A cheque for my tax refund, and it's an amount which made me sing 😀 I actually got proper excited. And of course I added it to my spreadsheet and recalculated what I can afford to spend on a flat and then realised hey, it doesn't make an enormous difference, because there are still currently 0 flats I can actually afford to buy.
However, a really good indicator is that the market has leapt to life. Lockdown officially lifted today (even though we're meant to not travel if we can help it yarda) and this week, properties have been listed left, right and centre. Most are not within cooee of my price range, but MANY of the ones already listed are being reduced. I am waiting for one cheapy in particular to be dropped so that I can offer 85% of the asking price with my fingers crossed. It does risk offending the seller, but considering there's nothing else for me to offer on, I'm no worse off if they say no.
Meanwhile work is not very busy so I can't stash away much more each month. Sigh. It's hard to save when you already live so frugally.
Spendy McSpenderson: three cases of coke cans so that I could qualify for a £2 discount - I'm not an addict much... but I must admit I enjoy this as my one daily treat.
We won't mention the stash of chocolate digestives.
Spendy #2: Bought myself some inexpensive silver rings. I used to wear them years ago and left them all Down Under when I moved, and I miss them. I am being incredibly tightarsed and baulk at spending more than a few pounds, meaning that so far I've only found three suitable ones - I am still hunting for another six.
Saturday, 4 July 2020
Thursday, 2 July 2020
The Story of June
Testable Minds £5.48
Shoppix £5.00
PA £29.19
CheckoutSmart £15.00 (Tesco Voucher)
SnapMyEats £20.00 (Tesco Vouchers)
Not a terrible total. Not an amazing one, but hey, it's all free money.
A three-figure tax refund appeared unannounced in my bank account. It's good, but I still don't know whether any more is coming?
Shoppix £5.00
PA £29.19
CheckoutSmart £15.00 (Tesco Voucher)
SnapMyEats £20.00 (Tesco Vouchers)
Not a terrible total. Not an amazing one, but hey, it's all free money.
A three-figure tax refund appeared unannounced in my bank account. It's good, but I still don't know whether any more is coming?
Tuesday, 30 June 2020
There's a Flat
...for sale, in a building I've seen before, which needs a very expensive new roof, and which has a terrible EPC rating (= absolutely freezing in winter with poor insulation and expensive to heat) and it needs new carpet and it's only a studio and it's overpriced and it's not in the ideal location
...and I'm annoyed because I still want it.
Why on earth am I planning where my furniture will go, in a flat that isn't the one I should be buying? I think I've got FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) because I'm behaving as if no other apartment will ever come up for sale at a good price.
Also, I'm owed some money for overpayment of tax... maybe. I got three letters with refund amounts which all contradict one another and the online system is both incorrect and lacking functionality to withdraw refunds... the help desk says yes, I'm owed a refund. But as to how much, I guess I'll have to wait and see.
Yay: Work bought me new steel-capped boots 😀😀😀 Really chuffed about this because my other ones were virtually dead.
Eh: Work has extended my contract again... for two weeks. Uh, ok. I'm told I'll "still be ok" after that, whatever that means. My organisation has a hiring freeze right now preventing me having any kind of permanent contract (so even though two permanent staffers have left, I can't have one of their contracts). Still, I'm getting quite a few shifts at our sister stores, so I'm not panicking atm.
Postscript: went to see the earlier-mentioned flat. It needed less work than expected, but also will need more insulation than expected (£££) and on a very "positive" note, it's already had offers in well above the asking price, which means it's well out of my price range and so I will be forced to behave myself.
...and I'm annoyed because I still want it.
Why on earth am I planning where my furniture will go, in a flat that isn't the one I should be buying? I think I've got FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) because I'm behaving as if no other apartment will ever come up for sale at a good price.
Also, I'm owed some money for overpayment of tax... maybe. I got three letters with refund amounts which all contradict one another and the online system is both incorrect and lacking functionality to withdraw refunds... the help desk says yes, I'm owed a refund. But as to how much, I guess I'll have to wait and see.
Yay: Work bought me new steel-capped boots 😀😀😀 Really chuffed about this because my other ones were virtually dead.
Eh: Work has extended my contract again... for two weeks. Uh, ok. I'm told I'll "still be ok" after that, whatever that means. My organisation has a hiring freeze right now preventing me having any kind of permanent contract (so even though two permanent staffers have left, I can't have one of their contracts). Still, I'm getting quite a few shifts at our sister stores, so I'm not panicking atm.
Postscript: went to see the earlier-mentioned flat. It needed less work than expected, but also will need more insulation than expected (£££) and on a very "positive" note, it's already had offers in well above the asking price, which means it's well out of my price range and so I will be forced to behave myself.
Tuesday, 23 June 2020
I Did It, Sigh
I quit my hotel job. I know it was the right decision, but I still feel deflated, and I feel as if I'm letting them down - even though it was a business arrangement and not a personal one.
Sigh. Oh well. I will have to hope the supermarket gives me extra shifts. I'm confident I can afford to live, but I'm less confident of being able to add to my "home stash". As it stands if I found a place to buy tomorrow, the interest & repayments would be eye-watering. So every penny I don't spend (or every penny extra that I save) will reduce the amount of the ongoing repayments.
Other news: when is a "100% Guaranteed Accepted" loan offer not actually guaranteed? When I apply for it, obviously. I was hoping to add to my budget but I was turned down without even a credit check. Great! It seems like there's something in my bank statement they didn't like, and they won't tell me what it even is. Nice.
Sigh. Oh well. I will have to hope the supermarket gives me extra shifts. I'm confident I can afford to live, but I'm less confident of being able to add to my "home stash". As it stands if I found a place to buy tomorrow, the interest & repayments would be eye-watering. So every penny I don't spend (or every penny extra that I save) will reduce the amount of the ongoing repayments.
Other news: when is a "100% Guaranteed Accepted" loan offer not actually guaranteed? When I apply for it, obviously. I was hoping to add to my budget but I was turned down without even a credit check. Great! It seems like there's something in my bank statement they didn't like, and they won't tell me what it even is. Nice.
Thursday, 11 June 2020
The Crash, aka Coronavirus #20
So I have three days off work - three whole days to be at home and do absolutely anything I like, or even nothing at all. It should be bloomin' marvellous since I haven't even had two days off together since January. Unfortunately, the overtime budget at work has overrun and extra work has come to a screaming halt. Bang, down from 35 hours per week to my contracted 9.25, and I might not even get my "always promised" extra few hours every Monday.
I just have to keep hoping for random overtime shifts to come up, and that they offer a permanent contract to me at some point. Even a tiny permanent contract will be an improvement in terms of mortgage eligibility.
It all throws a spanner into the works in terms of my second job, which I was considering giving leave on. I might be stuck there a while just to keep myself fed and clothed. I'm not pleased about it. They plan for us to return to work in two weeks' time. We shall see.
Also *angry face* I missed a payment on my credit card. I actually set up a direct debit five weeks ago and somehow apparently missed some kind of text on the screen saying that it would not commence for another seven weeks. Annoyed is not the word. I got a £12 late payment fee, 78p in interest (on a balance of six quid for dog's sake) but the part I'm most angry about is that it might score me a "late payment" marker on my credit history. The payment was missed ten days ago and I paid it in full today as soon as I realised it had been missed. So far none of the credit scoring sites shows it as a late payment - touch wood the bank won't report it. The poor chap on the phone was stuck with me moaning about it and was very kind about it but he can't do a thing about the marker, if/when it goes on. I did once miss a payment for a similar dumb reason with another bank and it never went onto my records, so I just have to hope...
J and I went into the local discount supermarket (read: a competitor) because I'd seen they had a special on Coke and I was curious as to the sorts of other things they sold anyway. I'm ashamed to say that I fell in love with the place and bought home £20 worth of food, even J bought £10 worth. They have a much better and cheaper range of ready meals and staples. We work in a supermarket and still agreed we're coming back to do most of our shopping in future. We are officially traitors now.
Free food: everything.
I just have to keep hoping for random overtime shifts to come up, and that they offer a permanent contract to me at some point. Even a tiny permanent contract will be an improvement in terms of mortgage eligibility.
It all throws a spanner into the works in terms of my second job, which I was considering giving leave on. I might be stuck there a while just to keep myself fed and clothed. I'm not pleased about it. They plan for us to return to work in two weeks' time. We shall see.
Also *angry face* I missed a payment on my credit card. I actually set up a direct debit five weeks ago and somehow apparently missed some kind of text on the screen saying that it would not commence for another seven weeks. Annoyed is not the word. I got a £12 late payment fee, 78p in interest (on a balance of six quid for dog's sake) but the part I'm most angry about is that it might score me a "late payment" marker on my credit history. The payment was missed ten days ago and I paid it in full today as soon as I realised it had been missed. So far none of the credit scoring sites shows it as a late payment - touch wood the bank won't report it. The poor chap on the phone was stuck with me moaning about it and was very kind about it but he can't do a thing about the marker, if/when it goes on. I did once miss a payment for a similar dumb reason with another bank and it never went onto my records, so I just have to hope...
J and I went into the local discount supermarket (read: a competitor) because I'd seen they had a special on Coke and I was curious as to the sorts of other things they sold anyway. I'm ashamed to say that I fell in love with the place and bought home £20 worth of food, even J bought £10 worth. They have a much better and cheaper range of ready meals and staples. We work in a supermarket and still agreed we're coming back to do most of our shopping in future. We are officially traitors now.
Free food: everything.
Thursday, 4 June 2020
Buy-Nothing Groundhog Day
I am admittedly bemused by an article appearing in the Guardian today, in which the author Patrick Collinson appears surprised that the Coronavirus epidemic has created a constellation of "Buy Nothing Days".
It's now newsworthy to not spend money for several days in a row.
Pardon me while I dissolve into an absolutely non-Covid-related coughing fit.
Buy Nothing Day is an annually recognised protest against rampant consumerism, in which the public, for just one day each year, is encouraged not to spend any money. No takeaway lunch, no movie theatre, no click & collect, no grocery shop, no new clothes. Such is our addiction to spending that we need a Day to wake us up and to actively choose not to spend any money. Just for one day a year. Because not-spending for just one day each year is presumed to have a palpable impact on the world's economy, or on your bank account, or on, uh, something. Most likely the only tangible impact will be in the number of social media posts or in the level of feelgood hippie vibes.
To be fair, it's a well-written article and he examines the new distribution of spending. Those with less are still spending, because all they could afford before were necessities, and even in a pandemic, you have to buy your necessities. And those with more are pocketing more savings because they're no longer grabbing their non-essentials. Surprise, what we see is the rich get richer and the poor continue to be largely ignored. Coupled with the fact that those with the property assets are still collecting the dough - but that's a whole 'nother article.
Now I digress. My original, lost and belaboured point, is that it should be normal not to spend on most days. It isn't all that difficult to arrange your lunch before you leave the house. I mean, you accept all the other things you need to do (like getting dressed) and you don't see people moaning that they didn't have time to change out of their pyjamas.
Takeaway lunches aside, we as a planet do far too little of considering our purchases. Simply put, we buy that thing because we can. We don't stop to consider whether it's a worthwhile spend, or sometimes, if it's even necessary. I am just as guilty at times. I went into Poundland (bad me) and blinked and had spent £21. I accept that several items were necessary, but a whole lot of "I want" also went into that basket. I could excuse it by reminding myself that I can't buy clothing second-hand right now, but I also wasn't prepared to wait a few weeks to grab myself a couple of summer shirts.
People talk about making sacrifices, but you know what's far less painful? Nurturing a non-spending habit. In a world where clawing your way out of the land of the have-nots is hard enough, who really wants to abandon the best chance we have by spending our limited cash on crap? It merely entraps us at the bottom of the food chain. And it's not a place that I want to end my days.
It's now newsworthy to not spend money for several days in a row.
Pardon me while I dissolve into an absolutely non-Covid-related coughing fit.
Buy Nothing Day is an annually recognised protest against rampant consumerism, in which the public, for just one day each year, is encouraged not to spend any money. No takeaway lunch, no movie theatre, no click & collect, no grocery shop, no new clothes. Such is our addiction to spending that we need a Day to wake us up and to actively choose not to spend any money. Just for one day a year. Because not-spending for just one day each year is presumed to have a palpable impact on the world's economy, or on your bank account, or on, uh, something. Most likely the only tangible impact will be in the number of social media posts or in the level of feelgood hippie vibes.
To be fair, it's a well-written article and he examines the new distribution of spending. Those with less are still spending, because all they could afford before were necessities, and even in a pandemic, you have to buy your necessities. And those with more are pocketing more savings because they're no longer grabbing their non-essentials. Surprise, what we see is the rich get richer and the poor continue to be largely ignored. Coupled with the fact that those with the property assets are still collecting the dough - but that's a whole 'nother article.
Now I digress. My original, lost and belaboured point, is that it should be normal not to spend on most days. It isn't all that difficult to arrange your lunch before you leave the house. I mean, you accept all the other things you need to do (like getting dressed) and you don't see people moaning that they didn't have time to change out of their pyjamas.
Takeaway lunches aside, we as a planet do far too little of considering our purchases. Simply put, we buy that thing because we can. We don't stop to consider whether it's a worthwhile spend, or sometimes, if it's even necessary. I am just as guilty at times. I went into Poundland (bad me) and blinked and had spent £21. I accept that several items were necessary, but a whole lot of "I want" also went into that basket. I could excuse it by reminding myself that I can't buy clothing second-hand right now, but I also wasn't prepared to wait a few weeks to grab myself a couple of summer shirts.
People talk about making sacrifices, but you know what's far less painful? Nurturing a non-spending habit. In a world where clawing your way out of the land of the have-nots is hard enough, who really wants to abandon the best chance we have by spending our limited cash on crap? It merely entraps us at the bottom of the food chain. And it's not a place that I want to end my days.
Tuesday, 2 June 2020
May Roundup
Another month over and the world is still turning. Here are the extras, because all I seem to do is work...
Testable Minds £9.52
PA £30.44
About £150 of free food. Maybe more. Who knows? Just... a lot.
Absolutely glorious sunshine going on today and I'm considering going down to the beach :)
Testable Minds £9.52
PA £30.44
About £150 of free food. Maybe more. Who knows? Just... a lot.
Absolutely glorious sunshine going on today and I'm considering going down to the beach :)
Thursday, 28 May 2020
Somebody Bought It (Corona #19)
The flat I wanted to see, that is. They called me 30 minutes before the viewing to say that they expected the other party's offer would be accepted. On the one hand I think it's silly not to show me the flat, for all they know I might have offered the full price... but on the other hand, it wasn't the flat for me and it saved everyone wasting their time.
The "both of us having a day off" didn't happen either as J was called into work. Quelle surprise. This week, though, I took myself off to the beach for an hour. It was bliss. I almost couldn't be bothered, but eventually made myself, and I'm so glad I got myself out of the house. It's easy to forget how important it is to recharge the batteries and reset your outlook now and then.
Tonight the lockdown has been eased and people will be allowed to meet in groups of six, providing they stay 2m apart at all times. People have been ignoring it for several weeks anyway so this will just grant a green light for people to do anything they want... I mean, you don't buy a dozen burger patties and £100 of alcohol when there's only your own family hanging out in the backyard, everyone knows what you're up to (yes, that was a purchase made this week).
Among my freebies lately were a dented trifle, three bags of mini cheeses, some fancy soups, flatbreads, mac & cheese, chocolate muffins, fabric softener and tons of bread as always. I've given up adding it up, suffice to say I rarely need spend more than £30 on my monthly groceries and I eat like a king. J, on the other hand, is living off meal deals and spending an absolute fortune, and we're going to have to have that showdown after payday this week because he could & should be saving up the pennies for an unemployed future.
The "both of us having a day off" didn't happen either as J was called into work. Quelle surprise. This week, though, I took myself off to the beach for an hour. It was bliss. I almost couldn't be bothered, but eventually made myself, and I'm so glad I got myself out of the house. It's easy to forget how important it is to recharge the batteries and reset your outlook now and then.
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| Pictured: how deep I went into the water. (Not very.) |
Tonight the lockdown has been eased and people will be allowed to meet in groups of six, providing they stay 2m apart at all times. People have been ignoring it for several weeks anyway so this will just grant a green light for people to do anything they want... I mean, you don't buy a dozen burger patties and £100 of alcohol when there's only your own family hanging out in the backyard, everyone knows what you're up to (yes, that was a purchase made this week).
Among my freebies lately were a dented trifle, three bags of mini cheeses, some fancy soups, flatbreads, mac & cheese, chocolate muffins, fabric softener and tons of bread as always. I've given up adding it up, suffice to say I rarely need spend more than £30 on my monthly groceries and I eat like a king. J, on the other hand, is living off meal deals and spending an absolute fortune, and we're going to have to have that showdown after payday this week because he could & should be saving up the pennies for an unemployed future.
Tuesday, 19 May 2020
New Blog Address
Well, if you found your way here then I guess you know!
I had some issues with privacy, so I have moved the blog to a new address.
There will be a bunch of broken links for quite a while, which will take me some time to correct. I can only aplogise in the meantime.
Otherwise, life is the same, I've been chatting to friends online and working (not much more to be done really). Hoping to go to see a lovely local park with J tomorrow since we're both (gasp!) off work on the same day. If we manage to go then a report will follow!
I had some issues with privacy, so I have moved the blog to a new address.
There will be a bunch of broken links for quite a while, which will take me some time to correct. I can only aplogise in the meantime.
Otherwise, life is the same, I've been chatting to friends online and working (not much more to be done really). Hoping to go to see a lovely local park with J tomorrow since we're both (gasp!) off work on the same day. If we manage to go then a report will follow!
Monday, 18 May 2020
#18 Coronavirus: Refrigerator Tetris
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| It looks like this outside. A lot. |
Yet again I've turned down working seven days this week. Six is enough, thank you. Seven is fine for a while, but you eventually deplete your stored-up mojo, let alone your basket of fucks, and mine have long since run out. This week I am supergluing my fingers, and it is not even an accident, I am literally gluing the cracks closed to give my poor over-hand-gel'd and over-washed skin a chance to heal. A customer took me to task yesterday for wearing gloves and I peeled one back to show her the red-raw skin, at which point she thankfully decided to stfu. I have never wanted to punch a stranger in my life but at that point I kinda understood why some people feel that way 👊
I caved in and ordered a bigger wetsuit. Even this one won't fit. I blame this on my ability to put away copious amounts of free brioche and crisps, and my disinclination towards protein+vegetables as a main meal. I am tired. I work a lot, sure, but it is very likely tied in with all the carbs and the lack of exercise.
Related to the whole "no room in my freezer" thing, I cooked half a kilo of brussels sprouts this evening, and have eaten seven of them. They tasted like soap. For the moment I'm drinking cranberry, peach spritz and rum, which also counts as a serving of my five a day.
Properties are creeping onto the market - slowly. I am yet to see any super-bargains appear. I'm off to view a property on Friday. The guide price is unrealistic, but I'm going anyway, clad in gloves and mask. It's 55k and needs completely gutting, so realistically 70k all-in, and listings for these 1br properties are only 85k right now - which is not enough of a safe space considering the market is very likely to fall. I think it's more curiosity than anything else, I really want to see who's dumb enough to take that risk. The news believes that three-quarters of Brits are worse off as a result of Coronavirus, so a lotta first-time-buyers and investors won't be in a position to pay what they might have wanted to spend, so it would be a brave punter willing to bet that the market won't crash.
Thursday, 7 May 2020
Staying Home, Corona #17
So yesterday I started noticing that my throat felt a bit odd, and I was getting shooting pains in my ear, followed by a swollen gland. Not my favourite combination. Anyway, I stayed off work today just in case, but they've all disappeared. I can only conclude that my salivary gland was playing up but decided to unblock again (as it has done for 15 years - this is not new).
Anyway, it's actually my day off tomorrow, meaning two days off together, which hasn't happened in months on end. If I'm honest with myself I needed it, I am exhausted, and my patience with customers is wearing to the point I struggle to be my usual cheery self. One, whom I had had the audacity to politely invite to use the self-scan till, even ranted at me that if this is how customers are treated, then he would leave - to which I replied, "Ok, bye." And I have to say it was very restrained of me, but also not the most polite reply I could have given. Even though customers around us rallied to take my side, telling him that he was behaving like a child, in a perfect world (and in a less stressful time) I'd have tried to calm him down and keep him as a customer. But on Tuesday, 5th May 2020, I didn't give a shit if he buggered off forever.
Still no word on whether work will keep me beyond July, but at least for now I still have plenty of work. It's thought that Boris Johnson will lift the lockdown on Monday (or at least loosen it) and I although I think it's too soon, I also hope like hell that he does. It was warm and fine today and all I wanted to do was be out on the water. I'm also champing at the bit to buy a property and until people regain confidence in the safety of moving house, sellers aren't listing their properties.
I'd also love to get back to the gym. The sheer amount of eating that I do is insane. And I'm bored, and tired of doing nothing but work and sit at home. My wetsuit is going to forever stay a size A for Aspirational. Waaaaah, etc :D
Today's soundtrack: Sweet Disposition, The Temper Trap. No reason, I just like it.
I got two bunches of flowers free from work - a sad hunk of tulips which amazingly rallied, and a miserable bunch of roses and lillies (the roses didn't do great but the lillies are just starting to open). Cheery. :)
Pay Day Spend: £40 on fuel (whole tank - last filled on pay day week - so now I know how much fuel I use each week). Also £23 in Poundland that I'm disgusted at, which only contained a few necessities.
Anyway, it's actually my day off tomorrow, meaning two days off together, which hasn't happened in months on end. If I'm honest with myself I needed it, I am exhausted, and my patience with customers is wearing to the point I struggle to be my usual cheery self. One, whom I had had the audacity to politely invite to use the self-scan till, even ranted at me that if this is how customers are treated, then he would leave - to which I replied, "Ok, bye." And I have to say it was very restrained of me, but also not the most polite reply I could have given. Even though customers around us rallied to take my side, telling him that he was behaving like a child, in a perfect world (and in a less stressful time) I'd have tried to calm him down and keep him as a customer. But on Tuesday, 5th May 2020, I didn't give a shit if he buggered off forever.
Still no word on whether work will keep me beyond July, but at least for now I still have plenty of work. It's thought that Boris Johnson will lift the lockdown on Monday (or at least loosen it) and I although I think it's too soon, I also hope like hell that he does. It was warm and fine today and all I wanted to do was be out on the water. I'm also champing at the bit to buy a property and until people regain confidence in the safety of moving house, sellers aren't listing their properties.
I'd also love to get back to the gym. The sheer amount of eating that I do is insane. And I'm bored, and tired of doing nothing but work and sit at home. My wetsuit is going to forever stay a size A for Aspirational. Waaaaah, etc :D
Today's soundtrack: Sweet Disposition, The Temper Trap. No reason, I just like it.
I got two bunches of flowers free from work - a sad hunk of tulips which amazingly rallied, and a miserable bunch of roses and lillies (the roses didn't do great but the lillies are just starting to open). Cheery. :)
Pay Day Spend: £40 on fuel (whole tank - last filled on pay day week - so now I know how much fuel I use each week). Also £23 in Poundland that I'm disgusted at, which only contained a few necessities.
Friday, 1 May 2020
The April Roundup
Well, I've barely had any time for myself and it shows! I think I only had two days off work this month so very little in surveys and a big fat zero in competition entries.
Free food, yellow stickers and staff discount - about £150.00, plus around £50 worth given to my neighbours
Prolific Academic £19.19
Qmee £1.90
Book Royalties £0.53
Quidco £1.29 (as Tesco voucher)
It's pay day today and I had a moment of thinking that I should go to the Big Shop to do my stock up while I have the 15% discount, and then I looked in my cupboard and No Way Am I Going Shopping. The cupboard is still full to the brim, the fridge and freezer are both full (as always) and I have stacks of food around my kitchen, bags of crisps, and Easter chocolate still sitting about.
J is coming for dinner so I will no doubt get my arse handed to me in whatever game we decide to play.
Free food, yellow stickers and staff discount - about £150.00, plus around £50 worth given to my neighbours
Prolific Academic £19.19
Qmee £1.90
Book Royalties £0.53
Quidco £1.29 (as Tesco voucher)
It's pay day today and I had a moment of thinking that I should go to the Big Shop to do my stock up while I have the 15% discount, and then I looked in my cupboard and No Way Am I Going Shopping. The cupboard is still full to the brim, the fridge and freezer are both full (as always) and I have stacks of food around my kitchen, bags of crisps, and Easter chocolate still sitting about.
J is coming for dinner so I will no doubt get my arse handed to me in whatever game we decide to play.
Tuesday, 28 April 2020
#16 The Coronavirus Saga
I'm losing track of all the free food because it is so constant. I left bread loaves, tiger loaves, baguettes, croissants, apples and limes downstairs for all my neighbours. I brought home mangoes, strawberries and a rump steak! I wasn't sure it would work without a frypan but I broiled it and it was absolutely amazing. I haven't had steak in years and it was such a lovely treat.
Almost by accident I have finally managed to get J a mini fridge. It's almost new and was really cheap, the lady selling it had coronavirus two weeks ago, so I collected from the kerb. She cleaned it with anti-bac and J is cleaning it again with bleach spray (I had sanitiser gel up to my armpits before and after loading it into the car!). He's over the moon at being able to store the milk for his coffee and to eat food that hasn't come out of tins or been bought the same day.
Nothing else of note except that I work non-stop and look out on a flat, empty sea every day, wishing I could be out there in the glorious weather, paddleboarding.
Almost by accident I have finally managed to get J a mini fridge. It's almost new and was really cheap, the lady selling it had coronavirus two weeks ago, so I collected from the kerb. She cleaned it with anti-bac and J is cleaning it again with bleach spray (I had sanitiser gel up to my armpits before and after loading it into the car!). He's over the moon at being able to store the milk for his coffee and to eat food that hasn't come out of tins or been bought the same day.
Nothing else of note except that I work non-stop and look out on a flat, empty sea every day, wishing I could be out there in the glorious weather, paddleboarding.
Monday, 20 April 2020
Good Mood. Corona #15
The "deniers" are out in force at work now. Also the liars (yes I put hand gel on when I came in, yes I read the screen which said 'card only' before I hammered the button to continue). Duh.
My new board game, Hive, is brilliant and another firm favourite to play against J. He will no doubt become much better at it than I will as he had the tactics in play almost immediately.
It's almost Stocktake Time at work and we've begun a deep reorganisation of the entire shop, unearthing about 50 packets of crisps which are all past their "best before" date. J asked to take them home and was told yes - we now each have a stash, and he really made me proud when he chimed "free meal deals!" as he bagged them all up. He had realised that he could fake those £3 meal deals for 30p when he goes to work, by having a free coffee, making toast, and just buying crisps or chocolate in a multipack. And now his lunches will be free for the next month.
Free crisps and bagels: £9.80
Yellow stickers, multi deals, discounts: £7.66
Wednesday, 15 April 2020
Coronavirus #14: The Big Blah
Feeling pretty blah. I was fairly confident that work would keep me, so I kept asking about that contract... but wish granted, they gave me a new one and it's only for a whopping 6 extra days, meaning it looks like I'll be unemployed in a weeks' time. I knew my job was temporary when I started but I must admit I am pretty down about the fact that the five emergency newbie staff have all had theirs extended for another two months 😢
So, blechhhhh. I don't even have a day to mope about it since I've worked the past eleven thousand days in a row and won't have a day off until the contract is out. This would be my own fault, but I can hardly not take every extra shift available when I half expect to be out of work so soon.
Sigh.
The deliveries are out-of-whack right now with tons of winter soup veg arriving alongside disposable barbecues and grilling kits. The torrent of unsold vegetables is insane. So much of it was given away to staff that I brought a stack home, bagged it all up in small portions and left it in my parlour downstairs with a note for people to help themselves. Most of it was taken within a few hours. It feels nice to save it from going in the bin.
Free food £28.38, not including today's haul.
So, blechhhhh. I don't even have a day to mope about it since I've worked the past eleven thousand days in a row and won't have a day off until the contract is out. This would be my own fault, but I can hardly not take every extra shift available when I half expect to be out of work so soon.
Sigh.
The deliveries are out-of-whack right now with tons of winter soup veg arriving alongside disposable barbecues and grilling kits. The torrent of unsold vegetables is insane. So much of it was given away to staff that I brought a stack home, bagged it all up in small portions and left it in my parlour downstairs with a note for people to help themselves. Most of it was taken within a few hours. It feels nice to save it from going in the bin.
Free food £28.38, not including today's haul.
Sunday, 12 April 2020
Self-Solving Problems - Corona #13
MMM said once that if left alone, problems will eventually solve themselves. I've been thinking about that lately and some of them really are horrible self-solving solutions. Like the lack of care places in nursing homes, for frail and elderly people, which will become less of an issue as undertakers work around the clock 😥
Fashion retailers are being hit hard. Debenhams is finally looking at the last nail in the coffin. It was hanging on by a thread when the virus hit, and now its sales will no longer keep it from bankruptcy. Tons of other fashion retailers are biting the dust too, and garment factories are in dire straits with orders being cancelled. People started off shopping online but are quickly running out of money and deciding there is no need to look good when you're not leaving the house.
This is good news, overall, for fast fashion and waste, but having it happen so abruptly is devastating for businesses.
I am hoping, selfishly, that property has been on a bubble which will shortly burst, as it would let me get back into the market. I have the funds ready to go but can't yet do anything about it as there's nothing much for sale. I think about the people who have been close to buying, but have now found themselves with no income and are eating through their carefully-saved deposit money. For me to be fortunate requires others to lose out.
I am hoping that the pressure the NHS is under means that it gets an increase in funding once we get through all this. I hope that politicians remember the fear and worry for their loved ones, and give our medical care the support it needs.
I hope that benefit money will be raised now that more people are discovering how inadequate it really is.
So many hopes.
Fashion retailers are being hit hard. Debenhams is finally looking at the last nail in the coffin. It was hanging on by a thread when the virus hit, and now its sales will no longer keep it from bankruptcy. Tons of other fashion retailers are biting the dust too, and garment factories are in dire straits with orders being cancelled. People started off shopping online but are quickly running out of money and deciding there is no need to look good when you're not leaving the house.
This is good news, overall, for fast fashion and waste, but having it happen so abruptly is devastating for businesses.
I am hoping, selfishly, that property has been on a bubble which will shortly burst, as it would let me get back into the market. I have the funds ready to go but can't yet do anything about it as there's nothing much for sale. I think about the people who have been close to buying, but have now found themselves with no income and are eating through their carefully-saved deposit money. For me to be fortunate requires others to lose out.
I am hoping that the pressure the NHS is under means that it gets an increase in funding once we get through all this. I hope that politicians remember the fear and worry for their loved ones, and give our medical care the support it needs.
I hope that benefit money will be raised now that more people are discovering how inadequate it really is.
So many hopes.
Friday, 10 April 2020
The Big Shop, Corona #12
Unfortunately I then got inside.
Big blue arrows on the floor are too difficult a concept and people wandered around like idiots in any direction they pleased, into each others' personal space and wherever they fancied. I felt like my little trolley was a shield, as over and over again I had to reposition it to force myself some space from some fool.
And what did I buy? Well I did get the things on my list and I also got a lot that wasn't. But the total went from £40 down to £34 which was really gratifying to see at the till.
I've told myself that this is all I need for the month and I shouldn't need to spend apart from milk. Fruit, veg and bread comes up free at work, my cupboard has plenty of tins and packets, I have a huge pack of loo roll, and my freezer is absolutely chockers with meat and butter. The car is full of fuel.
I don't need to spend. Touch wood.
I'm working for all three public holidays this weekend (penalty rates! £££) and with a spectacular weather forecast we expect the idiots to be out in force and flouting the lockdown...
Wednesday, 8 April 2020
Coronavirus #11, Fatigue
It is mental fatigue too, and despite a good 12-hour sleep, my patience with idiots wears thin. It's hard not to be on edge at work now as our daily deaths are at the 1,000-mark and people still struggle with the concept of waiting their turn and keeping their distance. I think some of them need to take a bit of a tour through an aircraft hangar filled with coffins.
I need to set aside time to meditate and to recharge my brain.
I've ordered another game from eBay, this one is called Hive and has pretty good reviews. I paid for it with Nectar points since they were lying around unused and might as well be spent. I should also get some points back for it and some cashback.
They're teaching me new things at work, like the setups for systems, the opening and close down procedures, and how to handle price reductions and waste food. It's good to have new responsibilities. I'm still #1 Door Bitch too. Tall Coworker has been promoted to shift leader and is doing an amazing job so there are plenty of things to take on and help out with now that he's busy with new responsibilities.
Assistant boss lady #2 was wondering aloud this morning how on earth she'll ever cover the rota when the newbie contracts all end in ten days' time, so I mentioned the end of mine next week. I'm not one of the true newbies, I was employed as a temporary staffer to cover someone on sick leave unrelated to Coronavirus - but they're immune-compromised so they can't return to work anyway. I've mentioned my contract end date over and over around both bosses but somehow the immininence of it hadn't sunk in until today. I thought she would have kittens. After a while she laughed and said, do you really think we're going to let you go? And I said, well, I don't know if I'll even pass my probation... which was met with another laugh, so I think I'm safe. There is no way they're going to let me go, but I fully expect that fixing a new contract will be a complete pain in the arse. Watch this space.
My loan repayments are deferred by three months, which wasn't strictly necessary but will help with saving a bit more in case I have a chance to pounce on anything. I'm still waiting for the mega-bargain flat to come up for sale...
I need to set aside time to meditate and to recharge my brain.
They're teaching me new things at work, like the setups for systems, the opening and close down procedures, and how to handle price reductions and waste food. It's good to have new responsibilities. I'm still #1 Door Bitch too. Tall Coworker has been promoted to shift leader and is doing an amazing job so there are plenty of things to take on and help out with now that he's busy with new responsibilities.
Assistant boss lady #2 was wondering aloud this morning how on earth she'll ever cover the rota when the newbie contracts all end in ten days' time, so I mentioned the end of mine next week. I'm not one of the true newbies, I was employed as a temporary staffer to cover someone on sick leave unrelated to Coronavirus - but they're immune-compromised so they can't return to work anyway. I've mentioned my contract end date over and over around both bosses but somehow the immininence of it hadn't sunk in until today. I thought she would have kittens. After a while she laughed and said, do you really think we're going to let you go? And I said, well, I don't know if I'll even pass my probation... which was met with another laugh, so I think I'm safe. There is no way they're going to let me go, but I fully expect that fixing a new contract will be a complete pain in the arse. Watch this space.
My loan repayments are deferred by three months, which wasn't strictly necessary but will help with saving a bit more in case I have a chance to pounce on anything. I'm still waiting for the mega-bargain flat to come up for sale...
Sunday, 5 April 2020
What To Buy?
So I told myself that when I got my staff card I would make a trip out to the Big Shop to take advantage of the extra discount in the first week of the month. Only I don't actually know what to buy. Thanks to an unbelievable haul today I have no fridge or freezer room (£33.00 worth plus a HUGE bunch of cheerful flowers which is now in two vases). As expected, customers have run out of money & space and abruptly stopped spending, and the amount of waste at work is just criminal 😢It all means I don't quite know what to get in order to take advantage of the discount. I'll have to remind myself that I do not NEED to spend at all. So I suppose we will just get what J needs and that will be enough.
And maybe also some jam.
Wednesday, 1 April 2020
March Challenge: Too Tired, Too Lazy
Like the title says, I lost a lot of my enthusiasm this month due to that horrible virus going around and all the extra hours of work I've been doing. I can only make my best guess on the free food and yellow stickers and say that it's probably been around £130.00.
Testable Minds £16.92
Prolific Academic £27.87
HuYu £5.00
Shoppix £5.00
Swagbucks £3.00
Total is £187.79 which is well over target - in fact it's over £5 a day. There are some programmes that are still pending too, so it would have been higher.
While it's been sort of interesting to see if I could achieve it, I'm not sure it is affecting my spending habits anymore, so I won't be continuing with the monthly challenges from here - just the yearly one. I also now have my work discount card which adds even more of a discount - not bad :)
Testable Minds £16.92
Prolific Academic £27.87
HuYu £5.00
Shoppix £5.00
Swagbucks £3.00
Total is £187.79 which is well over target - in fact it's over £5 a day. There are some programmes that are still pending too, so it would have been higher.
While it's been sort of interesting to see if I could achieve it, I'm not sure it is affecting my spending habits anymore, so I won't be continuing with the monthly challenges from here - just the yearly one. I also now have my work discount card which adds even more of a discount - not bad :)
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