My Olympic Challenge

Lewby

I am ashamed to say that it's been 10 days since I have been on here .... and I promised myself I'd keep posting and remain focused. It's been a really busy week or so, kids off school, work, work and more work. But enough excuses, I have actually been pretty focused even though I haven't been posting.

I took my daughter and her friends to Bristol on Monday, stayed in a couple of £9 Travelodge rooms and had a nice day shopping on Tues. I didn't buy anything but had a nice browse. The kids enjoyed the whole trip. Even though the rooms were cheap the cost of activties like this soon mounts up with food, petrol, parking etc. It was booked last year before my DFW rebirth so I tried to keep the cost to a minimum. I even took a packed lunch for Monday to keep costs down!

It's been an expensive month with Claridges for MIL's Christmas and birthday present and this trip for DD but that's it now for this month. We have two more committments that will cost money - my OH's birthday weekend in London in March (£19 Travelodge rooms for Fri and Sat night and cheap show through lastminute.com) and a trip to Glasgow in April, again a residual christmas present to see Cirque de Soleil. I find it difficult to spend money frivoulously now as I so want to be debt free before 2012!

I have made one other concession..... well more of a compromise really. My OH has strated hill and mountain walking over the last couple of years, for fun and health reasons. He wants to climb to Everest Basecamp so we discussed it over the weekend and he has set himself a goal of doing it in April 2011. That gives him 2 years to get fit enough and save for it. He agrees that we need to get to a point where we are debt free but finds the prospect of doing it quite depressing. He's really motivated when he has a goal so he's very happy at the minute. We have opened an ISA savings account for him to put his 'allowance' into and he's making a list of things he needs for the trip for birthday and christmas present ideas. We estimate that it will cost about £2k so he is going to be ebaying and saving hard. He has agreed though that if we need to use the money for something in an emergency then we can.

Our debt is coming down by about £1k per month so feeling positive about getting to goal. Still meal planning and reducing shopping trips (although I did slip into Somerfield to buy less than half price cheese yesterday x 4 packs). Still using cash and keeping note of it on the spreadsheet. It is totally amazing how much goes on 'misc'!!!

Main target now is to be more focused on our grocery bill and try to stick to £250 per month. Just drifting over that at the moment but heading in the right direction. I've been shopping at Aldi's and have found some great products which the family find acceptable. Fruit and veg really are so much cheaper there.

Hope all are well, sorry for the ramble ......

Lewby xx

Olderbutnotwiser

Welcome back, so glad you have not slipped, I am a rambler (I usually don't admit it) would love to go to base camp what a fab idea:beer: Good luck with that goal.
What show are you going to see in London, I love them all I go as often as I can and last minute has some cracking deals :T

Lewby

Hi OBNW,

We are going to see Joseph. I remember doing it at school and am really looking forward to seeing the show. Gareth Gates is playing Joseph when we go in March. I'm also hoping to se the Darwin exhibition at the natural History Museum.

I must admit that I'm not much of a walker myself but I am trying to improve my fitness so have agreed to go on some low key local walks with OH as he starts to train. We are going on Saturday for a 6 mile walk - hope it stays dry!

Glad you are ok and still posting.

Lewbs x

Queen.Bess

Hey Lewby! It's an excellent target to have, and one that I strive for too!

A couple of years ago I took out a loan and the final payment for that is August 2012, but I have other debts too and so once my DH is on board (see my Diary for more details!) then we can really crack it! So my big hope is that by the time of London 2012 the only remaining debt will be the loan!

I wish you well and will watch your progress with interest! QBx

retrocircles

Glad to see you update Lewby! Sounds like you had a lovely trip. I agree it does all mount up before you know it...

Superb you're keeping on track & still improving on goals. Well done!

Olderbutnotwiser

Hey Lewbs,
I hope you enjoyed your walk on Saturday, I usually go out for an hour or two on a Saturday and this weekend was lovely walking weather.
My daughters have entered me for the Race for life:eek: I panicked but then they told me I can walk it:T thats on 16th May so maybe you could try that too;)
Joseph should be fabulous, I have seen it a few times but not for years. I'm hoping to see Wicked very soon.
I live about half a mile from Downe House, Darwins home for 40years and it is a wonderful place to visit, if you are ever over this way- very well preserved and interesting (I'm aiming to be like that too:p )

Lewby

Well, just over a week since my last entry but I pleased to report that all is ok. We had a lovely walk last weekend but my legs were killing me the next day - this exercise milarky is definatley not natural to me!

OH has gone off again today to train for his Everest trip - he's so excited and focused on it .... definately a good idea to keep his mind of the debt and spending! We have set up his saving account so he can see his budget growing month by month. He's actually excited about saving up for something for the first time in our 12 years together!!!

My meal planning went a bit off track this week so going to get on and sort it out for this week. It makes life so much easier to have a meal plan. Will do my storecupboard and freezer inventory when I've done this.

Have been selling a few things on Ebay, have made £160ish over the last month, just by selling little things we don't use or need anymore. OH is laughing that he needs to hide or nail down his stuff!! I also sold a book that was gathering dust on Amazon for £15.95. Must list some more text books as they seem to sell well.

Have an expensive month coming up. Lots of birthdays - including OH's and he likes to have a fuss made of his birthday. He seems to have a birthday month! We are going to London for a weekend, all low cost (£19 travelodge room, half price theatre ticket and off peak train travel). Have budgeted £200 for spends so hopefully will come back with lots of it left. We can walk rather than take the tube or taxis - all good training for his Everest trip!!!!!

My car needs a service, OT and taxing this month! I'm going to tax it for 6 month so that they don't all come together .... then again that costs more. Maybe I'll just put the money aside each month and then it doesn't matter that it's all due in March!

Haven't managed to make many overpayments on the cards in the last two weeks. I've fallen off the PAD wagon! With such an expensive month in March I will try to get back on it in April as it does make such a difference to pay a bit extra off each card. The overall debt is coming down by about £1k per month - we will be so well off when it's all paid!!!! But will have 2 kids at Uni by then so won't notice it. :rolleyes:

Well, just rambling again .... must get on with the meal plan. Just needed to come on here and keep my seat on the DFW bus..... otherwise OBNW will put her feet up on it and eat all the sweets!

Lewby xx

Olderbutnotwiser

Hi Lewby welcome back:j missed you sis:p
Glad all is well, and hope your meal planning went well.
I've done very well on my meal planning, came in at 14p under budget at £99.86.
Is that alot for 5? It did include 3 bottles of wine and tonight we have sea bass on a beetroot orange white bean and rocket salad ala sainsburys magazine:D
Get you with your ebaying wow I'm dead impressed I must give it a go.
Sounds like you plan the birthdays really well, I have my youngest's 18th in April but March is fairly quiet. But like you in 2007 we had a 21st, 18th,16th and 50th in 6 weeks- only me left out of that:cool:
OK must dash need to peel my boiled baby beetroot now :rolleyes2

skysky69

Welcome back Lewby - I have to say I missed the start of this diary so I have just read it from start to finish. Well done on getting back on the wagon. I find it really inspirational to read people's diary, it seems to keep me really motivated. I really fancy trying a slow cooker, I think Argos do one now for about £12.99. Do you have to sling everything in raw or do you have to cook it a bit first?

Just out of interest, what college work do you do? I have recently started an Openings course with the Open University which is only short, but am hoping to start a proper course with them in May. Don't want to sign up just yet in case the subject really bores me and I decide I want to do something different. I have to say, they do one that is called you and your finances (or something like that) which I think, blimey, by now I must be an expert so surely that would be advantageous as it might seem easier! :rotfl:

And I really must get on the ebaying band wagon. When I put my mind to it, it really doesn't take that long but it is just getting the enthusiasm to sit down one night listing!

Keep up the good work, at this rate, you will be well on your way to being debt free!!

Lewby

Thanks for the encouragement Sis OBNW. I love the sound of the Sea Bass. We don't eat much fish but I think we should try to be a bit more adventurous. Your grocery budgeting is amazing! I'm not getting anywhere near that so must try harder. I'm going to go for £150 this month.

Welcome Skysky69 - It always amazes me that people actually read my drivell! I know that there are a lot of diraies now on this forum but they really do help to keep you focused. I think that if I wouldn't want to write it on here for all to see then I shouldn't buy or do it! It's like a confessional.

I make sausage casserole a lot in the slow cooker and I brown the sausages in the oven first just to colour them. I put all the veg in raw and put it on low for the whole day. It's so lovely to come home to smell it as you walk in. With most meats I brown it off in a frying pan e.g. chicken or pork but only because my family like a bit of colour on the meat.

My college course is a Leadership and Management Diploma Level 6 course. I've finished now and it was quite hard work. I've done lots of courses over the years - all management ones but this last one really stretched me. I'm keen to do a PhD but will give it a couple of years to get over this one and also get the A Levels and GSCE's in our house over with! Last year we had me on the Diploma, OH on an NVQ 4 in Management, DS2 doing A Levels, DD1 doing AS Levels, DD2 doing GCSE's, DS3 doing SATS - it was a nightmare! We all passed and this year should be a bit quieter. Only one set of A Levels and AS Levels to cope with. :T

I do fancy doing a more vocational course, something like a good cookery course - a low budget one would be fab!

The ebaying is an effort but it's so lovely when you have the money in Paypal and the house is less cluttered. I sit on a Sunday afternoon (while I watch Deal or No Deal which I love), list 3 or 4 items and then wrap those that have sold from last week's listings to be posted tomorrow. It's not so bad then.

Well, the washing is nearly done and it's a lovely morning here so it's off out to the washing line soon. I have some prep to do for work this week so will get on with that this morning - a very busy week ahead! Should have plenty of NSD's this week as I'll be too busy to spend! :rotfl:

Take care all.

Lewby xx