Progress is...

rtandon27

@slm6002 - you are spot on - it is a fabulous practice to get into!

@themadvix - OH keeps reminding me that once upon a time I was the most positive & bubbly person he knew - now that is not meant as a criticism at all, just a reminder that it's completely mindset!  

@Muddy_Walker - thanks so much for the explanation!  I may look into one for our mortgage renewal, as it is no longer pandemic with oodles of time to do research and find the best deal!  I've got about 1.5 years before we need to make any decisions for the renewal, so I think about this time next year, I'll start to search one out!


Well, it was quite the week...
Monday - no train service meant I had to work from home!
Tuesday & Wednesday were great & it was fabulous to be back to work and back to a normal schedule
Thursday & Friday & Saturday & Sunday - a complete write off as after a docs appt Thurs morning I was on bed rest waiting for some meds to kick in & make me feel better!  OH still has his nasty cough, weeks after it first arrived and he's wiped!
(that's the short form version 😂)

HEALTH - it's not been a great one for this topic over the course of the week, but we both took it easy & rested which is the most important step to healing!  We both managed to get down some healthy food today though much smaller portions than normal.

WEALTH - pretty much no spending this week so we are on an even keel - no surprises and YNAB is up to date.  We've not done a major shop in over 4 weeks which has kept us well in budget, our first order of the year.  I also have a huge dental bill to pay next week - using the credit card for the points though it is planned spending and the money is saved up and ready.  My insurance paperwork is not done yet - YIKES - a lot of catch up needs to happen this week!

WELLBEING & GRATITUDE - we've been warm and cosy this week and I'm lucky enough to have paid time off work when ill.  My lovely dear work colleagues have been kind and asked after my health, not once mentioning missed deadlines or more importantly a missed coffee date!  It's wonderful to have the time and space to let the body and mind have the down time it needs.

Cherryfudge

You've had a rough time! Are you back to work tomorrow? It sounds as though you might need more time to recover if you've been on bed rest.

Ouch to the dental bill, but well done for having the money ready.

foxgloves

@rtandon27 - Dentist bill sympathies. I had a huge dentist bill to pay around this time last year & while I did have the money saved, it was a really ouchy moment leaving the dental practice clutching that receipt in my hand. 
Sorry to hear you have not been well. Hope the rest is helping.
F x

themadvix

I hope the meds have kicked in RT and you're feeling better - being sent straight to bed by the Dr doesn't sound great! Hopefully you'll catch up on those coffee dates when you're feeling better!

teapot2

Hi RT, glad you have managed some rest and hope this is a better week health wise,  Re mortgage brokers, we used one back in 2004 when we got our first mortgage [long since paid off], he was very helpful as our situation wasn't straightforward.  We used a company suggested on MSE as they didn't charge us a fee and looked at a wide variety of companies and options.  If you do decide to go down this route when the time comes, it might be worth checking on MSE before approaching a broker as some will charge you and others get their fee from the financial org.  

rtandon27

@Cherryfudge - I did work today, but took the easy route and did what I could from home - I was well too weak to even attempt a commute this morning - thank-goodness for job where I can sit in front of a computer for good amounts of time!

@foxgloves - I've not even paid up yet, the thought of it's painful, and only the second installment - I'm having 'adult' orthodontics fitted for medical reasons - I can't wait until my bite has been corrected and I can bite into an apple again! - but my oh my is corrective dental work eye-wateringly expensive - ouch!

@themadvix - the meds are taking their sweet time to be effective, but finally I'm feeling half human again and my head is clear which makes me feel less sorry for myself 🤣 - it can be easy to wallow and I don't even have manflu 🤣 - today OH & I had a 'discussion' over who was feeling worse and came to the conclusion that we are both bad patients and have very little patience for each other when ill!

@teapot2 - thank-you so much for the mortgage broker advice and also the reminder to check MSE first! I will no doubt come back to these boards with more questions after reading all that info!

HEALTH - getting over the miserable mid-winter lurgy - I'm feeling mildly human now!  Also postponed a consultant appointment at the hospital as I really do not want to go while the entire hospital is over-flowing with flu & the associated germs.  Fingers crossed that by the beginning of February we will be well beyond peak contagion.

WEALTH
- waited 10 days for the council to get back to me regarding changing council tax from 10 to 12 payments.  Either their online form is not working or someone is not doing their job!  So while waiting for a Teams meeting to start this afternoon, I took the opportunity to call their offices and presto - in a record 30 seconds, the lovely lady at the council had changed my frequency and we'd had a little exchange over the need to manage cash flow.  She said that more and more people are switching to 12 month so looks like it's a trending topic!
- OH had his pension paid today - always gives me a sigh of relief when I see it in his account as it makes the budgeting easier!  I do wish that it was paid in once a month or on a set day each month, as the 4 week cycle does my head in - it's predictable in an unpredictable way iyswim!
- Etsy dispute resolution has made good and refunded me for the junk one of their traders tried to palm off on me!  I like to support small independent business, but this woman was belligerent when I told her the product she had sent was both substandard and did not match her description, quoting her listing in case she'd forgotten.  After two lame excuses, it was radio silence (how rude!)  I fumed for the week I had to wait to raise a complaint and it was that wait that makes me not want to shop with Etsy again!  I've had multiple purchases over the years that have been excellent, but atm this experience overshadows them!
- YNAB is up to date as I've received bits and bobs of Delay Repay back into my account.  SWR are normally quite good about refunds and most happen within 72 hours of submission, but these had been festering for 3 weeks so I'm glad they have been processed, saving me a chase up call. SER on the other hand needs a boot up the posterior as every time they are delayed it delays my entire journey by 1/2 hour as I miss my connection.  I'm sooooooo tired of explaining to them why they owe me for a 1/2 hour delay and not zilch as they have deemed it to be under 15 minutes! - but 6 pounds is 6 pounds and when it is multiple times in a week, that all adds up!

WELLBEING - I've come to the conclusion that my manager can be as grumpy as she wants about my missed deadlines over the past few days - I've been legitimately ill and it does not do to push through illness as there are lasting consequences!  In fact I'm about to take a brain break and do my weekly organizing so that I'm on track for the rest of the week.  Nothing like a good list to keep me going.  Also going to do a 10 minute yoga session as stiffness has set in from the lack of proper activity over the past few days.

GRATITUDE - I'm so very thankful for a job that has paid sick leave, a good health care plan & (mostly) lovely colleagues!  I can recuperate knowing that they will pitch in where possible to cover the odd project that must be done (as opposed to nice to be done).

EssexHebridean

Nice gratitudes on the job front there - there really is a lot to be said for a company that treats you well. And well done you for taking it gently while you are getting back to health - you are absolutely right about not trying to push through!

teapot2

rtandon27 said:

WEALTH
- waited 10 days for the council to get back to me regarding changing council tax from 10 to 12 payments.  Either their online form is not working or someone is not doing their job!  So while waiting for a Teams meeting to start this afternoon, I took the opportunity to call their offices and presto - in a record 30 seconds, the lovely lady at the council had changed my frequency and we'd had a little exchange over the need to manage cash flow.  She said that more and more people are switching to 12 month so looks like it's a trending topic!
- OH had his pension paid today - always gives me a sigh of relief when I see it in his account as it makes the budgeting easier!  I do wish that it was paid in once a month or on a set day each month, as the 4 week cycle does my head in - it's predictable in an unpredictable way iyswim!

Hope you are feeling better today RT.  As you may remember I concur about paying for the CT over 12 months.  I also find the 4 week pension cycle tricky in terms of budgeting.  Officially my SP lands on a Monday but I've realised it arrives in my account around 10.30pm on the Sunday evening so I have been known to log in to my account then just to check 🤨😉.  Combine that with no regular payday as I'm self employed and money can arrive in drips and drabs, sometimes without a remittance advice which at least gives warning of impending arrival, and I'm checking my bank several times a day!!

badmemory

My SP lands on a Friday.  It was much easier to budget when I was paid monthly on the last day.  Money goes in money goes out & that has to last until the end of the month or find it from somewhere else.  That doesn't work now so I now do my own version of my bank statement for a few months in advance.  August/September can be a little interesting at times.  At least it means when I check my bank account (almost daily) then I know to the penny how much should be in there.  I find it easier to check often as it is then easier to find any difference.

rtandon27

@EssexHebridean - completely agree!  There is a lot that is not great about my employer but over all there are more positives than anything else!  Very demanding employment but in all honesty it is an environment that challenges me in positive ways.

@teapot2 - it's been a long slow recovery, but mostly there & thank-you for asking!  I'm with you on checking the accounts - I usually do that once a day, at the very least when I'm expecting activity on the accounts.  That's where no spend days come in handy, as it means nothing shows up for the next 24 hours and saves me a bit of effort.

@badmemory - even though my salary which is the main income is regular, I find the other income sources annoying in that they don't arrive on a set day!  I too know to the penny how much should be in the accounts, and as per my end of year 'money-lender' fiasco, there is not a whole lot of wiggle room when something is delayed!

HEALTH - I've been trying to get back into my healthy eating habits again, focusing on nutritionally dense foods and all those pesky supplements that I often forget if my schedule strays from the norm.  Added benefits are more energy and shedding the odd bit of extra weight.

WEALTH - All looking as it should mid-month - the credit cards have been cleared off, mid-month bills have come out & best bit is that we are mortgage neutral by about 700 pounds!  ...and this is even after paying my painfully high dental bill!  This is a good thing to have a buffer, as we will have a reduced income this month as I've STILL not completed my insurance paperwork!!!

WELLBEING - I've done most of my weekly weekend chores and prep for the week.  We have a meal-plan and even done a bit of meal prep for the week.  I've got a habit tracking chart to update & review a few of the items which are not quite working out the way they should - will be shifting them around, hoping that a bit more focused habit stacking works.

GRATITUDE - Tomorrow is my dear OH's birthday and I'm very thankful that he is such a loving partner and is still around to be such a beautiful part of my life.  Despite his own health challenges for the past 8+ years, he's been unfailingly supportive during a very challenging time for my health and continues to balance out my far too serious approach to life with fun & light-heartedness!