Keeping up appearances.......

HappyNow · 4 January 2012 at 8:49AM

Thanks for the support Bonnington and Hopelessly Hopeful, it does make a difference.

Well my home-made chilli raised a few eyebrows at work yesterday. Firstly, everyone there knows that I rarely cook so people were quite impressed. Then the spicy smell wafted around (we eat at our desks in a large office) which is a love-it/hate-it type thing and it got mixed reviews! On Friday I will tone it down with either sandwiches or home-made lasagne constructed from kitchen scraps.

Working from home today and tomorrow so guaranteed to be NSDs and I will also sneak in a bit more work on my Money Makeover.

PinotGrigio41 · 4 January 2012 at 10:25AM

HappyNow wrote: »

Thanks for the support Bonnington and Hopelessly Hopeful, it does make a difference.

Well my home-made chilli raised a few eyebrows at work yesterday. Firstly, everyone there knows that I rarely cook so people were quite impressed. Then the spicy smell wafted around (we eat at our desks in a large office) which is a love-it/hate-it type thing and it got mixed reviews! On Friday I will tone it down with either sandwiches or home-made lasagne constructed from kitchen scraps.

Working from home today and tomorrow so guaranteed to be NSDs and I will also sneak in a bit more work on my Money Makeover.

Bet your chilli was lovely. We made Chilli Monday night and had the leftovers yesterday and looks like it will be my lunch today as well ! I am working at home today also, so its only the cat who may disapprove ! I am hoping for a NSD today also although I did have to give DD2 some lunch money as when I went to make some sandwiches for her I had two slices of bread and absolutely nothing to put in them !

I know your SOA has been mentioned,I never did post mine. No particular reason really, but I found it quite hard going when we were looking at figures to narrow certain expenditure down. We have now doen a monthly budget with CASHflow who we have done our DMP through so I may post that up when I get around to it !

Have a good day x

cutestkids · 4 January 2012 at 10:45AM

Hi happynow

Don't worry about doing and SOA usually everyone is advised to put one up when they first come to the board I usually advise it myself even though I never done one.

I think it depends on where you are in your situation, if you are sitting with no money at the end of the month and really don't know where it all went, or if numbers arn't your thing and you need a bit of help working it all it then do one.

If like me you know exactly how you got into the mess and what you need to do to get out of the mess and have already started but only just plucked up the courage to do a diary or post on here then to be honest you probably don't need to.

I think that so far you are doing great with your debt busting and for me the best part is the diary to be able to put all your thoughts down.:)

HappyNow · 4 January 2012 at 10:23PM

Well what a silly day!

Supposedly working from home and got a lovely early start, bashing the keyboard by 7:30. Then at 9:30 we had a power cut and it was off until 5:15! High winds had taken down the lines in our area. So no computer, no printer, no charge on my phone - but crucially NO KETTLE! I'm a huge tea drinker and don't function well when deprived. Lukewarm-coffee-from-a-pan-on-the-stove just doesn't cut it. Honestly, if it hadn't been for my pledges on this diary I would have spent the day in a lovely cafe somewhere paying £1.50 each hour for tea privileges. Then when the power finally came on I've had to work four hours to catch up with what I've missed. Grrr.

To end on a positive, I haven't spent absolutely nothing today and probably saved a couple of quid on electric too! And my frantic screechings to Powergrid were all on an 0800 number. Tomorrow will be a better day.....!

HappyNow · 5 January 2012 at 8:50AM

Happy Birthday to me! Not that birthdays are much to celebrate when you're my age (53 today), but you can't stop them so might as well enjoy them.

I hope today isn't as stressful as yesterday. I'm working from home again so I'm still sat in my jammies drinking tea (extra strong to make up for yesterday's shortfall!). I know my daughter has shopped for my pressie on behalf of her dad and brother so I shall see what she has come up with when she wakes. She did ask me what I wanted and I was very prudent and asked for things that I would have to buy myself anyway, such as make-up and new slippers - I LOVE fluffy slippers!

Now, the old spend-easy me would have suggested we all go out for a celebratory birthday meal tonight which would have cost a fortune for the four of us. And even though my hubby would have technically paid the bill, we have joint bank accounts so it's all the same money. I have hatched a plan to avoid this overspend, yet still 'Keep Up Appearances' as per my diary title. I am going to say that I don't fancy venturing out in this awful weather and have a mad craving for a pizza from our FANTASTIC local takeaway, with a bottle of wine (which we have left from Christmas). It will still cost, but only a fraction of what we would normally spend and we will enjoy it just as much. Sorted!

Right, best get on with some work but at lunch-time I will be doing a bit more work on my Money Makeover.

Hopelessly_Hopeful · 5 January 2012 at 9:16AM

:bdaycake:Happy Birthday !

I hope you have a lovely day.

I'd be happy with slipper and pizza. Well done on the plan.

HHx

PinotGrigio41 · 5 January 2012 at 9:49AM

:beer: Morning and HAPPY BIRTHDAY !! I think Pizza and Wine will be just what the doctor ordered for a lovely birthday meal and you could even eat it in your Jim Jams hopefully with new fluffy slippers !!

I am sure you will have a great day , sounds as though anything will be better than yesterday !! xx

poohbear59 · 5 January 2012 at 4:48PM

Happy Birthday, again!!

I have just been reading your posts and actually can't believe how similar we are. We too own two houses now and owe a significant amount and my DH really does not know how much it all adds up to either. He is working very hard to earn money and I am in total charge of spending/paying off debts.

HappyNow · 5 January 2012 at 7:04PM

Thanks for the birthday messages

. All my wishes came true in the form of fluffy slippers, a new nightie, Clinique foundation, some half-price Hotel Chocolat Xmas sweets and a chocolate cake. Genuinely just what I wanted!

My day went a bit downhill when our internet failed (those winds again) so I couldn't work from home as planned and had to go into the office. On the plus side, when I got there a colleague had brought in a huuuge box of chocolates that she'd been given for Christmas and didn't want to eat by herself. Yum.

Called at Tesco on the way home for butter and somehow ended up spending £9. I only bought essentials though, and I did manage to find some of the 1p toilet rolls that I read about on the Grabbit board so I'm going to forgive myself provided it doesn't happen again!

I have a date with a hot pizza and a bottle of red soon so I won't be able to crack on with my Money Makeover today, but I will be back at it tomorrow (hangover permitting) when I intend to focus on my landline costs.

FlacosFloozie · 5 January 2012 at 8:54PM

Happy birthday!
Glad you got prezzies you can use and enjoy the pizza

I'm just off to put mine in the oven... you've got me thinking of digging out a bottle of red as well now....

Keeping up appearances.......

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