greent's mfw journey

jodles16

What wonderful news for DS! So glad you had a wonderful time away as well, Vienna always looks beautiful! Great that DD has also got herself a lovely flat and job!


Jodles

brizzlegirl

Just catching up after holidays and RL work and stuff....great he’s off to uni to do a course he likes. Envious he will be so close to my beloved Gower

Also see you liked Vienna. So did we when we went a few years ago ...my favourite thing was swimming in the Danube in one of their amazing parks. Awesome.

Have a great (but very busy!) week

Brizzle x

greent

Thank you all! x

brizzle - we saw a park by the Danube - my aunt says that lots of events are held there We had a whistle-stop tour of everything, so next time we go we'll take our time with a few select places We watched a guy swim the width and back of the Danube - rather impressive!

We are haemorrhaging money out at a rate this month - mainly in connection with DS1. We do have some things for him anyway, but are buying some other bits n pieces and have had to pay accom deposit and will also need to pay the rent for him each term and probably still have to top him up a bit (he gets the min maintenance loan) I'd rather he finds his feet and gets his head down than go job searching. Thankfully Swansea (and Cardiff) are both quite cheap for student cities :j: Agree that the Gower is beautiful - although often rather damp! :rotfl:

In 2020 both OH and I will be 50 (well, he'll be 50 at the end of 2019, but we were in the same academic year) and it will also be our 25th wedding anniversary. We were looking at a cruise for just us for his 50th, but have now thought about the possibility of Disney in USA again...…. DD would have finished uni and either have been working for a year or have just finished her Masters(doesn't have to make a decision on that just yet) DS1 will be 2 years in to his degree, DS2 will be 14 and just finished Y9 and DS3 11 and just finished primary (finally - I will have done 18 years at primary by then!!) Not sure at this moment whether it is remotely achievably affordable (assuming we'd be paying for everyone, and it would be late July onwards, so peak school hols time....) but it would be lovely. My bestie is also 50 that Summer and has thrown into the mix that she and her husband may consider coming along..... (they have no kids)

Anyway, moving on from that, we've managed to pay and extra 475 to the BTL this month - and that's before rent, which should mean I can pay another 390 minimum over too :T It's coming down... slowly

Have been accepted on the RM survey thingy again - more free stamps! I still haven't used up all the ones from the first time I did it - and this will be the 3rd time! I usually send any flebay parcels via courier now - often cheaper than RM and tracking is free. Last couple of things I sent RM were disputed as being never received.....

It's been a lovely sunny Autumnal day here - washing has dried nicely on the line. Good job too, really - I sent DD's heated airer back with her and am not buying DS1 one for this year, as the uni don't allow them in Halls. Sadly, most of our clothes as a family aren't tumble dryer-able (not that I'm a fan of the cost £££ of using tds) Am hoping it's like this for the rest of the week - DD is back tonight from a few days in Cardiff so will no doubt be bringing all her laundry homeand then OH gets back tomorrow night with all of his (plus Friday = white school shirt wash night + also rugby kit.....)

Need to sort freezer out and see what I can offload onto the students when they leave - should mean lots of space for freezing the Autumn fruit glut

CathT

Wow so many changes for you all. Glad ds1 has found a course he wants and everything seems to have worked out well for him.

Anniversary/birthday planning sounds great. I'm still mulling over CP so won't get any cruise/Disney ideas!

chumpy45

Wow just caught up on all your news. Belated Happy Anniversary and your holiday sounded fab. Also, many congrats to DS1. How exciting for him. I feel your pain in the" loss of your boy" it's so hard to let them go isn't it. I hope the preparations are all going well. Good luck
with it all x

jodles16

Oh a cruise or Disney would just be amazing!! Is there any cruises that you could go to from disney? Do a bit of both? Mind you, could be even more expensive then!! I do love a holiday


Great news about the OP of BTL, great stuff!


Jodles:D

greent

Preparations are still underway - we've been sorting out online access to bank accounts today, and making sure all of his pre-uni reading has been done. Tomorrow the plan is to get everything in one place and sort it all - so check that all bedding is there and together, all kitchen items there and together etc. Then make a list of anything still needed to buy (possibly a couple of utensils and definitely some basic storecupboard items) and a list of last minute things to pack (chargers, toiletries etc) And then see where we are at that point! I've transferred a lump of money into his account - he seemed very pleased, until I pointed out that that had to last him until hopefully mid Dec!!!


Other news - OH has re-hung one of the kitchen radiators after the painting - looks lovely. Unfortunately, the other is so heavy that he and DS1 damaged a bracket thing when lifting it. Looks like we may have to hang it on alternative style brackets, as the vendor says they don't do spare bits (it sheared apart) Ah well - it'll get done eventually! I'm not booking the annual boiler/ heating check until it is, though!

On the subject of kitchen painting I've still not had the invoice - so that's a teeny weeny bit of interest being earned on the money in the meantime


I need to reduce the BTL by around £980/ mth to fully repay by expiry. Have calculated we'd be about 22k short reducing it by an achievable £535/ mth (assuming int rates stay same/ we have no major letting voids/ major repairs) I figure that amount should be re-mortgageable at the time if we don't make it so am happy with that :T

It's going to be very weird next week with the 2 big ones 'missing' and OH working away.....

Karmacat

That really will be different next week. And you have such a good age range with the four of them. Hope you get to hear all the exciting stories really soon

greent

Lots of organising of stuff today (although not yet finished)

2 small flebay sales (of freebie items) overnight - monies rounded up and OP made to mtge :T Have been playing with spreadsheet. We only have a 'standard' OP going to the BTL of < £35/ mth (to keep balance on sub acct 1 at a round figure ) - all other OPs come from rent/ 'extra' monies. If I make £1500 more above standard OPs between now and end of 2018, the balance on sub acct 1 will be under 50k - that's quite exciting! :j :j I haven't been looking at super short term targets/ figures in goodness knows how long - I've been concentrating on what I can get it to by term expiry - however, some short term good news on there is rather fab!

Have 2 more small freebie flebay items to list and a pile of stuff to list on fb00k marketplace - but will leave until next week, I think, as it's a bit busy with other stuff at the mo!

Lovely blowy day here (after the horrid rain blew over) - 2 loads of washing flapping away outside! :Dx

the_cross_rabbit

Hi greent thanks for your advice it spurred me into action.I've now registered for my course and applied to student finances. Hope your son enjoys uni
CR x