Cheery's buttling diary: tea in one hand, plant pot in the other, running shoes on

A question about : Cheery's buttling diary: tea in one hand, plant pot in the other, running shoes on

Hi all

Goodness me, it's been ever such a long time since I've been here! It seems I disappeared without a trace almost two whole years ago, and then life got in the way, and you know what it's like when you've been gone for so long, it's quite hard to come back...

In fact, it's been so long since I went that maybe nobody even remembers I was here in the first place If you feel the need to delve into my history the latest (not-very-up-to-date) version is here, and the one before that is here.

Anyway, I'm back again now and if I disappear again I promise I shall leave a note explaining myself

I've decided to come back for two reasons:

(1) I'm not in debt, but I'm also not-quite-as-much-in-control-as-I'd-like I've FINALLY combined finances with Mr Daffs (after 8 years) and there's lots of messing around related to that to be done

(2) I've just spent a cheery couple of hours reading back through my old diaries (how very sad ) and remembering JUST HOW CHEERFUL it was in the old days of hanging round here

I confess I'm a tiny bit daunted about coming back - one of the reasons I vanished was because I was spending FAR too much time on the internet and I'm wary of doing that again... But for now I've decided there's plenty of other things to worry about without bothering my little head about that one

Ooh, I should probably explain the 'buttling' in my title It's a word I invented (although I suspect other people have invented it before me). It's kind of what butlers do, you see - they buttle - make tea and open doors and tidy up, and generally buttle around getting on with little things

And while I don't intend to put on a suit and act like Jeeves any time soon (although actually come to think of it, he was a valet, not a butler), i LOVE using the word and spend much of every day buttling around doing all kinds of cheerful activities

Suppose I'd best do something like talking about money now...

Best answers:

• my ancient signature is still there, oh dear!
  So I'll waffle on about money, before I forget why I'm here and start waffling about all manner of other stuff instead
  Current situation - work
  When I was last here I'd been working full time for a year - I did that for another year then decided I'd had enough and dropped down to four days a week. It was the BEST thing I ever did and I ADORE having Fridays off I only lost about Ј300 a month in wages and I fill my Fridays with all manner of visiting, tea drinking, cake eating, running, voluntary work and cheerfulness
  A few months ago my fixed term contract ran out and they made me permanent So I am now 'stuck' in a job that I love, with cheerful people and a decent wage. Can't complain really!
  I still commute to another city two days a week though, and work the other two days at home.
  Money
  Patchwork fund is still in existence It got built up to about Ј6000, then I spent Ј2000 on a new flute When I dropped down to four days I stopped adding to it, and slowly it got picked away at... I stopped worrying too much once they made me permanent (it was meant to fund me when my contract ended, after all) and it's now down to about Ј2600
  HOWEVER - just this month I have FINALLY got round to merging finances with Mr Cheery It's only taken us 8 years... We actually have a joint account and everything, which I've never done before, all very scary
  I did cash envelopes for a while, then I didn't, and now things have got so out of hand that I just fritter in dribs and drabs and the last couple of months have had to transfer money from the patchwork fund to stop myself going overdrawn This really is NOT NECESSARY!!
  I am custodian of our joint finances now, including savings, and I need to do it responsibly! Hence why I'm back here
  Other stuff
  Er, not really sure what other stuff to tell you about! I'm doing lots of running, which is cheerful My focuses (foci?!) for the year are running and gardening - I'm trying to keep track of everything I grow and how much I would have spent if I'd bought it in the shops We'll see how long that lasts - I am not known for my green fingers...
  Er, I think that's probably it for now! Very much looking forward to being back and pottering about with you all again
• Oh!! I know what I forgot - a BUDGET!!!
  I do have one, honest, a shiny new joint one and everything!
  
  Monthly direct debits
  Ј150 gas and electric
  Ј35 BT
  Ј25 internet
  Ј50 water
  Ј116 council tax
  Ј140 mortgage
  Ј60 mobiles
  Ј7 web provider thingy
  Ј12 national insurance
  Ј20 union
  Ј3 wildlife trust
  TOTAL = Ј618
  Other monthly spends
  Ј120 food
  Ј30 treats
  Ј200 my spends
  Ј200 Mr Cheery spends
  Ј200 work travel
  Ј50 diesel
  TOTAL = Ј800
  Savings
  Ј80 Car (MOT, RAC, insurance, tax)
  Ј40 annual bills (TV licence, house insurance)
  Ј100 house repairs
  Ј100 holidays
  Ј100 weekends away
  Ј50 long term savings
  TOTAL = 470
  Overall total = Ј1888
  That's our minimum income between us - Mr Cheery's income is quite variable so anything extra will go into long term savings (or house repairs, if anything is in imminent danger of falling off )
  Currently don't have anything in any of those pots except the long term savings, and I'm not even sure how much is in there as it's spread over three different bank accounts Can you see why I needed to come back here?!
  I've probably waffled enough to myself, but I'm going to use this little diary for a few things:
  (1) keep track of what I'm spending, can't be faffed with a paper spending diary any more!
  (2) keep track of the merge of all the bank accounts, and what I need to do to change direct debits over. Hopefully all completed by the end of Feb!
  (3) keep my head a little bit more focused on money than it has been of late...
  And now I should probably get off the internet before I end up here all day, like in the old days!!
  (thanks for having me back ) xxx
• Welcome Back!!!!!
  XOX
  RT
• I was a silent lurker on your old diary, good to see you back again. I cannot play a note on any instrument and I don't run, but enjoyed reading of your expolits. Garden and cake and tea do appeal very much to me though Love the idea of buttling, my word is pootling, sort of bumbling around doing a bit of this or a bit of that as the mood takes me - the greatest joy of having done my 45 years with nose to grindstone and now being able to totally please myself
  P.S. I appreciate how lucky I was to have just slipped through the net so to speak before the retirement age was changed, not so great for all you younger ones.
• I remember you from a challenge or maybe your diary? Patchwork fund, I remember that Lovely idea
  welcome back SO good you aren't in debt
  Love Buffy xx
• Found your new diary! And its right there right away, something I really missed - your multicoloured posts!
  From the shrieky face, I think you've guessed thats a lot to pay for gas and elec the water's probably quite high too though, Cheery ... there's only one of me, but I pay Ј12 a month, with a water meter ... assume you use more than me and you might still save Ј15-Ј20 a month
  The prospect of all that tea and cake to come is brilliant
• YAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYYAYAYYAYYAYYAYYAY
  You're back
  Welcome back to the dark side
  Hugs and snugs!
  Off to catch up.
• Hello you lovely lot, and thank you SO much for a lovely welcome
  Maddiemay I potter too Such a lovely word (as for retirement - I refuse to think about it for at least another 20 years unless I am in a position to actually retire before then)
  Buffy, I do feel a bit of a fraud in here without being in debt but I was before, honest, and I don't want to be again, so I'm counting this as debt avoidance
  rtandon, lovely to see you
  Yep KC, tis indeed a lot to pay Possibly understandable though - it's a 100% green tariff, so a bit more expensive than otherwise, the boiler is absolutely ancient and not awfully efficient (but no point replacing til it actually dies). Also we both work at home a lot of the time, and often keep fairly different hours, so the heating is often on from morning til 2 or 3am
  Still, rest assured that I will indeed be investigating and reducing all those bills! (although priority is to merge all the accounts, don't want to get ahead of myself!)
  Oh it *is* good to be back and hanging around with you all!!
• Oh and Pippi! You sneaked in there too!
  How very cheerful
• YAY!! Cheery's back
  Lovely to *see* you Cheery - looking forward to tea, cake, sewing, crafts, WI and general cheerfulness
  Greying
• Hellooooo! *waves* lovely to have another returner (returnee?) to - as Pippi put it, the dark side!
  Absolutely with you on debt avoidance too - that's also my flimsy excuse for being back - just the need to regain a but of focus - and more me the "public" thing of posting here just works for that.
  Not sure if it helps, but I suspect you could cut that Telephone/internet quite a bit too - I'm currently paying Sky Ј35 a month which was a package they offered to match prices offered by BT - that includes TV too so just for the other two there ought to be something lower than that? Suspect it's on your list to look at though!
  Welcome back!
• Cheery! You're back, how fantastically lovely to hear from you! How strange though that I've been away for ages too and thought today was a good day to start posting again, maybe it's just one of those days.
  I really like all the gardening and cups of tea talk, very much my way idea of a good time
• Ooh, more lovely people!
  I will indeed be going through all those bills eventually, just thought i'd waffled enough for one day Anyway, not even thinking about any of them until everything is properly merged and all direct debits transferred, poor brain can't cope
  Already wasted Ј1.50 this morning - was going to walk to yown but left it so late i've ended up on the bus - which is now in a giant queue of traffic so i'm likely to be late anyway, gah! Remind me to walk tomorrow!!
  At least i get lunch paid for today
• Cheery - its so lovely to have you back I always found your posts inspirational and positive
  I have been with my Mr for longer than 8 years and we don't have the joint a/cs thing - i can imagine its hard work getting all that sorted out
  I saved money today by walking to the station and back with the intention of then picking the car up from home - only to find its broken down At least it did it at home but if i'd driven / tried to drive to the station i'd have known it wasn't working when all the garages were still open. Oh well. Think i'm trying to say there may have been a good reason for you being on the bus today
  Looking forward to your posts
• hi dedicated lovely to see you too
  How very vexing about your car!! I am very sympathetic - mine too is currently broken and has been since 28th December... Goes a couple of miles at a time but water tank is full of oil and we're in the process of acquiring a new one... (gosh, that makes me sound like we're stealing it, or building it ourselves!! We're not, clearly Just quite picky about what we want, and what we're (not) going to spend on it...)
  Fortunately I have learned that my bus fare from today will be refunded Exciting times
• *reminds cheery to walk tomorrow.
  Well done on the refund.
• What ^^she^^ said!
  Quote:
• See, we all have your interests at heart
  Oil in the water tank deffo sounds horrible ... hope you get a nice new-to-you one soon