The ultimate incentive proposed! Buying a house, a wedding, and staying debt free.

Birdie85

I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds baking expensive! Maybe because I always make fancy things that require spending lots of money!

Oooh, did I tell you about the lovely mousse I made last weekend? It was a Nigella one, using marshmallows instead of egg whites for the fluffiness, they were lush! Mmmmm... I want to try making them with Mars Bars next time, it'll be lovely!

Zig, this is the brother who has a horrid girlfriend who doesn't want him to come to the wedding... maybe the big secret is that he's told her where to go! ALthough I'm pretty sure OH would have revelled in telling me that so it must be something else! Urgh, it's annoying me as I hate being kept in the dark!

zigmeister

That mousse sounds lush! Especially with mars bars! When I was in school (before all the healthy schools stuff!) they used to do deep fried doughtnuts that had mars bar in the middle. They were gorgeous!

I knew I remembered something about a brother and a wedding! Hmm does sound odd though! Maybe he's just waiting til tonight to tell you?

wendz86

I have found living with OH easier than when we didn't as we can just get on with our own thing and don't feel like we have to spend quality time together haha. He is usually the one that wants attention from me when I am doing something, he is like a little kid sometimes. I would have got very annoyed if he had bought a games console round when we weren't living together though!!

mm that mousse sounds lovely!

Flower08

wendz86 wrote: »

. He is usually the one that wants attention from me when I am doing something, he is like a little kid sometimes.

My OH is always like this! Last night was a good example, we were both in our room - i was tidying OH was playing on his console. He just started prodding me like a little kid. Such a big kid! Apparently i hadnt spoken to him for over 20 minutes - the cheek of it!

Cinny91

You all should count yourselves lucky with the consoles. OH makes me play it! What's even worse he always puts Silent Hill on which actually scares me, I end up jabbing random buttons with my eyes closed. *shudder*

Sounds like you all have nice weekends planned. Good luck with the red velvet cupcakes Tete, I've never made those ones! No major plans for the weekend for me, going to the cinema most of the day tomorrow (I think OH wants to beat my sisters and her boyfriends record of 5 films in one day) and then Sunday we're going for a long walk followed by a Pub Lunch.

Very strange about your OH Birdie!! Oooo, maybe his brothers girlfriend is pregnant but your brother made your OH promise not to tell anyone?! (Can you tell I've been watching Daytime TV today?)

Feeling a lot better now, Thanks Girls! My mum went to town and bought me my 'sick' food (flat diet coke and tuna sandwiches) and I'm actually dressed now so there's progress! Gonna try and get some STP done as I feel completely useless today.

zigmeister

I have a DooYoo question... when you have 20,000 miles, how much is the amazon voucher for? £10? I only have just over 6000 miles.. I'd best get writing! :rolleyes:

I watch way too much daytime tv! I have a schedule!

Flat diet coke is hideous! Ew, I hate it when I drink it by accident. How come it's your sick food?

Flower08

I think its £20 zigmeister - although i might be lying to you!

zigmeister

Thanks Flower, hope it is £20!

Cinny, you're a genius for suggesting the Sanctuary sets at Boots for sorting out the girly presents I needed to get, but I spent way too much tonight! I won't write it all out cuz I wrote it in my diary, but I definitely can't spend anything else for a long time!

Dinah93

poddle911 wrote: »

Dinah, have you had any more thoughts about the wedding/house situation? If you've made up your mind about the wedding and don't want to move the date, then go for it! But surely you'll have to compromise in some way, maybe renting for the first year, buying a smaller place or taking out a loan. Have you spoken to an independent mortgage advisor about debts and deposits? I know it was 18 months ago, but we were told debts wouldn't be deducted off LTV or deposit as long as our repayments were manageable. Just a thought... Good luck

We've been looking at the other budgets and I think we can substantially cut back in some areas. We've found some fantastic photohraphers, a Christian couple and you get them both from getting ready to first dance for £600 a day plus 140 images on a disk and you have full copyright, so thats saving over £400 if we go with them.

Then if we get simple rings, we can save a fortune. We'd priced up the ideal ones and the two of them were coming to about £2000, but if we go with traditional plain bands we can get both for £600, so again saving £1400.

Also I just found out the caterer at my dads museum does wedding cakes, we could get a 6" cutting cake plus 150 cupcakes for about £120, its not the chocolate cake with white chocolate and cointreau filling we fell for, but it is about £360 cheaper! That said I'm a bit uncertain on the quality, so that might be a step too far.

We have spoken to a mortgage advisor, and been told that any debts would be deducted from the deposit so thats not really a way forward.

LaraHoust wrote: »

Haha, yes I know what you mean. It took an age, but we have found some venues where the hire charges are much much less than the average of £3700 (+VAT). I founds lots of weird charity buildings as well, as I though if you're going to give a grand away it would be cool if it was to do some good.

Top of the shortlist is a huge artists studio, 4th floor of an old warehouse, big oak roof trusses, etc. Really near this nice, reasonably priced hotel. OH has seen it but I am hopefully going too today at lunch.

We also have on the list - an octagonal library at a uni really near our house, a hall with a nice outside quadrangle bit at another uni in Regent's Park in town, an amazing dance studio, a folk dancing hall(!) complete with giant 50s mural and taxidermy, a village hall style place but with a nice garden outside in Blackheath, 2 big houses in Devon which we would hire for the weekend, a hotel with a sculpture park in Devon, a slick London hotel roof terrace right in the centre of town, and a super slick restaurant in the city, and an underground ecology pavilion across the road from our house (OH not keen but I am). And also a crypt under a church in the city as well.

To be honest some people are amazingly slack getting back so we are still waiting for prices on a lot of these, and as we have chosen weird venues that don't normally do weddings it's been taking ages.

Very few of those places are licensed so we will get married in whichever registry office is close by. My family are a majorly annoyed that we are not going back to Ireland to get married, but I haven't lived there now for 9 years and it just feels like a big step back to an old teenage life. Even thought it would be very beautiful there. Also my family never accepted the fact that I live in London and don't take it seriously so I think I am being a bit naughty and insisting that I do it here for that reason aswell. They are a bit cross we aren't getting married in a church as are quite religious, but I don't belong to a church here and OH has never been to church so it doesn't seem right.

I have been quite lucky with a florist friend to do the bouquets, and a friend of a friend photographer for cheap, my friends are video artists so can do some filming. Invites OH will design as he is a designer. You can hire white black taxis (if that makes any sense) in London so I would love to do that! Still not sure about band / entertainment.... I hate wedding discos as worked on weddings in a hotel as a teenager for 3 or 4 years - that's probably about 100 wedding discos I have been to. But we have a good friend who is a DJ and would play great tunes, even for the oldies, but he is in New York and we are not sure if he will be able to come. Is a band better? I would like everyone to have a good time so I am keen to have something to break the ice.

Wow some of those venues sound insane, there's nothing like that in this area its just lots of hotels!

Cinny91 wrote: »

I think Dinah and NIM are still looking at Venues this week? Not sure though! ETA: Or maybe in fabric heaven!! Do you know if they're still looking at Venues Tete? Or have they decided on the dream one they saw earlier this week?

Nope, we cancelled all the venues! We went to York for a night to have a little break, and see some friends.

We're fairly sure on the one we saw earlier in the week, although they still haven't replied to my email with all the questions in. Given how we could easily cut back in other areas, we might as well go for the stunning venue.

zigmeister wrote: »

Will your OH discuss weddings with you? My OH will which is nice! We think we're gonna go on a really good holiday for like 3 weeks and get married while we're over there. No party or anything! We'll probs have separate gatherings with friends/family when we get back but nothing that would be organised. Saves money and hassle We'd rather have a house than a wedding. As long as I get a pretty dress and some decent food then I'm happy!

NIM is 100% involved in every single decision, its scary. He even manages to have an opinion on flowers! We're planning a 3 week honeymoon after the wedding, really start off on the right foot! I don't really care where that is, just have a wedding month almost!

Tete_en_l'Air wrote: »

Dinah and I will make one for you

Poor girl is sad enough already about missing out on the dress don't make it worse!!!

tinkerbel wrote: »

Aww bless you Cinny are you ok?
Thanks for your tips about the GHDs btw, if anyone has anymore that would be good...?!!

I have never owned a pair, far too expensive when a £40 pair does the same job! So my idea would be an affordable addition to the range.

wendz86 wrote: »

I would have got very annoyed if he had bought a games console round when we weren't living together though!!

Doing better than me, I'd out and out kill him!

NIM and I doing loads of MS reports tonight, we've done a few today and yesterday but at least it'll bring in a few pennies.

N.I.M

Can I blow up RE?

I'm no longer a fan of mystery shopping.

But as to the wedding yes I do have opinions on many parts of the wedding but the flowers are the one bit I struggle to go beyond "Thats a red flower, thats a white flower"

How is everyone elses evening going.