The flat is already agreed to be let to someone!
They only put it online on Tuesday (photos taken Monday and today is Thursday).
Last Thursday we were still painting and cleaning.
After all that mad rushing around and the non stop work to get it ready we are very pleased.
We have had it for 5 years and it hasn't earned a penny in that time as we were letting to our kids who only really paid for any maintenance to be carried out and the council tax and then in the last 6 months DD was unemployed and the council wouldn't allow her any housing benefit due to it being her parents owning the flat and letting her live there rather than throw her out and rent it out .
They did work it hard and I think that has opened our eyes to the sort of treatment it could face while it is rented out.
A lot of ideas we originally had for making it beautiful were rethought after the kids had finished with it.
We had been going to replace large items with nicer ones but now we will wait till they need to be replaced rather than naively rushing to the shops.
Showing posts with label home working. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home working. Show all posts
Thursday, 11 April 2013
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
Back from the north
Well we did it!
The flat is sorted.
It took all the 10 days of constant work to get it ship shape but it is done.
Day 1
When we got there after a 12 hour journey by car (we take turns to drive but still had about 3 hours of sleep stops as there was no rush), the flat was in disarray. There were bags and boxes and 'stuff' everywhere. We sat around for a long while waiting for DD and her BF to get their stuff sorted. They were in no great hurry. In the evening , their guy appeared and about 2 3rds of the pile was removed. We had a take away pizza delivered while we waited for him to come and DH drove one car full of mostly DD's belongings over to her new flat. Then there was a flurry of activity as DH and I began going through the remaining bits to bin as much detritus as possible. We found a backpack full of bits belonging to DS who had lived there for 3 years before DD, including a 3 piece suit and a new pair of shoes.
Day 2
Thank goodness we had bought a steam cleaner.
The Fridge and Freezer were both so frozen that they were ridiculous.
In fact the freezer was frozen with the door open so it was a constant battle between the heating and the freezer.
I am guessing that the two were an expensive factor on the electricity meter. It took a full days work to get both machines back to clean and dry.
We went out afterwards and bought some food to last us the rest of our stay.
The fridge purred back into life when I switched it on and performed well for the rest of the time we were there.
The freezer was left switched off as we didn't need to freeze anything.
OH began rubbing down paintwork in the bathroom and cleaned and treated the wall and ceiling to remove the mould build up.
The mould was caused by DD drying her clothes in there and her daily shower with the fan left switched off (I believe).
Day 3
The steam cleaner was again useful to clean the tiling around the bath and restore the grout to something less revolting.
I also steamed the window ledges and the Kitchen cupboard doors and handles which were grimy and food splattered.
DH retreated the mould areas and when it was dry, sealed the wall and ceiling with PVA. Then he rubbed down the back of the bathroom door which has a full length picture of a bathing beauty glued to it courtesy of the previous owner. We did not attempt to remove it, I have fond memories of removing glued on posters from wood because I worked in the photo exhibition industry and know that glue and wooden panels are a nightmare to clean back.
The cooker top needed only a light steam to remove some built up cleaning cream and as it is only about 6 weeks old, it was a quick job.
The windows weren't too bad,just a standard clean with squeegee and washing up liquid. Outside is left alone.
The flat is on the 2nd floor and only the main window opens enough to clean both sides.
Day 4
More shopping. This time for Mattress covers, a few small tools and scratch restore pens for the floor. I found the pens in poundland. There is a big scratch under the living room door where something had got stuck and it was not easily removable. DH managed to get it out and it was a big piece of grit or gravel. That has been there since we bought the place .
DH painted the bathroom woodwork and the door. An electrician installed a new extractor fan for us with a humidity controlled timer. He also moved the light in the bedroom so that it was in the middle of the room and not over the wardrobe.
I gave the woodwork a second coat while DH went for fish and chips.
Day 5
We paint rolled the bathroom walls and ceiling with special paint. While DH gave it a second coat, I started to paint roll the living room. This is a big room maybe 15 feet square with slated ceiling at one side and so a lot of surface area. The ceiling needed doing in this room too.
On fitting a mattress cover to see how it looked, I discovered that it was a little large. This is because the last owner had bought a small double bed which was a non standard size. The mattress is fine and so a cover seemed the best bet. I spent the afternoon sewing the two covers to fit.
I filled over some holes left by nails and screws in various places and a couple of larger holes caused by careless decorating or removals in the kitchen. One small area needed the wall paper removing and re-gluing as it was almost hanging in mid air.
Day 6
The builders came to paint the outside woodwork.
They are cheeky chappies.
Builder 1 leaned out of the window and rubbed down the woodwork (it is a massive drop if he fell). He leant back in shaking and stressed out!
Then he produced a rope and handed me the end saying 'hold tight for just a wee while' and proceeded to lean a bit further while I held the end.
Obviously if he had fallen, there is no way I could hold his weight but I think he thought it added safety.
His crony, builder 2, appeared on the ladder outside and did the unreachable bits. Later they both came in and worked from inside. I was not happy to see them placing their cloddies all over the cleaned window ledges and even the bed.
Then they examined the concreting on the roof and made a note of what needed doing. We are responsible for the windows and their little dormer roofs .
DH painted the living room with plastic sheets over everything. I am the masker outer so that was all done before hand.
Day 7
The builders reappeared to apply a second coat and give an estimate on the concreting.
I was entertained with stories of terrible tenants who punished their kids by making them use their bedrooms as lavatories. Of tenants who bang up the heating and tape up all the air vents then dry their clothes everywhere resulting in mould(I didn't comment on DD's track record).
One of the builders said that some tenants will use candles rather than replace a light bulb and my mind shot to the candle burn on top of the bedroom chest of drawers and the candle wax that I encountered almost everywhere.
We cleared the bedroom (putting the bed in the living room) and I masked off for painting. The cupboards were filthy and so they got a thorough clean. DH paint rolled the walls to cover up the green .
I started to paint the kitchen where I had reattached the paper and filled holes.
Day 8
We finished the bedroom and replaced the bed.
I cleaned the light shades with bread (it captures the dust and the crumbs disintegrate so it needs to be done over the bin).
The bin was cleaned to remove the food splats.
The kitchen was finished and the carpet was steamed to remove food splashes.
Day 9
Mastic day.
I am the one who does the mastic work.
We had to attach a panel on the wall behind the bath. It covers the boiler and a cupboard above but you cant leave it as an opening cupboard because the shower would be unusable if you did. So it is screwed in place with covers on the screws and mastic is used to waterproof in front and behind the panel.
There was some to do behind the kitchen sink too. We found a tube of black had been left by one of the plumbers and so I filled in the missing 'disc' on the kitchen tap with a little bit to match the black disc on the other one.
We hung the shower curtain. Fitted a kitchen cabinet with a mirror. Installed a shelf that sits around the basin.
I steamed the whole bathroom floor to zap any nasties hiding around the toilet etc.
Day 10
The builders arrived late.
They were there when I got back from the shop (travel food for the home journey).
DH was flustered and red faced.
Builder 2 in stepping on the worktop beside the sink, had caused a cracking sound and DH said the underside of the worktop was cracked. It wasn't visible from above or the sides.
I told builder 1 (the boss) that he should replace the top as they broke it.
He refused.
He told DH where he could get a matching piece to reinforce the counter and said he would pay for it.
We felt caught out, we needed them to be gone and the work done so that the letting agent would see it finished and give us a price for letting. We were coming back home the same evening.
DH bought the wood and fitted it.
We tidied and vacuumed after the builders had left minus the price of the wood DH bought.
I filled in the scratches with the pen.It worked perfectly.
The letting agent rep came and looked around. He had been a few weeks previously when DD and BF were still here.
That time they had not been able to photograph it due to all the 'stuff' and possibly to the unkempt look of it. This time he nodded in approval.
The quote he gave us was 25 pounds more than the previous one so that was good.
After he was gone we loaded the car for the journey and then got fish and chips(no washing up) We slept for about 2 hours before starting back.
We were home 12 hours and 600 miles later.
How much did it cost?
It was £810 for the builders.
The petrol for the journey @ £140
New fan Paint Light fittings
Spares for w-machine(knob) fridge(icebox door) freezer (inner flap)
Electricity while there and until tenant installed (£35)
grub (takeaway and bought to cook/eat)
mattress covers/under sink shelf/bathroom cabinet
Mirror for hallway
Sundries (screws,glue, rollers, brushes) @ £350
So far around £1300
I haven't added the cost of the electrician as we haven't had the bill yet.
We still need to get a smoke alarm wired in.
The steam cleaner will be used at home so I didn't add that (£30)cost either.
It was well worth it.
A company hired to come in and do it would have scrapped the fridge and freezer and we would have needed a new washer dryer because the dryer knob(£8 to replace after a little research) was broken.
That would have been a minimum of £700 for machines alone.
I have no idea how much cleaning would have been and it would have needed at least the kitchen carpet steamed in that price.
*Looking online it seems that an 'end of Tenancy clean with steamed carpets' could be £150 for the size of the flat, I think that is without any clearing of stuff left behind and certainly with no maintenance or decorating so looks like we made the right decision to do it ourselves*
The estimate for letting was £25 more per month which is £300 over a year
*Actually it was £ 75 a month more and was priced to let at £50 a month more to see how many bites could be got. If it does well at £50 more,I am happy with that as it is £600 more than we thought it would let for over a year.*
DS is happy, he was reunited with his suit and shoes and the iron he bought and forgot when he came home. We also found one of his old phones, a pair of expensive gloves,his mini fridge and his wooly hat.
I brought home 2 towels,a tea towel,a pillow,pillow case, a casserole and a big square pie dish,
the old hose from the broken vacuum which we replaced (it fits my ordinary vacuum and my wet and dry machine). We also salvaged a wooden venetian blind DD bought in error as it was too small.(its fits our stair window perfectly at home so we bought it from her.These things were not needed at the flat but too good to throw away.
We threw away, 2 chairs (replaced with new padded fold up chairs).
The old extractor (new one is more efficient)
A lamp shade (was awful)
The clothes rack (so people are more likely to use the garden clothes line or the dryer)
and the old round pedestal table which was coming apart(replaced with a nest of 2 pine tables).
The chairs and the rack were left where someone could take them if they wanted to.
The flat is sorted.
It took all the 10 days of constant work to get it ship shape but it is done.
Day 1
When we got there after a 12 hour journey by car (we take turns to drive but still had about 3 hours of sleep stops as there was no rush), the flat was in disarray. There were bags and boxes and 'stuff' everywhere. We sat around for a long while waiting for DD and her BF to get their stuff sorted. They were in no great hurry. In the evening , their guy appeared and about 2 3rds of the pile was removed. We had a take away pizza delivered while we waited for him to come and DH drove one car full of mostly DD's belongings over to her new flat. Then there was a flurry of activity as DH and I began going through the remaining bits to bin as much detritus as possible. We found a backpack full of bits belonging to DS who had lived there for 3 years before DD, including a 3 piece suit and a new pair of shoes.
Day 2
Thank goodness we had bought a steam cleaner.
The Fridge and Freezer were both so frozen that they were ridiculous.
In fact the freezer was frozen with the door open so it was a constant battle between the heating and the freezer.
I am guessing that the two were an expensive factor on the electricity meter. It took a full days work to get both machines back to clean and dry.
We went out afterwards and bought some food to last us the rest of our stay.
The fridge purred back into life when I switched it on and performed well for the rest of the time we were there.
The freezer was left switched off as we didn't need to freeze anything.
OH began rubbing down paintwork in the bathroom and cleaned and treated the wall and ceiling to remove the mould build up.
The mould was caused by DD drying her clothes in there and her daily shower with the fan left switched off (I believe).
Day 3
The steam cleaner was again useful to clean the tiling around the bath and restore the grout to something less revolting.
I also steamed the window ledges and the Kitchen cupboard doors and handles which were grimy and food splattered.
DH retreated the mould areas and when it was dry, sealed the wall and ceiling with PVA. Then he rubbed down the back of the bathroom door which has a full length picture of a bathing beauty glued to it courtesy of the previous owner. We did not attempt to remove it, I have fond memories of removing glued on posters from wood because I worked in the photo exhibition industry and know that glue and wooden panels are a nightmare to clean back.
The cooker top needed only a light steam to remove some built up cleaning cream and as it is only about 6 weeks old, it was a quick job.
The windows weren't too bad,just a standard clean with squeegee and washing up liquid. Outside is left alone.
The flat is on the 2nd floor and only the main window opens enough to clean both sides.
Day 4
More shopping. This time for Mattress covers, a few small tools and scratch restore pens for the floor. I found the pens in poundland. There is a big scratch under the living room door where something had got stuck and it was not easily removable. DH managed to get it out and it was a big piece of grit or gravel. That has been there since we bought the place .
DH painted the bathroom woodwork and the door. An electrician installed a new extractor fan for us with a humidity controlled timer. He also moved the light in the bedroom so that it was in the middle of the room and not over the wardrobe.
I gave the woodwork a second coat while DH went for fish and chips.
Day 5
We paint rolled the bathroom walls and ceiling with special paint. While DH gave it a second coat, I started to paint roll the living room. This is a big room maybe 15 feet square with slated ceiling at one side and so a lot of surface area. The ceiling needed doing in this room too.
On fitting a mattress cover to see how it looked, I discovered that it was a little large. This is because the last owner had bought a small double bed which was a non standard size. The mattress is fine and so a cover seemed the best bet. I spent the afternoon sewing the two covers to fit.
I filled over some holes left by nails and screws in various places and a couple of larger holes caused by careless decorating or removals in the kitchen. One small area needed the wall paper removing and re-gluing as it was almost hanging in mid air.
Day 6
The builders came to paint the outside woodwork.
They are cheeky chappies.
Builder 1 leaned out of the window and rubbed down the woodwork (it is a massive drop if he fell). He leant back in shaking and stressed out!
Then he produced a rope and handed me the end saying 'hold tight for just a wee while' and proceeded to lean a bit further while I held the end.
Obviously if he had fallen, there is no way I could hold his weight but I think he thought it added safety.
His crony, builder 2, appeared on the ladder outside and did the unreachable bits. Later they both came in and worked from inside. I was not happy to see them placing their cloddies all over the cleaned window ledges and even the bed.
Then they examined the concreting on the roof and made a note of what needed doing. We are responsible for the windows and their little dormer roofs .
DH painted the living room with plastic sheets over everything. I am the masker outer so that was all done before hand.
Day 7
The builders reappeared to apply a second coat and give an estimate on the concreting.
I was entertained with stories of terrible tenants who punished their kids by making them use their bedrooms as lavatories. Of tenants who bang up the heating and tape up all the air vents then dry their clothes everywhere resulting in mould(I didn't comment on DD's track record).
One of the builders said that some tenants will use candles rather than replace a light bulb and my mind shot to the candle burn on top of the bedroom chest of drawers and the candle wax that I encountered almost everywhere.
We cleared the bedroom (putting the bed in the living room) and I masked off for painting. The cupboards were filthy and so they got a thorough clean. DH paint rolled the walls to cover up the green .
I started to paint the kitchen where I had reattached the paper and filled holes.
Day 8
We finished the bedroom and replaced the bed.
I cleaned the light shades with bread (it captures the dust and the crumbs disintegrate so it needs to be done over the bin).
The bin was cleaned to remove the food splats.
The kitchen was finished and the carpet was steamed to remove food splashes.
Day 9
Mastic day.
I am the one who does the mastic work.
We had to attach a panel on the wall behind the bath. It covers the boiler and a cupboard above but you cant leave it as an opening cupboard because the shower would be unusable if you did. So it is screwed in place with covers on the screws and mastic is used to waterproof in front and behind the panel.
There was some to do behind the kitchen sink too. We found a tube of black had been left by one of the plumbers and so I filled in the missing 'disc' on the kitchen tap with a little bit to match the black disc on the other one.
We hung the shower curtain. Fitted a kitchen cabinet with a mirror. Installed a shelf that sits around the basin.
I steamed the whole bathroom floor to zap any nasties hiding around the toilet etc.
Day 10
The builders arrived late.
They were there when I got back from the shop (travel food for the home journey).
DH was flustered and red faced.
Builder 2 in stepping on the worktop beside the sink, had caused a cracking sound and DH said the underside of the worktop was cracked. It wasn't visible from above or the sides.
I told builder 1 (the boss) that he should replace the top as they broke it.
He refused.
He told DH where he could get a matching piece to reinforce the counter and said he would pay for it.
We felt caught out, we needed them to be gone and the work done so that the letting agent would see it finished and give us a price for letting. We were coming back home the same evening.
DH bought the wood and fitted it.
We tidied and vacuumed after the builders had left minus the price of the wood DH bought.
I filled in the scratches with the pen.It worked perfectly.
The letting agent rep came and looked around. He had been a few weeks previously when DD and BF were still here.
That time they had not been able to photograph it due to all the 'stuff' and possibly to the unkempt look of it. This time he nodded in approval.
The quote he gave us was 25 pounds more than the previous one so that was good.
After he was gone we loaded the car for the journey and then got fish and chips(no washing up) We slept for about 2 hours before starting back.
We were home 12 hours and 600 miles later.
How much did it cost?
It was £810 for the builders.
The petrol for the journey @ £140
New fan Paint Light fittings
Spares for w-machine(knob) fridge(icebox door) freezer (inner flap)
Electricity while there and until tenant installed (£35)
grub (takeaway and bought to cook/eat)
mattress covers/under sink shelf/bathroom cabinet
Mirror for hallway
Sundries (screws,glue, rollers, brushes) @ £350
So far around £1300
I haven't added the cost of the electrician as we haven't had the bill yet.
We still need to get a smoke alarm wired in.
The steam cleaner will be used at home so I didn't add that (£30)cost either.
It was well worth it.
A company hired to come in and do it would have scrapped the fridge and freezer and we would have needed a new washer dryer because the dryer knob(£8 to replace after a little research) was broken.
That would have been a minimum of £700 for machines alone.
I have no idea how much cleaning would have been and it would have needed at least the kitchen carpet steamed in that price.
*Looking online it seems that an 'end of Tenancy clean with steamed carpets' could be £150 for the size of the flat, I think that is without any clearing of stuff left behind and certainly with no maintenance or decorating so looks like we made the right decision to do it ourselves*
The estimate for letting was £25 more per month which is £300 over a year
*Actually it was £ 75 a month more and was priced to let at £50 a month more to see how many bites could be got. If it does well at £50 more,I am happy with that as it is £600 more than we thought it would let for over a year.*
DS is happy, he was reunited with his suit and shoes and the iron he bought and forgot when he came home. We also found one of his old phones, a pair of expensive gloves,his mini fridge and his wooly hat.
I brought home 2 towels,a tea towel,a pillow,pillow case, a casserole and a big square pie dish,
the old hose from the broken vacuum which we replaced (it fits my ordinary vacuum and my wet and dry machine). We also salvaged a wooden venetian blind DD bought in error as it was too small.(its fits our stair window perfectly at home so we bought it from her.These things were not needed at the flat but too good to throw away.
We threw away, 2 chairs (replaced with new padded fold up chairs).
The old extractor (new one is more efficient)
A lamp shade (was awful)
The clothes rack (so people are more likely to use the garden clothes line or the dryer)
and the old round pedestal table which was coming apart(replaced with a nest of 2 pine tables).
The chairs and the rack were left where someone could take them if they wanted to.
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Global Economy or a drain without a plug?
It isn't all that long ago that I was working from home .
I had a little business and managed to keep myself busy and get paid to do so.
The Business was chugging along nicely with minimal outlay .
Then it plummeted into the abyss.
My clients were it seems ,all interconnected.
The main client (Client A) ,it turned out, also employed 2 of my other clients (client B And C) who in turn, employed me.
So when Client A decided that they could get a partial service from workers in India who would do the basics for 20p an item, they dispensed with my own more extensive services at £1.50 an item and also with those of Clients B and C,who as a repercussion, could no longer employ me .
At first sight this would seem logical and money saving on the part of Client A but if you look into it a bit more carefully, you will see that the money that previously was paid to the workers in the UK, instead of being used to buy things within the UK and therefore remaining in the UK economy, is now paid to workers in India who buy things in India and have no intention of spending it elsewhere(India having a lower cost of living ,who can blame them?).
Client A are not the only company contracting out to the far off lands, several other companies also do so and some companies (even our local bus service) recruit from far away, despite the fact that there are people in the UK queuing up for jobs back home.
The workers that are recruited, send money back for their family to live on and so there again, the money leaves the country,never to return.
While the Government is cutting costs all over the country, there is still a schism that is leaking the economy and they seem blind to it.
I don't blame the workers in these remote countries, they are being given opportunities and who would not jump on the gravy train if they saw it beckoning?
I do think that there needs to be a brake on the practice though or this country is going to become a population of massively overcrowded ,overweight, depressed ,embittered people with no prospects ,relying on unhealthy vices to keep them from either rebelling against the system or warring amongst themselves.
We need laws that give priority to those in this country where work is offered by companies here.
Prospects?
Recently there has been some news regarding the work opportunities given to those on Job seekers allowance in the UK.
Some companies signed up to a scheme in which the JSA claimants would work for them, receive the same JSA that they are paid anyway and expenses and nothing more.
People quickly pointed out that if they did no work, they got JSA and if they worked for these companies, they got nothing else.
The companies were offering 'work' but not advertising it for people to apply for and be paid a wage for.
When the scheme has run it's course, because the companies have not openly stated that there were vacancies,they can dispense with the 'workers' because they don't have a position for them to fill.
Our own graduates are unable to find work having studied for 3 or 4 years and clocked up a student debt.
The Government want young people to continue on in Education past the compulsory 16 years of age but with no additional prospect of being employed when they obtain their degree.
Young people are pushed from one training scheme to another with no target in mind.
They are told that training will lead to employment.
They are asked at 14 to choose their subjects to study so that they can use them to get a job but no one at 14 has any great idea of how their life will progress and so often the choice is blind or made on the balance of teachers liked, lessons friends will be in, amount of effort needed,likely hood of getting rich quick.
(Performing arts are a popular choice in school).
I had a little business and managed to keep myself busy and get paid to do so.
The Business was chugging along nicely with minimal outlay .
Then it plummeted into the abyss.
My clients were it seems ,all interconnected.
The main client (Client A) ,it turned out, also employed 2 of my other clients (client B And C) who in turn, employed me.
So when Client A decided that they could get a partial service from workers in India who would do the basics for 20p an item, they dispensed with my own more extensive services at £1.50 an item and also with those of Clients B and C,who as a repercussion, could no longer employ me .
At first sight this would seem logical and money saving on the part of Client A but if you look into it a bit more carefully, you will see that the money that previously was paid to the workers in the UK, instead of being used to buy things within the UK and therefore remaining in the UK economy, is now paid to workers in India who buy things in India and have no intention of spending it elsewhere(India having a lower cost of living ,who can blame them?).
Client A are not the only company contracting out to the far off lands, several other companies also do so and some companies (even our local bus service) recruit from far away, despite the fact that there are people in the UK queuing up for jobs back home.
The workers that are recruited, send money back for their family to live on and so there again, the money leaves the country,never to return.
While the Government is cutting costs all over the country, there is still a schism that is leaking the economy and they seem blind to it.
I don't blame the workers in these remote countries, they are being given opportunities and who would not jump on the gravy train if they saw it beckoning?
I do think that there needs to be a brake on the practice though or this country is going to become a population of massively overcrowded ,overweight, depressed ,embittered people with no prospects ,relying on unhealthy vices to keep them from either rebelling against the system or warring amongst themselves.
We need laws that give priority to those in this country where work is offered by companies here.
Prospects?
Recently there has been some news regarding the work opportunities given to those on Job seekers allowance in the UK.
Some companies signed up to a scheme in which the JSA claimants would work for them, receive the same JSA that they are paid anyway and expenses and nothing more.
People quickly pointed out that if they did no work, they got JSA and if they worked for these companies, they got nothing else.
The companies were offering 'work' but not advertising it for people to apply for and be paid a wage for.
When the scheme has run it's course, because the companies have not openly stated that there were vacancies,they can dispense with the 'workers' because they don't have a position for them to fill.
Our own graduates are unable to find work having studied for 3 or 4 years and clocked up a student debt.
The Government want young people to continue on in Education past the compulsory 16 years of age but with no additional prospect of being employed when they obtain their degree.
Young people are pushed from one training scheme to another with no target in mind.
They are told that training will lead to employment.
They are asked at 14 to choose their subjects to study so that they can use them to get a job but no one at 14 has any great idea of how their life will progress and so often the choice is blind or made on the balance of teachers liked, lessons friends will be in, amount of effort needed,likely hood of getting rich quick.
(Performing arts are a popular choice in school).
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Tablets
Whinge Alert!!
OH really liked my e-reader when he saw me using it.
He looked on Ebay and couldn't find one as good for the money (no shit sherlock) .
So he bought an Android tablet second hand(70 odd pounds).
It didn't work properly so he sent it back and was refunded.
Then yesterday, the new replacement turned up.
This one is brand new and was over £100.
Needless to say, I am not impressed.
I mean I love it, it is small and neat and clever and can do lots of things but why?
He has a Netbook ,a laptop and an android phone.
There is no reasoning with him,he just doesn't bother to answer if he cant justify an expense, he will look on silently until I shut up.
I thought about it for a bit and wondered if I could say the same about my having bought an e-reader.
Was I just being silly and impulsive?
But I honestly can justify my reader.
For a start it was cheap because I mended it myself.
The money to buy it was entirely from surveys.
I already had lots and lots of free books that were on my laptop but were awkward to read because I
couldn't have the laptop on in the bedroom at night in bed. (It is one I got from DD and I mended by wiring through the battery connection so it cant work without being plugged in).
OH of course shares the room and has to sleep in the bed too and a 17" laptop is in the way however you position it.
It can display PDF which is handy as recipes are often put online and I can print to PDF then take it into the kitchen to follow the instructions which is awkward with a laptop and takes up loads less room.
I have used it every night since Christmas Eve.
Hobsons Choice
Anyway , it makes me reluctant to spend my squirreled pennies on anything in which I don't have full choice .
I had planned on buying a new front door from ebay with survey money but when I mentioned it to OH a couple of weeks ago, he went browsing ebay and as usual looks to the absolute top end of what we could afford and then thinks about adding on extras like finishing ,then looks at me as though I am going to say ,okay I will save £ 600 so that we can get the one you choose . Well that is NOT happening.
It would take me more than a month to accrue enough just to get a door sealed for *****s sake,what is wrong with buying the door and sealing it ourselves?
We could buy a new hardwood glazed door for under £200 but shrug, that ain't going to happen.
I give up.
My survey money is going to reestablish itself as mums pin money and that is that.
That doesn't include money saved from the housekeeping of course, that is family money and gets used for unexpected bills and saving.
Always look on The Bright side of Life
Good things that have come from stopping the self employment.
I now have pin money that is considered to be mine,it is trickle pennies but I don't care .
Earnings from self employment were not mine and the choice as to what to spend it on was mysteriously lacking too.
I can stay in bed till 8 am instead of getting up at 6 am.
I get breakfast away from the computer.
I get a lunch break and eat away from the computer.
I have time to cook from scratch every day.
I can sit in the living room and watch TV in the evening.
I get a Saturday and Sunday and if DS wants company into town during the week, I can go.
I am back to bargain hunting when Grocery shopping.
It is cheaper when I go shopping for food! A lot cheaper, less than half the cost of sending OH.
The Garden can get back into production and we will have cheap,organic,fresh fruit and veg.
I have time to exercise every day.
Answering the phone or the front door do not have me doing mental sums to work out how much time/money it is costing .
We have our dining room back and can eat like civilized people without dropping food down ourselves and being bombarded by the bloody Television. Absolute Bliss!
OH really liked my e-reader when he saw me using it.
He looked on Ebay and couldn't find one as good for the money (no shit sherlock) .
So he bought an Android tablet second hand(70 odd pounds).
It didn't work properly so he sent it back and was refunded.
Then yesterday, the new replacement turned up.
This one is brand new and was over £100.
Needless to say, I am not impressed.
I mean I love it, it is small and neat and clever and can do lots of things but why?
He has a Netbook ,a laptop and an android phone.
There is no reasoning with him,he just doesn't bother to answer if he cant justify an expense, he will look on silently until I shut up.
I thought about it for a bit and wondered if I could say the same about my having bought an e-reader.
Was I just being silly and impulsive?
But I honestly can justify my reader.
For a start it was cheap because I mended it myself.
The money to buy it was entirely from surveys.
I already had lots and lots of free books that were on my laptop but were awkward to read because I
couldn't have the laptop on in the bedroom at night in bed. (It is one I got from DD and I mended by wiring through the battery connection so it cant work without being plugged in).
OH of course shares the room and has to sleep in the bed too and a 17" laptop is in the way however you position it.
It can display PDF which is handy as recipes are often put online and I can print to PDF then take it into the kitchen to follow the instructions which is awkward with a laptop and takes up loads less room.
I have used it every night since Christmas Eve.
Hobsons Choice
Anyway , it makes me reluctant to spend my squirreled pennies on anything in which I don't have full choice .
I had planned on buying a new front door from ebay with survey money but when I mentioned it to OH a couple of weeks ago, he went browsing ebay and as usual looks to the absolute top end of what we could afford and then thinks about adding on extras like finishing ,then looks at me as though I am going to say ,okay I will save £ 600 so that we can get the one you choose . Well that is NOT happening.
It would take me more than a month to accrue enough just to get a door sealed for *****s sake,what is wrong with buying the door and sealing it ourselves?
We could buy a new hardwood glazed door for under £200 but shrug, that ain't going to happen.
I give up.
My survey money is going to reestablish itself as mums pin money and that is that.
That doesn't include money saved from the housekeeping of course, that is family money and gets used for unexpected bills and saving.
Always look on The Bright side of Life
Good things that have come from stopping the self employment.
I now have pin money that is considered to be mine,it is trickle pennies but I don't care .
Earnings from self employment were not mine and the choice as to what to spend it on was mysteriously lacking too.
I can stay in bed till 8 am instead of getting up at 6 am.
I get breakfast away from the computer.
I get a lunch break and eat away from the computer.
I have time to cook from scratch every day.
I can sit in the living room and watch TV in the evening.
I get a Saturday and Sunday and if DS wants company into town during the week, I can go.
I am back to bargain hunting when Grocery shopping.
It is cheaper when I go shopping for food! A lot cheaper, less than half the cost of sending OH.
The Garden can get back into production and we will have cheap,organic,fresh fruit and veg.
I have time to exercise every day.
Answering the phone or the front door do not have me doing mental sums to work out how much time/money it is costing .
We have our dining room back and can eat like civilized people without dropping food down ourselves and being bombarded by the bloody Television. Absolute Bliss!
Monday, 12 December 2011
On the trickle feed side....
The survey 'sitting' is going well.
Well ,probably not faster than usual but I have a few new threads to drip from.
One is the shop n scan which has already given me two £10 Amazon vouchers since I started it in mid october.
Then there are some sites that ask you to view videos, click links and play games.
The best so far is Swag bucks which I have been doing 17 days.
I cashed out £10 yesterday also in Amazon vouchers.
It seems quick to earn on and now I have got the hang of it,it isnt that hard to earn the points.
Im also doing Gift hulk
Superpoints and
Admimsy
Admimsy is not very fast but it is easy.
Superpoints is very 'referral dependant' so I may give this one up if it doesnt pick up without me spreading their referral link all over every possible flat surface (that seems to be their aim, it isnt mine)
Gift hulk is very like swag bucks but the video watching is much more limited and the games are all seemingly 'sign up and download (along with all the rubbish )' so we will see.
Swagbucks has a few sign up games in their offers section and I tried to download one today onto the lesser used laptop(to save it trashing my main computer), it downloaded fine,seemed to install and I clicked it to play only to find it went to the website and tried to make me sign up for offers.
When I declined them all one after the other, I found I was stuck because the last one has no 'no thanks' or 'continue' or anything.
Any subsequent 'downloading' will be done in the same fashion.
Revo uninstaller to the rescue. It wheedles out the itsy bitsy files that get installed and zaps them.
Well ,probably not faster than usual but I have a few new threads to drip from.
One is the shop n scan which has already given me two £10 Amazon vouchers since I started it in mid october.
Then there are some sites that ask you to view videos, click links and play games.
The best so far is Swag bucks which I have been doing 17 days.
I cashed out £10 yesterday also in Amazon vouchers.
It seems quick to earn on and now I have got the hang of it,it isnt that hard to earn the points.
Im also doing Gift hulk
Superpoints and
Admimsy
Admimsy is not very fast but it is easy.
Superpoints is very 'referral dependant' so I may give this one up if it doesnt pick up without me spreading their referral link all over every possible flat surface (that seems to be their aim, it isnt mine)
Gift hulk is very like swag bucks but the video watching is much more limited and the games are all seemingly 'sign up and download (along with all the rubbish )' so we will see.
Swagbucks has a few sign up games in their offers section and I tried to download one today onto the lesser used laptop(to save it trashing my main computer), it downloaded fine,seemed to install and I clicked it to play only to find it went to the website and tried to make me sign up for offers.
When I declined them all one after the other, I found I was stuck because the last one has no 'no thanks' or 'continue' or anything.
Any subsequent 'downloading' will be done in the same fashion.
Revo uninstaller to the rescue. It wheedles out the itsy bitsy files that get installed and zaps them.
Eating at the table
We are trying to get the dining room back into commission.
Last year it was my office and so was full of scanners and computers.
We had 3 big scanners (A3 size) and then a large A4 flat bed and 2 film scanners.
Then there were the computers.
2 Windows PC's
3 Macs and of course their keyboards, Mice and monitors.
There was hardly room to sidle.
Well that all fell through when the economy took another downturn and so we have had a room full of white elephants.
Yesterday and today was spent in moving stuff about so we can have our room back.
We put two of the big scanners under the stairs.
The other is in the corner.
The macs are put away where they will fit.
One PC is in the cupboard and the other, the better one, is on a computer trolley.
Todays dinner was the first we have had around the table in about 10 months.
It was so lovely to see the fireplace again and be able to sit upright properly to eat.
Cant wait for Christmas and now we can have Xmas dinners in the old family manner with chatting and manners instead of in the sitting room with the 'telly' butting in and everyone glowering at Mr oblivious because it is another bless'ed war film..
I have the small drawer unit that was under my desk, as a bed side table now, it is lovely and deep and there is a lock.
OH doesn't know that I found the key shhh.
Last year it was my office and so was full of scanners and computers.
We had 3 big scanners (A3 size) and then a large A4 flat bed and 2 film scanners.
Then there were the computers.
2 Windows PC's
3 Macs and of course their keyboards, Mice and monitors.
There was hardly room to sidle.
Well that all fell through when the economy took another downturn and so we have had a room full of white elephants.
Yesterday and today was spent in moving stuff about so we can have our room back.
We put two of the big scanners under the stairs.
The other is in the corner.
The macs are put away where they will fit.
One PC is in the cupboard and the other, the better one, is on a computer trolley.
Todays dinner was the first we have had around the table in about 10 months.
It was so lovely to see the fireplace again and be able to sit upright properly to eat.
Cant wait for Christmas and now we can have Xmas dinners in the old family manner with chatting and manners instead of in the sitting room with the 'telly' butting in and everyone glowering at Mr oblivious because it is another bless'ed war film..
I have the small drawer unit that was under my desk, as a bed side table now, it is lovely and deep and there is a lock.
OH doesn't know that I found the key shhh.
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
No more self employement
I have officially deployed myself,as in, I am no longer employing myself .
I rang the insurance people to confess my lack of work for the last 6 months.
They took all the details then gave me another number to ring as in the words of the telephonist ,'we don't talk to the other sections of the national insurance offices so you have to do it yourself'.
Anyway at the end of the second phone call ,guess what?
I am given a third number because you guessed it, there is a third section who ought to be told but they cant tell them as they have no physical connection!
ARGH!
Anyway I haven't managed to contact them as they are constantly too busy to answer the phone and their web page is non existent.
I rang the insurance people to confess my lack of work for the last 6 months.
They took all the details then gave me another number to ring as in the words of the telephonist ,'we don't talk to the other sections of the national insurance offices so you have to do it yourself'.
Anyway at the end of the second phone call ,guess what?
I am given a third number because you guessed it, there is a third section who ought to be told but they cant tell them as they have no physical connection!
ARGH!
Anyway I haven't managed to contact them as they are constantly too busy to answer the phone and their web page is non existent.
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Still pulling on the bar
The OH went back to work today so our pull up bar made it back upstairs where it is used the most.
I managed 10 and lots of lesser amounts till I had done around 58.
I am still improving on the one legged pistol squats. Less wobbling.
The temperature is finally beginning to kick in here and it was only 17 degrees downstairs so we have been upstairs in the warmer rooms all day.
Making spare cash trickle feed style
I joined Shop and scan this week. It is a company that asks for you to scan all the bar codes on your shopping and you upload the scans( they loan you a scanning device) and a picture of your receipt (to prove you didn't just scan the contents of the shop) and send to them once a week.
They reward in vouchers which will be so handy for Birthday present buying.
I am trying out Amazon MTurk too.
This is an american company .
You sign up and do little tasks on line for small payments in cents.
The UK participants are paid in US Amazon com vouchers only spendable on the US version of Amazon , so I thought I would have a go and see how handy they are once I have earned some.
If they are not really very spendable because of import duties making them worthless ,I will stop doing them.
I enjoy this kind of thing though, it is my trickle feed approach to life yet again.
If you stick at anything long enough, you will see rewards or at least know why you shouldn't continue.
Most of the tricklers have proved useful in one way or another .
Now the freelancing has dried up ,this is helping to fill in the time and provides a little bit of something for the very few times when I feel like parting with earnings.
I managed 10 and lots of lesser amounts till I had done around 58.
I am still improving on the one legged pistol squats. Less wobbling.
The temperature is finally beginning to kick in here and it was only 17 degrees downstairs so we have been upstairs in the warmer rooms all day.
Making spare cash trickle feed style
I joined Shop and scan this week. It is a company that asks for you to scan all the bar codes on your shopping and you upload the scans( they loan you a scanning device) and a picture of your receipt (to prove you didn't just scan the contents of the shop) and send to them once a week.
They reward in vouchers which will be so handy for Birthday present buying.
I am trying out Amazon MTurk too.
This is an american company .
You sign up and do little tasks on line for small payments in cents.
The UK participants are paid in US Amazon com vouchers only spendable on the US version of Amazon , so I thought I would have a go and see how handy they are once I have earned some.
If they are not really very spendable because of import duties making them worthless ,I will stop doing them.
I enjoy this kind of thing though, it is my trickle feed approach to life yet again.
If you stick at anything long enough, you will see rewards or at least know why you shouldn't continue.
Most of the tricklers have proved useful in one way or another .
Now the freelancing has dried up ,this is helping to fill in the time and provides a little bit of something for the very few times when I feel like parting with earnings.
Friday, 23 September 2011
Thurs and fri in the garden
The garden was screaming for attention LOL
So for the last 2 days, I have been out there digging and hoeing for a couple of hours each.
Last evening,we ran as usual and it being a nice night,we managed a nearly 3 miler without too much gasping.
Today I walked into town to buy Onion sets and paint.
The onions will go in the garden when I have cleared sufficient weeds out of the way.
Onion sets were £2 each pack and I bought 3 packs of 50.That sounds pricey until you realise that 3 full sized onions in Asda is about £1 . I will buy a bulb of garlic next time I am there as I'm not paying £2 for garlic if I can get it for less.
The paint is for the gate as my son wants to paint it to save it rotting away after he went to the effort of making it.
Also as it was only the worst half that was replaced, it has been a two coloured pair of gates for a few weeks which does stick out like a sore thumb.
Now it is half dark grey undercoat and half old blue paint and if it doesn't rain, it will be all blue tomorrow.
I have had to rethink my self employment.
After not really having any significant work for some months, I decided it was better to give it up than to sit on my behind and look hopefully in the direction of the company that had been sending me work last year.
With the economy up the spout just about everywhere, there isn't the demand for retouching ,especially when people are quite willing to have a go themselves or put up with a few spots and scratches on their prints.
While I am disappointed that things didn't really pan out with it, it is sort of liberating to have made the decision.
The pull ups have been going surprisingly well.
On Thursday,I didn't do even one because I am trying to be sensible and let the muscles rest between attempts.
Today I did 5 in a row twice and 4 once so far.
That is such a quick improvement.
It seems that once I got past two in a row, it is just a question of building from there because Wednesday was the first day I managed 4 and I think Monday was the first day I managed 3 .
The gardening has been quite an arm workout on its own but I am finding that using the tools is so much easier since my push ups,pull ups and dips have improved so drastically.
So for the last 2 days, I have been out there digging and hoeing for a couple of hours each.
Last evening,we ran as usual and it being a nice night,we managed a nearly 3 miler without too much gasping.
Today I walked into town to buy Onion sets and paint.
The onions will go in the garden when I have cleared sufficient weeds out of the way.
Onion sets were £2 each pack and I bought 3 packs of 50.That sounds pricey until you realise that 3 full sized onions in Asda is about £1 . I will buy a bulb of garlic next time I am there as I'm not paying £2 for garlic if I can get it for less.
The paint is for the gate as my son wants to paint it to save it rotting away after he went to the effort of making it.
Also as it was only the worst half that was replaced, it has been a two coloured pair of gates for a few weeks which does stick out like a sore thumb.
Now it is half dark grey undercoat and half old blue paint and if it doesn't rain, it will be all blue tomorrow.
I have had to rethink my self employment.
After not really having any significant work for some months, I decided it was better to give it up than to sit on my behind and look hopefully in the direction of the company that had been sending me work last year.
With the economy up the spout just about everywhere, there isn't the demand for retouching ,especially when people are quite willing to have a go themselves or put up with a few spots and scratches on their prints.
While I am disappointed that things didn't really pan out with it, it is sort of liberating to have made the decision.
The pull ups have been going surprisingly well.
On Thursday,I didn't do even one because I am trying to be sensible and let the muscles rest between attempts.
Today I did 5 in a row twice and 4 once so far.
That is such a quick improvement.
It seems that once I got past two in a row, it is just a question of building from there because Wednesday was the first day I managed 4 and I think Monday was the first day I managed 3 .
The gardening has been quite an arm workout on its own but I am finding that using the tools is so much easier since my push ups,pull ups and dips have improved so drastically.
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