Gallygirl's 95 month challenge - now 'only' 92 months

gallygirl

Oops, been a bit busy . Would you believe it's an onion that brought me back here :cool:

In Asda today the woman behind me had stuff for her dinner - rice, chicken, jar of curry sauce and a CHOPPED UP ONION IN A BAG COSTING 32P . What is the world coming to when people are buying chopped up onions instead of paying 7p for whole one .

Ahem, in other matters. had a great hol & OH came out 1/2 way through so not too bad in the end

Kitchen starts next week :eek::T

V, v busy at work, so don't have time to be bored or spend money, really enjoying it

Watching Sophie Dahl, my new kitchen tiles are similar but nicer than hers

She's a bit posh & a bit barking isn't she :rotfl:

Started investing my transferred pension pot, v v scary _pale_

Hope all well

gg x

Tesco_points_addict

GG I read the bit about someone being posh and barking and I thought you were talking about me....then I remembered i'm not posh just barking:rotfl:

Have you got your BBQ ready for when the kitchen is being done?

TPAx
PS Your kitchen had better not be finished before mine or I will stamp my feet!

gallygirl

Tesco_points_addict wrote: »

GG I read the bit about someone being posh and barking and I thought you were talking about me....then I remembered i'm not posh just barking:rotfl:

:rotfl:TPA I think you will beat me on kitchen front.

K day - 5 :eek:. Plans so far - eat out of remaining freezer, use microwave. Stack dirty dishes in bath till new dishwasher plumbed in (if God meant us to wash dishes by hand He wouldn't have let us invent dishwashers :rotfl:. Anyway, will be good for it to get a good run in . Though may just through out dirty ones as I'm buying new plates)


Big traumas here today

Sky TV not working. Phone call to Sky suggested it was !!!!!!ed. Son found the fault on Sky's own website & fixed it :cool:

I can't get all my chosen sockets & switches. Need to have a contingency plan (which involves me getting up off settee & counting sockets in utility room, so it will have to wait :rotfl:)

Now have 5 funds (well, 4 plus shares) in pension fund with HL. Progress on portfolio so far is -£0.32. Don't think will be retiring any time soon :rotfl:.

1 item on ebay, no joy so far

£5,100 transferred into new ISA :j.

Lost 9.5lbs in total since 1st March

Em, that's it. TTFN :wave:

gg x

SmlSave

Looks like the smilies still have it though

:T

setmefree2

gallygirl wrote: »

Lost 9.5lbs in total since 1st March

Whoo Hooo Well done :T

gallygirl

gallygirl wrote: »

Now have 5 funds (well, 4 plus shares) in pension fund with HL. Progress on portfolio so far is -£0.32. Don't think will be retiring any time soon :rotfl:.

Now up 1.45% in a week, still with just under 4k to invest

Well, I am almost kitchenless, which I can cope with but also dishwasherless _pale_. Did the washing up in the sink, after making dinner & tomorrow's lunch & dinner. Was fun, just like camping

Need to finish rubbing down walls etc but too tired & side & neck sore so will be having hot bath instead

Managed to get all switches & sockets (I think ) - loooking forward to seeing them up, they are matt black

Lost another 1lb, so 10.5 in total

Item sold for £4.99 but they haven't paid yet

Bought a shed at the weekend, need to remember to tell builder it's being delivered Friday. Cheapest I had seen was £109, Focus had it for this but I had a 15% off voucher & they were doing free delivery so was £92.65

Looking forward to seeing my sparkly worktop - builder brought me an offcut today as he has just fitted it elsewhere (bit upset about that, didn't want anyone else to have it ). Is lovely

Off to have hot bath to soothe achy bits

gg x

Tesco_points_addict

GG I can assure you the rate that our kitchen guy is working at, you will be getting your brand new spanking kitchen before me:mad:

Managed to get all switches & sockets (I think ) - loooking forward to seeing them up, they are matt black

I need to see these, they sound 'lush'..stamps feet and wants what GGs got:p

In Asda today the woman behind me had stuff for her dinner - rice, chicken, jar of curry sauce and a CHOPPED UP ONION IN A BAG COSTING 32P . What is the world coming to when people are buying chopped up onions instead of paying 7p for whole one .

Thats nothing, chopped onions were 99p in Waitrose on Friday:eek::eek:


TPAx

gallygirl

Tesco_points_addict wrote: »

I need to see these, they sound 'lush'..stamps feet and wants what GGs got:p

Your wish is my command. They are only from Screwfix. Couldn't decide on chrome with white or black so chose these instead

TRY HERE

Tesco_points_addict wrote: »

Thats nothing, chopped onions were 99p in Waitrose on Friday:eek::eek:


TPAx

There is another planet TPA which fortunately we are not on. Obviously a better class of onion at Waitrose .

gallygirl

Hello all .

Thought I'd post my 2010 Targets here as we are 1/3 way through the year :eek::

2010 TARGETS


Mortgage
* Reduce by 25k :eek:
* Reduce by 20k
* Reduce by 15k
Rationale: 15k was target on 2009 challenge, based only on 1 mortgage. MFiTT2 target is 68.5k so need to stretch ourselves to o/pay as much as possible in 2010 before low interest rates (and 1 of our mortgage deals) come to an end.

Progress - oops. Will be only around 3k at end of month, due to kitchen . Should achieve bronze by end of year, maybe silver.

Mystery Shopping/Comps/Other Extra Income
* £3000
* £2500
* £2000
Rationale: I have added comps & MS together as more time on one means less time for other stuff. I achieved over 2k in 2009 but didn’t really do too much MS till March, so 2k is the minimum I should achieve. Have around £70 of Joules clothing from their sale I should at least double my money on

Progress - payrise of 1/3 & subsequent ditching of MS (not worth it after tax). But rationale of increasing income easily met

Weight
* Reduce by 2 stone
* Reduce by 1 stone
* Reduce by 1/2 stone
Rationale: Same as last year. At least have ended year a little lower than last year :rolleyes:

Progress - 1lb to go to silver (since 1st March) :T

Other areas:

Pensions: keep a close eye. One is with FP through work – just increased payment to £250 a month, plus work pay around £135 a month. Limited choice of funds but doing v well this year. Other is in process of being converted to SIPP with HL – pot of around 10k I think & I’m not contributing so not major & therefore I can take high risk on it. Will need to decide what to do with it – thinking of Japan for part of it. Maybe renewable energy/research & oil exploration.

Progress - OK, done. 11k invested in 8 Unit Trusts & 3 shares. Funny, I felt quite happy investing my contributions for my company pension but this seems more 'grown up & proper' somehow. Technology, resources, UK smaller co's, Europe, Russia & emerging markets (already in latter with company pension). Thinking of moving company pension to give same range of funds. Will all be complicated - need to reclaim 20% tax back on all contributions next year.

Other financial stuff: more emphasis on meal planning (freezer is full so no excuse), lunches to work (this has slipped recently). More shopping in Lidl, less in Morrisons, without a list. Continue with checking best deals for power (with npower, every time I’ve checked I’ve had best tariff).

Well, only 1/2 kitchen at the mo but doing ok & taking lunch in every day . Just changed power - still with npower. Waiting with baited breath for power monitor

Planned spends:
New mattress. Researched this already, looks like I can get a good one from an independent company for £300. Don’t want memory foam, just bog standard. Have narrowed it down but can’t order till back from Gambia. Will be doing late Jan. Done Feb.

Lounge & new sofas. Not spending more than £1200 on sofas. Will do when paint lounge so probably May Day holiday. Say £50 for paint, £100 for curtains (only 1 window, 54” drop). May well do nothing – don’t want leather & only fabric ones I’ve liked so far are around 3k. On hold due to kitchen

So, total of less than 2k, will come from offset so that 25k is actually 27k _pale_

Need also to sort out computer - I think this one is on its' last legs. Done, new laptop Feb

And I had planned to tart up the kitchen last year but didn't - need to decide whether to do that or take the plunge & get a new one _pale_ Being done now, 7.5k :eek:

Plus usual stuff – exercise more (wiifit plus 50m pool in town, although only open as 50m twice a week) oops, drink less (TPA – looking to you for inspiration here) yup :A, eat less yup :A, , see friends more yup :A, , take part in more out of work activities (costs money but usually stay with friend so save petrol money) yup :A, Avoid Alexon & M&S sales (not my fault - was left alone on Xmas Day with a PC & CC, £270 on M&S :rolleyes: - just my luck it will probably all fit :rotfl:
yup :A (although nipped into Laura Ashley to buy reduced curtain hold backs & accidentally bought clothes instead ).

All in all, v pleased with what I have accomplished so far, unfortunately having a life impacts on mortgage free aims. Will refocus after kitchen finished & try to make up deficit.

gg x

Radish72

Way to go Gally girl

Loved reading all your goals for the year and progress

My OP's also took a hit last year due to new kitchen and decorating