Last Born Child

Net Worth Q4 2011

2012-02-06T22:09:00.003Z

I sat down tonight and closed off my 2011 Net Worth file. That's when I realized I hadn't posted figures for Q4. Better late than never right?

I knew it would be bad, but I didn't think it would be this bad. I spent too much and saved too little. I'll do better this quarter - the figures are looking promising already!

Please Go Away

2012-01-15T21:27:00.004Z

Today got off to a bad start. I meant to clean out my loft today but I overslept and wasn't in the mood. So, as I was lounging and enjoying my Sunday afternoon, watching the season finale of Awkward Black Girl when my mobile rang. The caller withheld their number. I picked up and was surprised when the lady at the other end was giving me attitude in her "hello". It turns out it was my doctor's secretary and she was calling to see how far away from the surgery I was.

Then a lightbulb went off in my head - I forgot all about my appointment. No wonder she sounded salty. There I was thinking "this is nice, chilling at home on a Sunday afternoon" when she had the job of calling all these ditsy patients who forget their appointments. I hightailed it out of my home like someone was after me - those people charge full consultancy price for missed appointments! l made it there half an hour after my appointment time and was told to sit and wait. So I sat, thinking they better note the time it took me to get here after the courtesy call. I was all set to make a fuss about how their usual 24 hour reminder wasn't sent and how the blame for the missed appointment should be apportioned between both parties when my name was called. I went in, saw the doctor, and there was no mention of charges. Whew!

On the way home, I stopped in Sloane Square to window shop and check on the sales. I went into one of my favourite stores, Reiss, to see if this top I want (badly) has been reduced (finally). It had. By £19. Now, let's be clear, in some instances, a twenty pound reduction might make something a bargain but when the price of a blouse is reduced from £89 to £70, that is not a bargain in my book. Sadly, that top is still too rich for my blood. Plus, I want it in two different colours. That's £140 for some silk. I'll wait.

So, walking down Kings Road, I was reminded of two things that I wish would go away in 2012.

YSL Arty Ring

I always thought certain stone colours were pretty but the construction of the ring is chunky and not my style. Since when did every girl under 35 own one? i nearly got jabbed in the eye twice by two different girls and their rings. Come on now!

This tote from Zara

I'm happy for Zara - really, I am. they had one of the two IT bags of last year. That's huge for a highstreet chain. However, I am sick of seeing this bag everywhere! I feel the same way about this as I do the Chanel 2.55 - is it really a fly bag, or have we just been duped into thinking so and why is it becoming a uniform?

I am not an originator of style but I would be happy to see these two go away this year though I know they won't. *sigh*

Is it Still Called a Conversation When One Person Won't Listen

2011-12-28T19:52:00.005Z

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Whew. Do you ever feel like "I don't know why I'm taking part in this sham of a discussion and I have no interest in your baseless views plus I resent the way you move on to a new (though equally baseless) argument when I ask you to rebut my evidence.

I'm having an episode - give me a moment.

Now that mess is off my chest, how've you been people?

I've been okay - working hard and trying not to spend all my money on "stuff". Christmas was really good - festive cheer, family, food and alcohol always make for a good time (all in moderation of course). I am putting the finishing touches on some work projects and should be making an announcement in the New Year - exciting!

I'll be back soon.

Rememberance

2011-11-13T19:12:00.002Z

On a weekend like this, the effects war has on families is more obvious than any other time. As nations pause to reflect on Remembrance weekend, every poppy you see passing by reminds you of the sacrifices made in the name of war.

Whether you are pro-armed conflict or against it, the human cost of war is hard to ignore at the best of times. Around this time of year, it grabs you by the throat.

I used to get emotional before. Now, as I have had family members do tours of duty, my emotions get out of hand. That is why the little things like this video move me.

Net Worth Q3 2011

2011-10-01T12:33:00.006+01:00

There is not a lot to talk about this quarter in terms of Net Worth. I kept doing what I did last quarter - saving and spending sensibly. As a large number of my savings contributions for the month (all minus one) are automatically deducted from my bank account on the day I get paid, there isn't much chance of me dropping the ball and messing up. I just have to remember to check what the leftover figure is and limit my monthly spending to that amount. It works for me because I can be lazy ~~a lot of~~ all the time.

Like everyone else, my shares are doing poorly and all this talk about an impending and inevitable market crash can really get your spirits down. So, I lost money even though I continued to put money away in line with my savings plans.

So, after I checked my figures and updated my spreadsheets with accurate figures for Q3, I updated my goal meters on the right.

Great news!

Even though the markets have lost their minds, I am within less than 5% of my goal. Naturally that made me happy but it also made me a little nervous. I know myself and I know how I get when things are within my grasp - I take my foot off the pedal and start making some ridiculous decisions.

With that in mind, I have adjusted my investment goals. I am hoping to hit £50,000.00 invested within the next two years - that is by 1 October 2013. It's ambitious, but I want to do it.

One Nation Under a Groove

2011-09-12T22:20:00.004+01:00

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We're getting down just for the funk of it! lmao

I couldn't help myself

100 in 100

2011-09-01T22:42:00.000+01:00

100 years of East London style in 100 seconds.

Humming Along Steadily

2011-08-27T20:32:00.002+01:00

Life is ~~good~~ great.

Things are moving in a way that I am so so grateful for. Yes, my stocks may be tanking and my rent may be too damn high, but everything else (you know, the stuff that really matters in the long run? i.e. health, family, friends) is bawse! (my apologies - my colleague says this all the time and it has rubbed off on me)

Since sharing is caring, I discovered Issa Rae's webseries Awkward Black Girl last week. You should check it out. I have been walking around laughing to myself non-stop since I watched her videos - there is so much I can relate to. People think I'm losing my mind with all the random and ill-timed guffaws, but I don't care. They'd be laughing too if they watched it.

I'll embed the first episode here, just to get you started.

Questions

2011-08-09T22:49:00.003+01:00

I watch the news and see all these young people aged between 18 and 24 looting. This ish feels unreal. I cannot believe this is happening in England.

WTF UK!

Where did all these hooligans come from?

And where are the police?

Why aren't these criminals being battered / gassed / tasered /shot?

Why won't the Metropolitan police give shop owners and residents carte blanche to protect themselves and their property from legitimate attack by any means necessary?

Do these thieves really believe they are harming the police or taking back their taxes?

Why won't you deploy the army Cameron?

Why is Boris smiling in all the interviews?

I am tired.

Tired of checking up on everyone I know who lives / works near the growing list of affected areas;
Tired of hearing about people's friends / family who have been affected;
Tired of worrying about whether this violencee will turn into something else;
Tired of looking at groups of young people suspiciously.

I'm buying a cricket bat tomorrow and so help me God...

The Smurfs Did It!

2011-08-06T01:24:00.003+01:00

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I check my online accounts every evening. It's usually when I'm eating dinner - the distraction of looking at my money ensures I chew my food properly (I'm known for not chewing).

I couldn't do that today because of routine maintenance on the bank's servers. I'm trying now and my bank still says their servers are offline.

Usually I would just roll with it, but it has been a bad two weeks for my money.

Firstly, I loaned someone more money than I could afford to lose. Rookie mistake, I know, but I did it. Now, the payment is taking waay longer than they said it would and I'm turning into a mini-stalker in their life.

Secondly, parking wardens have had it in for me this month. I can't seem to do a thing right - it's that I'm straddling two spaces, or they didn't actually see me loading, or I didn't display my ticket properly. Can I get a break please?

So, today when the money markets are playing Russian roulette and taking their time to decide which of my stocks to kill, maybe it's a good thing that my bank won't let me look at my money. I'm going to bed

Wisdom for the Day

2011-07-22T20:55:00.000+01:00

These people stay trying to take my joy.

Must. Not. Let. Them.

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On the Lottery and the 1980s

2011-07-19T18:29:00.002+01:00

Life Lesson of the Week: Confront the world as it is, not as we wish it were.

In an ideal world, I would have won the lottery last weekend.

In the real world, I am compelled to accept that I have a better chance of being accepted to Harvard Business School (if I wanted to go to HBS and had applied there), writing a bestseller, then learning French, Italian and Spanish within 5 years than I do of winning the lottery. In fact, I would have to play the lottery 365 days each year for 739 years to win. Playing once a week, that period becomes slightly longer. Make that a win in 270,000 years.

Those odds suck. So no more lottery dreams for me. Well, I'll limit them to the occasional five minute daydream.

On an unrelated point, I'm loving the 80s revival going on these days. Everywhere I look I see leggings, shoulder pads and micro mini skirts. Now, you know I am a child of the 80s so I'm loving it (so long as fingerless gloves don't come back).

Then, just when things couldn't get any better, they did. The cinemas got in on the 80s action. The comic books came to life, the cartoons were helped by CGI and the books lived up to expectation. Chronicles of Narnia, Thor, Green Lantern, Prince of Persia, Transformers, Smurfs, Conan the Barbarian, Clash of the Titans, X-Men: First Class.

The cinema has been getting my money and I won't even try and pretend I wasn't happy to hand my cash over. I've loved every minute of it. Now if only that Thundercats movie was a reality.