Hypno's "just for today" diary of rediscovery.

macgirl

Forgot to ask, are you still doing the yoga DVD Hypno?
I guess with the kids away you might have an hour to do it in peace? (Just for today )

Keeping_Motivated

Just for today I will not come back on MSE until tonight.

Just for today I will finish everything that is on my list.

Just for today I will stop procrastinating and get everything ready and photographed for ebay.

Now lets see if that works! I'll let you know tonight because I'm logging off 'just for today' (never heard of).

I hope all your 'just for todays' are successful Hypno and Hypnoettes x

se999

Oh, on your holiday plans, don't think it's the closest to Thorpe Park but the Staines Travelodge is fairly new so the rooms are nice, if you walk through the underpass there's a supermarket & I think M&S food, and other shops & takeaways. It does have a cafe in the Travelodge, but cheaper to raid the local shops. Also walking distance of train station if you want to include a day in London. Only downside is you have to pay for parking. A couple of junctions further into London there's also a Macdonalds (handy for breakfasts).

llamahead

Happy New Diary - I look forward to the next chapter and wish you well. x

hypno06

se999 wrote: »

Oh, on your holiday plans, don't think it's the closest to Thorpe Park but the Staines Travelodge is fairly new so the rooms are nice, if you walk through the underpass there's a supermarket & I think M&S food, and other shops & takeaways. It does have a cafe in the Travelodge, but cheaper to raid the local shops. Also walking distance of train station if you want to include a day in London. Only downside is you have to pay for parking. A couple of junctions further into London there's also a Macdonalds (handy for breakfasts).

Excellent - I will find myself a big map and start making some sort of plan. We've only ever been to Alton Towers, so I really don't know ANYTHING about the localities of everything else!

The ticket also includes Warwick Castle, which gives a nice change from rollercoasters, and lots of stuff in London (although some not valid in August, which is a shame), so I am sure we can pack a lot in.

And picnics will def be the order of the day, with perhaps the odd meal out using vouchers from MSE of course. I will try and work a "holiday budget" out - I have a savings pot for it, but keep raiding it for matched betting floats, so it is currently pretty empty But it will be repaid once all my bets settle!

Karmacat

Morning hypno! I must make a list of the bookies that I've done - then at least I know where to look for new offers. I don't think I can cope with reloads at the mo. I keep thinking about m.b.ing and not going back to it - so maybe thats the baby step I *can* do. Borrowing the just for today ethos, thank you!

I'm glad you're still using those vouchers for the summer holiday - its a different sort of fun, but a good deal of it will still be fun, I'm sure.
xx

se999

If you're thinking about Warwick Castle, the last time we went to Stratford upon Avon we spotted a new Travelodge being built there, not sure when it's opening. It's a 'long' walk out of town, but town centre parking is expensive there. Also it's close to a Tesco's with cafe, and some other shops/outlets. So you could combine exploring Stratford with Warwick Castle if the travelodge is open by then.

Enroute you'd probably go up the M40, so the Bicester Discount Shopping Village is something to think about, we used it mainly for the Clarkes shop for men's/boys shoes, but sometimes they have nice ladies ones in too.

hypno06

Well, the children are excited about it, so that's good with me. They are often asking about going to theme parks, but it is off limits due to budgets and also due to the amount of weekends spent skiing. So it will be something "new" for them, in that they will be going places they've not been before. And I am sure with careful planning, and MSE by my side, I can do it at a reasonable total cost.

Of course, the weather will be hit and miss, but I don't really think that will make too much difference - you get wet on the log flumes anyway :cool:

More coffee needed, and then I will formulate a proper plan for the day!

hypno06

Hmmm.....just done the budget for March/April (I get paid on 23rd of the month).

After bills, and unavoidable commitments such as bus fares, we have £235 for the month to cover all food and petrol and incidental expenses. That sounds doable, but it also has to include petrol to a ski race towards the end of the month.

I was hoping to take the children down to London for the day during the Easter holidays too, but might have to take a rain check on that one, if I can't get uber cheap tickets on the train. They want to go to the science museum, so we can do it cheaply once we are there, but the train tickets will take up a bit.

I will be doing an inventory of the freezer and cupboards, to see how long we can make the groceries last. I think I can probably get away with a smaller "monthly shop" than last month, if I am careful.

So......the challenge is on - I am determined to manage. And I am determined to give it a jolly good go without dipping into the matched betting/mystery shopping etc money that I am getting in, as I don't want to rely on that for day to day stuff. Longer term, we have to be able to manage on the basic money coming in, otherwise we will never be able to save for holiday/emergency/ski trips etc.

Karmacat

Hypno,can I ask what you're doing with the mystery shop money and whatnot? You used to use it to pay off loans/credit cards - are you building up savings, or having to save to make a big repayment to end a loan?