museumworker's quest to consign mortgage to history!

Courgette

well done :T:T:T:T:T:T

museumworker

Not managed everything I set out to do today, but have also listed another book on Amazon and are wrapping the presents to take with us tomorrow. Also given pac code to phone supplier, will have number transported to new phone in a week! Everything else can wait. We are away to BIL and SIL on the south coast for a few nights, they have 2 children so DD will get lots of time playing and we can stay up for NYE together! Are taking fancy champagne and chocs OH got from supplier (Fortnum & Mason's nonetheless!), I have been drooling over these for 2 weeks now so am very looking forward to them! Meeting friends for day on Sunday and then I'm getting dropped in at a party on the way home, so should be a fun sociable weekend .

I will come back with a list of 2011 wishes/goals. If I don't get to post before, a very happy new year to one and all. May we live well and prosper!

museumworker

I'm back :wave:! Happy New Year to you all.

Have had a fantastic few days. BIL and SIL was great as ever, lots of chat, games, DD loved playing with the kids, and we went for a walk on the South Downs which was gorgeous, even in the mist.

SIL also suffers from migraines, and has been to see a nutrionist, so got some advice from her. She avoided the main triggers for migraines for a month and hers basically disappeared, since then she has not been as strict and has had much more. Makes me think that although I can get away with eating trigger food sometimes, I perhaps am not seeing the link. So am going to avoid them! They are chocolate :eek::eek:, caffeine:eek::eek:, red wine , citrus fruit and cheese (and apparently bananas, which I am ignoring, as I have never heard this before so don't believe it :rotfl:).

BIL and SIL only had decaf tea and coffee :eek:, which means I had 2 days without it - it only takes about 3 days to get out of your system so yesterday I had a decaf coffee :A and think I am done. I love tea, but I love my health more (which is what I am trying to tell myself).

In terms of supplements, she was amazed by the effect of magnesium, which not only helps reduce migraines, but also helps with sleep. Need to get myself some of that!

Met some friends in Chichester yesterday (am reliably informed it is nicknamed 'chai', which I do not understand, surely 'chi' as in 'chi-chi' would make more sense?), had a walk around, pasty lunch and exchanged presents. Went to another friend's birthday party in their home last night, met quite a few new people - drunk a little too much but lots of fun!

Today I have a bit of an upset tummy, and we have lots to do at home - putting away laundry, planning food etc. I had hoped to end the holiday with a trip to winter wonderland with dd but we are all exhausted after all that socialising so think a quieter day is needed. I am getting the back to work blues already and I haven't even got out of bed yet!

Plan for today:
*[STRIKE] make hm bread[/STRIKE] OH's done it :j
* [STRIKE]go through freezers and base meal plan around that[/STRIKE]
* [STRIKE]go to shops to buy any extra ingredients[/STRIKE] got it all for £28!
* [STRIKE]go for walk outside (fresh air needed)[/STRIKE] went to bedfords park for the first time, great place
* if feel better later, exercise
* [STRIKE]write up end of year summary [/STRIKE]and new years goals that'll be tomorrow
* [STRIKE]order magnesium[/STRIKE] got chromium complex which included magnesium, as this is also meant to help blood sugar regulation. £7.50 for 2 months supply inc p&p plus 27% tcb!
* [STRIKE]play games with DD for at least an hour (lego needs finishing!)[/STRIKE] no games as such, but had fun looking at deer and dogs in park, and took her to buy new boots for school (her only school shoes this school year!)
* [STRIKE]declutter for 1/2 hour[/STRIKE] two books on amazon, stuff recycled, and all DD's too small shoes got rid of too!
* [STRIKE]phone a friend[/STRIKE] called two!

[Deleted User]

hi mw
sounds like you had a great few days away and hope advice re: migraines and trigger foods works
I too have back to work blues ...funny Im sure I used to feel like this most sunday nites at school :rotfl:
ah well , another side of me looking forward to being back stuck into something
plus- I have (round of applause please) finished stint 2 of exercise since new year- building up gradually so nothing life shattering :rotfl: still, am feeling better for it
well done on the vitamins and cashback- healthy and MSE

museumworker

What museumworker achieved in 2010:

* Saved £19,500 :j:j:j
* Got our loft converted, adding 2 extra bedrooms and another bathroom to the house
* changed our rotten rear windows for double glazed wood sash beauties
* replaced the two downstairs radiators
* paid for all of the above in cash, at the lower VAT rate (has cancelled out the savings though!)
* just about stayed sane during the above
* Got a bonus and payrise :T
* OH got new job and payrise :T
* stuck to £100 clothes challenge :j
* sold more books on Amazon, including highest ever value one at £40 :T
* did 3 x focus groups
* won £1500 designer wardrobe :j:j
* won 3 course dinner with cocktails with OH
* enjoyed 1 70th and 4 30ths, all involving stays outside London, including trip to Poland! And sister's 40th in London.
* had great time at friend's wedding, where dd was bridesmaid. Enjoyed the hen night and hen and chicks weekend enormously.
* Lost 3/4 stone
* joined museum committee
* progressed AMA
* gave two public talks
* went on the telly :eek::D
* used slow cooker more
* reduced food/grocery spend
* coped with OH away for 2 weeks
* summer holiday in Snowdonia was fantastic
* spent time with sister
* took mum out for mother's day meal
* swam regularly - mostly for free with schwim caps!
* took 7 week course of acupuncture to deal with migraines
* decluttered hundreds of items from the house
* gave DD her best birthday ever - according to her at least :rotfl: - with trip to Legoland
* saw DD through another year at school, and up a level at swimming
* had numerous family days out to historic homes and gardens across the country, thanks to National Trust membership and a packed lunch!
* had countless evenings with friends, lunches out, drinks after work :D

Now just wondering what 2011 will have in store for me! Here's hoping its even better than last year.

cha97michelle

That is an impressive list of achievements, and you have already achieved a good one (give up caffeine) in the first few days.

You but better will be a force to reckon with.

museumworker

Thanks chamichelle, I hope it will be a good year for us all. I get so much inspiration from everyone here on the boards (yourself included) that I do feel confident about 2011. This will be my first whole year of keeping a diary, and the first time we've been in a position to overpay the mortgage (although not quite yet, more on that later). Will write up ambitions for the year later.

Note for now: posting in the morning - a new thing for me! Back to work today, and used sunrise lamp for first time. I can't say I leapt out of bed at 6.30am, but I did drag myself out, and am now washed, hair dried and dressed for the day! Have 20 minutes to do my make up before I leave the house, and have a warm drink. Feel a lot less stressed than usual. Am hoping to do 630am rising, perhaps even 6am if I want to fit in exercise before work (although currently the thought of that is making me sick, so one step at a time eh?).

Taking DD to work today as no childcare, hope it is all ok. She gets bored (don't we all) and just demands attention, which sadly I can't always give her.

museumworker

Ok - am back but dinner is about to be put on the table so will have to come back and edit this post!

Ambitions for 2011
* Stick to £100 clothes challenge for another full year (have £4.50 to carry over too )
* Exercise 3 x week
* Save £5K Jan-April for OH car
* When get £5k interest free loan back from OH employer, then overpay the mortgage with that
* Overpay an additional £14K on the mortgage after that (:eek: I do not know if and how that is possible, but that is what I want to do)
* Make at least one thing a month (12 x crafty things)
* Have at least one cultural event per month (12 x cultural events, this includes theatre, music, exhibitions, comedy, visits to National Trust or English Heritage places)
* Have one date night with OH per month (12 x date nights)
* Get out of bed earlier (6.30)
* Eliminate all migraine triggers and reintroduce slowly to see which if any are a trigger for me

oooh, OH is banging something in the kitchen, think dinner is served. Back in a mo...

ETA:
* call one friend a week (52 x calling friends)
* essentially finish the AMA
* declutter 1/2 hour a week (52 x decluttering sessions)

That is it!

yukkibear

That is one amazing list of achievements for last year and some great goals for this year. Well done and will be reading with interest.

[Deleted User]

Great list for 2011 - and good luck on achieving them!
mine would be similar (is it plagarising if I copy and paste yours?...;) ) I know I feel much better getting up a bit earlier in the morning so Ive got time to have a cuppa and sit down before mad rush off to work , not sure Id cope with the idea of trying to fit exercise in that early tho- too much for me!! :rotfl:
that said- am sticking ok so far (ok so its only been a few days!) to the exercise challenge- good thing really as have packed on a few pounds (mainly chocolate induced) over xmas!
great savings goals too- am hoping to get up to a point where can put away about 1K a month in savings but we shall see...