Lulabelle's MFW Diary

Supadupa

Hello there!

I just thought I'd stop by to say hello, I've now read your diary from beginning to the present. It's taken me a few weeks but I've made it and may I say I have been mightily impressed with your progress in knocking that mortgage into submission - inspiring stuff! I was so shocked to hear about your boys' scooters, that is awful and I can't believe someone would have the audacity to drive up and take them from your property. We have the opposite where I live, kids leave their scooters, bikes, clothes lying all over the place overnight in their driveways, the playparks, on the street! It drives me mad - nobody steals them though. Your business partner sounds like a lovely man replacing them.

Anyway, I will continue to read with interest so keep up the good work!

lulabelle1

Hey Supadupa - thanks for popping in, please accept a virtual medal for reading my entire diary!!!

Re the scooters - the reason we were so shocked is because where we live, it has never been a problem before - everything is left out all of the time in our little cup-de-sac...... thing is, no matter how lovely/safe your own little street/area is - it just takes one thieving scoundrel to drive past the area and destroy it. (

CathT

Hi LB, I wanted to pop in and say hello now that I am almost at the end of your diary. You are in the middle of trying to sort mortgage for BTL at the moment (end of 2013).

Have really enjoyed your diary, I also have 2 small children and have the stay or move dilemma far too frequently! In fact, it was a comment on your diary, I think from natty that made me realise we are pretty lucky in the house we are in!

Anyway, will continue to catch up!

lulabelle1

Hi Cath, thanks for posting.... pleased you're enjoying the journey so far!!!

lulabelle1

What a week!

We went to Legoland on Tuesday and stayed in the hotel - treat for DS2's birthday.

All in all we had a really nice time and the boys LOVED the hotel and the room that we had. For anyone with small boys - I recommend the Pirate room, ours loved it.

Word of warning - you need to surrender the deeds to your property when you check in - it's so EXPENSIVE!

To stay in the hotel itself requires you to give up a non-vital organ, but then everything is extra. And that's before you've even got yourself in to the park - where there is temptation around every corner and lots of silly price tags.

If you resign yourself to spending a fair whack and don't get grumpy every time you need to spend, then you'll have a lovely time. Sadly, I felt grumpy at times (£5 for a cider! £10 to watch a movie in your room (inc 2 drinks and 2 kitkats), £8 for a childs meal, £8 for a tub of sweets in the sweet shop) - you get the idea!!!

I then went to Budapest on Wed straight from Legoland as had some meetings on Thursday. Flight was delayed due to technical fault so arrived at silly o'clock Thursday morning.

All in all feeling really tired.

We have family coming to stay later today as it's DSs's birthday this weekend. We're off to the Safari/Zoo - tickets paid for with club card - finally some money saving!!!

Roll on payday next week and the money shuffle!!

CathT

LL is somewhere my dd really wants to go but it's hundreds of miles away for a start and sounds like it may be cheaper to go abroad! Am sure I read on another diary, maybe SSS that it's perhaps not worth the money. The themed rooms sound fab but it's the endless spending that adds up isn't it.

Happy birthday to your DS.

lulabelle1

CathT wrote: »

LL is somewhere my dd really wants to go but it's hundreds of miles away for a start and sounds like it may be cheaper to go abroad! Am sure I read on another diary, maybe SSS that it's perhaps not worth the money. The themed rooms sound fab but it's the endless spending that adds up isn't it.

Happy birthday to your DS.

The boys had a great time, but IMO it's a one off thing and I don't think I'd rush back tbh..... it is very expensive - the premium themed room including admission to the park for two days was £580 (from what I remember).

We didn't have a Summer holiday so I guess I justify it with that, but it really is daylight robbery (IMO).

lulabelle1

Morning!

DS2's birthday weekend was great. a good time was enjoyed by all and spending was limited. We took a pack up for everyone (inc family visitors)to the safari park and just treated the children to an ice cream before we headed home. We avoided the gift shop and didn't do anything else that cost money!

We were meant to be in Dorset this week but with the heavy persistent rain we decided to cancel..... the boys are happy enough so we'll keep them amused with a swimming trip amongst other little (and not too expensive things).

Roll on payday.....

My FD reg saves matures in a week or so, just deciding whether to pay it off the mortgage or do something creative with it. (i.e. saves not buying new bags).

lulabelle1

It's that time of the month where I'm feeling all Saintly and focused on paying down the mortgage.

I made a nice pretty new spreadsheet earlier for the monthly expenses and played around with my little mortgage calculator.

All things being even, we could be mortgage free in 18 months.. Just depends on whether we draw money back to fund B2L's or stick with the MFF focus and then save for B2L's once the mortgage is paid.

I'm hoping to grab a coffee with our lovely MFW financial advisor soon.... GG - where are you??

We have some things that we'd like to buy for the home, but we've decided that we will start a list - every time we want to buy something (ourselves/house/kids etc) we will add it to the list. We cannot buy anything until the item has been on the list for one week - we then need to decide whether we still "want" it, if it can wait until we're mortgage free, or whether we need to buy it straight away.

No idea whether this will work, but it's certainly worth a try!!!

Feeling very inspired by Newgirly's target of only spending £1,500 total for the rest of the year, but we'd never be able to do that so I shall seek inspiration from it but not even bother trying to replicate!

Pay day soon....... and then I can do some shuffling. Still need to decide on the Reg Saves money too.

Secret_Saving_Squirrel

Wow, only 18 months! You have done so well. It was me who mentioned LL. If you are on site in the hotel it must be better, but I think that unless you are in when they open and leave when they close, it is just too expensive for what they get out of it as the queues get so long.

Having said that, I plan to take them to Disney in a couple of years, but they just do it all so much better there.