The Ultimate Incentive muddles along
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What are bin charges, CMD? Is it just a thing in Ireland? I heard a woman from Wales at baby group talking about nappy bin collections and I had a mild panic despite not even using disposables :rotfl:
Disneyland will be lovely! Are you staying at one of the park hotels? We're hoping to take Oscar in a few years, I say Paris will be easiest but OH wants to go big or go (stay?) home and go to Florida.
A yoga retreat sounds perfect, if you do go let me know how it is because it would be right up my Sister's street. I haven't even thought about holidays next year.. we're having a night in Birmingham in January to see a show :rotfl: If we don't get our finger out that might be it! But we're still saving, so the money isn't there for fun and until Oscar is 2/3 there's probably not much point anyhow.0 -
I love how focused you always are Cinny!Weightloss: 14.5/65lb0
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Ooooh everyone's creeping back! Great to see some chat back on here! :jThanks tootallulah and littlebirdie (is it weird my first thought on seeing your username was- Zach's grown up fast - already on MSE forums?!).
LOL! He's getting big, but not that big yet!
Glad to see you facing up to some things and being more honest Dinah. Good luck with getting your head in the game, maybe going back to reporting your daily spends on here will help, and I think that actually running purchases past us will help. We might be able to talk you out of things, or help find alternatives/offers etc for things you do need?
Glad the kiddies are doing well. And that's the key, they are doing smashingly well so you do have to ease off the 'every day has to be an experience to remember' thing or you may find that they grow up to be... *gasp*...spoilt.
We're so tight with days out, they cost a blinking fortune. We have even taken to packing lunch and bringing it with us sometimes to justify the entrance fees.
Nerd alert: We have been playing Pokemon Go and it's been great as we've spent large chunks of the last godknowshowmany weekends wandering around various places in search of Pokemon, it's given us a reason to get out walking and it's cheap entertainment! :money:
Glad you had a lovely holiday Tete, the photos were fab! Who did you go away with? Sorry you came back to a pile of poop, but onwards and upwards, eh?! I can't believe you're planning your 35th trip away, it's not been that long since NY!!!
I can't believe you're back at work already too Cinny! Where is all the time going?? I hope it's going OK despite the sleep deprivation!
So many more holidays planned! We just have one planned next May and paying it off is kicking us in the balls. We actually have my share save scheme paying out in December which will cover it but we stuck it on the CC (0% obvs) and DH is on a mission to pay it off so the money in December is 'spare' as it were, but it's meant that we've had a super annoyingly rubbishly tight summer. Add expensive car nonsense... urgh, I can't wait until next year so we're not coppering up at the end of the month. We get paid on Thursday and I can't wait!
I know where you're coming from with the 'comfortable' friends too... I've been doing a lot more social stuff with my work mates but considering 2 of the group are my direct manager and her manager, they're both earning considerably more than I do and think nothing of spending £30 on lunch, £100+ on an afternoon drinking cocktails and shopping in flash shops etc... it's tough. I keep trying to suggest cheaper things to do and it's so hard! I just want to shout at them that they know exactly how much I earn and I can't keep up with them! It's tough on a material level too as they're always turning up wearing lovely new things and I'm there in my £3.50 charity shop dress and 3 year old sale boots! :money:
Tete- I love the look of bullet journalling and as much as I'd like to give it a go I know I won't be able to keep it up and I'd just get carried away spending a fortune on a pretty planner and pages and stickers etc... *sigh* I love stationery.Overcome the notion that you must be ordinary. It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary!Goal Weight 140lb Starting Weight: 160lb Current Weight 145lb0 -
Hello everyone,
Glad to see you all back.
Dinah, i CAN't praise counselling enough, I had 6 months of intensive therapy when little Kavics turned 2 and finally I had to face my grief. It helped me enormously.
We have no Holidays booked, need to go back to the uk at one point next year and even though I want a seaside holiday I found it really tough just to be with Little kavics by myself when we went away this summer. It was lovely but bloody hard work, you can't switch off at all. Which is funny as we have been alone for so long now. She is going to be 4 in a month, can you believe it?
Money wise I'm doing well. Just thinking about redoing the flat, creating another bedroom and opening up the sitting room and kitchen. but keep changing my mind, not sure whether i should do it or just leave it as it is. I would need to spend about £10000, I have about half of it. Not sure if I should save up the other half or just go for it. My Mse brain says save, my heart says do it.
No men in our lives. Not sure where I'm going wrong. I don't even date anymore, i just don't have the opportunity to meet anyone.
Days out are expensive here as well, we usually go by the river and just see people go by, thankfully we both enjoy it.0 -
Hi all,
Lovely to see you Dinah and everyone else.
I think putting your spends etc on here is a great idea Dinah. I think when you are telling people it makes you think about it more. Sounds like the job is going well and the private yoga is definitely a better option if you get paid more for less hours. Glad NIM is happy in his job too.
With the days out etc can you get a season ticket or something for somewhere you go most often as it might work out better and gives you somewhere to go without shelling out more.
I turn 30 next week and got some nice things planned including a spa trip away with two good friends so looking forward to that!
Kavics - know what you mean about it being hard to meet men. I looked at online dating but I just think I'm too fussy! I'm happy on my own for now anyway although wouldn't mind just bumping into the perfect bloke!0 -
Tete_en_l'Air wrote: »Hello, nice to see you back petal! Have you ever had/thought about therapy to deal with your handling of Grace's diagnoses/uncertainties? Might help to process them in a way that won't have you reaching for the credit card.
I have thought about it very recently, but it's a cost. I had counselling straight after her diagnosis but that was focused on the immediate issues (Anxiety, depression, GAD, PTSD are the diagnosis I remember, I do remember her saying she could put 8 or 9 on me without having to even think about it, which made me feel utterly useless!) but apparently those 6 sessions max me out for 5 years. Nice to know mental health fits neatly into a little box. My current thinking is I need to become as steadfastly focused on making money as I have been on spending it.... see today's update
Bed sounds ace, wish I were as handy! I've been trying to hang my own blinds and even got a handle on the drill, but couldn't drill deep enough holes for the rawl plugs because it's a window lintel and therefore made of kryptonite or something - halp!
Genuinely, NIM will come around and do it for you if you want, he's laid floors for friends, chased in new light switches and all sorts. He was talking about setting up a handyman sideline a while ago
I just got back from hols yesterday. In the days before I went I was rushing cramming in an interview and a date, everything seemed to be moving in a promising direction. Date was a dud and I got home yesterday to job rejection, London marathon rejection, and a flat tyre
However I am feeling raring to get organised - with money, with decorating, with decluttering, with health, and with trying to sort my life out in general. So will keep posting here if you do 
So glad you've kept the positivity on a terrible day - and you have yourself a deal!
Has anyone tried bullet journalling to keep on track with to do lists?
Yes. My book is very pretty. It added £8 to my debt and I've spent far too long doodling it rather than making money. As a to do list I hated making a mess of the book! BUT as a journal for life goals and things it would be a good idea
Guess I restarted the thread at just the right timeI'd recommend the total money make over one, if you download his app he does daily radio shows that get condensed into 3 hour podcasts. It's free and you get the gist of it. Plus when people are finally debt free they call up to yell about it, it's a bit cheesy and totally American, but it's very motivating! There's a lot of material to read on the website too
Bought the kindle book, should finish my current book tonight so will be reading it from tomorrow night.
Well, I'm back at work!! First thing I did was log onto MSE :A I have sandwiches, hot drinks that I can drink from whenever I like. Very novel. Will be posting as much as I can! We're on the final stretch to our house deposit goal, but with Christmas on the way I want to stay focused and not crack into our savings to fund my stollen habit.clearmydebts wrote: »
We also have 2 holidays booked for next year even though we shouldn't. One to Disneyland Paris as my brother is over visiting from Oz so we are all going and then my BIL is getting married in Spain in Oct 2017. But - we were contemplating a 3rd holiday. Just because! After reading your comeback thread I've shelved that as we need to just get rid of the debt and stop justifying the holidays. So thanks for that xx
Hi to everyone else
So glad to be a positive influence for once! Thing is I have zero justification, I don't even justify it to myself, it's like this panic comes over me when I think about certain things and the only way to ease it is to make a future plan - book tickets for an event, a holiday, even ordering a toy for Christmas.
How has the house buying been gone CMD?
Do the yoga retreat Tete, always incredibly friendly and good for your mindset.
£8 spend today, a yoga class. Usually I block book which is £6 a week, but my usual class is off this week as the high street is devoted to the annual fair so I was a bit of a yoga tourist (part of my training is to try as many styles and teachers as I can, oh the hardship!).I booked it this morning and when I tried to go out this evening Grace clung to me and said 'please mama, don't go!' - I felt like !!!! the whole time I was out to be honest, I seriously considered not going, but I need to make contacts in the yoga world. Speaking of, I think I might have a couple of classes to cover in November/December for a teacher going on holiday, which is £25 per class so that should be nice, experience of a different setting and it's in a gym so you never know if work will come of it.
I've had a good response to toys for the new yoga playgroup, but will probably need to buy some foam mats/play mats for the floor. Possibly some baby bouncers/baby gyms too - but looks like I can pick those up for £2-£3 on ebay if we pick them up and only need a couple of each to start with.
Started up the matched betting again. So far £77.55 made in just over 24 hours - told you I just needed a new focus.
NIM got me into pokemon go too Birdie, never played/watched it when I was young, but I really like the idea of a game you can complete, and it's free and I can't afford WoW at the moment (in both money and time), unfortunately the best spots seem to be big tourist attractions and high streets! But it's getting me to put a loop in on the school run if I have any eggs near to hatching so that has to be a good thing.
4 etsy orders today, which is actually kind of good for the last few weeks, they changed the search function a few weeks ago and we've gone from 5-10 orders a day to 1-3, going mad - it was finally bringing in a decent £10-£20 a day which was nice. Need to spend some time on SEO and getting stock onto Amazon - only have 4 products on there atm but getting a sale every other day so potentially that could be a much bigger market for us.
We pretty much always do a packed lunch when we go out - picnics are one of Grace's favorite things in the world...not so keen over winter though!
Was one of your share shaves maturing soon that you were using to move house Birdie, or did I imagine that?
You've reminded me I have car insurance and MOT at the end of November. Not good! Car insurance is fine as it's usually just over the £200 mark, but the MOT could be a lot. My car is 10 years old now, and in the last 12 months it's cost me over £2200 in repairs. It's only worth around £3000 but it wasn't all at once - if it had been I'd have called time on it and got something else.
Still no response to all my inquiries for hall hire. I may have to actually pick up a phone.Debt January 1st 2018 £96,999.81Met NIM 23/06/2008
Debt September 20th 2022 £2991.68- 96.92% paid off0 -
Do the yoga retreat Tete, always incredibly friendly and good for your mindset.
Enabler. I guess it depends on whether or not I get a job before it fills up. I may well take up NIM on "his" offer or handymanning, but I want to try to do these things myself really - I feel as though men make DIY out to be a lot harder than it actually is - I just need to work out the right tools for the job!
Still no response to all my inquiries for hall hire. I may have to actually pick up a phone.
Haha Why can't everyone just work via email?!
You've done well with MB, it's something I never quite got my head around, but is definitely something for another day for me, I have more pressing matters at the mo.
I started playing Pokemon too when it came out but got bored after I'd caught the two that were in my house Does it not use up all your data? Weightloss: 14.5/65lb0 -
Glad to see you back and raring to go Dinah! Hopefully the yoga contacts pay off and you can get more classes to cover. I'm also another one who advocates counselling - had a bit of a tough time with anxiety and depression recently and managed to get some sessions through work (as it is the main cause of the above). Also in Surrey we have a free online counselling service which I think is a brilliant idea and more CCG's should implement it.
Can't believe you're back at work Cinny! Loving the Oscar photos on IG, he's one cool little baby.
All this holiday talk is making me jealous. We're going back to Disney World next November, but it's still over a year away and we haven't had a holiday since last year for our honeymoon. *side note - can't believe we've been married almost a year* All the spare money has gone on saving for the house so I've just got to suck it up and think of the extra money I'll get in April for not taking all of my leave. Hope you enjoy your spa trip wendz, I better start thinking about what I want to do for my 30th in March.Emergency Fund - £7992.62 / £10,000 :: Total Mortgage OP - £34,692LISA 24/25 - £0 / £4000 :: NSD 2024 - 13 / 180 :: Moving Fund: £838.83 :: Decluttering - 143 / 365Engaged 9th December 2010 :: Married 29th October 2015 :: Bought a House 13th January 20170 -
I forgot - also spent £7.12 for that book yesterday by Dave Ramsey. Today should be free except for I think ballet fees were due last week and NIM took her and didn't have any money with him. So will need to break out a cheque for that.
Hoping some of my winnings make it back to my account today so I can do a few more offers. I gave myself a matched betting pot, and I need to stick to it. Not paying any of it actually off the debt though until it is at least £1000 so I can always take advantage of offers as they come up.Debt January 1st 2018 £96,999.81Met NIM 23/06/2008
Debt September 20th 2022 £2991.68- 96.92% paid off0 -
NIM got me into pokemon go too Birdie, never played/watched it when I was young, but I really like the idea of a game you can complete, and it's free and I can't afford WoW at the moment (in both money and time), unfortunately the best spots seem to be big tourist attractions and high streets! But it's getting me to put a loop in on the school run if I have any eggs near to hatching so that has to be a good thing.
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Was one of your share shaves maturing soon that you were using to move house Birdie, or did I imagine that?
Not really, we've got some more coming out June '18, and then we should be getting a payout every year after that but we're only talking around a few thousand each time, not enough to sort out housing sitch in one fell swoop! Still not sure what to do, every year we think that we'll talk about moving next year, then we just keep pushing it back!Tete_en_l'Air wrote: »I started playing Pokemon too when it came out but got bored after I'd caught the two that were in my house Does it not use up all your data?
I guess it does use a lot of data but I kept going over my allowance at one point and upped by contract to a huge data allowance so I don't need to worry about it... I did mention to DH that the phone companies must be loving it as they must be getting loads of people upping their contracts or going over their allowances!
It has actually encouraged me to walk more, as I'd gotten a bit lazy. Our little city has loads of Pokestops (we're just full of landmarks dontcha know!). DH has been known to walk 7km somewhat accidentally on a morning before going to work!
Kavics, Wendz and Tete, I'm sure that the right men are out there for you! You'll all so beautiful inside and out, it's only a matter of time before you find someone who appreciates that. :kisses3:Overcome the notion that you must be ordinary. It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary!Goal Weight 140lb Starting Weight: 160lb Current Weight 145lb0
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