Pay off mortgage and start having fun!

themadvix

Feeling much better today thanks NG. Have a great time out - hope DS1 gets what he needs. I'm wondering about the chaos out there too... only time will tell I guess!

newgirly

Hi Mrs mp, just a real one in the living room, a warm white blossom one on the conservatory and a couple of small ones in two of the kids rooms 😬

Glad you are feeling better Vix, it was not very busy first thing actually but we didn’t stay long and ds1 doesn’t need smart clothes just yet so he just bought some new jeans that are a bit less scruffy 😆 I was surprised by how quiet it was actually.  

Feeling a bit nostalgic at the moment so while out I got some second hand karaoke discs for ps2 (the boys have many ancient consoles) which we used to have years ago when they were little as well as their old favourite Spider-Man game, spent £5.50 in store on five games and an eye toy camera for it, who needs a new ps5 😆 I may have bought a couple more online at home too. Then I went rummaging through eBay and found a copy of a  twenty year old Xmas cd I’d lost which we listened to year after year, had to be that one as the songs were in the right order even though they are probably on every Xmas dd ever made! £2.60 including postage, not bad and one of the benefits of having old cars is they have CD players still 😂

debtfreeoneday

I confess I thought they were ducks at first glance. My ornithology skills need brushing up. 😂

greent

Maybe they are some kind of duck/ pigeon cross?! 😄 Whatever, they are super cute and rather adorable:) x

themadvix

I know exactly what you mean about the old Christmas cd having to be the right one in the right order! 😆

newgirly

Defiantly pigeons, even if pink is perhaps not a usual colour for them 😆
Lazy day today, lots of washing done and a fair bit of tea drinking, I also worked out how much we need to put by for the cruises that are booked and it’s so eye watering I can’t write it down 😂 suffice to say dh said he would pay half the cost of the cheaper cruise plus spending money a few weeks ago, so if he does (it’s £1k plus a white lie from me that I’ve booked the cheaper one he didn’t really fancy) need to find exactly £100 per month from January until sept 2022, as well as using money already put by and extra furlough I’m getting for December. 

So I need to sort myself out now, dd is moving back for good soon with boyfriend as she is very unhappy away from home again since having to move out before the second lockdown started, we will be a household of seven 😱 so I’ll get all that and Xmas out the way and try to find a routine for day to day life, it’s easier for me to cook than everyone doing their own really, plus the logistics of freezer/fridge space is a bit worrying. So after things settle, as of January it’s full in money saving/money making - I need the spinning martins head emoji here 😆 

The new Lidl has been great and today I’ve discovered that the £10off voucher I had in my app the other day is a monthly bonus if you spend over £200 😬 takeaways are non existent now and I cook all the time so we are eating fine. I’m going to ring m&s and remove a couple of things from my Xmas order, the three game roast for a start as ds2 and girlfriend have just stopped eating red meat and it’s stuffed with pork, so I’ve bought a frozen goose from tesc@ for £22 instead of the £40 game, we still have ham, turkey, vegan stuff and goodness knows what else.  I may even consider a meal plan until the end of the year I’m THAT organised at the moment 😂 

£1.16 claimed from tcb, 58p to mortgage , 58p to holiday pot 🙂

 

newgirly

Right I’ve checked the grocery budget as I’ve been running a mini challenge 😬

From 15th Oct until 31st December the budget was £1000, excluding Christmas alcohol cost@ coffee machine pods, and the M&S Xmas food order (£150 minus £40 deposit paid) that equates to £12.82 a day for five soon to be seven adults, all eating every meal at home as well as toiletries and cat stuff 😱

The cc statement is created tomorrow so I wanted to know what I have left for December:

Planned budget of £12.82 x 51 days so far = £653.82 

Actual spend so far: £628.03 

Surplus £25.79 plus remaining Dec budget £346.14 plus food order M&S allowance £110 = £481.93 left to spend. 

Not sure how easy it will be to stick to that with so much food to prepare every day 😱 will trim some of the food order and flip some items to Lidl if I can! 

themadvix

I'm sure you can do it NG, you're under budget so far, so that can only be a good thing!

newgirly

Busy day, just under 17k steps so far which is unheard of in lockdown times 😆 went for a walk with ds2’s girlfriend to a tiny pocket of houses nearby which we’re doing their own “Xmas fayre” just a few streets with stalls in their front garden, but it was so lovely 😊 I ended up spending £15 on some crochet Xmas bits I could just not refuse, tree decks, 2x teddies for the girls, and animals stuffed with various sweets - no need to feel guilty as it was all in aid of the local hospice 🙂 also bought some homemade Xmas chutney. 

This has to be the most relaxed and back to basics Xmas we have ever had, it’s all walks in the woods and cooking rather than glittery outfits, meals out and theatre shows. Both are great in their own way, but whatever happens I’ll keep up with the more simple things too now, not working and being in lockdown has given me time to change a little. 

newgirly

Strange day today, it was great uncles funeral which was sad but a nice small service. No official wake but four of the guests plus myself and the kids and their partners went to the local garden centre for an impromptu coffee afterwards where he used to enjoy visiting, we had a separate table away from them but I think Great Aunt appreciated all the kids making the effort. 

Busy few days altogether really, I think we are heading for tier three very soon so I’m taking dd and ds2’s girlfriend out for a very early morning one hour shop followed by breakfast on Wednesday and hopefully waffles in the German Xmas garden centre market as dd missed out last time living away. That’s the last of my frivolous springing though! Off to Lidl first thing for a massive shop, I really wish they delivered sometimes 😬