Viola's MFW Adventure

viola_brandywine

Disastrous week money wise as I have booked a holiday! It all started well last weekend seeing my old friends. I managed to spend almost nothing on top of the train fare, just a little bit of food and a couple of drinks. The cash I came back with has lasted me most of the week and I am on target for a no spend weekend, I hope.

We had decided we would have a holiday in the UK this year as we have been on some great holidays in the last few years and wanted to concentrate on finally getting rid of the mortgage. The problem has been that work has been pretty stressful for both of us for the last few months so this week we cracked and booked a holiday for September. It cost £700 which has gone on the 0% credit card and we also need to save up some spending money. This is half what the last couple of holidays have cost but I still feel quite bad about it as we have run up the 0% card much more than I am comfortable with

So here goes a push to be extra frugal for the next couple of months so I can save up the spending money and hopefully still reach my mortgage target. I have also been bad with buying my lunch every day for the last week as I have not had the time to make anything. I have some bread on the go in the kitchen which should make 3 loaves and I think I will make a huge batch of lentil curry for the week too.

So here goes, I'm going to try for £150 per week to cover food, petrol and other spends for both of us. We have lots of food in the freezer too so I will try to avoid another food shop until my next payday in the middle of August.

viola_brandywine

Well my bread came out very well so I have three loaves to last me all week for sandwiches and toast

I'm going to roast a chicken tomorrow to do a couple of meals and sandwiches.

Nothing spent so far this weekend...

katsu

It isn't a race Viola, so if you need to go a little slower and have a recharge holiday, then that is the right thing to do. As you say, you can use MSE ways to minimise the costs/maximise the savings towards spending money etc.

viola_brandywine

Thanks katsu, you are right. I forget sometimes that it isn't compulsory and I am choosing to do it

I think I will take a couple of months off for my 30th birthday to the end of the year (Nov/Dec) to enjoy spending some money again.

viola_brandywine

No spend weekend achieved Budget for the next week £150.

cha97michelle

I absolutely agree you need a holiday. We have had more in the last couple of years than ever, and we just make sure we take as cheap an option as we can, as we all need a break. You would never keep it up.

I need to do like you and use up some more of the stuff in the freezer, and also find some way of stopping the birds pinching my raspberries. They were kind and left me one. The kids then ate that one.

And i thought buying my own canes might have been money saving. :rotfl:I'll still need to buy raspberries. Luckily they left my strawberries alone this year mostly. I don't mind the odd few going missing but when it is all of them it drives me mad.

CathT

I agree about taking the holiday especially before children come along. We have a DD and another baby on the way but have found we can holiday fairly cheaply (just can't control the weather!) I'm just glad we squeezed in a trip to New York before we started our family!

viola_brandywine

Hi Cath and Michelle, thanks for posting. I'm really glad we have booked the holiday now and can't wait to go. I should only need to save up the spending money as I won't need to buy any new clothes. We are going to Iceland so no new summer wardrobe needed

£5 spent between the two of us today, not bad at all!

viola_brandywine

Spending started well today, ended up buying lunch but used nectar points to cover most of it. £4 spent between me and DH. Sundays roast chicken leftovers for dinner, mexican chicken and green rice was delicious

Erm, might have bought some wine on the way home and some blue cheese

Vent time - we ordered new settees in May that were supposed to take 4-6 weeks to arrive. There have been two delays already but I came home from work today to a message to say that they still hadn't got the fabric to make them and the manufacturer is closing down for 3 weeks. It is probably going to be another 5 or 6 weeks! They did offer to cancel the order but we looked for so long and they are the only ones we like. I am really looking forward to getting them as our current ones are being held up by cardboard boxes and the cushions keep sliding off. Grrrrr......

viola_brandywine

Go me! Just handed in my OU assignment. Might also have bought new bag to celebrate