Mortgage freedom..Shala_moo's attempt at a diary..

shala_moo

Well it's now been a week since i've gone out to work and i'm getting used to pottering all day! I'm not that I could do it long term though, i need people to speak to in the day i think.. i miss the gossip!

Well today's money saving :
- got family round for tea - HM lasagne, HM focaccia and salad with HM apple sponge and custard for afters if they want approx £1 per serving :T
- got my house insurance renewal through - £300 - did some research and got a quote of £200 from Sa1nsburys - hopefully could potentially get £80 from Quidc0 too but i won't count on it.
- used the offers on TCB to get a couple of quid for house insurance searches
- no heating on all day
- no petrol spend

ammonite

Glad your operation went well Shala_Moo Chester is a gorgeous city, the shops are nice to potter around but I wouldn't say there is a huge selection. However, Cheshire Oaks (outlet) and the Coliseum (next door - normal shops) have a huge selection. Also the biggest M&S in the country has just been built there and is worth a visit.

I usually check comparethemarket, moneysupermarket, go compare and the other one that I've forgotten the name of for car/home insurance. Sheila's Wheels (through a comparison site) always tends to be the cheapest for our house but never our car! Although going through a cashback site and going through the site directly is good IF you get the cashback, sometimes the comparison sites have offers that the sites can't offer you directly. I ended up going through a comparison site for our last car insurance and so couldn't get cashback but it was £40 cheaper than going through the site directly (and the cashback isn't guaranteed). Hope that makes sense, if it doesn't I'll try and explain again!

Enjoy your meal, it sounds lovely

shala_moo

Thanks ammonite..

I usually get bored trying all the comparison sites for insurance but I made myself check everywhere the other day, even Av1va and Direct 1ine.. i've now just purchased the Sa1nsburys insurance and for some reason because i've entered my nect@r card number it's given me an even bigger discount :T so a total of £179 (with potential cash back) for the yr.

On a roll with discounts, I've also bought myself a Group0n voucher this afternoon to cheer myself up - the offer was £8 for two Odeon tickets but Group0n had sent me a £5 discount voucher so just £3 in the end (and i remembered to use TCB) :j:j now to decide what to see..

xx

ammonite

That's brilliant well done and good to know about the Nectar discount - I will try and remember than when ours is due in a couple of months time.

Well done for the cinema voucher too -great value! I remember the days where I could go to the cinema with a fiver, play on some computer games and buy pic n mix and drinks and still have change.......gone are those days!

shala_moo

Apologies - haven't been on for a while, i have a lot of reading to catch up on with all the diaries.

I still have no glasses so i struggle to read for long periods of time :cool: good news is that i'm still off work for another week, bad news i did 12 hours working from home on Monday as i felt guilty!! It made my eye really sore so I shan't be volunteering again..:mad:

Ammonite - we used to go to the cinema twice a week.. it was a really good way to spend an evening, now there aren't enough good films that I want to go and see, let alone pay £25 for a few hours out the house! mmmm but pic n mix :rotfl:

Money savings this week :

- I've checked my Quidc0 and the £80 for House insurance cashback has been confirmed, so the total cost of my house insurance this year has been £100!!!:j:j:j
- referred my sister on TCB giving me £10, Ironically I will use it towards paying her the money she loaned me :rotfl:
- bought a birthday present for a cousin through amaz0n using vouchers, so no spend there
- still no petrol usage as i'm off work
- sold some bits on ebay including dvd's and an old ipod
- used a 15% voucher code from Ocado, i'm waiting to see if they will honour their "match Tesco pricing"offer, if they do then i'll get another £10 voucher

Money spending
- bought a bargain mirror off ebay - £55 we don't have a full length mirror and this one is about the size of a door! I was shocked at how much mirrors were when i started researching buying one.
- £10 to sponsor someone for charity


hope everyone is well x

shala_moo

Morning all.. went to see the eye consultant chappie last night for the last time. He's happy with my op, and he said I can go and get some new glasses... :j:j i'll be able to see again at the cost!!!

I've budgeted about £300 - thats for two pairs, normal and sunglasses, plus one lens is varifocal and the other one has to be thinned down so I don't look like Olive off On The Buses (oohh showing me age there aren't i!!:rotfl:)

I know a lot of people get cheaper glasses off the internet, and i'd love to do that but it's not the right option for me with all the issues I have E.T.A. they cost me £250 in the end so a little bit under budget!

Anyway... to offset this cost I've been doing loads of surveys and i've just rejoined Nect@r adpoints, where I can earn 250 points a week, which works out at £65 a year for watching some adverts and it's not too painful as the ads are only 30 seconds long.

Next on my list is sorting out a meal planner for when i go back to work, we did have one but we've got bored of it now. i've been stalking the "what to have for dinner" thread and picked up loads of ideas :T think i've got a list of 90 different meals:rotfl: OH surely can't bored with all those!

Right, off into the lovely sunshine to go get some specs (and maybe a scarf cos it's looks cold too) xx

Peonie

Hi Shala, that's good news about your eye op. Thanks for posting about the N@ctar thing.

shala_moo

No problems Peonie, hope you managed to sign up.

Well it's my last official sick day today, it's gone by so quickly!! I have got to finish a Fireman Sam cake for a friend for tomorrow and clean the house

Moneywise, I need to check and pay my credit card balance, which with house insurance, glasses and other stuff is going to be HUGE this month:eek: Luckily, i got my overtime from June bank holidays finally paid in my last paycheck so i have the extra to cover it!

Popped to Waitr0se late last night for some icing and i managed to pick up some bargain Pilau rice 49p and naan breads 50p so having jalfrezi (sp?) for tea. Also managed to get 2 lots of plaice reduced to £1 something too :jso that's saturday nights tea sorted.. i love a bargain

Off to hoover.. how exciting!

xx

ammonite

Great bargain - I fancy a curry now!!

Peonie

Hi, they must have their quota again. But I did email them my expression of interest. Hopefully they will contact me soon.