museumworker's quest to consign mortgage to history!

museumworker

I did visit three times yesterday, so glad it is allowed ! Twice seems just not enough...

Had good day yesterday, dear friend volunteered with me, so that is always fun as we get to catch up (and get some help with projects I'm working on). Went for quick drink after work, and then went to meet up with friends. Had cheese and wine in very snug and characterful place off charing cross road, followed by a very good chinese in chinatown. Total spent: £40 per couple for food, and we bought a bottle of wine at the first place at about £15. I am glad we went, it was lovely to be out in London enjoying it, to catch up with friends, and I think for the amount we had (whole crispy duck to start, mmm), and the quality of the food, it was reasonable .

Am so excited to find that I have a swap agreed for The Tightwad Gazette, it is untrue! On its way to me now, have wanted a copy for ages! Will post my book today.

About to have some porridge and head out for the day. We have annual friend's beach party on the South Coast, are going to take the train so we can read, relax, and OH can have a drink. With my gold card should get a 1/3rd off :money:. Trains might be quite full though due to Brighton pride? Will pick up some food on the way, probably including some polish sausages as we are spoilt for polish shops round here and they are delicious!

Transferred £2,050 to savings yesterday after OH's payday. :j. He has been backdated an allowance he wasn't being paid at work. Plus has two lots of expenses to come through on next pay cheque too .

Have had good response to our questions about the loft, very clear, and there are some costs we hadn't factored in (e.g. blinds for the velux), nothing major, but we will definitely have to use OH's overdraft for this :eek:.

museumworker

Had a brilliant weekend, beach party was great fun even with the british weather! Spent £28 return on tickets, and about £12 on food and drink.

Yesterday we had a manic clear up, before having friends over. A couple I know through work are considering buying somewhere in my area, so I gave them a tour and made dinner and pudding (and cocktails, feel a bit rough this morning!). Had a really enjoyable day, and was lovely to spend so much time with OH. All in all a bit of a high spend weekend for us, but fantastic fun . Spent £40 on shopping, and think we won't need to go to the shops again. DD back today :j, am really looking forward to seeing her.

Today, need to post RISI book, call niece to wish happy birthday and get some work done! Won't be a NSD as planning a trip at lunchtime to local greasy spoon to help line my stomach!

museumworker

Just a quick post, most likely the last of the day as DD is back, want to spend time with her when get home, and have friend coming over when she's in bed. Plus there is a swishing event tomorrow I want to take some clothes to (will help with my 100 day challenge, as long as I don't bring too much back ), will need to sort those out this evening.

Bought a dress from local charity shop at lunchtime for £10, an Oasis black shift dress with 80s styling (shoulder pads and panelling detailing), looks smart for work and could easy dress up for evening out. I bought a black dress earlier in the year I get complimented on every time I wear, so think I'll get a good amount of use out of this too. Crazy Dress Challenge update, and still ahead of target :j. Bought a roasted veg bagel in the end instead of fried food, £2 spent.

Sent off fourth RISI book, and have another to dispatch tomorrow.

Dinner is left overs reworked, a great recipe from the Economy Gastronomy cookbook. Made daube of beef yesterday for guests, and as have some leftover, will be turning it into their beef and mushroom pasta sauce. OH is making the pasta fresh, as we have the right kind of pasta flour at home already .

Queen-Bee_2

Very impressed with your food recycling and even more by the fact you have an OH who makes pasta fresh!
QB

museumworker

I hate to see food wasted, and having tried both Kitchen Revolution and Economy Gastronomy we now have a variety of recipes to call on which involve using leftovers.

I am VERY lucky with my OH, he is a natural cook and says pasta is so easy (I doubt that very much, having not tried to make it myself!)

Have 8 items to take to clothes swap (part of my 10 a day), OH loves new frock, friend was well, pasta was GORGEOUS, and DD was squealing with laughter playing ball in the garden with me. And Tightwad Gazette arrived :j - sometimes I feel very blessed.

DD and OH off on a mini-camping trip without me tomorrow I am at work, but will be off after Friday, so not much longer left.

Off to bed in a few minutes, just looking up free things for the holiday!

museumworker

For those who live/use the tube system in London, have just been recommended a website mytubewaslate.com, you register your usual tube journeys and it can check when you were delayed, and help fill in the free form to get your money back from tfl. You get the fare for that journey, if you were delayed by 15 minutes or more. It is a free to use service, my friend who lives on the same line as me just got back about £12 from when it was a nightmare about three weeks ago (more than 40 minutes late three days in a row!). I did try and claim too, but you only have 14 days to claim, so have missed that deadline. At least I will know in future to check it and claim back too - I will be slightly less miffed at being late now! :rotfl:

Chased Oystercard and got £1.90 back for being wrongly charged the maximum fare back in June. This took one form being completed, then ignored, and a follow up phonecall :mad:,so will count it as part of my Make £5 a day challenge due to the effort involved!

museumworker

Clothes swap was so much fun! :j

Got 2 Monsoon evening dresses, a topshop blue fitted shift top with open back, a new with tag purple bow belt, zara stripy asymetric t-shirt, black asos balloon hip sun dress, a cotton ditzy print top and a red giant polka dot print shiny shift dress, and a hooded paul frank jumper (for camping) all for absolutely nothing!! And cleared out some things I didn't want. Gave a £5 donation to enter, but am not going to count that towards my dress challenge as that was a charitable donation

Website here with some dates of events: http://www.swishing.org/

Not sure it really helped my 100 day challenge of clearing the loft, but lots of fun - and was very satisfying watching people get excited about the clothes I had donated, someone picked both a jumper and dress I'd brought, and was squealing about them!

Did try on handmade vintage dress in a vintage shop that was absolutely beautiful and fitted me like a glove. Cost £88 though, so had to go back on the rail. Am determined to find dress pattern to recreate that dress for next to nothing. The universe will bring me that frock! (Can you tell I've been reading Memory Girl's thread?).

About to watch mistresses in bed on catch up, night anyone who's reading.

mummyofonechild

Night Night

museumworker

Today I need to crack on with work, so this will be my only visit for the day. I'm going round a friend's house for dinner tonight, very much looking forward to catching up and seeing her new house :j. Just need to pick up a bottle of wine, and maybe a pot plant for her. Due to being home alone and out yesterday evening I haven't brought any lunch , so need a cheap eat too.

100 day challenge: have packed a jumper to give to one of my friend's I'll see tonight, and also have brought dress into work to give to another friend.

Have to go back to the builders today to get a revised schedule of payments too, OH will go mad if I forget (again!), and have enough RISI book to post.

Am glad it is not raining, and wearing my swished tunic with new belt, two people already have said I look nice

museumworker

Am writing this from bed, willing myself to get up but can't quite face it yet!

Dinner last night was fab :j, friend's flat was lovely with an extremely impressive for London 110 foot garden :eek: , very pleased for her. Great to catch up, and gave other friend there a jumper I thought had her name on it, it looked great on her and she was very pleased Took a bottle of fizzy pink and little rose plant from M&S,£10 spent. Drank lots of water and not too much wine, so don't feel hungover, just extremely tired! I think this may be the curse of the MFW though...

Have talk to finish writing at work today, as it is my last full day in the office :eek:. Am meeting a friend for lunch, who is considering standing for the same committee as me, will be good to catch up and even better if he does stand! And have a RISI swap it book to post (:o and the one from the other day is still on my desk). After this need to put my 'vacation settings' on - have done !psos, also need to do Amazon, and RISI - not sure if I've missed any? Tonight is blissfully free, OH and DD are going to stay away another night, so I have house to myself. The plan is to declutter for 1 hour, Shred, and watch Mistresses.

Have have have to contact builder today or OH will never speak to me again.

Time for a wriggle on, me thinks!

(*:j remembers only two days till goes away*)