Pay off mortgage and start having fun!

newgirly

I think I might meet up for a few picnics, bring your own food then! Otherwise its iceland pizzas all round

Sunnyday

Newgirly - why not part bake some home made pizza bases (cost pence) just small ones for the kids and then get them all round to make their own.

You could make a tube of tom puree go further by diluteing it with passatta, grate a block of cheese - no need for mozarella, some basil and salami and a few thin pepper slices etc.

The kids can add the toppings and you can bake them, lots of food for very little and they would love it, the more the merrier and then its your turn for the kids to be invited to eat at their friends. Should go down well and save a bomb

HTH

SD

MFW_DannyG

mmm...pizza!:drool:

newgirly

Thanks sunnyday, I did make my own pizzas the other day for DH and myself and they were georgous, BUT, they ended up five times the size of the ones in the shop and I still managed to eat a whole one, hence why I have not bothered posting on the mortgage free weight loss challange thread for weeks.......no weight lost, I wonder what I'm doing wrong?! :rotfl:

newgirly

I think once I have got my two DS's birthdays out of the way this weekend I will start putting a bit more effort into xmas. I already have a few prezzies on top of the wardrobe, mainly for DD school friends, last year ALL of the girls in her form bought for each other! (as well as doing a secret santa). So I have bought a dozen necklaces in the asda sale for £1 each. I have a few boots gifts sets and quite a bit of body shop sale stuff.
I wouldn't like to add up how many people we actually buy for, but its over 40.:o
To be honest most of the presents are for kids and are low in cost, we have also set a £10 limit for family except parents. So most of our budget goes on the kids. Last year we spent about £150 each ish. I would like to reduce this a little but not too much as we don't buy them much through the year, and they don't get pocket money from us either, but I would like to get as much as possible for the money.
I know our xmas spending is probably more than some on the MFW board but I love xmas, and start looking forward to it from early september onwards. I have a feeling this may be the last year that my two DS'S will still be almost believing that santa is real, so I want to make it a really good one.
I would like to apologise to those of you who can't bear hearing about the c word until december, but I thought it would be yet another project to get stuck into!

MFW_DannyG

I'm with you on that one I LOVE crimbo! can't wait 'til my little lad is old enough to understand what the hell his Dads so excited about

newgirly

I am exhausted after a very late night last night (1 am) and being woken at 5am by 2 ds's as its their birthday today. Had a great day, family in morning, pub lunch then quasar party for the boys this afternoon. Party was fab, kids loved it and it was really good value.
Had a bit of a result yeaterday as we have been given a second hand leather sofa which is georgeous and will match my new wallpaper when I get round to decorating. Hence the late night waiting for oh to get back from london with said sofa.
I feel so tired but don't think I will sleep yet as there is a rather loud teenage party up the road, goodness knows what the noise is like for the next door neighbours! i think it must be for the end of term.
I have done no surveys for days, so must get back into that, and try and sort the house out, although im not sure if theres much point in trying to keep it tidy in the school holidays.
only a few more days before ny mortgage payment comes out,it will be the 3rd monthly payment since our re-mortgage, it seems to have gone really quickly only another 141 months left, or hopefully less.
I know lots of others may also feel like this, i just feel like i have wasted so much time not trying to get rid of the mortgage, even adding to it a few times. I just hope my kids don't make the same mistakes we have made.

newgirly

I have managed to transfer over sone money into my VSP this weekend , I was going through Augusts budget and we have a spare week(OH gets paid weekly), so I have transfered over £201.46.
I hope its not a bit premature, as I have the kids off school all summer, but now I should have enough in the sealed pot to pay for the house and car insurance in one lump sum, it is due in October. We do this already rather than by DD, but usually put it on the dreaded CC.
So now anything I do manage to put in the VSP can either go towards a holiday for next year/xmas or off the 0%CC.
I will try to book a holiday for next year soon I think, there seem to be more discounts. It will definatly be in this country or maybe a caravan in france as long as its near calais! Where do all you MFW go, if you have a holiday, have some of you gone for something cheaper now you are MFW's?
It is my DH's 40th in two years and apart from a sports car :rotfl:
he would like to go on a cruise. I have looked at the prices and if we take the kids and go somewhere hot we can easily afford it, if we extend the mortgage by another 10 years!!
Seriously though, P&O do a two night and three night mini cruise on their big cruise ships, for £200-£300 each including all food etc. I am thinking about maybe try to do that without the kids instead.
I think it would be nice to save a bit for a treat, as being MF is still quite a way away.
I need to spend a bit more time than I have done lately on checking all the survey sites, ang get around to listing on ebay. My 2 DS's have lots of toys and films that could go, and maybe even do a boot sale!

SmlSave

Hi newgirly

I love Xmas too and have a box full of bits and have just started to make flavoured vodka and wine and jams to give as gifts. I always overspend on Xmas presents which is why I have a savings account just for it.

The new sofa sounds good and I'm glad the kids enjoyed the party

Where do all you MFW go, if you have a holiday, have some of you gone for something cheaper now you are MFW's?

As its still just me and DH we tend to go abroad on city breaks. We are lucky to have family near New York so we visit them every 2-3 years. I tend to budget £300 each for a holiday which is nowhere near what our friends pay! (I'm still insanely jealous of them ) We got a new tent which I'm looking forward to 'breaking in' soon

P&O do a two night and three night mini cruise on their big cruise ships, for £200-£300 each including all food etc. I am thinking about maybe try to do that without the kids instead.

We did this some years ago It was good fun and forced us to relax and do nothing but read and chat (and drink). We even saw dolphins

newgirly

Hi smlsave, thanks for the reply, we have been camping too, but although its fun, sometimes it can feel a bit too much like hard work rather than a holiday!
I have been shopping this morning as the boys wanted to spend their birthday money, and I have picked up a couple of cruise brochures, which do look fantastic but OMG the price of some of them, I think we may have to go for DH's 50th instead of his 40th:D