'SAHM to 2 boys' shambles attempt to reduce the mortgage

SAHMto2boys

Hi TPA - thanks for dropping in...how's your mum doing? Thanks about the job although I'm starting to get the jitters about it, will be a huge lifestyle change but sure it'll be good.

Just seeing where I'm at with my to-do list...

This weeks to do (not all MSE but hey) -
1.[STRIKE] Pay gas bill [/STRIKE]
2. [STRIKE]Look into tarrif switch[/STRIKE] done and ordered new one
3. Catch up on OU
4. [STRIKE]Finish footstool[/STRIKE] and noticeboard
5. Food spends £20 challenge - £11.69 left
6. Touch-up paint work
7. Clean carpets
8. [STRIKE]Post job forms back[/STRIKE]
9. Hoover upstairs and catch up on ironing and housework
10. AF till Friday and no takeaways - Mon Tues

Hopefully I can get some OU stuff done later, have to take DS2 to doctors on an emergency appointment this morning as it looks like he has an eye infection poor wee thing. He's just having a snooze - I could do with one after the night we had with him!

Still smarting slightly from yesterdays antics with my 'friends' but have decided to just leave things now with them for a while - whateva:p!!!. In better news another mum friend called me last night inviting the boys to a party so thats nice.

Let's see what I can do today towards MF.

cha97michelle

I can't quite work out what happened with your 'friends' but if they are anything like some of mine, probably wise to have a rest. Nice people do seem to get walked on some of the time.

Hope your DSs eye gets sorted quickly. So many bugs going round still. I always thought cold weather killed them.

SAHMto2boys

Wow...how has it got to a month without a posting from me...*slaps wrists!*

I'm afraid life's just got in the way a little bit just recently - DS2 being poorly (as per my last post eye infection sorted and infected toe sorted too), had a huge upheaval announced in my immediate family which is resulting in my sister moving aboard, the 'black dog' has appeared again and has been snapping at my heels but am hopeful the worst is over for this bout and then to top it off DH and I have been ill with some kind of vile virus for 3 weeks. Oooh and we've worked hard in the garden to get things back to normal after the tree falling and have extended the patio - we throughly abused the 20% off everything weekend at B & Q and saved a lot of money.

But hey-ho thats life and I'm back now!

We are currently going through a legal dispute over claiming for the damaged property but we made the decision to use this months OP money to get the garden right so we can enjoy it in this beautiful weather and then will pay the damages money straight into the OP pot because there is no way we won't get the money its just tied up in the legal system.

I've worked hard trying to be frugal and keep things ticking over despite everything going on, the food budgets looking really well. The main thing in that area I think is that due to DH and I being ill (and going to bed at 8 most nights) we've stopped drinking alcohol for the last 3 weeks. Had a drink at a party on Sunday night and also at the Royal Wedding party we went too but thats been it - no drinking at home. We held a party at home on Easter Sunday and because I wasn't drinking everyone was convinced I must be pregnant (I'm not btw!!!).

We've also been really lucky in the things that are coming our way at the minute, today my parents gave us a leaf sucker-up machine they don't want anymore and my sisters been handing over heaps of things she needs rid of...garden items, cookbooks, new computer printer, a huge box of cards, wrapping stuff and craft items. I went through this huge box of card stuff she gave me and things still had the price tag on...utter madness!

Went to Mr T last week for milk and it spat out a £6 off £40 shop so have done a medium sized shop there instead of Asda online this month and got another one so will be doing another shop there before 15th (also had lots of offers on what I like to buy).

Was super good last month and spent £0 on clothes!!! Have spent £34 this month though on a pair of wedges, flats and cardigan from Primark. Will try and not spend anymore this month though.

So back tomorrow with some aims for May and cross off what small effort I managed for the madness that was April.

cha97michelle

Nice to see you back, though i am sorry to hear you were ill for most of the absence. I think the boards have been quieter during the nice weather, and a few purchases at B and Q here too.

SAHMto2boys

Thanks Michelle - I've been mentally thinking oh I need to say this and this on my diary and then have a quick look on here and never get round to posting. We have managed to have some fab days in the sunshine, we've just dragged ourselves up and then when the boys have been going to bed we have too. I'm still coughing now. Glad you used the B&Q offers too!

Just done the online banking and have paid the gas and electric bill. Have now got a monitor for the electric which is fab as we are switching things off left, right and centre - including DS1. Have switched onto monthly debit cards payments and submitting our meter readings so we can have accurate bills without a huge one arriving every couple of months. Hoping I can budget a little better this way. This months paid for but the electric bill wasn't a true indication as we hadn't had a meter reading since June so we were quite behind there, paying for summer usage all throughout the winter. So £135 has come out of the OP/credit card pot to get us to date there.

Tea is currently in the SC (yellow stickered mince). Meant to say yesterday was a NSD.

Need to go shopping later though for a present for DS1 to take to tomorrows party and some milk. May go to Mr T and use the £6 off again and stock up on some bits, could do with picking up some reduced meat for the freezer and DS needs some school shorts.

Also need to sort the huge pile of receipts in my purse.

SAHMto2boys

Just wanting to add some goals for May

1. Ebay 'stuff' in pile in my office - money to OP pot
2. Makes - finish heart and make another heart (Christmas gifts), camera case, cushions for bed
3. Skim £100 from accounts by end of month
4. 9th to 15th spend only £20 on food (do food shop before 15th to use vouchers)
5. No more clothes spend for month
6. Complete all OU reading and prepare for final

Ended up in town yesterday for shopping I needed and came away with some bargains - birthday gift for party £10 reduced to £5, a dress and coat from Dorothy Perkins £21 in sale (£76 pre-sale and student discount), had DS2 measured and brought new shoes and mentioned sole very slightly peeling away on DS1 shoes he's had about a month and the exchanged them for a brand new pair no quibbles - go Clarks for customer service.

Its absolutely throwing it down here - you can almost hear the poor lawn say "aaahhhhhh!". Just waiting for DH and DS1 to come back from party and DS2 to wake and then we'll do something. Being naughty and having a curry takeaway for date night tonight...first one for ages.

SAHMto2boys

Fairly frugal weekend had, just pottered mainly and took boys to a huge park on Sunday so only spends then was about £10 for parking, ice creams and for DS1 to have a couple of go's on some cars (£1.20 - I remember slotting 20p into them when I was a kid!) but a nice family day out.

Have had some amazing news that DH's bonus might be more than we were hoping for....fingers/toes/everything crossed! We thought it would be about £2k 'in our hands' so would pay for our holidays this year and the rest to be saved. Now its looking like it should be £9k in our hands, I nearly fainted with shock when DH told me. Its really good as DH is doing well to keep his job in such a turbulent market - we are thankful he's at no risk of losing his job but others in his company have. We've taken hits over the last few years so no bonus, then a small one, all his share options going (which were supposed to be paying off the mortgage) but have taken these on the chin as he's still in a job and him taking no bonus or shares meant others kept their jobs too. So fingers crossed, it is however annoying when he's earning so much for the company and they keep it for main boards bonuses of £100k+ and make junior staff redundant.

We were discussing it last night and already DH is planning on what to buy with it!!! Erm...no matey!!! Had a really good chat about the mortgage and long, long term plans for the boys growing up and us needing to have savings and he's agreed I right (of course! lol). If the bonus come through it will be the first time ever in our lives we have a decent amount of savings, bonuses have always been for paying off this debt or moving or home improvements so this will be the first one ever that we can save. What a lovely feeling. He has been eyeing a watch which is £275 for some time which I might get for Fathers Day and his birthday combined as he never, ever has anything for himself and he has worked hard for our family.

So I've finally sorted out ISA's for us both for this tax year, we'll fill DHs at the end of the month and then keep chipping away at mine.

IF the bonus comes off, by the end of the month we'll be £9,500 (min) towards this years target of OP/saving £14,000. That plus my wages which I'll start to earn soon (once the bl00dy NHS HR division pull their fingers out!) we 'should' be able to exceed that target and save more.

Whoop Whoop.

cha97michelle

That is great news hon. Must be a lovely surprise. I was absolutely over the moon when my DH got £1k, so you must be skipping about. Nice when their work is rewarded.

SmlSave

Am totally jealous of your DH's bonus He must have worked his socks off!

We were discussing it last night and already DH is planning on what to buy with it!!!

I have to let DH buy himself a toy when he gets a bonus otherwise he sulks lol. and then i get the rest

SAHMto2boys

Thanks Michelle and SmlSave! xx

Having a bit of an eek day. Have had the credit card bill and spent about £400 more than I realised - doh! Think I should be able to pay it in full but that will leave us pretty tight for the rest of month with no OP. Pants pants double pants.

I've also had it in my head to swap the boys rooms about so the younger one has the more 'babyish' theme and re-do his room for my eldest. I've just been painting in there with some left over paint and we don't need that much to swap them over but have gone to Ikea this week and spent £80, then curtains and storage from Next, bits from TK Maxx and new bathroom stuff for the ensuite (4 years old and own bathroom - not spoiled too much hey *rolls eyes*) so already I'm running up on the credit card - AGAIN.

I could bang my head on the wall with myself, I just can't help it. If I clear my credit card each month then I don't OP anything on the mortgage. Fine in principle but I'm never getting anywhere, I just buying and spending on more and more things I don't need to.

So this month I NEED to spend nothing else on the credit card and been lean for the rest of the month. Its mad, I spend ages making a beef casserole yesterday from scratch with reduced meat and put it in the SC for a cheap meal then I blow money in the shops. I try really hard to have NSD and then next day spend way too much. Maybe I have issues.....

Right, off to collect boys and have tea at mothers (frugal!) as DH is out working till late.