Pay off mortgage and start having fun!

newgirly

I get my lot to translate, when I asked ds2 how he knows which ones are rare he said he was "born with the knowledge" :rotfl:

My two youngest are also still 16 so we won't be doing the sleepover anytime soon either, good job at that price! Hooe you all had a fantastic time in Florida

AlexLK

The sleepover sounds great.

Don't think we've caught any rare pokemon but our interest in dwindling; there's hardly any of them around here and it's become quite old driving into big towns to catch them after dog walking etc.

Surely it's OK for the budget to go out of the window during the summer holiday? Your children aren't going to be around all summer for much longer, NG.

newgirly

You need a day in London for those Pokemon Alex

The budget can't go too much out of the window Alex as it will also happen at Xmas and birthdays etc. too! If it was a longer term we were aiming for I wouldn't set such a tight budget but as its 24 months and it ends July 2018 which is the kids 18/18/21st birthdays I would really love to stick to it or within a month or so.

If the boys go to uni and move out we will need a serious amount of money :eek:

I have just managed to set my gas/elec dd at a higher amount :mad: ovo do two options , they set the amount or you can , so I switched and then went back and it doesn't let you set it under their recommended amount which is £178 and I was paying £150. Very annoyed as it starts next month and is another £28 to find pm, even if I manage to cut usage it will take a while to claw back. Now where do I find £28 pm from?

AlexLK

:rotfl: Bet there's lots in London. We do still play but only if we're going somewhere for a reason.

Our spending is at its highest during the summer holiday but we spend little on birthdays and Christmas.

Re. the gas / electricity. Is this for your house? If so, it seems a really high amount.

newgirly

Yes, it's high. We have double glazing, heating off nearly all the time, energy saving bulbs everywhere, don't use the tumble, try not to use the Hoover or iron much I blame the kids!

newgirly

I'm wishing the month away again, budget hammered by a grocery shop at mr t yesterday about £78 I think, we are having a bbq today as its dds boyfriends birthday and we are meeting his daughter for the first time (he is 6 yrs older than dd).

£16 of the Xmas budget spent on a knitted mermaids tail for dd for Xmas like a slanket if anyone had one of those, looks great I may have to put one on my list :rotfl:

Today I am a bit fed up as

1) we don't have a lot of money at the moment

2) I want to lose weight but am struggling and having lots of s*d it i'll just eat one more.....moments

So today I will make some effort to get some extra money coming in, I used to be good at this but lately have been much better at spending.

Ideas so far:

Bank account switching:

main accounts and most dds currently with nw who I love - but m and s are doing an easy to maintain 2 dds pm for £100 gift card plus £10 pm gift card for the first year which seems a good deal, I can't go first direct as we have used them before. Also need to shut down our extinct virgin one acct where dhs wages go, previously they told us it would cost £70 to leave them as it was a "mortgage account " even though we remortgage donkeys years ago elsewhere.

Halifax we already have two sole accounts , not sure if we are able to get a third joint acct to get another £5 pm? Will have to try.

eBay:

is I guess the only other relatively easy option, not sure what to sell though, I have some perfume sets bought reduced last year , but the only one going for lots of money is the alien one I bought which is my favourite so I want to keep it for when I run out!



Diet wise, I don't know. There is a local ladies walking group started in town whch I think I may join, I will try and drag my best friend too as she wants to lose weight. She has mentioned a personal trainer, but I really can't afford that and to be honest would prefer a gym so I could have a swim if I had the choice, all of that will have to wait until the mortgage is gone though I think.

newgirly

Today went well, little girl was lovely and they spent the afternoon in the hot tub watching a movie and drinking orangeade "cocktails".

No time to sort current account switching and am too tired now, have found something else I want to buy though - tickets for the carols by candlelight at the Royal Albert hall Xmas eve, it's only due to me googling what is on whilst watching the Gershwin there on tv tonight, there is always something I want, I should be banned from the iPad really. It could be worse as I was also looking at Siamese kittens :eek:

My princess would not like that though she likes to be centre of attention

AlexLK

:eek: Re. your daughter's boyfriend having a child! Are you OK with the age gap / child?

Whilst I've contemplated account switching several times, I always find an excuse not to in the end as it just doesn't seem worth the hassle for me.

Re. the diet / exercise: get out, go walking, explore your surroundings with your husband / children. So many ways to get a little more active without joining groups which presumably you have to pay for? Swimming once / twice per week won't be expensive. My wife is a member of a gym near her work and she'll go there for an hour straight after work everyday, so I don't mind as the membership gets used.

newgirly

Hi Alex, well he was very young when she was born and has seen her right from the start and paid maintenance, so although it was a surprise to say the least :eek: I think it shows a lot about him as a person. The age gap is not big enough for me to be too worried about it, The most important thing to me is he encourages dd to do whatever she wants (crucially important in my opinion) he works hard and is kind.

Sorry but I did smile at your comment about getting my dh and kids our walking and exploring :rotfl: did I mention I have teenagers dh doesn't go on walks, he comes home after 12 hour days - sometimes more and wants to rest.

Realistically the only chance of the kids walking with me is ds2 joining me while playing Pokemon.

Re the switching, do you have Halifax reward accts ? They are easy enough to do and only need 2x dd each.

AlexLK

Sounds like a very difficult situation but from what you've said he sounds like he's being as responsible as could be expected. I'd agree it's very important for him to encourage your daughter in whatever she wants to do in life, I'd expect the same from any girl that (one day) dates my son. Recently, I've had to have some very serious conversations with my wife about her attitudes towards what I do with my life, as it turns out she was more concerned for me than anything else (given my "history") but admitted she wouldn't want our son being treated in a similar manner.

My parents used to work like your husband does. All I can say is I hope he tries to create some memories with his children and does something for himself other than work. As for walking, my life as a teenager during holidays from school was spent outside either helping out at my Aunt's farm or walking into the village. No real wonder I couldn't wait to get a car, eh?

Don't have a Halifax account, we are with Natwest for everything. I do need to one day dare to venture elsewhere.