Get a grip woman!

So much for posting more regularly. I have a tooth abscess at the moment. A root canal repair has failed and there is nothing else for it but painkillers and antibiotics. It's too sore to even remove. I have been referred to a root canal repair specialist (oh my, who knew?!). My appointment isn't until 24th August and that will be £75 please Madam. Just to look and discuss. It may still need to be removed if he can't repair it (a repair is likely to be iro £500). This comes as quite a shock as I have always been with my lovely NHS dentist but we both agree that saving the tooth is better in the long-term than removing it. Except for my wallet.

Hmm. Just checked both our Barclaycard accounts. Mine (which has the balance transfer deal) says the deal runs until 1st October (as it always has) but now it has an "event" that says that the interest free period runs out on the first of September. I have sent them a secure message asking them to clarify what the first date is that will attract interest. It feels like they have taken back an interest-free month from the deal.

I've just had a bit of a read around the debt diaries of other people I subscribe to and there is a general malaise of summer mood - progress too slow, income too low, emergency pressures, and everyone is so active, generating other bits of income.

I think I need to be more positive.

My house hasn't had any viewings for three weeks after the initial flurry of three. Maybe we are destined to stay here and not move. We do love it here and since the For Sale board was put up, five people have said how sad they will be to see us leave. Nobody says how much they like or appreciate you until you are on the verge of leaving and suddenly they tell you. I suddenly feel valued rather than taken for granted.

I haven't lost any weight this month but I did eat loads of chocolate at my Mum's house while up with her for a week and the good thing is, I didn't put any on either and now I seem to have reduced by 2 sizes (I have lots of clothes in the smaller size!).

My declutter seems to have ground to a standstill but that is because I am out in the garden, weeding, watering and harvesting. We have enough of our own veg now to not buy any.

We have loads of homegrown potatoes in the fridge outside and onions drying (enough for the winter) - I must make pickled onions this weekend. I will need to finish weeding the onion bed but then I have a water melon and galia melon in pots that could go there, or we could plant more carrots, spinach and peas for August.

Money, as discussed, the £2,476 credit card bill needs to be cleared by the end of August, not September. I have the July payment and August payment going automatically but the remaining £2,076 will be a raid on the emergency pot - I did decide to go above the planned emergency fund ceiling so there is currently £1,400+ in there. I think I am about £350 short of where I wanted to be but I can lend this back to myself.

Our Son's housemate has left without telling us. He has paid until the middle of August plus a month's deposit so it could be worse. If he does not tell us he won't get his deposit back. This leaves us with approximately a £200 shortfall per month. If necessary I will pay this instead of the balance transfer credit card payments I have been paying so I know it is manageable. It does mean my mortgage won't be hitting my pay-down target though.

That has really helped me to unpack that lot. Just my "elephant in the room issues" to think through now - two big things I don't want to talk about yet