Spoiled Girl

Me again,

Busy, productive day but not quite according to plan.  The day started with some poor forward thinking on my part having set my alarm too late to do all that I had planned and make the noon showing of Dracula so I rerouted to the Equaliser with Denzel Washington.  The trailer for this was very promising and I like DW and loved the TV series with Edward Woodward - showing my age there.  It was good but if you are planning on going, don't rush, I would probably wait for it to come on Sky or DVD.  How does this fit in with keeping what I earn I hear you shout, I have earned it fate all.
Well as I said, it is about added value, I really enjoy the cinema but object to paying lots of cash for the experience, so the compromise - Saver Tuesday!  I have a. Discount code for Cribbs, up to 30% off and at Newport (best Welsh now, "gotta be honest, not my favourite city", but the cinema is clean and well maintained) every Tuesday, all day is £5.  At both places if you go to the lunchtime showing there are about 20 people in there, average age 62, no mobiles going off, etc. pure bliss.

Now one of my favourite games is that if I can get something that I was going to buy anyway cheaper than I thought, I take the difference and put it into my 'Rainy Day' account.  So today I moved across £3.80, as the original ticket cost £9.95 and I paid ) £6.15, happy days.  You may think this is slightly mad and inconsequential but in week 1 of October I put £133.65 into this account alone just by buying yellow stickered items, cinema discount, 3 for 2 offer on vet wrap, Tesco money off at the pump, etc.  I won't do this every week and this pay month not so much, as I am running down the freezer and larder but if you pocket the difference you will see it mount up.  It is a good way to collect your emergency fund or even pay it into your mortgage or debts if you can over pay - every little helps, as they say and most of us won't notice the odd couple of quid going 'missing'.

So what was that special delivery?  Santa came early chez JC, a Lakeland click and collect delivery, hence the cinema at Cribbs rather than Newport as I was paying for the bridge anyway.  Mini oven, saves the big one and cuts down on electricity when cooking for 2 or 1.  Electric slicer, the only thing that puts me off my own bread is not being able to slice it properly and this gets rave reviews.  Mini cup cake maker and mini pie maker - these are going back to be exchanged for proper sized versions, as when Lakeland say mini, they mean teeny, tiny, mini.  Oh and some other bits, microwave thing for pasta and a potato ricer.  Stoptober, you have been foiled.  In all seriousness, I hope that each of the things I have bought will either cut down on energy consumption, increase the nutrition of my diet, reduce the cost of said diet, by making things last longer (you know when you have a small position of something left over that is not enough even for a lunch) and add a bit of a treat.  We all have a sweet craving sometimes and a little home made cup cake will stop me grabbing an over-priced, under-sized chocolate bar!

I love Lakeland, their no quibble guarantee is worth so much, even if you just don't get along with the product and the staff are actually knowledgeable and helpful, rare combo these days.

So tomorrow sees me back at work but only for a short shift, then I am on a shopping trip for Saffy, sprenger stirrups, set of boots, hi vis gear and a couple of saddle racks, maybe a spare winter coat for me, THEN, I promise I will stop shopping.  Honestly, this is more shopping than I have ever done, eish!

Over the weekend, all bills should come out of the account and then I will distribute the remainder and organise a click and collect top up shop at our NEW local Asda! as tomorrow is day 1 of the £25K challenge and really the September spending, ok including tomorrow, is part of that.

Now I promised myself that I would learn about getting pics on this blog and that is my goal before Friday.  I read a good post in a blog the other day, will look up who it was, but basically weekly, monthly and yearly goals rather than the dreaded new year resolutions, urgh!  So you know one of my yearly ones.

1. Pay off £25k in 3.5 years (£7K+ per year, £600 per month).
2. Have a go at this eventing lark next spring, probably summer, local only, no great expense.

Monthly.
1. See above
2. Keep up with the blog for a month.
4. Check electricity meter weekly, get obsessive about usage!  Lol

This Week
1. A blog a day.
2. Be better at blogging - target this week piccies.
3. Tidy up the horses, may be Thursday.
4. Re-organise the kitchen to accommodate new Lakeland stuff.
5. Identify what else I can sell - brake pads, steering wheel, sweat rug?

That will do for this week.

New game - 3 things that made me happy/ grateful/ fulfilled today:

1. Picked up DC's glasses and delivered them, still has wedding ring on, we were polite even if he is still reserved.  He really needs to take a chance but he knows I am close to end game and it makes home feel vulnerable/ afraid, give up, give in, give it all you've got?
2. So pleased with how my little home is coming together, this is a double edged sword but I am very blessed (I have worked hard but you need at least not to be unlucky too) to be in a position to make it happen.
3. Happy that I have found Saver Tuesday, I really enjoy the cinema, added value in my life.

JC