My English Castle's Personal Finance Blog

Not a lot of exciting news today--no new folding flurries. But I did sell a shirt on FB for a stunning $5 and a textbook for $61. No spending but DD and DH went out for pizza while I taught my evening class. It's good bonding time for them.

I feel like I'm swamped--so much to do, but much of it is self-created work as I'm trying for more and more FB sales, so I'm finding, taking photos, listing, replying to inquiries, and packing things up. While the first round of this was mostly kid's stuff, this time lots of it is my clothes. I'm rarely a planner when it comes to clothes and when I find a style I like, I tend to stick with it. The last few years I've worn a lot of cardigans with camisoles to teach. So I've probably bought too many. Axe probably, I have too many.

Inspired by some of the Marie Kondo ideas, I went on a folding spree last night, fished five rarely worn tanks and camis out of the beautifully folded drawer--and was able to consolidate two heaping drawers of stuff into one gorgeous drawer of origami camis. I feel a little crazy just typing that. I washed them and took photos, listed, and have sold three of the five. Out also is going a rocking David Bowie tee, another cardigan, and a peach top that is more tent than top. All sold awaiting pick-up.

I Kondo-ed DD's horrible top and pants drawers this afternoon, switching their order, and I'm over-the- moon excited by how wonderful it is. And also very tired. I'm listing some of her outgrowns tonight.

In between this odd flurry of wackiness, I bought plants, spread mulch and compost, planted another crop of lettuce, tomatoes, and filled six planters.

Although I feel like going to bed at 8, I need to finish laundry and grade tomorrow's homework responses. And pull together a quick PowerPoint for our discussion. Hopefully I can stop folding for long enough to do that.

I phoned ATT this morning to try to find a better plan. The first guy wouldn't budge on the rate, but as I hemmed and hawed about dropping them, he transferred me to "customer retention" who have given me a $50 credit and saved me $13/month on our plan.

If I could just get my 89-year-old father-in-law on Skype, we could drop the international plan!

Total annual savings on this is $206. And special shout out to CCF who keeps me motivated.

I've spent a fair part of past few weeks decluttering and while there is still far to go, I'm a bit weary of it. I went with a friend to a children's resale shop today and got $25 for a bunch of DD's clothes and more cash for some books which I'll add to the totals. But I need a break from all that for a bit--or at least to slow it down and focus on a few other things.

While I have university meetings all afternoon, I plan to divide the morning between basement cleaning and garden. That way I can see the fruits of some of my decluttering. And negotiating some bill reductions which will probably do more financial good than the decluttering.

I did the university-sponsored health assessment today for which I'll get a $150 Visa card in a couple months. It wasn't too bad, and indeed I was out of there in about 30 minutes. But no coffee and no food until 1pm gave me a giant headache. DH went tonight after work, so we'll eventually be $300 to the good.

The headache precluded some other phone calls I was due to make today about lowering bills, but that can wait until tomorrow. Other fascinating items of interest include my upcoming trip to a children's resale shop tomorrow.

Part of my real and financial housekeeping has been to look hard at all of our upcoming expenses. We both tend to just throw money in a pile, try not to overspend, and hope to find the money in the pile when we need it. Indeed if we want to use some of my nest egg for an English property, we're going to need to examine our domestic spending and goals. That means looking at our spending even more carefully.

My DH doesn't spend a lot on frivolous things, but also never compares prices or thinks about long-term planning. That's just not how he is. Our retirement planning has been my task, and I've done pretty well with it. We also have set aside some money for DD's college expenses, but not really enough. DH had the advantage of a free British university education (no longer the case there), so hasn't really thought through what DD will need. I spent some time running college calculators the past few days, and it's clear we need to save more. Although he fidgeted through the discussion this morning, he actually lasted through the whole thing--culminating in our increasing our 529 contribution significantly.

I'd still like to get a new water heater and a new bathroom in the next year, but I can see I'm going to have to find a bit more freelance editing work over the summer, be more vigilant about expenses, and keep selling clutter.

My current small steps have helped, but I'm committed to examining all our bills--from finding a better phone plan to increasing our insurance deductible on the older car.

Post-London-Syndrome is what I have. Watching the British elections just made me lonesome for every place
from Cumbria to Cornwall. Boo-hoo.

So, not much going on here. I spent $35 at the garden center yesterday--mostly buying small cheap plants that I hope will grow. And another $11 today on produce.

I proctored a writing competition this morning, but parked free and didn't even buy coffee. And I sold a skirt of DD's and an old purse. I'm rapidly becoming impatient with DH's clutter, so we're going to have a big conversation about it--and some may mysteriously disappear even before then. I'm hoping to avoid my frustrated teacher tone but still get some cooperation from him. But he is a sloooooooooooooooooooow mover. And I am not a patient soul.

I didn't realize quite how much I had lingering in Paypal until I bought some postage from that account the other day. I normally just dump Swagbucks cash into it as well as my ebay sales, but there was over $1700 (!) there, so I've transferred most of it out where it's headed for the new savings account.

I've sold a few more things and will add them to the total when I'm paid.

DH is also considering changing his UK visit dates as the airfare is pretty awful right now. We hope to still get him out of here in June.

Lots more decluttering done, but lots more to do. I'm thinking of taking a few things to a consignment place next week. Maybe?

It's a warm day today, so headed to the garden center, then the garden later.

And it looks like we'll have some whining issues. It must be awful to enroll in a literature class and find out you have to read some books. But we got through the first long sessions, and only have six left.

I spent only a bit this afternoon on my way to class--I needed to use an expiring Walgreen's voucher and bought some coffee with coupons.

I decluttered a bit, ridding myself of a big load of postcards for someone who collects them. I have lots to do tomorrow--some financial, some housekeeping.

I sold a few more things on FB yesterday, and the shoes no one wanted sold for $20 on ebay! All lovely, all paid for. My Half Price Book sales amounted to $9, but I've cut clutter and donated more things both yesterday and today.

We rented Unbroken from Redbox tonight, and although I liked the book a lot more, the movie was worth seeing.

All of that is little in scope, but this is slightly bigger: I play pub trivia with my office mate occasionally, and today was the regional finals. Their team is pretty good, but I was happy I could come up with a couple strong answers, and we won 5th of 30 meaning for no cash at all, I came home with a $75 gift certificate to a local restaurant. I'm pretty chuffed!

Bigger yet was opening a new savings account with much better interest. That should bring in more than a snowflake, a mini snowball perhaps?

On this Derby weekend, off to the errands isn't nearly as fun as off to the races, but needs be, as the Brits say.

My wagers are placed on the hardware store, Half Price Books, and Target. The library is also in the running as is the post office.

Our small yappy-type dog is prone to wander, and DH has temporarily stopped the situation by putting up a length of orange snow fence on her escape route. But I'm hoping Menard's sale fencing will solve the issue a little less garishly. Menard's (ugh) also has herbs cheap, so I may pick up some garden stock. Perhaps (ha) I can fund it with book sales? Not a chance, I bet. But good to get some of these extras off the shelf. It's a long shot whether I can jump the hurdles and get out of Targe with just the sale priced dishwasher tabs I need.

And wait, we have a dark horse--a nearby estate sale. Results will be posted later!

I spent a long time today sorting through papers and getting unnecessary papers ready for the shredding fest on Saturday. Sorting papers always makes me evaluate our spending and saving, so I think there will be some changes in our accounts coming up.

Another splendid day with no spending--but with some small FB sales which I'll add to our totals.
Less clutter=more clarity

Well, maybe not that small. But I did spend about 35 minutes yesterday researching the price of children's Claritin at Target, Walgreens, CVS, Costco, and a couple other spots. DD has bad allergies and while we're trying local honey for her, right now she's a Claritin freak. The price varies widely; it's almost $1 a pill at Walgreen's when it's not on sale, but almost always cheaper at Target. After more math than I've done in a while, I found it at Costco for about 49cents/tablet, and very slightly cheaper at Target. But for that cheaper price, I had to use a Cartwheel coupon, a printable coupon, and my RedCard. That to save 30 cents over Costco. I think I need to think bigger.

In the meantime, I've sold, decluttered, and donated bags of stuff. Tomorrow has errands--and finally, some financial planning.

I sold a few more things on FB, and donated others today. I'm happy to have all of them leave my house!

Since I've been home I've rather unconsciously changed how I do meals, buying fewer things, and making a more concerted effort to use things up. I honestly think it comes from having a smaller fridge in London. My DH loves a really full fridge, but I have a hard time finding things and like a more pared-down selection. I'm happy with it, and I've heard no complaints from the eaters in the household. We've slowly been working our way through our freezer stocks as well. I'd like to empty the fridge freezer and clean it and the chest freezer. On that note, we had Trader Joe's frozen croissants this morning! Not very punishing is it?

Because I went to the university to do a teaching observation this morning, I got a bunch of errands tackled on the way home. Tomorrow's tasks include starting a serious look at our net worth. That will help us talk more about a move.

We had (gasp) sleety snow here this afternoon, and it was a perfect day to stay in and clean. Not that I'm sure there ever is a perfect day to clean, but it had to be done.

I spent most of the day cleaning the guest room--and vowing to not buy a single gift for anyone until I work my way through my giant bag of gifts. I have far too much stuff. I tend to buy things on vacation or weekends away and forget about it, meaning to give it as birthday and Christmas gifts, then buy more. But I've put it all in one place, and virtually every gift for the next year is coming out of that bag.

I've also made a huge bag of things to sell---mostly books and odds and ends. And speaking of selling and decluttering, I offered up a box of Christmas crafts, and some of my mom's older Christmas stuff on FB, and sold it all to a woman who is " sick crazy about Christmas." I was very happy to get a grocery size bag out of my house. I also sold some books--and all of this has been picked up, so I easily made my goal of getting rid of ten things. It's not a lot of money, but I'm happy to have it and not have all that stuff. I didn't spend a dime, and actually made some money. Not a day full of rip-roaring fun, but very satisfying. If I could tackle a room a day--or at least a couple of them a week I'd be richer and less encumbered. It's worth a shot.

It's been kind of a frustrating day here in lots of ways, many of them vaguely financial. DH's car needs at least a new muffler if not a whole new exhaust system which they want $1500 for. Ugh. He likes this garage, but I think they're too expensive, so we went back and forth on that a bit. He doesn't drive much--some weekend errands and just to the bus in the morning, so that seems a lot to spend on that car. The A/C quit working last year, but they want $1000 for that, and we've mutually decided it's not worth it. Then, after much consultation about selling some patio chairs, my potential buyer found others. Now the dishwasher appears to have clogged or something and is leaving sediment all over the dishes. We've rinsed out the water jets and will wait to see how it behaves, but I ended up with three sinks full of dishes.

I still have a couple of FB sales pending, but am sort of frustrated with the process right now and will concentrate tomorrow on other things. I think the tree pollen must also be bad because I'm a bit thick.

But there have been good things--I read two capstone projects, made a good quiche and excellent pumpkin chocolate chip muffins--all from the freezer and pantry. Onward--

Fall and Winter-y Wednesdays are usually spaghetti nights for us, and it's the first one we've had since I've been back. And it certainly was a wintery day here in Cheeseland. We awoke to snow on the garage roof and on the sidewalk. Ugh.

But happily there were non-literal snowflakes as well. I sold some bowls on FB, got a free cupcake at the bank, cashed in $25 on Swagbucks, and just got a $5 Amazon credit for Harris Polls. Since I have a bit of time now, I've been doing more Swagbucks and other teeny money makers.

I also spent some time decluttering which is rewarding in its own way. I think I need a treat--which will be tomorrow's vist to a nearby estate sale. I don't plan on buying anything, but I always enjoy the experience. I used to be a regular with an old friend, but that was years ago.

I sold some kid's clothes over the last week via a FB group, and today saw someone wanting to buy iron patio chairs. We replaced our patio chairs a couple years ago and have exactly the chairs she's seeking gathering dust in the garage. I'm going to inspect them tomorrow, and hopefully have them out the door by the end of the week.

More decluttering was done in the office and master bath. I listed a couple books on Amazon, but my ebay items failed to sell. I also have a box of postcards (gees, maybe I am a hoarder) that a co-worker's daughter would like, so I hope to get them out the door soon too.

We've just received the information about DD's school trip to Washington DC next year. It's a groaning $1200+, and of course, all her friends are going. So--in a burst of inspiration, we're doing the 52-week savings plan which will fund it nicely. There are also fundraisers along the way, but if we have overage, she can use it for spending money.

And today was a NS day!

Over the weekend DH and I spent some serious time talking about if we should move to the UK. We both really long for it, and both waver a lot. He's going back in June to see his dad, and will get some ideas about jobs. Small exploratory steps are in order as we start to think more.

But no matter what, I need to set some goals. Today's goal is to clean my home office. It's pure awfulness, filled with leftover tax information, items to sell, lesson plans, and lots of crud. Lots of crud.

Following on the heels of the office cleaning and before our Brit friends arrive on 19 May, I'm going to declutter or sell 10 things a day.

I won't count myself done for the day yet, but the Easter Seals dude has just picked up a bag of clothes, and I evacuated a tub of ricotta with a sell-by date in February. DH never cleans the fridge while I'm gone. Another ancient jar of pickled beets also left the building. Let's say I have seven more to go today.

Please hold me accountable so I don't lapse back into wallowing in NW3 homesickness.

More goals to follow.

I've sold two more things on the Kidscycle page today for $7. In a slightly larger drip, I've read a capstone project, reworked my syllabus, and am halfway through _Wild_ which I'm enjoying more than I thought I would.

About to start keeping track of my sales in the sidebar!

While I was in London, a friend here signed me up for a FB selling group list. They sell kids' stuff and home things locally in our Northshore area.

I've decided to give it a shot as we always have too many things. Since Tuesday I've listed six things, sold three, and have now listed another two on ebay. I love the system. You just leave it on your front steps, and people leave $ in an envelope. Perhaps not the most secure thing, but ok if people want to pick things up in a certain time frame.

Even better is you can list things you're looking for. I needed cheap copies of several books I'm using in my upcoming Bestsellers class--and while the library has them, it's SO much easier to have a personal copy you can mark up. I tried Amazon, but even $1 copies are $5 after shipping, and because these are not academic texts, publishers don't provide review copies. So yesterday I gave it a try on the FB list, and someone sold me a brand-new copy of _Wild_ for $2. In hardback! I'm still looking for Unbroken and Ruby,but I'm really trying to keep a lid on spending for a bit.

On the earning front, I did the taxes just in time and am happy to report we're getting a refund. And I read two capstone projects for more cash.

And look! I've gone through the whole blog post without mentioning London more than twice. It is NOT indicative of how I feel, but never mind.

and trying desperately to find the nearest Underground station to take me back. But enough of my London-itis; let's get down to business.My long-awaited $2400 showed up and has been deposited along with a rum rebate. I made some cash today reading capstone projects, and am putting together a syllabus for my upcoming Bestsellers class.

DH has not unpacked yet, so tomorrow I'll unpack all three of us while weeping copiously. And do the taxes.

Three months after I filed it, the Sonicare toothbrush rebate arrived. That $50 will go into savings.

And I do promise photo highlights this week.

Hej is Swedish for hello! I spent, and I do mean spent, last weekend in Stockholm. Why Stockholm? My grandparents were Swedish, I grew up with my grandmother speaking Swedish, and I though, after my adventures with students in Iceland that I should go. I shopped hard to find the right flight and hotel, preferrably leaving from Heathrow. It all came in for under $400 with the airport transport and a great central hotel with breakfast as I heard (rightly) how expensive Stockholm is.

I had a marvelous time; it was very fun to wander around the Old Town, look at all the cool Swedish design, and sample excellent seafood. I was glad I planned carefully as things were indeed staggeringly expensive, but I found great places and things to do that didn't kill the budget. There was a great museum on Scandi living called the Nordiske Museet on one of the small islands that make up Stockholm. Next door was another huge museum containing the reconstructed 1628 ship that sank in Stockholm harbor 20 minutes after sailing. Everyone was lovely and friendly and spoke English in response to my faltering Swedish. And I have a Scandi surname which everyone commented on, so I got to talk with lots of people--nice for chatty me when traveling solo.

Got back to London at 9:30 on Sunday night feeling like I'd been gone weeks. DH and DD here in a couple of days! I spent more than I'd planned on gifts, but it was so lovely. Yesterday I went to another gallery with students, then stayed on to go to the John Singer Sargent show at the NPG. Very interesting but came home exhausted after days on my feet. Only two weeks of classes left, but with Easter Monday off, that's only three days after tomorrow since I teach two days a week.

My editing work for the d--m textbook publisher has still not been paid, and I'm getting pretty hacked off. My contact forgot to invoice them, but said they screwed up. They owe me $2500 which better show up soon. Sitting in my sunny flat before my afternoon meeting, and really again feeling so blessed and so lucky to have this time.

Although Marylebone Market was nowhere to be found when I got there, I did have a nice walk there. Apparently the market is only during the summer. I haven't been in that neck of the concrete for a long time, and it is very exclusive with great design stores and a branch of my favorite Daunt Books. But again, I spent nothing. How is that possible? Even yesterday I brought coffee to school, then shepherded my War and Lit class to the Churchill War Rooms for which they paid 13 GBP, and because we're Imperial War Museum members, it was free for me.

Since the Iceland trip is coming up in two days, I'm trying to eat the contents of my fridge with much success. Although I seem to be surviving on roast vegetables and sweet potatoes, it's nice food.

But skyping with DD yesterday she insists she's outgrown all her yoga pants and leggings--but LandsEnd has no black ones until June. I like LandsEnd, but sure wish they had staples always in stock. So I ordered her two pairs from Gap.com and a pair of jeans--with free shipping and a promotional code it was around $40. And today I purchased two tickets to the Highgate Cemetery tour for when DH arrives. Aren't we wild livers?

Grading papers all morning, but off to a meeting in 20 minutes. If I can manage it, I'll walk there.

Trying to keep up with which London neighborhood is currently cool is too much for my middle-aged self, but someone told me all the junk from Petticoat Lane and Brick Lane has now moved to Walthamstowe. So I dutifully went there yesterday, and it indeed was full of junk. It is apparently the longest market in the UK, but triumphantly, though I sampled many things, I walked away with nothing.
Then on to hipster haven at Spitalfields which also left me yawning. I did ooh at Shad Thames shops, then on to more high-end shopping. I haven't been to Fortnum and Mason in years--but it was so incredibly crowded in there, I gave up after 15 minutes. Salt beef seems to have swept the country in the last few years so I stuck my head into the salt beef bagel places in the East End and again at Selfridges--sampled some, sampled Truman beer, Italian orange Easter cake, and very high- test chocolate. I have to say, it was all a feast for eyes, but my only purchases were the Evelyn Waugh novel I'm teaching next week (free with my Waterstone's card!) and a coffee (free with my Costa points. ) I even got 1p back from Waterstone's so was entertained, fed, and happy while making 1p.


Off to Marylebone Market now....

I've been home most of the day with a pen in hand, writing comments on papers. One class down, about one and a half to go. Some won't need extensive comments, but some will. I wish the shoemaker's elves would come and finish them up.

So why the day after? Yesterday was spectacular, at least in my geek universe. I got up early and queued for day tickets at the National Theatre to see Ralph Fiennes in a Shaw play. We got tickets for 15 GBP, so I was thrilled. I camped out in a sunny spot on the Southbank and corrected more papers, then a hike over the river through Embankment Gardens to the tube back. After lunch and more grading, I went for a special tour of Parliament with three other faculty. A Labour MP took us to his office (small--but the view!) then all through Parliament itself--including the underground chapel, the river terrace etc. What a treat. He spent hours and hours with us.

Then I walked down to the Embankment again and to the theatre. I had a quick sandwich and cup of coffee and settled in for a long but fabulous play. Rather than hopping right on the tube home, I walked with a colleague across the river to Trafalgar Square to see the new sculpture, then through Leicester Square and finally back to Tottenham Court Road for the tube home. I was exhilarated and so happy--What a beautiful day. Of course today, I am exhausted. Nothing like grading papers to put you to sleep. All of that joy for 20 GBP--15 for the ticket, and 5 for dinner.

My first class went on a long walk today through all the Bloomsbury squares. Now we've been here for six weeks; a person would think they might have discovered them before? They're a two-minute walk away. But it was fun to show them where Virginia Woolf lived, and Yeats, and Dickens, and a host of others.

My other class also went well, and I had been a bit grumbly about students who have been a little lax. Yet when I left, my most trying student said, "Don't leave. We like your classes best." I went home with a big smile on my face.

I spent nothing until I went grocery shopping this evening, when I spent 20 GBP. I had a voucher for double loyalty points, so stocked up on things I'll need soon like more coffee, bottled water for upcoming trips, and laundry soap. I'm a bit pleased as I've managed to wean myself off half and half in my coffee and switch to whole milk. Perhaps I'll get it down to 2 percent someday, but think I must be saving some fat and calories.

I have a huge pile of grading since last night was theatre night. "Once," the musical we saw was very good, and my colleague bought me a drink which you could have on the stage! Very fun.

Since I doubt I will be back in London with this much time in front of me for years, I spent much of Friday rambling in Hampstead Heath. It was sunny and glorious. There was even some hardy soul swimming in one of the ponds.

I bought a couple of cheap travel guides in the Oxfam shop, walked all the way down to Swiss Cottage tube station, then did some grocery shopping. I fell seriously short of my goal of funding three weeks shopping with my Nectar (loyalty card) points. But I did have enough for a single week's shopping, which I will cash in on soon.

After endless hours comparing travel sites and deciding against Ryanair flights, I've pushed back my Sweden jaunt for a couple weeks. I can get a decent timed flight on a decent airline, two nights in a downtown Stockholm hotel with airport transfers for under $400. The hotel includes breakfast. I've been a little worried about Swedish prices, but have been doing some serious reading on where to eat well and cheap(ish). I grew up with a Swedish grandmother and really feel drawn there. I'm very excited.

And the next month is full of many other joys--I'm trying to pence pinch a bit to help justify all these joys. I brought my own coffee today which is a rarity in London. Although travel mugs are for sale, you never see someone transporting coffee. And decent coffee is over $3 with even the university machine-made swill at $2. The fancy-pants grocery offers free coffee with their loyalty card so in the four-hour gap between my second and third class, I went over there for a cup. This coupled with my packed lunch maybe saved me 8-10 GBP today. Well, maybe as I usually bring my own lunch.

Tomorrow my office buddy is taking me out to lunch as I took her to dinner in November when she came to talk to our students. I also have a free theatre ticket to "Once,"so that should be fab. Another day in paradise.

Thursday is not a teaching day for me here, but I did have a series of meetings, including a meeting to discuss internships with students. About half my students are doing internships while here, working unpaid for under 20 hours a week. They must obtain a Tier 4 visa to do this which sets them back about $500.

As one might expect, it's a mixed bag. Lots of them absolutely love their internships, but I've got two this term who are less than happy. It's difficult to sort out how much of this is their unrealistic expectations of work, trouble balancing travel, classes, and work, or whether the internships are really as bad as they say. After about 90 minutes of headache-inducing complaining, I was happy to hide out in the faculty office.

I'm considering going to Stockholm next weekend, if I can figure out how to do it cheaply. Lots of options, but I have to work it around my already packed schedule.

The best part of the day was the "After Hours" event at the National Portrait Gallery where they're having a special exhibition of John Singer Sargent. It was free! And you could purchase wine, soft drinks, gin and tonics, etc, and stroll some of the galleries with them. Amazing. So with a lovely glass of wine, I enjoyed an exhibit on the photography of Lord Snowden and for the second time, the Grayson Perry pieces, What I came for was a lecture on a group portrait of WWI generals done by Sargent. While I'm not sure I agreed with the lecturer on everything, it was very interesting--and particularly lovely to walk out after the evening into Trafalgar Square.

Total spending was sort of minimal: 4pds for wine, six for groceries on the way home.

Now to go out into the sunshine!

Can someone offer some instruction on how to get photos to upload correctly to the blogs? Mine seem to get stuck and never make it from the bottom of the draft page.