Progress is...

Cherryfudge

Yes, I use DuoL - I was rather surprised to learn the other day that I've been at it four years now! My Dad spoke some Arabic which he learned while living in Egypt, but I don't think he ever learned to read and write it. It's a beautiful script.

That's a nice sum due to you, it will be fun seeing that appear in your account!

foxgloves

I'm not sure I entirely agree with your colleague there, @rtandon27. I can get angry without much effort at all!
Our water bill increase wound me up much more than that for council tax. At least that pays for public services rather than enriching shareholders at our expense.
F

Humdinger1

Loving the alliteration @rtandon27.  You've set me thinking; can I work 'perfectly preposterous piffle' into a sentence any time soon? How about 'futile feathery fantasies'? Always love your diary Humdinger xx

rtandon27

@Cherryfudge- well I didn't procrastinate overly, and got the claim in, but my refund is still sitting in the system somewhere so I'll have to chase up the 620 tomorrow!  Thanks for the prompt - I've now diarized it!  I'd love to have it before month-end or I'll be paying off the credit card out of pocket - not a great month for that as so many of my own bills are going up in April.

@foxgloves - my patience is long but my fuse is short iyswim, so by the time I loose patience my reaction as usually been brewing for a while and it isn't pretty!  I think the saying is something along the lines of "I don't suffer fools gladly" - and my oh my, there are a lot of them in this world! 
I STILL am not in receipt of my water bill and am going to hang on to my payment until the end of the month.  If their bill does not arrive before the last day of the month, all they are getting is what I paid for the last payment, which will not include the 50% increase.  I'll also be taking a screenshot of the account page the day I pay it, to prove that they have not billed me.  I won't have a late fee slapped on because of their incompetence!
Not feeling terribly upset by our 5% council tax increase & feeling much better about the 12 month payment schedule than I did about the 10 month.  At least that bill is in keeping with what my salary will eventually rise to retroactively in July for this fiscal year.

*waves* to @Humdinger1 - hello hunny - long time no see! - how lovely of you to stop by the virtual kitchen! *hands over a cuppa and a biccie*
OH had a good laugh about your alliteration and suggests that for 'perfectly preposterous piffle' you substitute the name that shall not be spoken in this house 'Trum9' - he is a vilified in our abode as 'Valdam0rt' was in the books!!! 🤣🤣🤣
As for 'futile feathery fantasies' - that one could take on a life of it's own, depending how far in the gutter one's mind is! 😉

So I've been AWOL on my own MF diary as life at work has been a bit rough!  In a similar way to our dear EH, I have my very own Madame at the office and am very affected by her behaviour.  HR is involved & thankfully both senior HR ladies are good friends and very supportive.  TBH some of my current emotions are pure wallowing, but some of them are due to my health condition which has flared up quite badly because of the stress.

A quick little update of the things I should be focusing on...

HEALTH & WELLBEING
* I had the day off today - was meant to spend it gardening, but was too glum to be bothered.  Rested instead as that was what every ounce of my being was crying out for!  I'm currently demolishing the last of a B&J posh tub - it's been at least 15 years since I last drowned my sorrows in ice cream!
* OH has been to see the nurse today & she is slowly sorting him out. I gave her full permission some time ago to bully him into submission as he was never going to listen to me & I honestly don't have the patience for his fussing! (see explanation about short fuse above)

WEALTH
*  Everything ticking along in the background, it will be financially squeaky for the next little while, but basic bills are covered for the next two months, and once this month's pay is in, June should be mostly covered too.  Once OH's pension arrives it will be fully funded.  No wiggle room for irresponsible spending so we will be nesting for the foreseeable future.
*  Half of next month's mortgage overpayment has been scrimped together - some of our discretionary categories we've been quite good about underspending.  Not so sure there is anymore to be scrimped starting next month, but we shall see.  Our grocery/household budget is a bit over, but I have consciously been making efforts to buy more ethical meat and that comes with a price.
* The next installment of my dental bill is due another 1630, but I think it can be paid in two lots.
* Lottery has not been won in any big way this months, OH won just under 6 pounds over the course of the month and I won 9.  We did have fun dreaming when the "you've won" e-mails showed up! My two priorities were trading up to a first class train ticket and going across the pond for medical rehab that is not available in the UK!  OH's priorities are paying off the mortgage and redoing the bathroom and kitchen.  Neither of us seem to be able to tack on those elusive zeros to our wins that would allow me to retire any time soon! - must try harder 😆

GRATITUDES
*Ice cream delivered for free from C0-0P, so I didn't even have to change out of PJs
*A Day off from work, otherwise known as the fifth circle of hell complete with Furies & Medusa!
*A supportive partner who sees my suffering for what it is, lets me work through it my own way and doesn't chide my unhealthy need for bacon, crisps & ice cream!

rtandon27

So this week has been a bit better than the last as Madame has been on leave!  I had a little panic last Friday when I heard that LHR had been shut down, thinking that I'd have to put up with her unexpectedly!  Luckily she caught her flight and went off to places exotic for the week.

HEALTH & WELLBEING
* Sunshine has made all the difference this week!  It's not been warm in our parts but skies have been lovely and blue and many spring flowers are in bloom.  Longer days have also helped bolster my mood!
* I found myself unexpectedly on my feet for several hours on Thursday & ache from head to toe from the effort.  Thankfully I have a sports massage booked on Monday at my chiropractors so should be feeling better for Tuesday, my next day in the office.
* I forgot that my next dental appointment is booked for this upcoming Thursday, so will have to call on Monday to have it shifted as it conflicts with a major meeting on my project.
* OH is still refraining from his wine habit which helps both his health and our budget!  Money not spent on that has been shuffled to the mortgage overpayment, along with most of our date night budget as we've only eaten out once this month!

WEALTH
* Still no major lottery win, the draws netted us a big fat zero.  I did profit 12GBP today on a couple of online scratch and win cards which delivered a nice little dopamine hit, and has also been shuffled to the mortgage overpayment for next month
* A little miffed over my work claim as it is still sitting in the system waiting for an electronic signature from my manager's manager.  Of all the weeks he's decided to be on leave, why pick year end???  So I'll be self-funding the 620 credit card bill next week while waiting for a reimbursement at some point in April.
* Still no sign of a water bill so I'll only be paying the amount I paid at my last 1/2-yearly installment.  I won't chase it with them, they are a bunch of thieving gits, but I don't feel right not paying something even though it's rising an outrageous 50%.
* We also have a TV license bill due, which OH will take care off.  All budgeted for and something that gets used everyday in this household.
* This week lunch savings are to be had - I'm WFH two days, at a potluck on Weds, will take something from home on Thurs & use points for a B00ts meal deal on Tues.  I need to stretch the budget as is is effectively a 5 week month and bills are going up as well.
* I've juggled the budget pots and everything is covered for April & May.  Once I have my pay on Monday, I'll cover all the essentials in June and once OH's pension arrives, we'll budget the rest and figure out April's mortgage overpayment.
* I've been looking at one budget pot in particular and have realized that 'moving fees' will not be needed for at least 2 years.  If recently made plans materialize, we will look to moving at that point either back across the pond or to a bigger house here & my Mom will join us.  Lots of plotting and planning required for this, but for the moment, I think pilfering the pot to shorten the life of my mortgage would be advisable.  In any of our scenarios, paying less interest is advantageous.  I can always shuffle funds back into that pot as they become available.

GRATITUDES
* SUNSHINE!!!
* Two very kind men on my train to work on Thursday who held off the riff-raff to allow me to disembark first without being pushed or shoved!
*  Tears and laughter with two very sweet colleagues, who I've worked with as part of a team for several years.  We are all being shifted around as part of a re-org and will miss each other terribly in our day-to-day activities.

Cheery_Daff

I love your health/wealth/gratitude posts RT!  Sunshine does indeed make a lovely difference to the way life feels sometimes

rtandon27

@Cheery_Daff - Well hello hunny & nice to see you here round the virtual kitchen table.  Though heaven knows why you were not sleeping, gone midnight!  I hope you helped yourself to a cuppa virtual Ovaltine & popped yourself to bed with a real book & no bluelight!!! 

I switched to health/wealth/gratitude themes, as most days I don't feel that progress is being made, and it's easier to focus on the details than the big picture.  Every so often I take a step back and look at how the little things add up and then it hits, I've made progress!

HEALTH & WELLBEING
* I woke up with the larks or in this case the noisy little tweety birds of the dawn chorus.  Load of laundry from last night went outside to dry and then I popped myself back into bed with a book, followed closely by a podcast and then a little nap.  Mornings & I have never been chums, but sleeping in a puddle of sunshine streaming in the window was just glorious.

WEALTH
* We have six pounds in the grocery budget and tbh there is nothing we MUST have in the house - mylk will last until Tuesday, OH can do without ham until then and half of this morning's frittata is in the fridge for tomorrow's breakfast, so eggs can wait until then as well.  We have a freezer full of ingredients and pantry shelves are well stocked so no one is going to starve between today and then!
* OH has paid the annual TV license - we calculated that it has gone up on average 3.47 a year over a nine year period - we also have been nerdy to the extreme and over the next year we will be paying 47p a day.  Given that I listen to Beeb podcasts almost every day and OH watches quite a bit of 'terrestrial' TV, I'd say that is well spent.
* I've paid money to the water company, in advance of the horrific bill I'm expecting, but only to the tune of what was paid last September.  My account now shows that it is in credit, and before and after screenshots have been taken as I just don't trust them in the slightest!

GRATITUDES
* As part of our re-org, our desks at work are being reconfigured, this means I have another wfh day tomorrow with no commuting!  Hooray!
*  The sun has been out all day & the skies have been blue.  Cloths are fluttering in the breeze and are also drying in the summer house which means our small house is laundry free for the first time in months!
*  Meal plan for today has three things out of the freezer - small wins as it is full & we need to focus on using up ingredients!

rtandon27

HEALTH & WELLBEING
* Another difficult week at work means I've struggled to keep to my routines.  Re-org is also affecting my mental health negatively.  Lots of wallowing & very little movement is the result. - enough said.
*Orthodontist yesterday - all going well - a bit more filing/polishing happened, so mouth is slightly sore - 35ish days until my next appointment - so far partial bite has been restored, it's really nice to be able to bite into a sandwich again instead of having to cut up everything!  I've got some nice strong anti-inflamatories to take at night  which seem to be doing their job.

WEALTH
* 47% of our monthly grocery budget has been spent - YIKES - we needed to stock up on paper products (loo roll, kleenex etc,) and a couple of other grocery items we buy monthly, but my oh my have prices risen!  I may have to pilfer both my lunch budget and our date night budget to cover the extra or we will be eating porridge 3 times a day for half of the month!
* OH's pension arrives on Monday - hooray we can finish budgeting for June - I always feel better knowing we are safe for 3 months at a go!
* a little play in the mortgage calculator tells me that after this month's overpayment, I'll have reduced the total term by a year!  Hooray - one less year of working! - It's all baby steps!
* another 800gbp went to the dentist (see above) - all budgeted and saved for
* still no water bill - what are they playing at???
* also no lottery win!  - must try harder 😉

GRATITUDES
*  We have the luxury of being able to juggle budgeting pots!  It was not always thus & we are forever thankful to those who have gone before us and their generosity.
*  we have food in our bellies, a roof over our heads, the sun is in the sky & enough income to pay the bills - we are blessed

teapot2

A year less of working due to overpayments is good news indeed - well done.  

rtandon27

@teapot2 - awww thank-you so much for the cheering on - one year less makes such a difference, if only in my own mind 🤣😉 - I'd love to get it down to 10 years less, but that is a bit of a pipe dream, 5 less might be realistic and would mean the house is paid off prior to retirement!

HEALTH & WELLBEING
* OH & I went for a lovely walk in the sunshine mid-day to return a couple of bits, one to go back to the big river site & another defective item back to the watery-rock store.  I did end up spending twice what I returned on an Easter gift for a dear friend who is coming down from up north to the big smoke the week before Easter.  I'm really looking forward to seeing her, going to the theatre and having a pre-theatre meal!
* We also stopped off in the international variety store in the middle of town and picked up some dim sum bits for me and an enormous bag of the mister's favorite potato crisps.  There are days when comfort eating is work every penny!  (Also obtained the actual item we went for, some white pepper.)

WEALTH
* I ordered two items that have been long outstanding - a new letterbox flap as between 3vri & the big river delivery blokes they have managed to destroy the draught excluder and both the outside and inside flaps. Second item is a catflap 🤣😼 - no we do not have a new pet & no we are not inviting in the fatty who lives next door.  We do however have a hole in our back door that once had a flap, and is currently blocked up with two pieces of wood.  The son of the former owner of our house decided to take the cat flap with him when he moved out!  It beggers belief! So this is one of those niggly things that I decided was an easy repair & saves me from replacing the entire door which is otherwise in perfect condition.  Why I didn't tend to it earlier, I'm not entirely sure!  It's a lockable cat flap and will stay locked until such time as I either get a cat of my own or decide I like fatty from next door enough to let him in!  The blessed thing thinks he lives here & is my alarm clock most mornings when he meows at our open bedroom window!  So how is this related to wealth? - I have a household improvement pot & have decided to use some of it for little things over the course of the next month!  Keeping that good Chi moving is so important & spending wisely is as important as saving!

GRATITUDES
* The sun has been out & we've been out in it!
* Munched on comfort food.
* OH has had an afternoon nap while I have been chatting with two good friends who are having equally lovely days in their respective neck of the woods.
* Overall, a nice way to spend a Sunday.