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Hurdler's Race to be Mortgage-Free

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  • Hurdler
    Hurdler Posts: 1,361 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker Mortgage-free Glee!
    Still lurgified - the constantly dripping snout has now been replaced by a wheezy hacking cough, so no gym/pool this morning.
    And what could have been a much needed NSD after an expensive Sunday of adventures on London Transport and mini-cabs was scuppered when I found that my bottle of cough syrup expired... in 2010!

    So out in the rain to get some, and lots of lovely leftovers from Sunday lunch to nibble at - chicken and veg.

    My battle with my finances came to an abrupt halt on Saturday 'cos I felt so lousy, so when I got back from Sunday lunch, I just made sure I paid off a couple of credit card bills and then basically took today off to sleep, rest and have sorted everything out to tackle them all tomorrow.

    Workwise, I need to send my client a credit note for this month's articles, but I will be getting some expenses through which is good.
    I got an agreement from a trade mag to take an unpaid contribution if I can get this other customer to commission a piece and pay for it themselves.
    I have a meeting to try and negotiate free training in return for exclusive blogging rights and need to reschedule a call for an interview to look at people's attitudes to social media in this country in a work context.

    So with all that planned for tomorrow - I think that taking it easy is a good plan!
    I might see how I get on at a tennis lesson tomorrow and see if I can pick up at the gym by Friday... at least with a lesson we are not always running about all the time, so it might be OK...

    Best go - my lungs are doing their best to burst through my ribcage....
    • Mortgage @ March 2008: £194,965 ; Lightbulb Moment: July 2011: £164,926; End Date: March 2033
    • MORTGAGE FREE: September 2015
    • MSE 1p Savings Challenge 2024 #50: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec = £223.84/£671.61
  • Hurdler
    Hurdler Posts: 1,361 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker Mortgage-free Glee!
    Sigh - STILL haven't sorted the finances... this will not do!
    Will have some lunch, a snooze and then do them this afternoon.

    On the MSE front, I have pretty much sorted out a deal with the online training folk to do the first course and exam for free on their complete Expert Track in return for exclusive detailed case studies of the process, and the subsequent courses will be free, and I will just need to pay for the exams.

    Sounds like a fair bet to me to get some much needed IT training...
    AND MSE as well!
    • Mortgage @ March 2008: £194,965 ; Lightbulb Moment: July 2011: £164,926; End Date: March 2033
    • MORTGAGE FREE: September 2015
    • MSE 1p Savings Challenge 2024 #50: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec = £223.84/£671.61
  • Hurdler
    Hurdler Posts: 1,361 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker Mortgage-free Glee!
    More MSE goodness.
    After having to go and buy cough syrup on Monday, have had 2 NSDs and having FINALLLLLLY caught up with my finances, I have also emptied out my cash fund and my money box of coppers...
    result is £51 to go into Vernon...

    I have to use and maybe top up the Oyster card tomorrow as I will need to get to Morden to collect my car later tomorrow (in for a service - money in a savings account to cover the cost)
    and I am out to a friend's for a takeaway. Poor lamb split up with her boyf and has invited a couple of us over for a takeaway and housewarming to her new studio flat.
    so aiming to cover cab fare home from NSD funds.
    • Mortgage @ March 2008: £194,965 ; Lightbulb Moment: July 2011: £164,926; End Date: March 2033
    • MORTGAGE FREE: September 2015
    • MSE 1p Savings Challenge 2024 #50: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec = £223.84/£671.61
  • Hurdler
    Hurdler Posts: 1,361 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker Mortgage-free Glee!
    Right... having caught up with bills last week, this week I went through all my savings accounts... including those linked to my piggy banks as well!

    I have an extra £100 put away that I was going to return to my current account from one of my piggy banks - so I am using that for a big journo school reunion. I am also planning on being as NSD during the week as humanly possible so that the treat money covers the reunion.

    The car's service was more expensive than I hoped - I needed a new rear tyre, the rear wiper jet had died and somehow one of my speakers had blown... but while going through my savings, an extra £100 had crept into my car account from dividends from those shares I haven't sold off yet... and along with £51 from my spare change jar, that will all go towards paying off the car service when the CC is due. Of course I used the Amex Cashback card to pay for it... so will get some cash back eventually.

    I haven't quite shaken off last week's cold, but everyone I know seems to have been clobbered with something similar.
    I am going to attempt the gym tomorrow morning, so no Night Nurse tonight otherwise I will never wake up!

    Oh and Sportsister.com published a blog of my attempts to get fit... which is nice!
    • Mortgage @ March 2008: £194,965 ; Lightbulb Moment: July 2011: £164,926; End Date: March 2033
    • MORTGAGE FREE: September 2015
    • MSE 1p Savings Challenge 2024 #50: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec = £223.84/£671.61
  • Hurdler
    Hurdler Posts: 1,361 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker Mortgage-free Glee!
    NSD - I almost waivered and nipped to the German bakery but I had to wait in for a Sky engineer so I couldn't leave.

    So that's £10 left over from last week's cash allowance and £10 today so £20 to go towards enjoying myself at the journo school reunion ...
    • Mortgage @ March 2008: £194,965 ; Lightbulb Moment: July 2011: £164,926; End Date: March 2033
    • MORTGAGE FREE: September 2015
    • MSE 1p Savings Challenge 2024 #50: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec = £223.84/£671.61
  • Hurdler
    Hurdler Posts: 1,361 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker Mortgage-free Glee!
    :j

    Another NSD today and using up some of my sweetcorn imminently for a quick tea before tennis lesson.

    So that's now £30 towards Friday and I have £50 cash unspent for cab fares, and £50 in the Halifax burn fund as well... so more than enough.

    Alas I know in advance (thanks to Nigel Slater!) that I will need to spend money tomorrow as I really need to use up 2 fillets of smoked mackerel and so I am trying out a mack and bacon salad but need Dijon mustard as the jar in my fridge ran out in March 2012!!!!!

    I will need to get some change/float money for next week's cash allowance anyhoo ...
    • Mortgage @ March 2008: £194,965 ; Lightbulb Moment: July 2011: £164,926; End Date: March 2033
    • MORTGAGE FREE: September 2015
    • MSE 1p Savings Challenge 2024 #50: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec = £223.84/£671.61
  • Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS
    Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS Posts: 7,854 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Combo Breaker
    Hi Hurdler, I am using mustard which ran out in January, but it tastes fine and I am still here :). That may have saved another £1 towards your journo event. Tilly x x
    2004 £387k 29 years - MF March 2033:eek:
    2011 £309k 10 years - MF March 2021.
    Achieved Goal: 28/08/15 :j
  • Hurdler
    Hurdler Posts: 1,361 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker Mortgage-free Glee!
    Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS wrote: »
    Hi Hurdler, I am using mustard which ran out in January, but it tastes fine and I am still here :). That may have saved another £1 towards your journo event. Tilly x x

    Well... it IS still 2012 I guess....
    • Mortgage @ March 2008: £194,965 ; Lightbulb Moment: July 2011: £164,926; End Date: March 2033
    • MORTGAGE FREE: September 2015
    • MSE 1p Savings Challenge 2024 #50: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec = £223.84/£671.61
  • gallygirl
    gallygirl Posts: 17,240 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Hurdler wrote: »
    Alas I know in advance (thanks to Nigel Slater!) that I will need to spend money tomorrow as I really need to use up 2 fillets of smoked mackerel and so I am trying out a mack and bacon salad but need Dijon mustard as the jar in my fridge ran out in March 2012!!!!!

    Surely that's just an interesting observation rather than an action point.......:D.

    If it doesn't hit the wall when you open it I reckon it's ok :).
    A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort
    :) Mortgage Balance = £0 :)
    "Do what others won't early in life so you can do what others can't later in life"
  • Hurdler
    Hurdler Posts: 1,361 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker Mortgage-free Glee!
    gallygirl wrote: »
    Surely that's just an interesting observation rather than an action point.......:D.

    If it doesn't hit the wall when you open it I reckon it's ok :).

    What a classic description!!!! :rotfl:
    Ok so I opened it and there's a pool of oily stuff in the middle and it smells ok-ish (well it smells like Dijon mustard I suppose!!!) ...

    Ok I will risk it ... :eek:
    • Mortgage @ March 2008: £194,965 ; Lightbulb Moment: July 2011: £164,926; End Date: March 2033
    • MORTGAGE FREE: September 2015
    • MSE 1p Savings Challenge 2024 #50: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec = £223.84/£671.61
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