Teetering on the brink

redofromstart

Looks like a great result to me.

I too have the odd crisp and biscuit day when I am tired, the trick is to not let them see you doing it, or they get uppity when you tell them off for doing the same.

Anyway, I dropped in to say thank you, I finally did the Topcashback buy a gift card, get the £2 thing on an essential purchase.  It was only because of you saying about buying one on your phone at the till before you paid, had known about it for ages but I thought it would be too complicated.  £3.50 of immediate cashback on a £50 spend was well worth the minimal effort.

EatingBeans

Well, I have spent literally hours reworking my spreadsheet to accommodate the idea of ‘housing’ some of my ‘pots’ money on my credit card - basically paying the credit card down by specific amounts for each budgeted monthly expense that would later be paid for by credit card. I’ve worked it out and I expect it to save me about £7-15pm every month and now it is set up I should only add about 5mins each month to my admin processes. Not a great return on my time this month, but I think it will end up being worth it. Every little helps right? 

I celebrated by taking the pups down the garden to play and great fun was had in the sunshine. It was just pushing warm enough to be out and thankfully very little wind, so I got to relax and take in the garden a bit too. I even saw some birds! I know, I know, how can I be excited to just see a few birds, but I’ve been stuck inside so long I genuinely cannot remember that last time I stood and watched the birds. It is good for the soul! 

A few hot crossed buns and a catch up on Trump related news later, I decided to take a relax in the bath, (reminding dd2 about her washing up on my way). 😁 

Tell me why relaxing has now come to mean ‘ponder over new ways to bring in more cash/save money’? So instead of, I don’t know, maybe reading a novel under my ever growing bathroom palms, I have instead been thinking about how my ‘spending’ current account just isn’t working hard enough! Given the recent overhaul of my spreadsheet, I am very conscious that this current account is now literally just used for food and general spending money. Essentially anything that *might* require payment via a debt card or need to be withdrawn and paid in cash. I get no interest, no cash back or any other incentives. No overdraft. Currently no direct debits pointing to it either, but I am now eyeing up a (£175 bonus) Switch to a Nationwide account, if I can find a couple to attach to it. In fact, it almost seems wrong not to switch, now I know how simple the process is! 🤣 (I mean, surely EDF would understand if I switch accounts again, right?! 🫣)

I guess there is just a bit of me thinking my credit ‘score’ is currently pants anyway so what’s one more hard search between friends?  I am not expecting any of my current credit cards to look to increase my limits again any time soon, and I have no plans to request any other changes, nor do I need an overdraft as part of the switch, so I am wondering if there is a downside I am missing? First Direct did apparently grant me a £250 overdraft as part of my last switch, so I guess I have in theory just asked for credit twice already in the past two months, but noone has said no yet? 🤷‍♀️ Something to ponder. 

EatingBeans

Morning all 👋
It’s my Birthday today! 

Unfortunately I am pretty tired to enjoy it right now. I didn’t have a great night sleep as my brain couldn’t switch off from thinking about all the things I could do in my garden once I am able to get out there. I have decided no. 1 task has to be build the final arch which is to form part of my tunnel walkway - the weather turned a bit too quickly at the end of last season and I had to prioritise getting plants out of pots and into the ground so a few jobs were left half finished. Next job after building the arch will be to barricade the patch where the dogs were digging and seed it down to grass. The arch backs on to what will be the grass area, hence needing to do that first and to be honest one of the plants that I plant next to the other arches has already spanned the middle section of the tunnel and gone up and right over the top so I best get the final arch in place before it reaches that space!

Sadly, it’s too cold to get out there today to make a start, much to the frustration of little dog. She had such fun yesterday she keeps scrabbling as the gate to play down the end of the garden again. Big dog is less keen but then again he did stupidly eat a stick yesterday which later made him sick. 🤦‍♀️ He’s not known for eating things (unlike little dog), so I am hoping this was just a moment of madness and he’s learnt his lesson. 

Anyway, the garden will sadly have to wait. 

dd1, having worked all day yesterday and getting home past midnight, is also working all day today. She still wanted to be part of my birthday so we agreed to treat Wednesday as my birthday instead. Feels a bit odd as in all my years I’ve never not celebrated my birthday on the actual day, but I really don’t mind. 

So instead of a birthday lie in, I got up and gave dd1 a lift to work. That said, she did ask to stop at Mcds on the way and she bought us both a Mcds breakfast. dd2 also left me a card and chocolate to wake up to, including actual paw prints from both puppies as a Happy Birthday from them too. It was very sweet and not something I was expecting. No idea when she snook them or indeed how she managed to wrangle little dog into cooperating enough to supply a perfect paw print - she is a very fidgety puppy who is in dire need of more exercise atm. Soon pup I promise! 

Now though. I am pretty sure it is nap time. 😴
If you can’t go back for a few extra z’s on your birthday, I don’t know when you can. (In all probability I will lie down, ping awake and start replanning finances or the garden, but the thought is there!) 😁

SuzeQStan

Happy Birthday EB - warmer weather is supposed to be on its way next week so hang in there 😊 garden plans sound exciting - am visualising it with you. Enjoy the snoozing - oh and glad Big dog not done too much a damage to himself eating a stick! There’s lots more yummy things than sticks 🤣😳🤣

in_need_of_direction

Happy birthday in the expectation of another birthday on Wednesday 

BadBookkeeper

Happy birthday 🎂 

dawnybabes

Happy birthday x 

Sun_Addict

Happy birthday 🥳 🎂 Hope you’re enjoying your day. 

themadvix

Happy birthday! 🥳 

bubblycrazy

Happy birthday 🥳