Pay off mortgage and start having fun!

newgirly

Thanks Viking, will do that instead 🙂

The sun is out today, I have set up a new weight loss WhatsApp group with best friend and my friend from work (he’s very overweight and he lost loads then put it all back on ☹️) so I’m going to try and improve my fitness a bit more. I hate all forms of exercise really except walking and sometimes swimming 😬 it’s a cliche but i feel so much better going out for a walk everyday, whether it’s round the street or to the forest. 

Plans for Sunday :

- see how dads vaccine goes today
-cook for everyone, eight with dds boyfriends dd coming (shared parenting so allowed)  
-go for a walk 
-see if we can clear more in the log cabin 
-look for eBay things to list

edinburgher

@newgirly - don't suppose you've heard anything about a max fee listing offer for Mr Bay? I have a few items to sell, but would like the final value fees capped at no more than £1 as I'm a Scot.

newgirly

Sorry Ed, nothing for a while as far as I know.

edinburgher

Never mind (and have a lovely day). I (overweight guy, but shrinking a little) quite miss my work weigh in group. I was the only guy there, but was made to feel very welcome and supported. Good to have friends/colleagues to share the pain with.

greent

edinburgher said:

@newgirly - don't suppose you've heard anything about a max fee listing offer for Mr Bay? I have a few items to sell, but would like the final value fees capped at no more than £1 as I'm a Scot.

I had one last week - sold a £60 item for a £1 fee as a result (and have bids on another so far @ £16.50) - I get an email every 2 or 3 weeks (max) for them

killerpeaty

How has your dad's vaccine gone? I know some people are very anxious around injections.

Mrs_Money_Penny

Cooking for 8 on a budget your amazing. Hope your Dad’s vaccine went ok and you managed your walk xx

newgirly

Thanks guys, still waiting to hear from him but he went early evening. 

I’m in bed already 😬 avoiding downstairs as dds boyfriend and his dd are playing video games there, which is actually fine by me as I’m watching dancing on ice in peace without sarcastic comments from my family 😆

Due to the early bed time I’ve only fed our visitor as she vegan, so the others can do their own dinner which is now frozen fish and chips as I was too lazy to do a roast, haha I’m feeling rebellious! Also “borrowed” £10 from dh to give our vegan guest, I like to treat her now and then, although dd said where on earth will she spend that now, so I’ve told her to put it towards a house 😆

I’ve already posted my January monthly update, but I thought a quick round up wouldn’t go amiss too:

- £2883.78 jan reduction 

- £260 to holiday fund (should be £130 pm) this is towards dhs 50th cruise in 2022, comes from kids rent 
Which is £300 pm in total 

- £10 Amazon gift card bought, sounds crazy as we have a Xmas fund for presents but I’m going to try buy one per month to pay for treats or offset from Xmas budget at end of year creating extra money, I’d usually be buying stocking fillers in the sale now but obviously can’t now!

-Grocery budget for jan £400 and £483 spent 😱 I’m taking the extra £83 from febs budget so that needs to be squeaky! 

- vet bill paid for our very elderly cat, £360 odd I believe, taken from shed savings/Xmas money/ my personal saving pot. Worth it though as happy cat happy mum 😬

- petrol budget £66.66 (£800 per year hence the odd no. !) and on,y £25.01 spent in jan, the remainder went to the shed pot. 

Frugal failures are yet again the purchase of our t@ssimo pods, we all - except the boys, love the flat white and cappuccino ones, happy to make fresh normal coffee but not keen on the instant sachet frothy coffees, I’ve also tried a few make it yourself recipes and they are not the same. Currently spending £10 per week for three packs from asd@ and feeling stingy with just those! I guess it is probably our only treat though 😆

Frugal successes this month aside from getting by, are the fact I have not bought any Emma bridgewater in the new year sale or any beautiful velvet dresses in the monsoon sale which were £14 each!  

newgirly

Not much to report today, went for a walk and popped into icel@nd to get some bread as it was empty and came across a large Xmas cheesecake and a croquembouche tower - £2 for both reduced from £9, it’s junk food but in a house with only fruit as a sweet treat currently it’s very welcome 😆 

newgirly

But of a meh week this week so far, apparently dh said that the owner is having a meeting with his manager this week to discuss the business. He has hit the six month target they set for getting a lot of new work in, but the pandemic has meant a drop in normal work (uni related stuff) hardly surprising really. So I guess we will find out soon if he’s getting the boot!  I feel very bitter about the takeover really as in the meeting we had the new owner said he ‘got’ the business and it’s history etc, half the staff were family, when he intended to bin most of us straight away as dh owned it previously and that’s his usual way of doing things. Crazy when neither him or his manager know anything about the business they are taking over, the owner has never even been back to the factory since taking over! 

Anyway, moaning over 😆 it’s food shop order day, I’ve used £19 from this weeks already lower £80 budget - £9 in Iceland and  £9.99 on a half price large fruit and veg box from oddbox, sadly not ideal for us, mostly stuff we wouldn’t have bought and variable quality. I think a decent meal plan from a lot of what we already have is needed...