greent's mfw journey

greent

Yep - not worth my time in chasing up any interest at 0.01% , or whatever!

Yesterday's 'outs' included one fleabay sale and 2 outgrown Xmas jumpers sold on fb00k - all proceeds added to kitchen fund . Flooring now booked (50% deposit paid), plasterer booked, plumber possibly booked, no gas safe person found yet for cooker (argh!), new range ordered (purple :smileyhea) New radiator being ordered today (I think)

January is going to be a nightmare - we have to take out the old kitchen, get the floor tiles up, remove the wall tiles etc before plasterer comes in (w/c 08/01) I'm working 2 weeks in Jan - OH looks like he'll be working away again in Maidenhead from w/c 08/01 (fingers crossed) and the BTL needs turning around in Jan (wallpaper stripping/ repainting, 1 new kitchen cupboard door, carpets cleaned (they are clean but I want to make sure), big clean of the place (may get someone in to do end of tenancy clean), some sealant needs removing and replacing in the bathroom and some grout needs cleaning up) - eek! Some long days and late nights, I feel!

I'm really trying to run down food this month - whilst also taking into account it's going to be school hols and Xmas - less stuff come beginning of Jan (esp pantry items) = less to move out of the kitchen (will pack some away - am not going to be baking cakes whilst kitchen is being done, for instance!) January's food could be interesting!

Other money news? - hmm... not much - haemorrhaging money out at the moment paying for kitchen and Xmas. I also have a tax bill of just over £500 to pay in January. I will look to sort that by mid Jan

Biggest bit of news is that it looks like (subject to sign off) OH will still be working in Maidenhead come Jan for a couple more months, at least. This is good news - we'll still have money coming in to the company! He has an unpaid break from Fri 15/12 - Mon 08/01 - but I have (of course!) lots of plans to keep him busy with kitchen etc in that time! (I don't want to rip any of the kitchen out before Xmas, but we can start to pack up a little bit and straight after Xmas and NY we can pack up the crystal and a lot of the crockery. Am considering using melamine plates and plastic glasses from the camping stuff whilst kitchen is being done - less stress than trying to wash up 'real' stuff in the bathroom (or maybe the caravan if we hook the waste water up) In fact, decision made - I WILL do that.

Right - off to clean the g-pigs hutch out - such glamour for a damp Sunday morning! :rotfl:

atypicalblonde

A new kitchen is firmly at the top of my "to do" list once we are MF. It will be a huge upheaval for you all but sooooo worth it xx

shangaijimmy

A new kitchen is top of list post mortgage!! And a new bathroom. And a new en suite! And probably a new couch. Mmmm... and out artificial turf will need replacing...

Watty1

Thinking another pony might be on my post mortgage list.....I know how to complete a financial drain

michelle09

We're on the kitchen rundown as well, have you got Christmas food sorted if you're going to be at home for it?

Just remember how amazing it will be when it's done.

greent

Waaaaah!!!! Just lost a looooooong post!

In a nutshell - Xmas is here, bird is sorted (bought fresh and then frozen) - will sort veg closer to the time. OH's contract extension confirmed - but only until 2nd Feb. Busy week at work last week - and another busy week to come. Very cold here, but no snow

Hope everyone is keeping warm!
xx

Karmacat

Sounds good, greent. Nice and warm inside here, but very sodden outside and cold with it, I'm not setting foot out there.

Are you sorted for Christmas deccies too? Or do the littlies make some each year?

michelle09

Oh no. Least you're all sorted, suspect Mum will coerce me into another 6am Christmas Eve veg shop!

Has the snow made an impact on school around your area?

greent

Most secondary schools in the county were shut on Monday with last Sunday's snow fall - DS2 had a day at home but really wanted to go in as he had a trip to the panto (the theatre ended up being shut anyway - but no refund forthcoming, as the school have kept the money towards a Summer Y7 trip....) DS1's school was open (1 of the 3) so he and I went in together (I was invigilating Y11 mocks) and DS3's school was also open.

DD went to her bf's parents' house last weekend (in the Welsh valleys) - and got stuck there for an extra 2 nights due to the heavy snow they had! They finally made it back to uni in time for an exam she had (which counts towards final marks)

All 3 of my boys have broken up from school now - they all finished for the holidays on Fri lunchtime/ afternoon. I finished work until 11th Jan on Thurs and OH's contract finished on Fri until Jan. He went to collect DD from uni (only an hour away) so she got back here on Fri evening - so the holidays are now well and truly started It was her bday last Monday so Fri night was all about cake and presents. Yesterday we started putting up Xmas decs. Usually we have a large real tree in the living room (colour coordinated in bronze, gold and purple and rather gorgeous looking, even if I say so myself) and a large fake tree in the family room full of crazy decorations, HM decorations, gaudy tinsel, a crazy lopsided fairy, colour hanging massive angel lights etc. However, due to kitchen works and the family room being a bit crazy with stuff in, I've abandoned the idea of a full sized second tree (much to most of the family's disappointment) and just gone for the fake one in the living room instead - and have let the kids decorate it with all the crazy items It also saves us the cost of a real tree (c £60) this year and is just a bit less to do in terms of putting decs up/ taking them down. The 4 kids have also each got small (2 or 3ft high) trees in their rooms (each with a colour theme) and then I've still got 3 other small trees......

I need to get the house a bit straighter today (crazy from working the past two weeks, combined with Xmas performance/ activities, OH working away some of the time, the snow creating work, it just being a busy time of year) and then tomorrow I plan to check all presents and see *just* what still needs to be done, which hopefully isn't that much.... fingers crossed. Tuesday is HP Studio Tours day, so any gaps in DS2 and DD's presents (they have bdays either side of Xmas, so there is a double requirement for them) should be filled by purchases from there. Weds is cinema (Last Jedi) and then that should see us sorted before Xmas. DS1 and DD also have nights and days out with friends and we have to see some friends and family for present swaps too

Money wise - DS3 has made £150 from selling unwanted toys on fleabay! DS1 and DS2 have made a much smaller amount each (c £10 each) and I've made just over £60 from there this month (all figures net after all costs) I will bank some of DS3's and he can have some towards post Xmas purchases of (no doubt) leg0.... Any money we're (OH and I) making at the mo is all going towards kitchen stuff (will add up exact costs after the end...) - we currently have a very healthy looking savings account for it, which will be wiped out in Jan

Other than that, the tenants are moving out on Jan 10th. No interest in it by any new people yet - wrong time of year, really - so it is now off the market until the NY. I've stopped OPing the mtge until we have new people in (other than the occasional small £5 payment a few times a month from 'saving the change' on OH's current account) but I expect to be able to do that again come Feb (March at the latest), so only a small delay in real terms

newgirly

How wonderful having them all back together I love the sound of the crazy tree, mine is the same, tinsel, multicoloured lights , 1970s baubles :xmastree: nobody wants their own tree to look like that but they love mine :rotfl:

Have you made any plans for next year yet?