Buying a little piece of Middle England; Manifesting my way to mortgage free.

debtfreewannabe321

Had lunch with a friend from work today. Nothing on the menu for me really and not a lot for her either 🙄 they had nothing GF (if you can believe that!) and so we settled on JP and I had beans and she had cheese..we didn't have time to walk anywhere else this time but I think we'll go elsewhere next time. 
I bumped into my brother in law on the way home. He was waiting at the bus stop, I thought to myself it was a bit sad he can no longer walk home any more, he lives on the same road as we met on but it was a mile or so further up. He looked exhausted. I asked him about my sister and he was very quiet about her so not sure what's going on. She's barely spoken to me since Xmas and I had a very brief message from her on my birthday ...and I felt a little awkward like I'd done something wrong so I messaged her on her birthday at the weekend and kept it brief too she only replied last night. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I don't understand family dynamics sometimes. I feel hated by most of my family when I haven't done anything wrong 🤔🤣🤷🏻‍♀️.

Anyway I went back to work and only had to work and hour more so I did my paperwork whilst waiting around and am mostly up to date now.

Home now and glad of the peace.
 
I've been keeping a diary on my phone since starting these tablets. So far hot flushes have gone 👏🏼 sleep is slightly better 👏🏼 however - I'm very drowsy, dizzy, discombobulated, headachy, and I'm feeling more irritable than usual. If these symptoms do not lessen in the next week or so I will make an appointment for review and want to try something else. 

Dinner was going to be JP 🤣 but I had it already today so plant balls,.sauce and mash instead.

Spends today -£12 which I thought was very cheap so it kind of balanced out my annoyance at not having any choice. 
DP is away Thurs and Fri so I will need to walk home Thur and walk in on Fri. Am hoping my energy will be okay to do this.

I've cancelled my ear appointment and the one from the GP is actually the day before that one I booked anyway 👏🏼. I need to find some oil and use it in my ears in case of any blockage...I'm a bit worried it will make my hearing even worse. I'm really struggling lately to hear anything especially if there is noise in the background....I'm hopeful there is just a blockage and I don't need hearing aid, but I feel like it is probably going to go that route...

Right off to chill for a little while before I need to do some dinner.

LadyWithAPlan

KajiKita said:

" I already eat healthy for around 80% of the time. 10% is okay (perhaps a bit too salty sometimes) and not too bad and then because of my lack of energy lately that 10% of junk has grown and grown and grown until I'm not sure really where my diet is at at the mo. I've just been craving sugar and things to temporarily perk me up. So going to try and go back to my basics ..."

This is so me as well, right now ... <sigh>

KK

Me three! 

LadyWithAPlan

People are strange and often not talking to you is about them  not you 
I wouldn’t take it personally .. 

debtfreewannabe321

@LadyWithAPlan it's probably because I say what I think rather than what people want to hear. I have got better at filtering what I think and not saying it all but most people get offended with the truth 🙈. I'm very good lately at setting boundaries and people don't like it, especially family members who've always taken advantage of me (I drive and they don't - I'm usually everyone's chauffeur).

debtfreewannabe321

Budget is done and amended for the start of next month.

DP got his payslip and the bonus isn't as much as we hoped so therefore probably no summer sun hol this year...my holiday pot is not big enough and neither is the bonus. We will use it for some sort of getaway though. My soul is craving warm sun and a beach but I may have to make do with English sand rather than tropical climates. Tis what it is and I won't be getting too upset, we will have to find somewhere else to go, maybe a couple of city breaks with the kids somewhere instead. The bonus money will go into EF account for now until we decide what to do with it- topping up our hol money that we have saved already.

Next month (we pray) will be the final extortionate payment for our car 🙏🏼👏🏼we only had to pay that rate for five months so far so I will be very happy with myself if we can get It paid off end of next month before the next payment is due out. That will be £271 back into the budget ready to take on the extension loan when we sort it out. 

We have £700 surplus next month as the C loan has gone and the snowball amount is free 👏🏼 been a while since we have had this much and not knowing what to do with it. But we've decided to put some windows in the new extension on the roof as it's a north facing extension. And the inside part of the house it adjoins to will be too dark. We initially stripped them back trying to save money on the build here and there, but we've decided they're essential to letting some light Into what will eventually be the kitchen. So £400 will go into a savings fund for those. And I will put another £100 towards the EF next month. And £200 for our home maintenance (mostly garden beds at the moment).
When we start the loan for the extension the £700 surplus and the car loan money £270+ will be the available amount for the extension basically... obviously we don't want to pay all that over to a loan but it is what's available for repayments when we go to the bank for a better rate vs time paying it (don't really want a ten year loan). 

Also £200 to the EF. I've set the MOP at the mo to £100 rather than £60. And the holiday fund at £150 for next month savings. 
The rest is staying the same really. I'm upping my gas/electric to pay off the debt accrued (I think it will even itself out eventually but I will give it a helping hand) and it's coming from the fact our council tax has gone down? 

Food staying the same at £700 which is a lot. But I'm fed up of fighting with it. And it's paid for three takeaways/eating out this month to be fair so it is kind of two budgets in one. Dining out and food. 
Everything else stays the same too. ☺️ My poor paper budget has been scribbled on so many times this last week with changes 🤣 so I have just done it again this morning on a fresh bit of paper!

My ISA matures end of April and then I can get It out and pay car off as well as put rest away for the extension. 

Right that's enough thinking for this time in the morning 🤣 'nuvva cuppa needed. 

debtfreewannabe321

Ok had another cuppa, seen DP off to his meeting, one child is still home and the other is at school (DD does A levels but it seems very part time, she seems to barely be in!)

Today I am teaching my friend meditation again. Last week we focused on how to breathe properly, the benefits of, and how to make this a good habit. This week I am doing mindfulness, so I have medis ready for her, mindful eating, exercise and breathing. I always introduce gratitude lists at this point and whilst not technically meditation it will help her focus on positives in her life and keep her with a focused concentration (the whole point of mindfulness in my mind). She is going to use all these techniques I am teaching her to help others that she works with (they have MS), as well as for herself as she is going through a few things at home. I am definitely enjoying doing this and my intention was to make a meditation class available once a week to all in my home....perhaps when my new extension is done I will do this as will have the space. Currently I don't have the space really so that's why it was put on a back burner. But I want to do this for myself as well as anyone wanting to learn/ practice in a group, it's a great way to find new friends on the same wavelength as me (bit spiritual, bit nutty hence we need some meditation, and don't really fit in elsewhere it's where all my best friends have come from really- spiritual or medi groups including DP). 

I was aiming for a NSD. But I am craving chocolate. I will give in and go and buy some. Perhaps before meeting friend and then we can use it for mindful eating rather than a raisin Also going to get my bike out and see if it is usable or whether it needs a clean and service. If usable I will use it today as it will save my legs walking to the shops and to friends (both within a mile of me but both in different directions so if on foot probably 3 miles in all). 

Dinner is probably JPs as we didn't have them yesterday. Although I may do spag bol. Either way it will be quick as spag bol is ready to reheat and JP just need to go in the air fryer. The sun is shining but it's cold out but I am going to get into the garden today, I am trying to gather together all the plants we have scattered in pots and put on our patio area so that when we are washing up we have something nice to look at rather than a horrible red garage (don't ask it is on the list to paint).

Editing to add, I've worked out which of us is paying into what account on pay days. 
And also how close we are to the 50/30/20 rule. At the moment we are 50/20/26 (with 4% buffer each month). 
I will celebrate this moment before taking on another loan to get extension done 😐🤣😁. Although car loan will come off and hopefully it won't be too many hundred pounds more. 
The 'wants' is supposed to be higher...am I missing something from my 'want' budget?? Hmm 🤔 not sure. I've put the holiday money in there, pocket money and also clothes as none of 'need' any. Also have ski and drive lessons in there as I consider those a luxury that I would not have had in my budget a few months ago never mind years. 

Edit again. Pr0lif1c finally paid out .. some bits were pending so long I'd long since forgotten about them ...so another tenner sent to MOP. I am still aiming for £100 OP at the minimum every month as it takes three years off our term! I'm at £91.50 this month. I'll sweep any extra money out of accounts before new month reset and make another payment then which will hopefully take me over £100. 

debtfreewannabe321

🥵 I've been gardening. I seem unable to do light gardening tasks even when I know 1- my back will spasm if I do too much, 2- DP has already offered to do it, 3- it's too hard. Ugh 😆..I did listen to my body though and stopped after five minutes of my back screaming at me in pain. What should have been a simple task really turned into hard landscaping 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣. I wanted to plant the fruit trees I have been gifted, they kept blowing over in the wind and I didn't want them damaged and I know I can still do it before it gets too hot and dry. However, the bed that I wanted them in is where an old hedge was. And it seems the roots go deep and wide. So although we got it out there is still branches under there (well they look like branches!) the soil is lovely in that area though so I want to put them in there still.... I've drafted DP in to do it after work 👏🏼. I'm slowly working out where I want beds and trellis and other bits. I think it will look lovely when summer comes along. 
I've got dozens and dozens of pots everywhere though..and although I'm an advocate of chucking everything out in the home I seem to be a bit of a hoarder in the garden pot area 🤣. Maybe I will go through them now and see what can be thrown out (as there is plenty with bases missing and cracks all the way down) it's bin day tomorrow and I have room in the bin so that would be a nice easy job. Oh and I decluttered a tin of paint too- a bright red one, not my taste so that could go. 

Oh and I had a NSD after all, I didn't bother with the shop earlier 😇 feel very virtuous (we'll gloss over all the other days I've eaten too much choc).

Meeting with friend went well and I left her with lots of ideas for using with her clients and for herself. 

Dinner will be tofu and rice with stir-fry veg. I'll make enough so I can have it for my lunch as well tomorrow. 

DP is taking a train tomorrow now so I might take the car into work as I think having to walk up the hill twice in one week might finish me off at this point with how low my energy is. I'll have a think about where I can park for free as I am too tight to pay the parking fee for the day 🤣. 

Idreamofplants

My plan for the afternoon is also to have a sort out of garden pots - I have a random selection of old pots most of them damaged that just need to go. I’ve seen some nice terracotta ones 2 for £10 and I’ve made a deal with myself to resist buying anymore until the old ones have gone. 

debtfreewannabe321

Idreamofplants said:

My plan for the afternoon is also to have a sort out of garden pots - I have a random selection of old pots most of them damaged that just need to go. I’ve seen some nice terracotta ones 2 for £10 and I’ve made a deal with myself to resist buying anymore until the old ones have gone. 

I sorted them out and threw around half a dozen away but decided the rest were too good 🙈🤣.

I also found three gorgeous blue glazed terracotta ones in bushes and behind things from old owners...all with dead things in. Had to get my hands in them to remove the wet mud that had impacted and stuck to the pots 😒 it was horrible and squelchy.... however all cleaned up they're good as new and waiting for some new plants now 😍 they had stickers on with prices £4 and I thought haven't seen any that price for a while.... remember when things used to be a reasonable price? 

So I have around 6 nice blue pots now and I will get them all planted up and they are my new patio planters. 😁

DP got the trees in for me, I have around 10 trees in that section now (5 already well established) and it will be my little woodland area....can I call it a woodland with only 10 trees? 🤔🤣 

I'm at work and on lunch. Very nice leftovers and lots of fruit (sm raspberries are tasting better than last month).

This morning I dropped DP at the train station at just after 7. Then I drove in to work and decided to park in the free places. I was there forty minutes before work started because I took kids with me as they didn't have far to walk from there, and was meeting a friend for a chat before work. And would you believe there was literally only two spaces left out perhaps 50. Both tiny. There were cars everywhere dropping kids at schools and college and I was getting so stressed. Kids were arguing and my car was beeping at me because of proximity but I managed to get into a space with around an inch both sides of the car free 🙈 and it's okay as both of those cars had yellow lines either side of them so could reverse or drive straight out. I'll be the one moaning about trying to get out not them...but felt so stressed by the time I got to work. My friend wanted to tell me about yesterday and she was constantly moaning about things and I said to her, why do you take everything so personally when they are not your problems (they really weren't either)? I think she got annoyed at me 🤷🏻‍♀️ and that was that 🤣 pleased to say that my day has got better since 8:30 though and the day has gone pretty quickly. Couple of hours left, I can do this 💪🏼. Dinner will be simple because it's honestly I CBA. I need an early night and a holiday. I can do the early night easy so will work on that one first 🤣 small wins and all ...

NSD so far and can't think I need to buy anything. Won't make my target 🎯 but to be fair it was wildly unrealistic really 🤣 I was hoping for 12-15 so I have already done 12. Might make a couple more before the end.

Still feeling very dizzy on my tablets and getting headaches, really think I will go back and just get something else. I feel like I need the hormones but maybe because that's all I hear everyone else being put on?! Hmm. Will leave as is for this week. And perhaps next. Then will make an appointment in Easter hols as I can be flexible on appointments then and get in quickly. 

Right off to work again....

debtfreewannabe321

Got my NSD. Only because I was too tired to walk anywhere to buy anything. So a win in that respect. Got home to a message from my friend, she will be here after dinner. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I had clean forgot she was coming. So I've tried to think ahead and showered and washed hair so I could dry it now before she comes as I know I will not be bothered after she's gone! Spag bol cooking now and then I will chill until she gets here (really I'd like to curl up and sleep) ....