The Ultimate Incentive to get debt free… again. Dinah & NIM go head to head!

Cinny91

Crikey, a week already?! The months you're there seem like they'll fly by!

I'm pretty clueless with DIY too. Always leave it to OH or call on my Dad But I think decent sized decking to cover the whole area would be around £750 for a kit, then I'd just need to tie my Dad and Brother down for a couple days to help OH put it up. In my 'want it all nooow' mindset, I was tempted to see if I could get us a 0% card with a high enough limit, pay for it on that then pay it off. But debt is dumb, cash is king. Yadda yadda yadda. OH's car insurance is due next month so everything's going towards that atm!

Need to go read everyones Day Zero lists now. What has Zig started?! Actually, I have to edit mine. Can't really hand write my Sister a letter everyday if she's in America so I'll switch it to email. And seeing how there's no way I could afford to visit her once a month in Cali I could put it to send month care packages? Mainly dairy milk and ribena!

wendz86

The sunflowers sound like a lovely idea, love them!

I have been and joined the library this morning and got a couple of books out so hopefully that will keep me entertained in this waiting time.

Dinah93

Speaking of bread baking, NIM made the BEST rolls at the weekend. Mine always come out a bit homemade (not soft enough, too many air pockets etc) but these were excellent. Light and fluffy and crunchy on top. Really easy recipe too, 500g white bread flour, 3 tbp olive oil, 300ml water, a sachet of yeast, and a bit of salt and possibly sugar and that was it. But then again they say it's in the technique and he properly pummelled them!

Spent a canny bit of time in the garden at the weekend. Sanded a bit of the rickety conservatory (and became alarmingly aware of just how rickety it is!), and destroyed a large area of lawn as it was more dandelion than lawn...which my dad has now told me we could have used weed killer on rather than laying new stuff! So I can't say our gardening knowledge is that good either. I've gone for a fairly architectural garden design with raised beds, a pergola, little fountain and a gravelled patio. We're going to need to get a skip in to get rid of the concrete, and the fence desperately needs replacing. Missed the B & Q offer as didn't have the cash spare, hopefully there will be another one soon. On the plus side dad did say the fence posts could be reused, even if the panels are shot.

We've discovered a new way to save a bit of money using a thread on here and making the most of the double the discount refunds on Tesco. By focussing our shopping on products that are a lot cheaper at Asda we can get our shopping very cheap or free! So we got a few beef joints at the weekend for about £8 each, and we should get almost all of that back making them about £2 each. We also got a lot more bread flour as that's a lot cheaper at Asda so that makes it about £0.12 a bag after the refund rather than the £1.39 it is usually. Home baking just got even cheaper!

One of my colleagues has left a delicious looking cake recipe on my desk - I've had to hide it in a drawer!

I should really start getting a bit more organised and packing for the holiday soon, or at least working out what I need etc. NIM and I are on a romantic weekend away this weekend, so I'd really like to have it all laid out in the guest room ready to pack on Monday before we go.

Lara44

£750, ouch! House-y things cost so much more than I ever expect. I need to make my guess, times 3 and add 1 to come close to the right amount.

Birdie85

LOL, that's like me Lara! When we were looking for our sofa and armchair we started out thinking they wouldn't be that expensive (bearing in mind our first sofas cost £140 for 2 from a charity shop!) but even with shopping around and getting a good deal on what we bought it was still twice as much as we thought it would be! They are lovely though... It's a bit of a shock to the system how much everything costs, even bedding surprises me by how expensive it is!

That's a bit of a smart system you've got going there Dinah! After reading the other week about how people are making loads of money out of it I'm surprised Tesco are still running it, what's in it for them?

Where are you going for your romantic weekend? The Groupon deal today is a night at the Grey Street Hotel in Newcastle for £69 and I'm tempted to get it as a treat for OH, it runs out tomorrow yet I don't get paid 'till Wednesday... hmmm, what to do?!

wendz86

Sounds like NIM is a talented bread maker!

I have seen a few mentions about this Tesco thing. Sounds like a good way to get cheap food shopping.

Where are you and NIM going this weekend?

Dinah93

We're going back to the hotel where we got married, he's booked the bridal suite and everything. We're there two nights, so I'm hoping for nice weather on Saturday or Sunday so we can go down to Whitby or for a wander around the moors or something.

wendz86

Sounds really lovely what a good idea to do.

Lara44

Awww lovely! Have a fab time Dinah.

Dinah93

Just got our first responces from Tescos double the difference scheme. I got the full £20 back, but NIM didn't get anything from his. Still means everything was half price, we just need to be more careful to check prices and get the right product. You live and learn.