22 Foxhole East

I have decided I am going to break this mortgage down into bitesized portions. It is currently £114, 248. So my first goal is to get to below £110k before the end of the year. I know lots of people on here can chuck major amounts of money at their mortgages quite quickly, but I actually do not have an income. I have the housekeeping money DH gives me once a month and the child benefits. So whatever is left after the bills, food, clothing, car expenses, school trips, DIY, and fun stuff, that is what is going to overpay the mortgage.

Just had a look at the cashback sites I am registered with, and there is over £120 due to be paid to me before the end of April. Which will be going straight to the o/p fund. There is not much in the house I have to sell, so I cannot count on that kind of money. I have simplified my belongings, DH has complicated his (!).

This week will involve a lot of stripping, sadly, it's door stripping, nothing interesting, and then repainting. That is my plan for the next 7 days, getting them all done and sorted. There, tis written.

Menu plans planned, food inventory taken, I pretty much know what I am doing this week and it should be pretty jolly frugal.

Found an amazing bargain last night, bath towels reduced from £18 down to £5 for a two pack. So I bought 4 of those and one £10 pack of 2 hand towels for £3. Should last me a few years, and the old ones can go to the animal shelter/hospital for reuse. £59 saved. Very happy with that saving.

Sunday again! Where does the week go? Oh yeah, kids. Silly question.

Very unspendy week really, which is marvellous, I am one door behind myself in the stripping schedule - I took yesterday off (woohoo!) so I have done the ground floor doors, the middle floor doors will be finished by the end of today, and then there are the three upstairs bedroom doors to do before the start of February - that is my own self imposed deadline. So I can start filling and painting next week. Then that will be one job sorted. Might move on to the two skirting boards cluttering up my kitchen, get them stripped and repainted and back on the walls, then I can tick off another job that won't take long and it can get crossed off the list.

I need to do a food plan for the week, - I have a peach melb-ish tart in the fridge - pastry from Heron Foods - (30p) tin of peaches (35p) pack of green's strawberry jel stuff that I refound in a plastic packing box in the downstairs bathroom along with some powder henna I had been given by m-i-l last year as she was only going to throw it out, and some shoe cleaning brushes - No, I don't have any idea how it got in there either, but it was 20p YS and tastes fine. Not sure that stuff ever goes off.

Henna currently on my head while I watch Andrew Marr with a lovely coffee...

Hamsters cleaned out yesterday and their whole houses washed and dried and clean sawdust deep enough to bury a large mouse. They are all sulking loudly this morning. They no longer smell.

DS1 is heading into town to Games Workshop with a friend to play with their models they have painted and DH is playing chauffeur. He should be dropping friend at home near Tesco at YS time, so I have given him the important task of grabbing bargains! He actually asked for a list. Twit. Told him the first job is to get the bargain fruit and veg and then I figure out what I am going to cook - quite excited Ald1 super 6 this week is asparagus and chestnut mushrooms. I have soft tofu in the fridge so might do a vegan quiche. Will weird out the kids. New experience for them.

Very excited about Marvel's Agents of Shield season 4 starting tonight, will have to watch Endeavour on +1 afterward. Honestly, when there is so little to watch on tv at the best of times, why do you end up with 2 or 3 things on at the same bloomin' time?

My car's fuel efficiency has slumped drastically. No idea why, it has suddenly gone down by about 50%, have got DH to check the oxygen filter after a quick google, but it is shiny and clean so not that. Spark plugs were replaced 3 years ago but I have only done 10k since then, it is a little runabout kid-carrying-wagon. Will have to take it to a garage at half term and ask them to have a squizz at it.

We are with EE for our broadband and it is suddenly DIRE. Half the minimum promised speed. The kids are grouchy their games are slow and glitchy. Funny how quickly you get used to a good service and how annoying it is when it suddenly takes longer to do anything.

Three loads of laundry washed, dried and folded already this morning. Will do the bedding from the top floor today in preparation for the beginning of a shiny new short month of February.

All my kids got the free government Child Trust Fundmoney - I think it was £250 - when they were born and it was put in an ethical 'FTSE for good' plan. The plans have all been sold from one company to another, but they can't go in to a child ISA, as there are stupid date restrictions, but I did get a statement for each account. Now, there are roughly two years between all my kids (yeah, breastfeeder).
Currently DS1 is on £850,
DS2 is on £450
DS3 is on £410
DS4 is on £430.
I know there is a long way to go until they are 18 and can get their hands on the money, but still, this was obviously not thought through very well, probably why they brought out the Junior ISA plan instead. You always have to remember that stocks and shares can go up as well as down, and only 2 years ago they were all worth less than the original £250 stake. Still, it was a totally ridiculous idea and someone ought to have vetoed it. Did happily take advantage of it though.

Right, time to wash this poo off my head before I resemble one of those orange trolls.

Monday already! Only one day left of January. Roll on February lovely short month of coldness and rain.

One and a half doors left to go until the job is finished. I have definitely developed Strippers' shoulder. So much less exciting than it sounds.

Wondering whether or not to do a monthly shop - to stop me going shopping and to raise my amount of NSDs. The fear I have is that the kids will eat the month's supply of biscuits / crisps / breakfast cereal / ice cream in the first week and spend the rest of the month complaining about how there is nothing to eat in this house, waaaah waaah waaah waaah and having to put up with earache. I have tried to explain to them they can only eat something once before it is gone, and they need to ration themselves, but somehow that turns into GORGE, GORGE, GORGE, GORGE like the klaxon on a submarine in dive mode between leaving my mouth and hitting their ears. That and the idea of spending that amount of money in one hit.

I have a little money box that is almost full of copper coins already. Then I will move on to the next one, and the next one - I have four in reserve.

DH is sitting here with DS2 and they are painting little miniature wargames figures. So nice they are finally doing something together. The best bit was when DH washed his brush out in his mug of Earl Grey, he was totally absorbed and I had to tell him what he was doing. Priceless.

On the surprise 'hair' front, the colour has deepened quite a lot. It looks very un-natural but I can live with it, or wear a hat, either or. DS3 told me I look weird. Little charmer, takes after his Dad.

Right, off to do stuff. Well, think about stuff really. Not going to do anything more than make a cup of tea, I am knackered tonight.