Prosperous and Creative Soul Year 5

savingholmes

Thanks KK, Lucielle, WD, Jwil, Beanie

Stock markets unhappy again - but thankfully I'm still in the adding to my pension rather than drawdown stage so it may even help longer term.

Another £1.1K went into my extra pension (AVCs).

I've had a load of annual bills though that I didn't budget adequately for - but I'll live. It just makes my progress clearing debt potentially slower. I re-did my budget on paper this week - and it did help me see that my costs were reasonably legit - I'd just failed to budget properly which oddly cheered me up. So I may try and do a monthly review on paper each month as because I have 4 bank accounts I swish £ through - my finances are over-complicated despite using spreadsheets - and it may help me see the wood for the trees better.

Boiler service now done. Anti-virus bought. New 365 package bought. 24 book credit. Plus some other computer peripherals that failed all at the same time. I couldn't get Octo to resolve my energy - so have gone with a 15 month fix with my current provider - so at least I have predictability.

My car key snapped off in the ignition the other day - luckily I have breakdown cover through my bank account - but I need to get a new key sorted.

The gov has also put up company related costs - so I have a £50 charge I wasn't expecting plus some other business expenses. I need to find an accountant and chat through my options. I have to file my first conf statement - saying what I'm trading in - but I'm still in set up mode.

I have finally managed to get the ICT connectivity I wanted - by upgrading further (go live today) - and it made an immediate difference. I'm hoping I can therefore remotivate myself to do work on my business. I became disenchanted previously when it took forever to upload photos and videos - never mind work on them - so hopefully I will get fresh impetus now.

I have 5 working days left to do - and then am off for 2 weeks. My holidays reset in April - I am then planning to use 4 hours a week from my holidays to reduce the amount of time I have to work. That way I'm doing a 'private' trial of whether reducing my hours would make a significant enough difference. That should then get me past my Sept all CCs must be cleared date - and put me on the home run to remortgage in Dec. After that work wise I want to find a way to leave or majorly reduce my hours. I have bought 2 weeks extra holiday - and potentially could add unpaid leave to that if needed.

I made it back to the gym for the pool at the weekend with DD. So my plan is to go back again tonight and aim small and do something at least. I have a bad feeling that because of the key chaos the other day - that my swimming costume and towel may still be in the car. Need to resolve them too.

Merlin's_Beard

I think it's much better to think at the minute that we're all buying cheap with our pensions rather than looking at the actual numbers! Like you say it's not relevant and it will recover.

savingholmes

Thanks Merlin - definitely on the 'buying cheap'. I moved my interest from my cash isa into my S&S ISA and scarily it immediately dropped £200 - but that part has recovered again now - although overall I'm down compared to where I was. While I'm not on my original target for CC clearance - it is heading in the right direction and the gap between my CCs and the value of my savings and investments is growing despite the recent stock market drops.

I've had a week off now and some of the bone deep exhaustion has now lifted. I ended up working part of Monday to make up time - and 20 minutes another day - as at the end of last week my head was like cotton wool. I had no energy to do a handover and some of my tasks were time critical.

I've cleared a load of rubbish from the garden and have been doing more weeding. I have some items to plant. I have lots of pretty flowers currently. - tulips, cyclamen, grape hyacinth, helebores still, the last of narcissi and the beginning of daffodils, some white and purple anenome. Feel blessed. Even my red robin is in flower on one of the bushes. Hopefully the azalea and rhododendron will flower soon too. It looks like I killed off a hydrangea last year due to lack of water but its twin is still alive.

I recently bought some clematis - montana and red currant and black currant bushes, a plum tree and a cherry tree. My garden isn't really big enough but I will try and fit them in somehow even if it is in pots. I also bought a climbing white hydrangea suitable for shade.

I've mostly caught up on laundry and managed to hoover my bedroom. I've booked for a declutterer to come and help me next week - so I hope that makes a different as with VAT and travel costs - 3 hours is due to be around £170. But I think it will be a massive boost to my mental health if I manage to make a visible and hopefully sustained difference.

Seeing family for Easter including DD which should be good. I'm hoping to do some work in the garden today and make art and hopefully do more of my course.

beanielou

Enjoy seeing family. Good idea on the decluttering person to help.

KajiKita

Sympathies on the hydrangea casualty. Last year was a tough year to keep anything like that, which prefers a cool, moist root run, going. I’m surprised I have not lost more! 😳

Well done on the house chores and I’m glad the exhaustion is easing. Hope the declutterer works well with you 😊

KK

WelshmansDaughter

Declutter sounds excellent hope it goes well

savingholmes

Thanks Beanie, KK and WD

Easter went okay. I find socials hard but I ended up going for a drive with one sis and then chatting until late after others had left so it worked out. My mum found a scrapbook of my poems and photos I'd given her a decade or so ago - and it was nice to see. Mum is looking after a sis after a health op for the next few weeks. My mum and I may go on holiday to my fave place in Italy in the summer. I need to find and renew my passport first though. It is money I wouldn't ideally spend - but it could be the opportunity of a lifetime - to spend that time with my Mum in a beautiful, neutral setting. She likes reading and sitting by a pool / beach and reading so hopefully it will work out - and is up for some activity. But that should mean that we also can spend time apart.

I now have an incentive to restart learning Italian.

I have cancelled this week's counselling session and put the money towards decluttering. I am over-spending in general still compared with my budget - but it could be that I am just being unrealistic in my 'budget'. With regards to the extra holiday - I justified it on the basis that it might mean I have to work an extra month but that would be doable. I still have 'net' savings despite my CCs.

I made the joyful discovery the other week that the course I bought last year - I have for life. I'd thought there was a time limit and had been panicking. So I've been able to pick it back up with less pressure.

I am really proud of a bird and flowers painting I finished last week (from the course) - that I started early Feb. It came out beautifully and I have had lots of compliments on it. I also did an optical mixing version of a bear where you don't mix your colours on the pallette - but instead place brush strokes of different colours of the same 'tone and value' next to each other to help create a brown. I liked it best before I tried to improve it the following day - but thankfully took a picture at the earlier stage - so I could still use that if I wanted. I also started a painting of a girl with an octopus - but so far the tentacles look more like snakes - so I need to sharpen that up - but may also add an Octopus head to make it clearer what I'm trying to achieve. The girl's face is coming together though.

I've booked to play mini-golf with a friend later this week which I'm looking forward to. I've also booked for the life drawing group.

Today I have done a tiny bit of cleaning and tidying. I plan to do some work in the garden - and then hopefully some more art and decluttering later. I may even go to the gym. Still struggling with motivation for that. On the decluttering side of things - if this week goes well - I may book another session next Friday - as it is in the next pay month. Hopefully that way I can get some momentum.

lucielle

Hope you make lots of progress with the decluttering! Also a potential holibobs to look forward to, exciting

L

WelshmansDaughter

A holiday with your mum sounds like a great idea

TallGirl

Lovely to have you back sounds like you are making some great progress. Fab the course is lifetime it is horrible when you have a deadline and it should be something you enjoy but feel like stress and you are forced to do it when you do not want to. Take care