Autumnal Achieving

Rosa_Damascena

Although I've made some progress on my tasks, there are still plenty outstanding - all involving paperwork! What I have done is shifted it all out of one space and into another, not only is it out of sight but having a clear kitchen is a thing of joy, easy to keep clean and most importantly encourages me to use it for its intended purpose (ie making baked treats). I made progress and have a good handle of what I've got, deadlines etc so switching has been much easier with time to plan ahead.

Ditto I have been able to enjoy my garden a lot more this summer since I have kept on top of it. I am going to make small indents into the borders whilst the ground is soft and gradually make them big enough to transpose from pots this month. This will save me a few hundred quid that I have been quoted.

The task of chasing my pensions up will be made easier because of this new national dashboard, so I feel I can defer this task for another month or two. But I am going to pin my colours to the mast and say I will clear everything not pension-related this month!

I feel tempted to buy a drill - there so many small things that need to be hung, and it always comes in handy for various tasks. It sounds so stupid but I was told that I "wouldn't be able to handle a drill" back in my twenties and have been put off since.

And something for myself - I am going to spend some time learning to hoola hoop. I may not be Grace Jones by the end of the month but after a few minutes of practice for 30 days I will be able to keep it up at least and have the beginnings of a waspish waist to boot.

@amber03 - both apples and pears appeared locally, as of a couple of weeks ago. Although it sets my teeth on edge when I walk past a house with two beautiful apple trees in the front and a lawn covered in windfall. Also, you can never have too many jumpers! I plan to look like Michelin (wo)man before I switch the heating on just for myself this winter.

Reading this thread is giving me the kick up the backside I desperately need!!

greenbee

MOT and service booked. For the day MOT is due, as that’s their first available slot.
Builders have one door on and the other one is being done. First lot of shelves are up, rest should be done today. I need to keep tidying.

Also today book to return wheelchair to Red Cross, and try to do one of the training courses I’m signed up to and some financial admin. But am very tired as Stripey cat didn’t come in last night so I was awake worrying.

PennysIntoPounds

Hope Stripey cat has returned safe and shamefaced @greenbee

greenbee

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82123324#Comment_82123324

She turned up at 5.45am, ate last night's supper, and went off for a 6 hour nap… idiot creature went out after lunch and is now outside in the rain.

Wheelchair is packed up to be collected tomorrow afternoon.

Builders have made good progress, although there is STILL a hole in the plant room ceiling. So that needs to be first on the list on Friday. Also hooks on outside doors (might tell them that the office flooring can't be booked in until they've done those).

I've hoovered up in the utility room (which they'd swept and hoovered, but still seemed to be covered in bits of plaster/latex from taking down the walls and pulling up flooring). Tomorrow's list:

Clean plant room - hoover floor, dust pipes/electrics, wash new shelves, hoover and wash floor, start filling shelves with stuff that actually needs to be in there (portable electric heaters, mower/hedgetrimmer batteries, toolkit etc as well as cat litter and cat loo).

Plant verbena bonariensis dropped off by a friend today

Visit cat-sitting cats morning and evening (remember about alarm!) and feed pm

Chase Mozillion about email address correction.

Call electrician re. utility electrics

Plan utility layout and draw on walls/floor - need to get plumbing and electrics sorted.

Builders will be knocking through into the old office/new loo on Friday, but need to wait for the plumber to move some pipes before we can knock the other door through.

amandajmartin

can i join in please i need to get my but into gear i've had a awful year my Dad was diagnosed with in October nothing they could do that hit me hard watching him go from a strong man to being able to do nothing we lived 190 miles away so was traveling that every weekend then in November Hubs had a heart attack the following day his Dad passed away in July my Dad passed then 3 days Later i Lost my son and i'm ashamed to say i have really neglected my house my Garden everything i know my Dad would be ashamed of me but i'm really struggling so i'm hoping joining this will help me get things sorted x

KintsugiWhippet

@amandajmartin you have had a very challenging and emotionally draining time. It’s so hard to remember to take care of ourselves when life hits us for six. It reads to me, though, as if you focused on what was important. I reckon your Dad would be very proud of you. You can let go and treat yourself gently now.

Having been motivated by everyone here, I will send the accountants my tax return info by Monday. I’m self-employed in a partnership and have no choice but go through this every year. I collect the info on a spreadsheet with receipts etc throughout the tax year. But then I faff around about sending it in by email. It isn’t difficult. I think it’s because I don’t want to know that I owe more tax. Sometimes I get a refund so my overthinking is nowhere near logical. There’s something deep and emotional going on around my personal life procrastination!

C_J

@amandajmartin What a terrible year you have had, that’s a lot to deal with. As KintsugiWhippet says, treat yourself gently. From experience I would suggest setting yourself really easy targets for the time being, maybe one small thing a day (or even a week) to start with, that way you will feel you are achieving something which is good for morale. Otherwise everything can feel very overwhelming and make you feel like a failure. I wish you all the best, this is a wonderfully supportive thread (as is the wider forum) and we’ll be here to cheer you on!

Big day for me today, my son in law is coming over this afternoon to help me dismantle the falling-down shed! I’ve done countless trips to the tip getting rid of broken stuff and rusty rubbish and it is now empty at last. I have a delivery/installation date for the new shed of the end of October so there’s no pressure but I just want it done in plenty of time - wish me luck!

Rosa_Damascena

I got hula-hooping (unsucessful) and digging (more so) yesterday. I reminded myself that the digging is time-constrained because the nights are drawing in, but a little bit every day will give me holes the size I need well before the month is up 😊

PollyWollyDoodle

@amandajmartin I am so sorry for your losses; you have had a hard year, be gentle on yourself. I think @Rosa_Damascena sums it up really well - digging a little bit every day means you can achieve what you need to do over time. We all want instant results but the power of very small changes is sometimes overlooked.
Gradually getting your house back in order might help you to feel a bit better but don’t expect too much of yourself after such a hard year.

@KintsugiWhippet are we related? 😄 I also use a bookkeeper; all I have to do is send them the stuff, I have software which I can use to select the relevant details…. why do I put it off for days? The time I spend fretting about not doing it far exceeds the actual time it takes. I’m determined to be more proactive this autumn.

C_J

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82123982#Comment_82123982

@Rosa_Damascena I bought a fancy weighted hula hoop from a charity shop recently and when I tried it out for the first time, I spun it around my waist with such force (forgetting that it was weighted, and thus it had more oomph) that it threw me to the ground! Luckily I was on the back lawn so it was a soft landing. I haven’t had the courage to try it again yet, but I really ought to.