Flying solo

Sarahwithlove

twiggy86 said:

Busy-ish morning so only just getting a chance to post! Went to the "quiz" last night... but my friend had got the start time wrong so we just had a drink and chatted! Friend bought me one drink and then I bought another and a packet of crisps (as my dinner!), so spent £5. 

Today I am working from home, meaning I had extra time this morning. So I made my daily hexi and walked pooch to the parcel box-thingy to post the vinted parcel off. My friend sent me £40 towards the cost of my ticket for this weekend, so at least that's something I re-couped from the total cost. 

However, got my council tax bill and it's "jumping up" - but actually it kind of isn't really! When bf moved in, I lost the single person discount and rather than put the dd amount up, I paid over the full 12 months (instead of 10). So now it is based over 10 months but without the discount. It does mean that it goes from £141 per month to £201!!!  

I don't really have any plans tonight/ tomorrow, although there is a friend I want to catch up with. Will probably just pop over to hers though. So don't envisage spending too much over the weekend - I will need to do a small food shop though for things for dinner. Plus pooch has vets later and I think she might need antibiotics as would looks a bit infected! 

However, list for today...

• Make daily hexi
• Walk pooch to post Vinted parcel 
• Update spreadsheet 
• Continue knitting with current colour until it runs out! 
• Dinner from stores

If you contact your council they will switch you to over 12 months its what I have done as I found that come feb/March the money always gets used up on something other than debt payments. This way I have a bit spare each month. 

twiggy86

I've always liked paying it over 10 months but I will chat with bf... who is fingers crossed back today! Probably won't be until later this evening as he needs to actually get his car fixed and visit his dad before setting off for the 5-6 hour journey! 

Weekend was good - although I managed to get a parking ticket!!! I paid via the app but went over and when I realised and tried to extent the wifi wasn't working - by the time I got back to the car it had already been ticketed! *Only* £25 though if I pay within 14 days so could have been worse! I need to go into my spreadsheet and put in all the spends from the weekend, which other than the ticket felt fairly frugal! I also had the day off yesterday which was nice, and again frugal! However, back to work and super busy so don't have time to look at it yet! 

Oh actually, there was the pooch's vets cost on Friday - she needed antibiotics and more painkillers which cost nearly £70. Bf paid half though and took her back again yesterday and they're happy with how it's now healing. Thankfully didn't have to pay for consultation as it's classed as a post-op check, which is included in the cost of the op. Need to go back again next Monday but hopefully that will be it! 

Today I have/will:

• Make lunch to take to work 
• Update spreadsheet 
• Check over some POA forms I completed ages ago for someone - need to post (if all ok) and then they will pay me 
• Sort out parking ticket 
• Pop to shop for a few bits 
• Dinner from stores 
• Work on something crafty - maybe sew up the kitted hat which will then be finished! 

twiggy86

Oh, I also sold another item for £2 on Vinted. Strange after so long I've suddenly made a couple of sales! So I have printed the label at work and will walk pooch to the box later. 

dawnybabes

I’d not sold anything for weeks and popped a few things on last week and suddenly I’ve shifted a load of old stuff so obviously gone up in the searches 

twiggy86

Woohoo! Bf is home! 

I managed to post the Vinted parcel and get some cleaning done (wanted house to be all nice!) and then he got back about 8:30. Annoyingly there is an error in the forms so need to get a page reprinted and signed... I'd very clearly marked where anything needed to be done but the person put something else in anyway!!! So I'm going to print the page at work (thankfully not the whole form!) and at some point will need to find time to drop them off.

Bf switched to have his kids this weekend (as he couldn't have them last weekend) and I knew he'd forgotten that we had tickets to see a show and just assumed we wouldn't go - however when he realised this morning, he has spoken to his 15 year old son and he is happy to "babysit" for the 5 year old. (FYI - He is yet to look at the calendar and realise I was meant to be away last weekend!!) 

Anyway it's back to normality today - so I have the pooch at work with me as I have acro and he's going to visit his mum in hospital after work. On to today's bits and bobs...

• Make lunch to take to work
• Snap some receipts that have been lingering in the bottom of my bag! 
• Update spreadsheet 
• Transfer balance (£2) from Vinted!
• Reprint pages at work 
• Make £10 CC payment - taking me under £8k! 
•  Pay lowest amount at acro 
• "Dinner" from stores 

satchmo1

What will you do with the pooch when you start the new job?

twiggy86

@satchmo1 - I will be working from home 3/4 days a week, can possibly take her in with me (dog friendly office but they try and only have one in per day to avoid complete madness!) and bf works from home on a Friday. So she'll probably be left less than she is now! I only take her in on a Wednesday as both me and bf have hobbies in the evening - meaning she'd be left all day and evening if I didn't take her with me. And bf takes her in on a Thursday, just because she's cute! 

twiggy86

I forgot to post yesterday! 

Other than my hobbies (acro and netball - which are "anticipated spends" and have their own pot), I haven't spent anything in the last two days! I did go to the pub before netball with bf and his friend, but bf bought me a drink! Also money saving (but not wise) is that I have only had toast for dinner the last two nights! Just haven't had time around my hobbies to have a proper dinner! 

I do have a couple of things that I would like to spend money on but currently pondering! I want to make a knitted jumper but don't think I have enough of the right weight yarn in a colour palate that goes together (I possibly have enough but would be very ugly, but I will double check) so been looking at options. There's some really nice options but mindful to keep the cost down as probably won't be perfect given that it will be my first knitted garment! Plus they have just announced another acro workshop weekend! This one is more local to me so wouldn;t have to pay for accommodation, but the cost is £119. Need to decide quickly as it sells out quickly! I went last year and it was tough but great! 

I did send £10 to CC meaning my total debt now starts with a "7" and currently sits at £7,990! I just can't wait to have it all done and dusted! 

Plans for this weekend - show with bf Saturday night and lunch with some friends on Sunday, so a bit of spending involved (although tickets for show are already paid for). Bf has his kids so everything else will probably be revolving around them. Although I really must find a little bit of time to finally sew up the hat - I'm pausing at the point of taking it off the needles as worried about doing it wrong!!! 

Today's bits and bobs...

• Make lunch to take to work
• Update spreadsheet 
• Reprint pages at work for POA form (didn't do the other day!) 
• Do some crochet at lunch 
• Dinner from stores 

satchmo1

You usually take a healthy lunch to work, so toast in the evenings that you haven't time isn't so bad. 

twiggy86

Well my life feels like a bad soap at the moment! Just one thing to mentally test me/ bf after another! 

We didn't end up going to the show on Saturday night as it would have fallen right on his daughter's bed time (which we knew) but bf was so stressed that it didn't feel worth it - e.g. if she wasn't going straight down he'd have been extra stressed. This is after the head gasket went on his new car on Saturday morning! So another £35 "wasted" but it felt like the right move. Thankfully it only cost £1.46 to get him insured on my car until my policy expires in September - we had the kids so he needed to do various running around with them! 


We did however go to B&Q and bought some bits for the garden, so bf was out there cutting the grass and putting down some seed - so £42 for my share of that. Then on Sunday I went to lunch with my friends, bf dropped me off and a friend took me home - so spent £23. 

I didn't update my spreadsheet yesterday but I have done it this morning and shuffled some money around. I've also claimed £2 from a recent Vinted sale. Despite everything going on, I need to keep my head straight and stick to my budget as I want this debt gone!

I'm feeling the "past" weighing quite heavily on me today as yesterday my ex apparently went to prison after some sort of domestic violence/ assault on his girlfriend. Ex's sister had tried calling me yesterday morning but I didn't answer and then found out via a friend last night - don't have all the details but sounds very serious. Makes me pleased that he is the past, but dredged up a few emotions... I did say my life is a calamity at the moment! 

Anyway, with a view to looking towards the future, today's bits and bobs... 

• Make lunch to take to work 
• Snap a random receipt 
• Update spreadsheet 
• Shuffle money back to correct accounts 
• Claim money from Vinted 
• Print those forms I said I'd do last week! 
• Sign new employment contract 
• Food shop with bf 
• Dinner from stores 
• Work on new knitting project