Pay off mortgage and start having fun!

newgirly

Just got he first one I saw free on the iPad called "spending"

newgirly

So it's the 4th today and in the last three days according to the spending app I have spent:

£88.92 food
£55.31 petrol
£34.49 gifts
£27.00 eating out

I thought I'd use the income bit of the app to track all unexpected extra income earned ie. When I win the premium bonds surveys and if I ever get my head around matched betting.

It seems everyone around me wants to have a year of doing more and having more fun, I on the other hand want to have a quiet year clearing all the debts and sorting the house out! Dh wants 40th birthday ideas and he means very well, but at the moment until the issues with my throat have gone I don't really feel like doing much.

Once I feel better I'm happy to have a weekend away, but I'd rather not plan too much until then.

Birthdays have become quite big occasions for some of my friends, last nights birthday girl got a trip to New York and is having a party at a venue with over 100 guests on Friday. Each to their own I suppose

Dh has taken two of the kids to the cinema and the third is playing football, I did want to go but felt the time would be better spent cleaning up before getting back into work tomorrow, however I've spent most of the time reading ed's diary

newgirly

I've run out of my last massive bottle of fairy from Costco so have ordered a kilo of soap nuts from Amazon today. I have tried them before once but never carried on, not sure why really and I've also got some lemon oil for adding a nice scent to washing. £10 for a kilo and you can use a few in a bag multiple times, so very economical.

I need some other ideas for moneysaving on essentials now, I used to be much more frugal but have slipped in the last year or two.

Alchemilla

I put lemon oil in my bath once. Brought me out in a most picturesque rash!!

edinburgher

White vinegar and bicarbonate of soda are very good for some cleaning tasks and cheap, as are soda crystals (don't think they're the same thing as bicarb).

newgirly

Oh dear Al :rotfl: thanks ed, I do have soda crystals for making washing gloop but don't really know what else to do with it.

I've been looking at matched betting again, I found an idiots guide online which I am repeatedly reading through, I did mention it at work to some of the guys who regularly bet, to much hilarity as I clearly don't understand how gambling works! Ha I shall have to prove them all wrong now.

Going back to work today has defiantly refreshed by enthusiasm for earning extra money as I REALLY want to clear the mortgage and give up working Asap, I have no shame in admitting that I like being at home and seeing friends rather than sitting in traffic for two hours a day and having to work

greent

Some info on soda crystals, newgirly : http://www.dri-pak.co.uk/soda-crystals.html#.VKsHxjdybIU


For a while I managed cleaning just with vinegar, soda crystals, bar soap, lemon juice, essential oils & bicarb (and a very occasional splosh of cheap thin bleach (for laundry) Greener, but required more elbow grease at times. I still use vinegar & water (made up as a diluted spray in an old aldi glass cleaner spray bottle) for cleaning glass (windows, mirrors, shower screen and even tv and laptop screens (lightly sprayed onto a dry microfibre cloth) - and also for wiping over door handles and lightswitches. I often use it to clean the downstairs loo, too - it's effective at cleaning the sink, taps & even the loo. x

newgirly

Thansk greent just had a look at the link, think I'll use it to boost white loads

First wash in with the soap nuts tonight, a pe kit and some school shirts in there too so should soon tell if they work.

edinburgher

I did mention it at work to some of the guys who regularly bet, to much hilarity as I clearly don't understand how gambling works!

You will have the last laugh, MB isn't gambling as you can't lose, whereas they will be wasting their money 'til the end

newgirly

I hope so Ed, as long as I don't do it wrong

I've had a good day off, met friends for coffee and then popped to the shopping centre with my heavily pregnant best friend who is having her baby tomorrow, I didn't want her going alone just incase!

Total spends £6 on some velvet scarf holders/hangers from primarni to try and free up space in my drawers (I have a lot of scarves ) and coffee money.

I've made a bit of an error on the accounting and paid my cc overpayments but didn't notice they still take the minimum payment too, so I've had to use £76 of my savings to cover it.

I took the car for an mot this week near work at a while u wait place and not only did it pass but it only cost £30 :T usually it's £50 just for the fee locally, so quite pleased with that as its six years old now.

The centerparcs holiday I booked for August has just been changed today, the kids were not bothered going away with us at xmas , so it's been changed to a mid week at a saving of around £1000 incl the extra spending money we would have needed. Less time for them to get bored and more money to live on this year.

Spending diary going well, but since the first I've spent £500.43 :eek:, should not have too much more to spend though except money for if we go out for my friends 40th , plus more food. There is £183 left on the cc and £30 cash left until 28th jan