It's time to attack the mortgage!

macgirl

Hi Twinklie and thank you!

Well a day of two halves. We declined the offer of a night out in the name of frugality. Then I went to town to buy a birthday present in the sales and had a (small) spree

3 items for the girls for Summer in Monsoon sale = £23
Present for SiL's b'day = £16.99 (though should be £40 :money:)
Original present - full price (for a child) £8.50
Body Shop bits for my Present box £11
Cost to mend DD2's school boot - £3
Groceries - £34.88 :j - VERY pleased with this as it will last until Mid Jan (bar milk/bread) and should mean we stick to our £200 budget for Jan which is at least HALF what normally is! :T

Didn't make the Parkrun today, but have met my target of exercise 4 times this week and have taken lunch to work, so am celebrating those small victories.
Oh, and I've listed 4 items on Amazon so have made a start there.
The one thing I haven't done though is increase the OP, which I will do next week. This month's mortgage payment has already gone out, so there is still time before the next one.

Right, wine o'clock is well overdue, so I'm off to pour myself a glass!

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Hi MacGirl, my DD love Monsoon and on a practical front, they sell really well on eBay after they're finished with.

Vodka was served without the tonic, DH decided to use some of the Lemon juice/zest I had prepared and frozen. It was still 'mushy' (technical term) and served that with crushed ice and vodka. Very unexpected and gorgeous.

Sitting with feet up and dog snuggling.....

Good luck with your OP next week.


Night Tilly X

Hopeful1

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS wrote: »

Vodka was served without the tonic, DH decided to use some of the Lemon juice/zest I had prepared and frozen. It was still 'mushy' (technical term) and served that with crushed ice and vodka. Very unexpected and gorgeous.

Ooo I'm not usually a vodka fan but that sounds heavenly!

macgirl

Oooh even at this hour of the morning, that DOES sound heavenly! We're having an "obscure drinks" night soon, so I might slip that one in as a sophisticated option :beer:

Well, no such antics for me today. In a while, I'll be donning my trainers and meeting my running club buddies for a run. It looks quite dry and bright, so should be a good morning.

Then I hope to spend a few hours in the garden with the kids, preparing my new veg plot. It was a neglected rockery and although I would have like to grow beautiful plants and flowers, with the rising cost of food, I thought we could make better use of the bed. We moved the huge rocks last Summer and dug in some organic manure, so it just needs weeding, then we need to decide what to sow ans when. It's about 4m x 1.5m so I reckon I can get a few crops from that.
Sadly there is no room for a greenhouse (I would love one) so I'll have to buy another set of shelves with plastic cover affair.

I've been playing with my new BF the overpayment calculator again. We've currently got until August 2015 on this fixed rate. I'd like us to be under £200k at that point. Then reduce the term to 10 years with the intention of paying it off in less (fingers crossed interest rates won't have sky-rocketed by then). This will depend on lots of variables of course - DH's business, my job security, bonuses - which I never factor in as they are not guaranteed, but God/MSE willing we could be MF in 10 years from now - worst case 14, which is not as good as some of the fantastic people on here, but still a darn sight better than 25 years :T

Onwards - have a good day if you're reading

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Morning MacGirl, DD and I are having a walky/jog this morning, and Friday did Shred It. Starting slowly but it was good fun.

Enjoy your run, the weather is really beautiful today and I will be joining you in the garden later. We have raised beds and they are very productive. I have some plastic covers which fit over one for the autumn and winter which means, salad leaves pretty much until end January. I find February quite a low spot but by then I am planting broadbeans. Won't be long and it will be chilli and tomato seed planting time - I love it when we start putting the seeds into pots. Really shows the seasons are moving along.

Not too long and I will be planting up 3 bags of potatoes - I tried putting them in the ground last year and didn't find them as productive, so back to bags, which don't take up much room on the patio.

Enjoy the weeding, I have quite a lot of that to do today.

Beat wishes Tilly

macgirl

Thanks Tilly, I will be picking your brains over the coming months if that's ok? You sound like an expert.
We have 2 apple trees - a bramley which yielded a far few lbs the first year, but nothing last. I need to go out and prune that, but despite watching videos on YT, I'm still slightly nervous in case I kill it...
We also have a lovely Damson tree which was a nice surprise. I've yet to make jam, but we've had lots of crumbles and still have reserves in the freezer.

Barbara Goode here I come (though I probably more like Margot )

6 miles of mud, over misty moors covered, so not a bad morning's work. Have thawed out and made lunch, so now it's time to wrap up and hit the garden!

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Hi, happy to help on the veggie gardening front, I am not the woman for flower questions. If its in my garden the it has to earn its keep. Lovely nectarine tree which is slowly earning a place.

Had a good walky/jog with DD and actually felt that I have improved a little. We are talking marginally here, but that's in the right direction. Will be shredding with DH as well, tomorrow evening.

Weeds all out and garden looking neat. Daff bulbs are ready sprouting (that's my one concession to flowers, the other is geraniums in the summer). The garden works hard though and keeps us in lovely fruit and veg for months, so I can't complain.

Right, off to put my feet up now and have a cuppa, with possibly some sneaky lemon curd on a digestive:T

Tily x

Hopeful1

I was thinking the same as Macgirl, Tilly! I have recently moved and have a lovely big garden. I need to get it tidy but would then love to start planting potatoes and various other things, so it will be good to know when the right time to do it is. I am no Mrs Greenfingers and struggle to keep a house plant alive for very long hence the need for guidance lol

macgirl

Thanks Tilly and Hi Hopeful
I'm happy to host MF Gardener's QT, not that I'm very good, but what I lack in knowledge I make up for in enthusiasm.
I pruned a few small rose bushes and cut back a big lavender bush. Then got the ladder out for the climbing rose. My MiL is a rose expert, so gave me some pointers last year. It had been neglected for years she reckoned, but came back lovely, so this year I've been a bit more daring!
The veg plot needs more work. DH is going to fashion some walls out of the old rocks (I'm worried about this ) and cement them in, so Lord knows when that will be.....

Almost a NSD, then I remembered I had to pay DD1's dinner money online so £30 gone there. Now just DD2's reading and spellings to do, a bit more ironing, then I can settle down with my gardening books this evening.

macgirl

:j:j:j Just sold 2 DVD's on amazon! Hurray!!! It won't make me rich, but might help me be MF.

All whilst listening to David Bowie. Happy Birthday to the coolest pensioner on the planet :beer: