DS sent some great photos of the Northern Lights (taken from Hyde Park in Leeds), and they looked truly spectacular. But he said they weren't all that to the naked eye, he used a long exposure to capture them.
Olive oil is still bargainous in Aldi, or it was last time I bought it - might have gone up again, I suppose.
Time - job applications take a lot of time and effort, so to feel that your efforts weren't even directed towards a genuine opportunity is a pisser indeed. But at least your motor is running now, and that's generally when good things happen.
I have had a pretty big reckoning, money-wise. Cashed in an investment, and have spent the money doing the following;
- new bathroom
- new garden furniture
- paid off credit card
- bought 5 years class II NI contributions and got my state pension up to 34 years
- set aside money for dermatology treatment for me
- opened Vanguard ISA
- set aside money for DS' birthday/help for summer
- topped up cash savings (goal is £10k by FYE).
The lump sum from the investment has helped me get over the line on certain goals. I'm debt-free (apart from mortgage, and PayPal credit, which is how I budget for clothes over the year, at about £85 per month), boosted my pension income, and my essential expenditure is now at 65% of my total monthly income, down from around 71%. The remainder is divided between cash savings, investments, mortgage overpayments and 'guilt-free spending' which is an excellent idea for a category, picked up from Ramit Sethi's 'Conscious Spending Plan' system.
It's been quite a busy time, financial admin-wise. DH and I have worked quite hard on this stuff, and spent quite heavily, alongside sorting out the garden, getting some new routines in place for my parents, DH's prep for new job, stuff around the house, helping DS getting sorted with his new house-share...it's all quite big-push, satisfying work, with the added benefit that DH and I are now talking about money more proactively and easily; but now I am very much looking forward to a quiet period when I can consolidate and settle into my own routines again. I have three unfinished online French courses, for example, and two unfinished books, and I can think of no better and more frugal way of spending the next 6 weeks before we go to France than working my way through these.
Come July I'll feel ready to turn my attention to a few more things, like repainting the hall/landings/stairwell/snug. But DS will be home, and if he's looking to earn a few quid, I think I might well pay him to get up the ladder with the brushes this time, rather than doing it myself.
Today, walking the dog, doing the laundry and finding something to eat for dinner feels like more than enough work!