Pay off mortgage and start having fun!

newgirly

Yes it is a google diagnosis I will go back, either tomorrow or Monday - it's still much better than last week which is why I'm hanging it out a bit!

newgirly

I Did go to the doctors and she said leave another couple of weeks as it's improved a lot, I asked if it could be globus and stress related and she seems to think so. Bit strange as I don't see why I should be stressed. I do have forms to have blood tests if it's still here in two weeks though.

Went and bought us all new duvets today, primarni had a couple of pounds off them today, plus I met dd at the shops and bought us both lunch at nandos, never been before but it was ok. We also happened upon a rather surreal Santa arrival at the shopping centre with 12 ft dancing candy canes and dancing crackers

newgirly

I've had a change of heart with the plan I made the other day

I am going to continue with the mortgage oping and keep the cards on 0% and pay the minimum.

Right, priorities for next year are:

Save for dds 18th - around £500 for present and party combined
Save for boy's birthdays £400 presents and party/treats/family do.
Save for xmas £1200 per year
Ditto college bus £500 per year
Pay balance of centerparcs break £582



I will have £50 cash per month plus £565 to spend on the cc for food'/petrol/clothes/ everything that's not bills and direct debits etc.

The centerparcs balance has not been budgeted for but I will try and squeeze that from the monthly food/petrol etc. budget.

Target to hit from November 2014 to dec 2015 is £21,960 including ops to the mortgage and minimum payments to the 0% ccs

The change of plan has reduced my budget by £135 per month so will be a bit more challenging, however with a proper plan in place for xmas /birthdays and holiday it's really only food clothes and petrol to worry about.

Entertainment has been a big expense this year to us, as the kids are older they really don't want to do much with us anymore meals out are a bit of bribery really! Dh has paid for most of this though (and concert tickets ) with the inheritance money he got from his mum selling a flat in Spain. Next year we won't have this option so will have to be much more selective.

Dh loves going to the cinema and that's not cheap , however he does often go with my brother so it's only him to pay for and they do attempt to go on a weds

I need to try and encourage him to do more stuff that does not include films/food and shops , unfortunately working long hours means he doesn't really want to go for walks etc. saying that we are very close to london and could make much more use of the free stuff there is to do.

2015 will not be the most frugal year ever as dd turns 18 and I turn 40 :eek: but I am going to try and get back to how things used to be a bit when I first started on the mfw board, being much more organised and reining in the spending that is a bit wasteful - last minute eating out when hungry, alcohol and chocolate!

I'd like to cook a lot more, get everyone eating better and spend only on proper treats, tickets to shows rather than meals out etc. days out instead of a couple of hours at the local cinema.

Clothing is another area not properly budgeted for, it just gets lumped in with the grocery budget, dh is virtually a no spend budget, dd buys a lot of her own stuff and likes primarni more an designer thank goodness. The main expense is shoes/uniforms etc. for the boys who grow so fast, perhaps I need to factor in and buy small amounts regularly so I don't need to get loads at once and spend a fortune.

Oops waffling in somewhat here, just musing over what I might be able to realistically manage next year without the family noticing I've cut back a lot

newgirly

Lidl shop today £43 spent, lots of party food for tonight to mark the last episode of dr. Who - onion bhajis, cocktail sausages and many other unhealthy fried foods

They do still have some bargains but there was a lot of posh stuff too, expensive wines and a meat freezer that was full of unusual meat, kangaroo, wild boar etc. I think I'll stick with mr t while I have the delivery deal going still for £3 pm.

Goldiegirl

As soon as November starts, it seems that the year is beginning to draw to a close, so it is natural to start making plans for next year.

I'm thinking ahead too, although I've got nothing down in writing yet. I also want to do a sort of year in review as well

It sounds as if 2015 will be significant year for you, so it's great that you will be planning ahead for this. It's difficult to find the right balance sometimes, but I think it's good to mark significant milestones:)

Mrs_E_3

newgirly wrote: »

Lidl shop today £43 spent, lots of party food for tonight to mark the last episode of dr. Who - onion bhajis, cocktail sausages and many other unhealthy fried foods

They do still have some bargains but there was a lot of posh stuff too, expensive wines and a meat freezer that was full of unusual meat, kangaroo, wild boar etc. I think I'll stick with mr t while I have the delivery deal going still for £3 pm.

I saw all the different meats today in Lidl too. Ours had some moose steaks! Nothing went in my trolley though, I preferred the £3.99 joint of pork for tomorrow's lunch and Monday's dinner.

gallygirl

Ostrich steaks in Aldi yesterday. I bought sausages. Of the piggy variety :rotfl:

newgirly

Him GG, GG and mrs E moose and ostrich steaks _pale_ oh dear no!

It's been an odd day really, dh in a foul mood and me too really :rotfl: I got out the bath tonight all ready to put my onesie on (purely for mse energy saving reasons) and decided to get dressed again and go up to the Tower of London to see the poppies tonight instead. I have been wanting to go and time was running out, it took one hour 45 mins there and back, so quick.

It's so amazing, literally spine tingling at night time like a sea of blood I know Gallygirl has been and commented on the people grinning into their phones taking pictures, it seemed that virtually everyone there was doing the same thing, it felt very odd and made me a bit cross really. Very glad I went though, after watching the remembrance service on TV today I just really wanted to go.

newgirly

The boys have the day off school today, it's a teacher training day so I've taken a day holiday too.

To do list:

Get birthday present for best friends son
Do all washing/ironing up to date
Vacuum
Clean bathrooms/ kitchen floor
Meal plan monday to Friday
Buy Sellotape ready for the big xmas wrap up
Read meters and submit
Check acct balances , is there any money left this month as I've overspent a lot!

newgirly

I've completed virtually nothing in my to do list my throat feels tight again so Ive been a bit fed up.

However in much more positive news - drum roll ......... We have sold the old factory, completion was today :T after a lot of stress , court cases and the issues with the buyers last minute (many different issues!) the business now has nothing to do with the very difficult woman who has been making our lives hell for the last four years

The other parties who owned a share will get their cash and we will fingers crossed have enough for at least a 40% deposit on the brand new lovely new unit we have been renting since last year, so security for the future :beer: dh has bought more shares in the business in the last few years and now holds around 3/4 ish of it I believe , although we are not close to being in profit at the moment as we have put a new floor in , had an expensive move and court fees, plus a couple of new staff. But maybe some time in the future we might make a profit!

It's been incredibly stressful, and quite personally difficult at times for us. dh's best friend and boss died of a brain tumour, dh made sure his wife had as much as possible he helped her financially out of respect for his friend trying to do the right thing, whilst we were struggling.

She left her sick husband on the doorstep of the factory every day while he was very ill as she didn't want him at home. Then moved her boyfriend ( also her friends husband :eek:) into their house a couple of months after his death.

We had dozens of unpleasant emails insulting dh and they were almost all sent late on a Friday evening making legal threats etc. the favourite being a very long rant sent xmas eve last year, obviously designed for maximum stress.

All in all im glad it's all over now :T

Apologies for the long rant, it's been years in the making though.