museumworker's quest to consign mortgage to history!

Lula-Hula

Glad your talk went well & sympathies on having to take DD in to work. I've had to do it once & while she was ok, I was so self conscious & out of my comfort zone it was awful. I also spent the next day correcting all my mistakes .

I could cheerfully have sent mine off to boarding school yesterday but today we spent the day in London & she was fine. 6 weeks is simply too long for holidays - for all concerned .

I'm certainly not royalty - I'm a shameful example of not scrimping & saving enough to clear debts & also guilty of taking out a 0% CC & not using it properly just because I had the hump that 'they' didnt give me enought credit to do a balance transfer. I will have actually paid back £2,000 more debt than I originally had for that very reson . Fortunately it's now all at 0% so it's just a case of making sure I clear it before that runs out ...

Anyway, it wont be long now & all the money I have spent during the last 2 weeks of holiday was saved up for alongside debt repayments so I've finally learnt my lesson.

I'm hoping your clothes windfall will spread karmically to everyone else on the challenge

Keep up the good work :A

museumworker

Boarding school - now there's an idea :rotfl:

Yes, I'm CONVINCED it is the dress challenge 'what won it', so it can't be long until everyone else starts winning designer wardrobes too! Was hoping to go pick clothes this Friday, but have a busy week. However, I have next Friday booked off already for Eid (as DD's school shuts, rather than for religious reasons!), so am hoping that will work nicely. Can't wait!!

Feeling a bit brighter today. Dropped DD off with old childminder, made progress in terms of managed to get her to take a £10, normally she won't take anything off me and I feel guilty. She did confess she'd lost the book I bought her as a birthday present, so am going to order it off Amazon for her now with the extra money I was trying to give her .

DD is being picked up by her dad, so won't see her now til Sunday, both and some as means I can focus on getting back into the work routine ready for school starting next week.

Working at museum store today, so ate some free blackberries on the way in, also got a voucher for 10 days worth of bare essentials mineral face powder which hope to pick up this weekend.

Rest of day, have tour to give at work, then home to Shred Day 4, get party wall agreement signed properly by neighbours, and sort out some boxes of tut from the loft.

ps why does it take so long for money to transfer from A&L to Smile??? Looks like it'll be at least Thursday or even Friday before joint account sees the money I've put in!

CathT

Have just caught up with what i've missed! You have spurred me on to have a good sort out and get our loft boarded so we can actually use it for storage! Although i'm sure most people would actually love an empty loft!!

museumworker

Empty loft - what is that?? :rotfl: Good luck Cath T, it is a good space to use if not in use for anything else!

didn't quite make it to emptying the loft today... or much more. Friend at work is buying in the area... we ended up meeting them for a drink after work, and hearing their offer accepted :j! What a privilege. Where we live has been considered unfashionable in the past, so to have people we like and would like to spend more time with buy here is very exciting for us! Drunk lots, been out for Indian, a rare night out as a couple for me and OH, but still feel guilty.

Neighbour wants me to pop round tomorrow to sort out form. Need to do 2 x the shred to make up for today

Queen-Bee_2

Hello MW,

Just catching up with a few diaries! Lofts... Hmm, I boarded the loft in my last flat (a small one bedroom one) and squirreled lots up there. And I mean lots... When I decanted it all into current (three bedroom) house, there was no space left. And because the third bedroom in my house is a loft conversion, I now have very little storage space.. Fortunately however, I now have a shed! :rotfl:

Well done on the competition - hope you have a lovely time restocking your wardrobe!!

QB

museumworker

QB, I now have a 3 bed house - and a packed loft! Could probably fill another 3 bed place with the amount of stuff up there! Will have to add a shed to the works :rotfl:.

Bit hungover/tired today, but got through the day ok and starting to get back on top of things at work.

Done the Shred - will do 2 on Sunday to make up for yesterday! So will count this as day 4. :j

Need to make dinner in a bit - we had our first butternut squash from the garden, so I plan to make a spiced carrot and squash soup. We have a glut of petit pan, if anyone can recommend any recipes with them!

OH gone out to pilates and pub, has left the loft open for me so I hope to tackle one box tonight. Will pop round to neighbours to sort out form too.

Sent off my declaration form for my life assurance today, they need to check my medical records .

Still no sign of transferred money in joint account, A&L are doing my head in!

museumworker

Have now written our first cheque for the loft, along with signing the contract! :eek::D:j

OH managed to save £1200 this month, taking us to £1400 :j will update the £10k challenge page in a minute. Having just written the cheque however, our savings are going to start dwindling very very quickly! Neighbour has signed party wall agreement, so we are all ready to go... feel a bit of a fraud being a MFW when having not paid a penny towards overpaying, but taking on a £40k+ project without adding a penny to the mortgage, or taking out any loans is surely an achievement?

Didn't manage day 5 of shred , had afternoon brainstorm with team on exhibition design which involved visit to a newly refurbished museum, lunch, and then the pub :o. total spent of personal money: £22 :eek:, and feeling a little hungover today.

Today OH has stag do, quad biking and the like :rotfl:, money already accounted for. I want to enjoy our local art trail, only once a year, and am meeting up with friends and work colleagues to do it. Lots of local artists open up their homes and studios to the public, should be good fun , and might involve a few pub stops too (although the idea of drinking is making me feel very yuck at the minute!). All free, apart from any drinks I do end up partaking in.

To do list for the whole weekend:

• [STRIKE]clear bag of non-valuable hard backs donated to me to charity (sat)[/STRIKE] done
• [STRIKE]empty case from holiday (:o still not unpacked!) (sun)[/STRIKE] done
• [STRIKE]laundry x 2 (sun)[/STRIKE] done
• [STRIKE]put away clean laundry (sun)[/STRIKE] half done
• [STRIKE]put out clutter fire on table (sat)[/STRIKE] done
• [STRIKE]empty one box of stuff from loft and take to charity (sat)[/STRIKE] done - 70 items gone :j
• m[STRIKE]ake 30 invoices for museum group i'm on the committee for (sun)[/STRIKE] done :T:D
• draft talk i am giving next week (sun)
• [STRIKE]surveys[/STRIKE]done - £3 paypal redeemed
• [STRIKE]comps x 10+ per day[/STRIKE] done
• shred each day forget it
• [STRIKE]get dd ready for school (sun)[/STRIKE] done
• [STRIKE]house blessings (sun)[/STRIKE]done
• [STRIKE]art trail (sat)[/STRIKE] good fun was had by all
• [STRIKE]post cheque! (sat)[/STRIKE] done by oh
• check amazon listings to see why not selling anything! (sun) done a bit, and adjusted a few prices
• [STRIKE]eta: check energy tariffs as about to get fixed in to one (sun)[/STRIKE] missed that boat, will check later though for reassurance

Another quiet weekend in the mw house then:rotfl:! Better get up...

museumworker

OK, have had a major blitz up in the loft. A total of 70 items gone - just took 5 bags of clothes/toys to charity shop and managed not to buy anything (well, apart from dress for friend, but she'll give me the money back)!! Filled another small bag with things for fabric recycling.

Time for proper shower, and then time to go art trailing - very pleased with my progress this morning, so think it is a well deserved day off sorting/money making. Hope you all have a good day too.

Queen-Bee_2

Hello MW - I'm dying to ask... what are house blessings?
QB

[Deleted User]

mw
I tell you you are one busy lady!! your diary makes me feel tired sometimes when I see how much you get done in a day!!
must be a good feeling to feel you have made a start on the loft- I think its enormous achievment without adding any further debts!
definitely time for a rest from money saving for the rest of the day- a nice cuppa or glass of wine perhaps ...