Aaaaaaaand, done!

nandq.com

It's all done! And so quickly, too.

I got my bank transfer on Tuesday, immediately paid off my 0% interest card (£1100), and part of my 29.9% card (£790.45). Once the latter payment had cleared a couple of days later, I shoved the remainder (£1700) onto the 0% card, along with a small fee of £40.80, and that 'cleared' on 19.09.19.

For some reason, the date really pleased me - maybe it's all the 9's!

This did increase my Canadian LOC by $3300, but because I send Sterling on a reasonably regular basis and the exchange rate generally isn't too dire, I do get a bit more 'bang for my buck' so to speak and it allows me to pay an extra $10 or so here and there.

It means I can adjust some savings here a little bit, and free up a bit of cash to perhaps do a class of some kind one evening a week. 

Or not. Regardless, I'm feeling much lighter for having made this decision and even more so because it all happened so quickly and so smoothly.

Of course, now I'm fussing with my budget well into next year when I really have no idea what NEXT month is going to look like! I need to save a flat deposit and pay down/off my Visa. Those are my two financial priorities at the moment. It means I need to try and get a few extra shifts at the shop over the next few months, too, but that shouldn't be too difficult with the students now heading back to Uni. Hopefully, a few extra slots will be up for grabs on days that I can actually do them.

I've made a little bit of overtime this month (4 hours so far), and am going to rack up some more on Monday when we head north to Solihull (nr Birmingham in the Midlands) for a day of training for ANOTHER new system that we'll have to start using in the office. To say that we're not really excited about it would be 'a bit' of an understatement, but whatever. It will add to my paycheque next month too, so I'm pleased about that.

I bought my sister a fridge the other day, although not as a gift. She is going to pay me back for it. A fridge and washing machine are required items when you move into your own place here (at least it's not like Germany, where you have to supply your own entire kitchen!), and she's been eating convenience foods since she moved in. The little fridge wasn't that much and it's more or less a necessity. She doesn't have the funds for it, so I put it on my CC for her. Obviously, she'll be paying the interest on it as well.

Roomie E and I were talking last night about the flat. Lately, I've had this feeling of great anticipation, an almost physical reaction, to SOMETHING. Roomie E is hoping it's not bad, but it doesn't feel that way to me - it feels terribly exciting and HUGE, and like it's going to affect both of us, but in very different ways. But it's just out of reach at the moment.

I gave her and my neighbour a copy of my 'book' to read and I think my part of this 'thing' has something to do with that; hers is related to work and her career. She's given me some really great feedback on one of the characters that she's actually helped me create (a sommelier - weird! Ha ha!). I know there's a kernel of a really good idea there, so I've decided that if I'm going to do this, I need beta readers. I trust both of them to give me genuine, well-thought-out suggestions and comments on the story (which is a complete and utter mess at this point, basically stream of consciousness rubbish). I've learned that you cannot get better as a writer if you're not willing to take criticism/critique and take on board suggestions that will ultimately make your writing the best it can be.

Strangely, two of my current neighbours are actually characters in my book (even down to the same names)! They were written long before we moved in here, however, but I find the similarities quite spooky...

I've also taken a bit of a break from the cafe. I'm finding it a bit tough going now that I've got the shop on Saturday afternoons. I only have an hour in between the two to sit down and relax and eat, and it's a bit much. I've been at the cafe for two years, however, and am not ready to leave for good, just for a few months. I was really dreading going in this morning and that's not how I want to feel about it, because it's a lovely place to be. Thankfully, the manager understood, so while I was sorry to do it, it's the easiest thing to let go right now.

Today is supposed to be our last lovely day before a week of rain! It's been a lovely September so far, so I suppose, it being England, it was only a matter of time before the rain returned. At least it's still on the warm side.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!