How to get the best UK mobile phone plan for you

I am getting ahead of myself with my 20 ways to save in 20 days  thingybobit.  June isn't here but I am keen and I am in there!

First thing I did was try out the website www.billmonitor.com to find the most suitable mobile phone contract for me.. It is apparently some kind of geeky website written by the mathematician of Oxford (university or town, I don't know) which looks at three months of usage and tells you what would have best suited you, both provider and contract. Mine says I over pay by a lot and should move to Tesco. I am stuck until October but will take the advice as soon as I can. This website is suitable for anyone with a UK contract but not PAYG as I guess they cant get at your usage history.

I plan to run each of the cellphone plans through as their times comes up for renewal. Might save a few £££££££££££'s

20W20D

Lena at Frugal & Thankful is making a few changes, since her poor husband is losing his job.

I am going to join in the 20 ways in 20 days challenge to give her some support. She is a great person and if anyone can cope and change things for the better then I think she can.

In fact I am doing some thing which would fit 20W20D today but it is too early to count.

My friend Margret is an ebay whizz. She does everything right and makes loads of extra cash, just from emptying her house. I do sell on ebay but not much and at bargain rates. I am off to see her at lunch time for the first lesson

Capsule (ish) wardrobe plans

Its a bank holiday weekend and I booked a flexi day for Friday. But then, in a moment of madness, I added an extra annual leave day to it to make a whole five days without work. Yaay.

Once upon a time I would have wanted a weekend in Paris or at least a trip out but for some reason I am quite excited about five days of doing stuff around the house. I think it is because of finally being able to see the results of my endless de-cluttering. The kids can still make the place pretty untidy but overall I am seeing a difference.

Today I am concentrating on my bedroom and, if it stop hailing (in bloody MAY!) the front garden, but mainly the bedroom.

I am opening up the under-bed storage.

All of my clothes will then be sorted into:

• Winter (to go into a storage box)
• Crete stuff (another storage box - then off to Crete at some point)
• Charity
• Ebay
• Keep

There is a probably also going to be a pile of ;

• 'How did that get in there, it's not even mine'

Ebay is going okay, not huge profits but money for old clothes so better than nothing. That makes me inclined to try harder and maybe take better photos too.

My target is not financial though, the idea is that by the end of today I know what clothes I have and can access them easily. I can also identify what I need to make everything work. I wouldn't call it a capsule wardrobe  even at its best, but the fact that I choose from a limited range of colours does help. Today I am also going to be strong and get rid of things I like but that are not in colours I wear. I am comfortable with that as long as I learn from it and don't buy a brown suit again, just because I like the cut of one of the jackets (literally never worm - waste of money, much?).

Mr Money Mustache

I have no idea what the name is supposed to mean but the blog is brilliant, informative,, unfussy and amusing.
Do what he says, especially in this article!
Mr Money Mustache

I can be taught

My natural inclination is to learn or do something new, do it until I can do it fairly well and then lose interest and never do it again. Hence no hobbies other than 'new stuff'. Apparently this is normal for my 'type' . Thank you MBTI for making me realize that if I am weird then at least 5% of the population are the same kind of weird.. I am rubbish at routines and habits. But I have learnt to do some thing by repetition, building habits. I never forget to shower and clean my teeth before I go to work in the morning ( you might be pleased to know I also remember to dress!) and it never makes me think, I am board with showering so I wont do it anymore. I believe that to make my life 'easier' I should try to add a few habits. I am working on a list (assuming I don't lose interest before i get implementation stage, as I normally do) that will make me a better person (not really, but maybe a less frantic person)

• Swish and flick bathroom every day (thank you Flylady)
• Make sure dishwasher is stacked at night and kitchen is wiped around.
• Monitor bank daily and stick to budgets
• Get laundry and vacuuming finished before weekend.

What else needs to go on the new habits list??

Watch this to laugh lots and lots:

This video is brilliant and made me cry laughing. so just watch it!

Re budgetting

Yes, again.
Last night I jumped into bed nice and early and then lay there for 30 minutes thinking Hopped out again and spent 90 minutes gathering financial information and updating my budget. I have to be more disciplined. My budget works but one kid not working (until September, then he is sorted with sponsorship at uni) and the other on very short hours, then I am getting nowhere fast. I will have to be a bit more strict until I am not supporting them (so much).
This month, no takeaways (last month we had two) and no eating out (once last month, :( ).
No new stuff unless aid for by ebay income - I can do that, so far I bought a new top, some Birkenstocks, a Radley handbag and a new purse all with my recycled junk.
All surplus income to debt/mortgage repayment.
I am happy with food bills at the moment.. Budget is £400 per month but we actually spending slightly over half of that. We eat much, much less than previously and far more healthily. Amazing stuff.

I also have a new current account The pan is to use it for bills, mortgage etc as it is a cashback account. The main account will just be used for shopping.

Its all coming together, just hang in there. The recession will be over at some point,, I assume??

Jewellery Findings

Just a quite post. does anyone make jewellery and would benefit from a new batch of findings?
Please message me if you would.
:)

Summer

We had a few sunny days and we thought it was summer.

We planned garden work, weekly barbecues and the making of garden decorations.

Hmmm, then the sun went away again

Fortunately I also had something indoors to keep me entertained.. I sort of signup for Flylady. Flylady light in fact, as ten emails a day will just irritate me. Mainly I read the site and the gist of it is once you clean u a bit then do a bit each day and keep it clean. The complete opposite of my leave it until you can leave it no longer and then scrub it until you can scrub no more. There way seems easier if you have a little discipline, which is pretty much where I always fail as I am not good with rules and the obeying of them, even when they are my rules. We shall see.

I would very much like some sunshine back for the weekend as I want to be drilling and playing with glass to make giant flowers!

Unexpected sunshine = run outside

I haven't been outside to check in the weather yet but there is lovely sunshine coming in the bedroom window and a lack of pelting rain on the conservatory roof. This is England in May so

How long it lasts can't be guarenteed.

My youngest son and I plan to get moving pretty quick to take advantage of the little rays. We are off to the dump to get rid of some of the junk from the garden. Afterwards brekkie together an then we do the shopping. The rest of my day is unplanned. Bad weather will mean cleaning and all the usual, followed by sorting through old craft stuff. Good weather will mean minimal cleaning and then get out in the garden and more sorting and weeding. The endless winter, snow in April, means the garden is frightful and not the artistic paradise of dreams.  Effort required.

Time to move

Garden

every spring I tell myself this is going to be the year of the garden. Its fine for some months, then i forget the veggies and bits and everything goes to the dogs. So this I am thinking of doing something different. what about just making the garden into a room I like and want to be in. The others do use it but they don't really care what it looks like so  I am taking it over and using it for all of the weird things I like. I need to clear and tidy a bit but if it is fun then I am more likely to do it.

I have some ideas of things

May Goals

Use a proper to do list
Ebay at least five items each week
Sort out lunches for work in advance
Sort wardrobe
Monitor cash and stay within budgets
Go out more but within budget limits
Join gym and start doing some actual moving about

I am well (as well)

I am using Moyra's positive affirmation doodah to rid myself of all the evil lurgy which has pursued me since somewhen last December. And I am not going to whine about being ill since my friend just had to be hospitalised with pneumonia and so is definitely worse off than I am, bless his little cotton socks.

So how is it all going? Well, all seems to be well, actually. I am bounding about with positivity (sounded right in my head).

Work is going well. New boss seems good. She is encouraging me to do a NLP qualification paid for by the company. I am quite taken with the idea. I love learning anything new and this is right outside of my comfort zone,, so even better.

I have been off the computer this week and getting stuff done in the real world instead. I bought stuff. I rarely do this but my clothes and accessories were suddenly looking very tired. I have to be fairly smart for work, although the kindly don't seem to mind my quirkiness, bless them. Now I am all kitted up except for being in need of a few tops.

We have also being doing a few house type things like mending the leaky bath edge, sorting wardrobes and contents, sorting under bed storage.

On top of that I have been selling on ebay.

Oh yes, and I have been making an effort to go out, so easy now we have light evenings and my bed doesnt call quite so early.

So there we are. I am on fire, and I am well!