at a bit of a loss...

Well, I just don't know where to start today! I got my Ebay parcels done, did a few chores in the house, it's snowing on and off so that is putting me off walking the dogs, and now I just don't know where to go on my list of 'things to do'.
I still have minutes to deal with but what I want to do is play with some ploymer clay. I have an idea for a bangle and want to see if it will work but that seems so frivolous when there are proper 'need to do' jobs. Ho Hum.
Think I'll have a cup of tea and think about it!

Aah, joyous bliss!

Well I got my tax return done last night with no hitches or glitches, thank goodness!

And just got interrupted to sign for a delivery of pearls which I ordered on Friday! Fantastic delivery times! And they all look great. And the sun is shining. Today is officially a good day.
I have the minutes of 2 meetings to write up and then I am going to take my dogs for a big walk on the hill. They deserve it. I have been ignoring them for a few days now and taking them for walks at the loch (not so interesting for a dog) in the dark. Between trying to get tax returns finished and the exhaust falling off the car on Sunday, they have had a pretty boring couple of days.
Anyway, will sign off to get on with the rest of my beautiful day!

I must not lose my P60...

Having spent the entire morning and half the afternoon looking for last years P60 I was nearly in tears when inspiration hit and I looked in an old school bag. BINGO!!!!!!
So now I have all the info I need to submit my tax return. Last night the submission took about 1 minute. I hope it's just as efficient today.
The tomorrow I guess I get my life back but I can't even remember half the stuff Ive been putting off until 'after the tax return'. There's going to be a huge list to write later today and then just going to have to start ticking off the jobs tomorrow.

Slow and steady

Certainly I am beginning to feel like a tortoise!
But I have submitted my OHs tax return tonight. I am so pleased. Got to be more organised for next year though.
I'm sure I say that every year, just like Christmas!
Tomorrow is my personal D-Day for submitting my own tax return. I did it on the 29th last year aswell.

The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley

Here is a random photo of harmony in our house, enjoy!

Happy Burns Day to You All!

Well yesterday was a complete wash-out as far as accounting was concerned!
I got some done but I've still got lots leftover to do today and although it's only been a day I can really feel that deadline fast approaching and the nightmare scenario of HMRC website lockdown when I'm trying to submit looming large! Curses, what a fool I am!
However, on a brighter note I did get my kitchen worktops cut yesterday. One of our friends phoned in the morning to say he might be round later, so I asked him to bring his circular saw and, bless him, he did oblige. So they need to have the ends glued onto them and screwed into place, and there's one small stretch of kickboard to fit, and OH's uncle coming tomorrow to wire in the chimney hood. Then that side of the kitchen will be complete! Wowee, that took a while!
The we need to start on the other side. Which really shouldn't take as long. I hope.

Suppose I better sign off now and get back to the figures.

Self-assessment 2!

Oh yeah and look what I remembered to download yesterday... cool...

Dagnammit! When will I learn? Doing year old accounts so that I can fill out my tax return doesn't help anyone except the taxman!

I think though that another steady day at it should see me filing my returns tomorrow, or maybe in the middle of the night to avoid overload on the website! I have to wait in for a delivery of my new chimney hood for my new cooker today anyway. Even if it comes early (like the bath suite did yesterday!) the only other thing I have to do today is take the dogs for a walk. So it's sums, sums, sums all the way from here for me! Ah joy!

The cooker and hood are getting wired in on Saturday morning, then the only thing that needs doing (on that side of the kitchen) is the worktop! Don't know who we're going to ask to do that though. Sneakily we are planning to go to the pub on Friday afternoon to 'bump into' a neighbour of ours, who is a plumber, to see if he wants the job of fitting the new bath suite. It all seems to be coming together now, after such a long time.

Once the tax is done, I've got to organise a new mortgage, and swap gas and electric provider - or at least check I'm still with the competitive ones. That'll be a trip to Martyn Lewis' website.

Self-assessment

I was at a tax course on Monday morning - self-assessment for the self-employed. I should have realised that because I have been filling out tax returns for 3 or 4 years now the course was probably going to be a bit basic. Well, the course was actually not too bad but the other people on it! Oh my God!!!!!! How scary were they? The course leader would say "the deadline for tax payments is the 31st January" and the next question from the floor would be "so when do we have to pay our tax by?" It was unbelievable!
Then I met a friend for lunch, which was nice.
On Tuesday I went and helped a friend with some work.
Today I'm waiting in for a delivery of my new bathroom suite so I'm going to get productive since I'm stuck in the house all day (potentially). First and foremost the dreaded tax reurns actually need filling out so I better get on with the accounts!

Bit the bullet

Well, I did order stuff after all. But since I have the Bead Fair coming up I managed to justify it that way.
Today, I need to get some new stuff listed on Ebay. I'm sure I even have the photos taken it's just a matter of getting the descriptions filled out etc, etc, etc. I even have some stock that I don't have photos of, maybe I could get really caught up if I put my mind to it.
Of course, there are always the kitchen wall units needing to be hung if/when I get bored! I had wanted to do that this weekend but the Husky racing is at Aviemore this weekend and I think we are going there on SUnday so that leaves us today and tomorrow to get units up. I'm sure K will come up with some excuse why we don't have time to do it, so I figure if I do it today while he's at work (and I've got a million and one other things I SHOULD be doing) then at least it's done.
Roll on my tax course next Monday morning - should be fun!

What a wet and miserable day it is today - rain, rain, rain.

I am still struggling to make Ebay financially viable. There are two thoughts that play on my mind and I switch between them constantly, should I throw more money at it in the hope that it will work, or do I cut my losses and run?
Currently, I am doing the former, which is scary. But the Big Scottish Bead Fair is coming up in February so that should help. both money-wise and profile-wise. Got to go order some more beads though! Well, what I should really be doing is sorting through the beads that I already have. Some of them have never been on Ebay, never been used in any jewellery, and never been bagged or tagged. Shame on me!

Entrepreneurial New Year!

Here's a photo of yesterdays walk with the dogs;

Well I can't believe Christmas has come and gone (again!).

Having been turfed out of my old part-time job for no good reason I am now officially full-time self-employed! Scary though that is financially, it means I now have no good reason to be miserable and I'm enjoying every moment of self-earned freedom. However, I do actually have to make some money, so I guess I actually have to do some work. I suppose selling beads will be my bread-and-butter income and selling jewellery will be the cream and sugar. Having said that, so far jewellery is going a lot better than beads but I think in the long term it will be the other way around.

I have a stack of bills and post to sort out this morning and then I have to start on last years tax returns (both mine and my hubbys).

Then I need to take the dogs out and get on with listing more beads on Ebay.

Right now though, I've got to remove a cat from my knee so I can go and get more coal before the fire goes out. It's pretty cold and miserable here today.