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

shala_moo

I don't seem to get much done unless i post a to-do list so today's looks like this :

• Shuffle the Ha1ifax reward - done, put it into family loan pot
• pay credit card (full pymt) - done higher than i thought due to memory lapse of what I bought at the weekend
• stash some cash in family loan pot - £200 extra put away, family loan now only £11,200:( but as well
• reconcile mega-spreadsheet - now to the penny
• catch up with surveys/clicks - had a lot to catch up on, but done now
• tidy up/file my magazines/leaflets/random paper bits - one bag of recycling and a bit of rubbish and i'm done
• order xmas hamper from Tesc0 clubcard thingie - done, another xmas present ordered
• dust - maybe tomorrow
• clean bathroom - ahem maybe tomorrow
• use up manky potatoes in our tea somehow - will be doing herby, seasoned potatoes like you get in Frankie and Benny's with (cheap oopsy Waitrose) Plaice and salad - there was enough for about 6 portions so some will go in the freezer for easy teas day
• pay the lovely fella that cut our hedges - £80 for cutting 10 ft high hedges and the viginia creeper thats taking over our front wall, i though it'd be a lot more than that so :T
• tidy/clean kitchen - floors swept, surfaces bleached, sink scrubbed, oven can wait till tomorrow
• change bedding - bed stripped, i'll let OH remake it:rotfl:
• collapse in front of the tv - doing it now:D
• go through emails - i have 47 just from today! surveys and adverts most of them.. - jeez most of them were rubbish

Already done some MSE activity :

• free toothbrush received from Aquafre$h, offer was in the weekly email a while back
• free shampoo and conditioner received for testing (it's posh and lovely and usually £7 a bottle :eek:)
• shopped at the farm shop - not sure it's always much cheaper but the quality is definitely better
• got Tesc0 vouchers through so using them straight away:D for xmas pressies
• weekly shop came in at £11 something, most used vouchers to reduce it
• quidco payment received of £1.80 for checking into shops when out and about
• just linked my Mywaitrose card to my online shopping, if you spend £50 4 times before 9th Dec you get £25 vouchers to spend in Jan.. i can easily do this with spreading out the Xmas xtra food treats over 4 weeks (always do our xmas food shopping at Waitr0se as it feels more special:rotfl:easily pleased aren't we)

Mortgage_Reduction_Novice

shala_moo wrote: »

I don't seem to get much done unless i post a to-do list

It doesn't matter if you shame yourself into getting your chores done, as long as they get done!

shala_moo

Mortgage_Reduction_Novice wrote: »

It doesn't matter if you shame yourself into getting your chores done, as long as they get done!

Well we'll just ignore the ones i didn't get round too :whistle:

shala_moo

shala_moo wrote: »

• just linked my Mywaitrose card to my online shopping, if you spend £50 4 times before 9th Dec you get £25 vouchers to spend in Jan.. i can easily do this with spreading out the Xmas xtra food treats over 4 weeks (always do our xmas food shopping at Waitr0se as it feels more special:rotfl:easily pleased aren't we)

Just caught the small print on this - i assumed that they meant you'd get £25 off your next big shop in January like they do at Morris0ns, however, the small print says you get a £10 voucher then 3 £5 vouchers for each week in Jan!!

This means you have to shop at Waitr0se for 8 weeks to use your voucher, spending >£400 to get £25 off! I think their ad is a bit misleading unless you study it really well, naughty Waitr0se!

I now won't be using this offer but i shall still be going for my main xmas food shopping in December..

Off to a bonfire this evening. Not really ever been to one before so i'm intrigued.. i'm hoping OH will buy me a hot chocolate to keep me warm brrrrrrr :snow_grin i'd take a flask to save some money but we don't have one!

hope everyone is keeping cosy xx

Mortgage_Reduction_Novice

shala_moo wrote: »

This means you have to shop at Waitr0se for 8 weeks to use your voucher, spending >£400 to get £25 off! I think their ad is a bit misleading unless you study it really well, naughty Waitr0se!

Darn them and their nasty tricks!

shala_moo

Oopss haven't updated for a week, i've been trying to stay off the computer a little as my eye is getting really sore i'm off to the opticians again this week, just to check my prescription is correct and get some new deeper lens glasses that work nursey has suggested will be better. They're paying, so i'm not arguing, although my "lovely" work colleagues are already calling me Deirdre Barlow

Good news, I've now done over half my xmas shopping :j thanks to the Amazon wish list that my sister and OH use.. i used £20 of vouchers I had left, so saved there. (i did forget to go through a cashback site though ) I feel less stressed now i've made a proper start! Sister - done, OH - done, friends - done :T

Tesc0's sent loads of money off/extra points vouchers with our clubcard vouchers this time, so used most off them this saturday, saving £7 and getting approx 200 extra points. Still have 3 left for £3 off £30 shops for the next few weeks, which i'll use to stock up some bits for Xmas. It means I have to actually go to the shop instead of shop online so i'll have to pick my times wisely so there's no trolley rage :rotfl:and also avoid the Krispy Kreme stand thats popped up :eek:

Hope everyone is enjoying the run up to xmas.. we have a few things planned to really enjoy this xmas as we were so stressed this time last year :T

shala_moo

Need to get this stuff before xmas, i can keep on top of it here..

• put up curtains in dining room - we can really feel the chill as it's a huge window
• make a winter meal plan
• get hair cut - it's been a while
• get xmas decs out - check if we need any extra (think we definitely need lights for the tree)
• finish xmas shopping for Dad, Aunty, Nan and cousins - hoping to go halves with my sister on these
• make onion chutney, chilli jam and whiskey marmalade
• marzipan and ice xmas cakes for us and MIL
• make gingerbread house - very excited for this!:rotfl:
• get car insurance/make sure old one cancelled
• clean out spare room for the sister to stay over xmas
• go to a christmas lights switch on (i'm in the process of persuading OH), Christmas markets in Birmingham and the Good Food show
• lose 5lbs
• try to reach onep0ll threshold - at £33.40 at the moment
• don't buy any xmas magazines

ammonite

Just catching up with diaries!

Glad you had a good weekend in Chester

Well done for getting your Christmas shopping underway. I have finished mine it feels all very strange to be done this early but who knows when mini ammonite will turn up so its best to be prepared!

Good luck with your Christmas list - we made a mental xmas list today, need to put it on paper.

Good luck with Onepoll, I FINALLY cashed out this week after about 6 years. Definitely NOT going for a second payout!

Mortgage_Reduction_Novice

shala_moo wrote: »

• make onion chutney, chilli jam and whiskey marmalade

Thanks for the reminder - I still have 3 oddly shaped marrows in my cupboard that need preserving/making into Christmas presents!

shala_moo

ammonite wrote: »

Just catching up with diaries!

Glad you had a good weekend in Chester

Well done for getting your Christmas shopping underway. I have finished mine it feels all very strange to be done this early but who knows when mini ammonite will turn up so its best to be prepared!

Good luck with your Christmas list - we made a mental xmas list today, need to put it on paper.

Good luck with Onepoll, I FINALLY cashed out this week after about 6 years. Definitely NOT going for a second payout!

Hi Ammonite, it's really frustrating when you work out how long it's took to get paid isn't it. I don't find Onepoll too bad if you can visit it a few times a day which i do whilst i'm at work, although at 10p a survey it does still take a while..

Managed to earn 50p today for anyone that still does the surveys, there's quite a few today..