Moving on

milann

Sounds like a lovely day out. 

Cherryfudge

I didn't get much done this morning: I ended up down a rabbit hole inspired by a discussion on Fashion on the Ration about food rations and whether lentils and barley would have been rationed (they weren't). I've learned quite a bit about various things: there was a fascinating record of someone from rural Dorset talking about how the flowers vanished from the fields within two or three years of the introduction of nitro chalk. The grass was so well fed it choked them out, and the clouds of butterflies went too.

So that was my morning. I had a veggie chilli from the freezer for my main meal, and washed some jumpers which had to dry indoors as the rain was heavy till after lunch.

As so often happens, I had too many eggs and lemons so, for the first time ever, I made lemon curd. It wouldn't heat enough in a bowl over simmering water so in the end I microwaved it and it's turned out okay.

I was nearly late for work but just made it in time and realised I'd been allocated the department where DH works! He and a few colleagues were still there as I arrived so I was introduced and chatted for a few minutes, which was nice. He always likes this office and they seem to be a friendly bunch. I find all the offices have their own characteristics: this one has a small but adequately stocked help-yourself buffet in the middle. A really sweet idea (sometimes literally) but maybe not the kindest thing when people have to sit at a desk all day. There's also a lovely view of the sunset through some Scots Pine trees.

I seemed to have more minor problems to solve than usual. Toilet rolls needed to be restocked: they were under two other boxes of miscellaneous supplies which all had to be reassembled afterwards. Paper towels needed to be refilled but I didn't have a key and neither did the colleague on the next floor, who improvised with a single use wooden spoon from the canteen! I had to ring up to find where the bins go for collection because I'd forgotten to ask. The tap for filling buckets seems to be disused so I had to fill from a sink which takes longer. The upshot was I didn't do as much as I felt I should, but I'm telling myself if they only pay for two hours and don't put shelving in all the cupboards to enable more efficient storage, they can't expect everything to be done every day. Not that they do, but it bothers me because I like to do a job thoroughly if at all.

So I haven't spent anything today, though I will tomorrow as H suggested we meet for lunch. I've tried unsuccessfully to get onto the course I was looking at yesterday. They might be wondering why they've not had any takers, when it's next week, but no one can sign till they open the bookings. And one of the friends I see on Tuesdays has asked the rest of us on a weekend away in October. It could be really nice, but it's also going to cost for a couple of nights away, travel, food etc. I don't have to make a decision yet.

Cherryfudge

A good day: not too much rain up here though I gather it's been miserable further south. I met H for lunch with DGD2, who obligingly slept through the meal then woke up and stared at lights. I got a lovely smile off her, and H kindly treated me to the meal (fish and chips). It was nice having time to talk, we stayed ages.

My shift this evening was three hours and I actually finished ahead of time. This was largely because I took a dustpan and brush round and targeted visible bits on carpets instead of trying to hoover everything.  

I've done a couple of pieces of mending in the form of socks and an old tee shirt, but I don't think the tee shirt is going to last much longer. A shame as it was a nice one.

DS2 sent photos of the fish tank he's transformed into a home for his newts. It's palatial compared to the small vivarium they had. That reminds me I had intended to set up a smaller fish tank here: there's one in the shed I could use if it's still watertight. I miss having the fish, though I'm not sure where I'd put them so it won't happen immediately. There's still a lot of equipment from previous tanks, but you're supposed to set them up ages in advance and let the filter get established.

We also had a photo of D and E at a wedding the other day. He was a groomsman and he looks well so hopefully the mew medication is taking effect.

My friend sent a provisional costing for accommodation for the weekend away at £86 which is less than I thought, based on several of us sharing. My only spend today (thanks to H paying for the meal) was £3.25 for a toy for J and L's dog whose birthday is coming up.

Cherryfudge

All things bright and beautiful... are outside in the garden. The mirabelle plum is covered in white blossom, there are 24 tiny daffodils blooming in the wall baskets and some more at the edge of the lawn. The birds are singing. It's cold and bright and there's washing on the line and another load in the machine.

I need to move away from computer games and browsing for a perfect slipover pattern, and do the jobs I don't want to do and which will never get done if I don't push myself.

Cherryfudge

Some progress made: all washing seems to be drying better than expected, given the temperature. It's still sunny and cold.

I've spent some admin time and made a note of all the things I should be contacting people about. One is done: I've given my pay details to the Union so they know what subs to charge me.

I've been advised to contact HMRC re my tax code and read up a bit. I'm no clearer on how I check my tax code as I have two jobs with one employer... not enough time to look further into that now.

Then came a lengthy but quite productive route to set up a fresh Government Gateway account (my old one, set up in 2017, had died). I found out I was missing contributions from way back, which I don't remember seeing before, but I've got plenty of years (39) of enough contributions so hopefully I can get my state pension when the time comes. In fact, a week of my forecast pension is nearly what I'm getting in a month right now. Good job I have DH's income, savings and inherited money to back me up! I'm trying to get back on my feet, honest I am.  

Checking pension contributions made via my employer should be next in line...

Oh, and I've discovered I can get a free will through the Union, which I need to sort out. It's one of those things that I put off ages ago as I couldn't get my head round the minutiae of who gets what, but really I just need to do a mirror will with DH (also available via the Union, and a good idea as the one he made a while back has* disappeared). Then I can talk to the kids about whether there's anything of sentimental value they'd like.

Well, I need to be at work in an hour so I'm going to consider my shopping list and perhaps avail myself of the rest of the double Clubcard points on the way back, or perhaps not. It would mean carrying it all home by myself.

Progress has been made, then, though I'm sure there will be more to do. If I understood pensions, I'd just go over to the pensions board, but understanding them is very much an incremental process at glacial speed. I'm trying! It's like anything else: those in the know and speaking the language assume it makes sense to those of us who aren't and don't.

badmemory

There are threads over on the pensions board that explain how & where to check your state pension.  If you have ever been contracted out because of a job with a defined benefit pension then you could have a short fall.  Please do check properly as there are payments you could make before next April if necessary.

If your annual earnings are under the personal allowance then unless you have got a really bad tax code it really shouldn't matter.  If your income is under £10k a year & DH is paying tax then consider contacting them & giving him 10% of yours.

Read a couple of threads on the cutting tax & pensions boards & you will soon get the idea.  They aren't as chatty as on here & some of them are seriously rich but you will easily tell who knows their onions.

ETA  make sure they haven't given both jobs different codes especially if one is BR.  If I can help I will but I am a bit out of touch as I have been retired for over 10 years.

Cherryfudge

Thank you so much @badmemory, I will certainly look into giving DH some of my tax allowance. I'd not heard of that and at the moment I don't earn enough to be taxed, but he does.

My shortfall in NI contributions was way back in the 1980s so I can't do anything about it now but I need to find out how much to make up for the last few months.

HR tells me I just have one tax code (ends in L) and that that's usually given to people with one job. I have two jobs, but one employer, which is why I need to be sure it's right. Years ago I had a main job and a relief job and got taxed madly because there was a mix up of which was the main job. The person at HR didn't seem to know that this could happen, or I didn't explain it enough, but I was concerned that one of my current relief posts would get taxed at a higher rate if it's counted as a second job. Perhaps the rules have changed. Anyway, it won't apply while I'm earning under the threshold.

This evening's work went smoothly and I have three shifts next week, plus one shift in the other post. I stopped at L!dl on the way back and got my free Belgian bun from the spin promotion, and various bits we were running low on. I didn't want counteract the evening's exercise so I cut the bun in half and saved the rest for tomorrow.

Expenditure:
Housekeeping £10.13

Cherryfudge

Just trying to sort out various credit card payments: I wish I kept on top of them better, as I'm paying it from different pots and I've had to go back through the year's statements so far. I've got as far as transferring the money for accommodation in April so that's all completely paid off. The rest is between personal /grocery spending (from current) and inheritance spending (from a savings account).

DH has just paid for a holiday for us in May, which showed up on my CC just as I paid off the other holiday-related spending, so I'll have to wait to pay that off as the bank gets twitchy if too much goes out in a cluster!

I know there must be lots of other things I should be doing, but apart from updating my spending notebook and spreadsheet (which is on the procrastinate list), I'm not sure what there is.

Another cold, bright day.

• I will put my uniform in to wash
• At some point the ironing needs to be done.
• add receipts into notebook
• add DH's jacket to fashion on the ration
• finish sorting out cc payments from the right pots
• buy compost
• feed houseplants
• make more lemon curd (6 lemons still to use up, and plenty of lemon wedges already in the freezer!)

liselle

You are so well-organised Cherry, such an inspiration. When I read your comment about procrastination, it reminded me of a radio programme in which it was decided that procrastination is actually an activity! I like that.True when you think about how often we find ourselves doing it.

Cherryfudge

Thank you @liselle, though I feel any organisation is hard-won! I've spent the last year slowing down after a demanding job and coming to terms with what's neurodiverse in me, which I find very reassuring: it's a real thing not just me being inadequate! I do lists because then I've captured the thing and don't have to remember it (ADHD: brain gets frazzled with more than about five things to do), and also there's the satisfaction of achievement at the end of the day when things are crossed off. I've also come to realise that some things fall off the list and the world keeps turning. I'm just trying ensure I do as many as possible of those things that are kindness to my future self and to DH and the kids.

I'm interested in procrastination being an activity.   I know I get ever so much done when there's something I really don't want to do. Queen of displacement activities, that's me.  

Washing is clunking around (machine could do with new bearings, I think).

DH has confirmed the holiday booking. They made a mistake with my name, but that's been corrected. Flights are all a bit late in the day for me, but the alternative was really early and that's worse. My concern is arriving in Rome after 9 at night, still needing to get to the hotel and eat. Urgh. My Italian is limited but I can ask for ice cream! I expect they will speak English anyway.

I checked my travel card the other day and there are still a couple of hundred euros there from when we went to Venice, so that's less to transfer from the holiday pot when the time comes. I also always look up supermarkets local to the hotel so we can buy food and not rely totally on restaurants but the breakfasts are very reasonable so we've booked those, and I don't see us not eating out in Italy. I mean, it's Italy. Food. More food. I'm not a wine drinker but maybe a beer. Gelato. Looking forward to it already!