Our attempt at being MF!!

CathT

smallholdingsister wrote: »

Happy Sunday. Xxx

Thanks SHS, we stayed home apart from swimming and it was pretty relaxing. I read 'a Sunday well spent, brings a week of content' and am trying to stick by it!

HelenDaveKids wrote: »

I'm so close to a ugov pay out. Literally 100 points.

Sb however seems slow at the minute, keep getting 1 sb for every survey..

Hope those invites come through for you. I had 3 surveys available on y0ugov when I checked but after answering the first for 150 points, the others disappeared!

CathT

debtfreeoneday wrote: »

Good news on the holiday refund!

Thanks DFOD, hopefully it will be in my account by the end of the week.

150 points on y0ugov yesterday and 45p tilly tidy. Have also paid childcare for April so that's another month closer to our fees coming to an end :j it has been a very long and expensive 7 years!

Dh celebratescelebrateshday a big birthday this year so finally got around to booking the venue for his party. We will ask a DJ friend to help and do the food ourselves. I'm not much of a party planner and hate being a host as I worry people aren't having a good time!

Current accounts checked and all OK. 9 days until payday. I feel much better once we are in single figures, dh has a 5 week payday too so there will be extra funds to snuffle about. S&S isa's improving as am keen to increase subscription now I have experienced both the highs and the lows!

newgirly

Glad you got a refund on the holiday cath

CathT

Monthly spends updated.

Petrol. £181.03
Food £172.16

Considering we are almost half way through the month I am pleased with that. I've lost track of personal spends a little with us having more time off over Easter. NSD are far easier when in work!

However, holiday refund has hit the account which is a big help on the run up to payday! Still no planning news and am going to assume we won't hear anything so that its a bonus when we do!

44p Tilly tidy this morning. Following payday and planning decision I really need to look at budgets again to see when we can reinstate OP. It may be that we can afford to save for architect fees alongside overpayments.

Am also weeks away from needing to look at new broadband deal and need to reduce 8ky deal (possibly cancel) but have no idea who to approach for broadband. I may go back to 0range but will be scouring tcb first.

For those working a full week. Its hump day already! Its going super quick.

newgirly

Morning cath, we are currently paying £6 pm for the basic sky package which is the lowest I have ever got it down to. I rang to cancel (not reduce ) as I had "decided to buy a human box" as we didn't watch sky much and was just using it to record. I think giving them a good reason to cancel rather than my usual it's too expensive helped.

CathT

Will bear that in mind newgirly thanks. We definitely don't rely on it as much as we used to so could live without it!

Cc checked (this is the one that's not 0% and keeps building up) so have paid off £80 and if we lay another £100 it will balance from last month so not too disastrous. Payday literally days away and cb goes in before then.

Its been a fairly expensive month and I did question why we ram out of cash earlier than expected! However, we have been away, needed to get the children electric toothbrushes at a a cost of £35 and my professional subscriptions needed to be paid! However, we have survived although the architect fund has been eaten into. Since there is still no planning news I won't go into panic mode yet. Am sure we are months away from anyone sending us invoices! Hopefully savings can be nicely topped up with payday this month

Heating has been off most of the month apart from when. we first got back from our mini- break, it was pouring with rain and I had tonnes of washing! Still using hot water bottles at night but pleased heating is off!

Dh will do a small food shop later to top us up for the weekend, I have firmly said NOT to buy wine!

CathT

Well, we had wine!!! Definitely limiting it to a Friday though!

Bank account checked and there is enough to buy new school shoes for dd and pay deposit for dh birthday booking. Hurry up payday! There should be some extra in dh wages due to it being a 5 week month and his overtime. I only ever budget for basic pay so the rest is a nice surprise!

Still no planning news, its been extended again! I'm actually starting to lose interest in the planning of our extension!

CathT

No wine was a good idea, I fell asleep around 8:30pm. Am going to put it down to general fatigue rather than limiting myself to one cup of caffeine a day and also doing a HIIt workout then a 5.5 mile run!

Have managed to do a few more y0ugov surveys over the last few days, still way off payout but doing them more consistently. Payday is this week and have set a plan to split cash between cp holiday, cc and extension savings. If I leave in the extension pot it ends up getting spent on extra holidays! :rotfl:

Apparantly we are expected to have news this week but I'm not holding my breath! Our planning officer is really dragging his feet!

Saw a bargain planter on a site recently which is going to be perfect for my sweet peas. A bit of warmer weather would be welcome, we woke up to snow on the hills yesterday! Ah well, the planter looks fairly pretty even though it's empty! Also found my box of last years seed so may sow some salad seeds to see how they get on. Have received my free wh1ch guide so will have a nose through that later.

Swimming this morning so the plan before lessons is another HIIt workout, maybe a longer one than yesterday (child permitting as they join in and we run out of space!) washing machine also needs to go on and washing hung out. DH is doing overtime so we will be having another productive Sunday rather than relaxing!

CathT

Really productive day yesterday, Ds had swimming and dd took her reading book to read whilst waiting for him. I'd already managed to do a workout so all exercise done early on! For some unknown reason i didn't take my handbag (although did carry a pair of socks to the car! - I must be tired!) So what happens? Petrol light comes on 8 miles into a 40 mile round trip! I was in dh car which doesn't tell me how many miles left! I get fuel once I get to 1/4 tank so this was a very uncomfortable and slow journey! We made it though

Payday this week and cb goes in tomorrow. We have done well to survive an expensive month! Weekend was slightly spendy as dd comp!aimed after Easter her shoes were hurting so new ones purchased at the weekend. £25 spent at outlet shopping centre not too far away. (She had gone up half a size, not bad in a year. Mine started off with big feet so grow slowly!)

Also taught Ds to ride his bike and spent a few hours tidying up the garden. Had to weed a few areas and cut back some bushes that are at the side of our decking. Trimmed the lawn edges as I can never be bothered to do it after mowing the lawn, couldn't cut grass as dh had extension lead to hoover car so at least when I do it there will be no extra bits to do.

Another working week beckons, I have gone caffeine free so maybe feel more energised as I will avoid the lows? This is how I am hoping it will be, I've been weaning off but this is my first day without! Maybe this is why I have gone to bed at 8:30pm the last two nights!

CathT

Money news?

Apparently 8ky are putting our bill up by £4.25, not if I cancel first! That's a ridiculous increase! Think dh is getting a bit twitchy about me cancelling but it's a lot of money to watch TV!