you and DS are ok.  You did amazingly well last year, you deal with so much. I have everything crossed that the roof and velux window are easy fixes and less than you think x

MeandO

Thank you for your kind words Chrystal, Mrs_Money_Penny, HSL2 & Aimingforthegoodlife. DS improved a little at the end of the week so we travelled to see my parents for two nights which was short but better than nothing. It's so difficult coming back here though, yesterday I was thinking about how different I feel in both places. I am a different person here and feel like I have to put my armour back on and get my fight or flight mode activated again as soon as I drive back. I have no choice but to keep on keeping on at the moment though so that is what I'm doing.

My parents very kindly gave me and my siblings some money towards bills etc recently. I told them I would pay a chunk of it off my mortgage and they were pleased with that, so that's what I've done this morning. £165 has been sent to the mortgage so it's now down to £68,400 which means it will be down into the £67,000's with next month's mortgage payment and regular £100 overpayment. I've decided my aim is to get it down it under £60K by the end of the year.

I've sent £35 to the credit card this morning as I've used that to pay for airport transfers for DS and I for our short trip next month which cost about £80. I've also had to change the airport parking booking as, would you believe, not-so-easy-plane company have cancelled our flight AGAIN and still haven't actually informed me. I've only found out by accident when checking is in online, so there may well be another compensation case coming their way from me this year again. They are just unbelievable. The airport parking was a bit confusing as it's charged me and extra £35, but I then said I would be refunded the original payment, so I'm not entirely sure what's going on. I'll wait and see what comes out/turns up in the bank account.
I've withdrawn £275 from the holidays pot to buy some euros and to pay for the transfers so that's now down to £200, but £125 gets sent to it every month so will soon build it up again. We don't have any other holidays planned for the year other than a few weekend breaks which have largely already been paid for - just food & drink to cover for those and one cheap lodge-type hotel night to pay for in April.

I'm on a bit of a decluttering mission as I need to clear out my little office box room and the utility room as both are doing my head in on a daily basis at the moment with too much stuff and not enough storage in both. I have a full bag for the charity shop which will be taken possibly next weekend and I've sorted a carrier bag of toiletries we have too much of to donate to a local refuge. I have some books I will scan on Ziffit to see if I can make a few pennies and also a couple of things to list on vinted for DS and OH. The next step is to take everything out of the utility room cupboard to sort out and put everything back in there tidier, but that was where I had a mouse problem and so I'm frightened of doing it myself! I'm hoping OH will help me soon but he is busy sorting his own house out atm.

The roof/velux seems to have stopped leaking for now or rather only leaks when the wind is blowing in a certain direction. I'm hoping it will stay that way until the weather gets warmer so that I can get up on the ladder through the roof and have a look myself. If it's an easy fix (which I think it may be, judging on how quick it took the roofer to do it last time), I may be able to do it myself with a bit of help. The radiator has yet to be looked at but I am planning on trying to get someone out within the next week or two to look at that and service the boiler / check the issue I've spotted.

I've bought DS's main birthday present in the last week so have taken the funds out of the gift pot for that. Just a few more smaller bits to buy him and then to think of what to get OH. It's so difficult for birthdays shortly after Christmas!

MeandO

Yesterday turned into a very spendy day - some unplanned purchases, some that were already planned but not necessarily for so soon! First off, I finished birthday shopping for DS including some gifts I've bought on behalf of my parents who have asked me to pick up things he'd like from them so I will be reimbursed for some of those. I've paid for them on the credit card (to get points too), so that will be paid straight off there when I receive the cash.
 
I have always made a themed birthday cake for DS and he absolutely loves the tradition, so I also ordered a few cake decorations and supplies for that. It's hard to know what theme to pick this year as he's at that age where he's not really into anything specific, so I've gone with the sports theme as he loves watching and playing sport.

Next I purchased the new chest of drawers for DS's room which was a planned purchase but I was going to go to the swedish store next time we were in the area (as it's about an hour away) rather than opt for delivery. However, I've been looking for a new large rug for our lounge as the one we have is about 7 years old and cream and has seen 3 house moves and is in need of being replaced. Anything of that size is usually around £200+ which is why I haven't replaced it, but I saw one on the Swedish store site for £49 in the sale, so I bought two - one for the lounge and one for the playroom to make it a bit cosier. If I decided not to keep the second one OH has said he'll buy it off me for his new house. I opted for delivery as there were no collection dates for a day we could get there and they were low in stock. 

Lastly, I bought a new dinner set as I have badly chipped all but one of our dinner plates loading them in and out of the dishwasher. I have been looking for one for a while and finally found one that I liked for £18 but used £10's worth of nectar points to get it for £8.

I have already transferred £240 to the credit card to cover a lot of the above spending, plus I've sold the old chest of drawers for £35 which will go on the card when it's collected and paid for later this week. Any outstanding balance should be covered by the payment for DS's gifts, but if not I will transfer it from another pot for now. I really hate having any outstanding debt on the CC these days.

MeandO

I've just scanned 19 books for £10.24 on ziffit. Not much but better than nothing and a box of books cleared. DS has loads of books he's outgrown, so I'll see if he wants to scan some tonight and get some £'s back for them for his bank account. I've also sent OH a referral code to use for when he starts clearing the vast amount of books/cds/dvds he has. If he 'ziffits' them we'll each get another £5.
The charity bag is now full and I'm putting it in the back of the car later to get it out of the way and ready to be dropped off. I'll see if I can find a few more things to donate before it's taken at the weekend.
I have a growing pile of stuff for vinted, some mine, some OH's. I need to get round to listing that.

MeandO

I’m quite proud of what I’ve achieved today in terms of decluttering and tidying. I put my big girl pants on and cleared out the utility room cupboard I previously had mice in. I really didn’t want to do it as the thought of them running round terrifies me, but I knew if I waited for help it would never get done, so I did it. Most of what was in there has been thrown away with the spare bathroom tiles that were in there now packed up to go in the attic. Everything that is staying has been thoroughly cleaned and and the cupboards have been disinfected. However, it has made me realise what a state those cupboards are in and they really need to be ripped out and thrown in a skip They’re probably about 30 years old at a guess. The base is rotten and the shelf is bowing badly, plus the backs are blown. I think I may have to admit defeat and get a quote to rip it all out and renovate that room. I need the washing machine moved and a vented dryer out in as the condenser I have causes issues with condensation on an old fireplace wall. My parents have offered me their old kitchen cupboards as they’re having a new kitchen soon but getting them back will be difficult and I’m not sure they’ll fit. I’ll have a think about what to do for the best (and cheapest) option. 

I’ve also tidied the box room/office and the box of books for ziffit and charity shop bag are in the car, ready to drop off. Tomorrow I’ll tackle the other cupboard in the utility room, hopefully the mice didn’t relocate…

MeandO

Both beds have been stripped and are airing with the windows open, I'll re-make them later. The second load of washing is on the line and one in the washing machine. One load went in the TD before the sun came out, hopefully the rest dries outside. I've put the bins out and move all the spare bathroom tiles upstairs ready to put in the loft later and get them out of the way downstairs. 

DS went through all of his books last night and sorted nearly 30 he no longer wants. Ziffit have quoted around £18, but I'll see if we can sell the sets of books on FB for a bit more for him first. I also need to find a box if they do go to ziffit. 

I randomly received a payment from UC today - the first since I swapped from child tax credits. Just over £76 hit my account which I was very grateful for as things are looking tight. Upon checking the UC account it seems my basic salary means I qualify for a small UC payment. The two months previous I was paid overtime and then backpay from a payrise. I've left most of it in the groceries pot for now, if there's any left over later in the month I'll send it to a different pot.

I made a big batch of lasagne last night too so tea for tonight is sorted with a portion being dropped off to OH and one for the freezer too. 

I've paid the credit card off again too so that is cleared.  

Mrs_Money_Penny

Your doing so well. It’s good to declutter I have just started again. I lose momentum and give up. I’m also using up what I have in the freezers. Making a meal plan each week. Good start to the year xx

Elisheba

Gosh, there must be an awful lot of condensation if it has rotted the cupboard bases and blown their backs. I'd make sure that was sorted before spending any money on the rest of the room.

MeandO

Elisheba said:

Gosh, there must be an awful lot of condensation if it has rotted the cupboard bases and blown their backs. I'd make sure that was sorted before spending any money on the rest of the room.

I think the sink above it has been leaking for some years to be honest Elisheba, at least I'm hoping that's what it is! The condensation is made worse by the current condenser tumble dryer being up against the colder chimney breast wall, so I'm hoping that once I get a vented dryer which will be need to be sited on a different wall, it should help ease the problem Famous last words though!