Its days are numbered ...

DawnW

Yay! Its Friday :j:j:j:j:j

I had an unexpected trip out for work today, so wasn't able to pay in the dodgy B*rclays cheque, nor skive off work early as I had hoped (we have a flexi system, and I lose hours every month, so not really skiving ). Also didn't get to eat my lunch till about 4pm

Did the letters to the car parking company and their debt collectors disputing the parking notice which I found out for the first time about yesterday :mad: I wouldn't mind (well, I would - there is no way I would have not got a ticket!), but I have recently paid them nearly £1k for a year's season ticket :eek:.

Had some work done to the central heating system today, so there will be a bill for that, but it shouldn't be too bad. I was annoyed that OH and the plumber both forgot one of the jobs I asked him to do though - honestly, if I don't think of everything and leave written instructions in a prominent location, things just don't happen :mad:

Oh well, it is the weekend, and I can do some nice frugal things to help out with the mortgage fund, and go for some nice walks

pleasedelete

Look at the board about parking tickets. Unless it was the council you don't have to pay.

It isn't a debt collector. Read tne thread

Pearla*Merle

Good luck Dawn! I loved your opening post - so inspiring! Mr Merle & I are only just starting out in life, but I'm newly self-employed (not looking forward to the tax return either, I've lost dozens of receipts already, oops!) and don't earn much (and not likely to for some time) so it's good to see that you're on the way to blasting the mortgage - hopefully I'll be there before long too! I'm finally pretty much debt free now, I was in the same boat as you; no luxuries, just the cost of living whilst ill/unemployed - it's scary how just the basics really add up! So, I'm hoping to up my game jams, chutneys & drink-making wise this year too - every little helps & it'll make such a difference in future so I really must develop some good habits in that area(!)

I loved the sound of your red cabbage, yum! Do you have a recipe?

Grr on the ticket - but I agree with Pleasedelete, definitely look into who you got the ticket from! x

DawnW

Thanks to Pleasedelete and Perla for your posts. I have had a look at the parking board, and posted a new thread, as there didn't seem to be anyone who hadn't actually received a ticket. I thought it was a scam till I rang APCOA tbh.

I will look out the red cabbage recipe and post it - I sort of got it from a book, but adapted it as I wanted to use what I had rather than buy a load of other stuff. It was very nice, and I will make it again

Well, I paid in the cheque from B*rclays and hope it wasn't the one that had been stopped :eek:

Wandered round the charity shops and succumbed to a pair of beautiful glass candle sticks and a cookery book. The candle sticks were £15 :eek: but they are beautiful. My weakness is pretty china and glass things for the house, nice old furniture and textiles, and books, all second hand, so not TOO extravagant - but that is quite a lot of weaknesses, isn't it :rotfl:

Did the shopping - not much as I have a full freezer - and used a £5 off voucher for Waitrose that was in the free paper. I don't go there that often, but do really like it! I spent about £30 and got quite a lot, various groceries, fruit, not much veg as I have a load in, a pork joint for tomorrow (a bit fed up of pheasant at the moment ) and some sausages, and some duck eggs for OH, as he loves them. We used to have ducks but don't have room for them here - they are SO messy :eek:

I must stop buying so much food though - that is yet another weakness I don't throw it away, but it gets crammed into the freezer :rotfl:

We had the remains of the pheasant stew I made last week (had been frozen btw) for supper, and made broccoli and stilton soup for lunches for work next week

Cleaned the chooks out

Not done much else, I am always worn out on Saturdays after the week's work, great on Sundays, and then it is time for work again

DawnW

Red cabbage recipe - this is what I did, adapted from a recipe in a book, but in fact used mostly different ingredients (apart from cabbage that is!), so not the same at all, so I don't need to feel gulity about copyright etc.

I small or half a large red cabbage (mine had been lurking since Christmas, but they keep for ages, if in the fridge)
1 onion
1 medium apple, any sort, I actually used 2 really small wrinkly ones that were lurking in the fruit bowl
about 10g butter
1 tablespoon wine vinegar (I used sherry vinegar as I had that- I wouldn't use the ordinary sort you have on chips though)
1 heaped teaspoon brown sugar.

NB, the quantities are not crucial!

Slice the cabbage and onion finely, and chop the apple. Melt the butter in a large pan (a heavy based one is best), put in the cabbage, onion and apple and stir to coat, then add the other ingredients. Stir, put on pan lid, and cook on a very low heat for an hour.

I might try it in the slow cooker next time!

DawnW

Today:

Freezing here. Went to junk/antiques market thingy with OH this morning and bought a few things

Walked dog, then lit the woodburner and stayed near it!

Cooked a roast dinner and used up a lot of veg from the bottom of the fridge, meat left for sandwiches tomorrow

Made a sausage and lentil cassrole for supper tomorrow, as I seem to have a bit of a lentil montain at the moment

Also made a lemon drizzle cake to use up 3 rather elderly lemons that were lurking in a basket in the kitchen - they had got past the 'looking pretty' stage, so time for them to go. Cake looks good though

I still need to put some things away, finish the washing up, do some ironing and put some books ready for a freecycler tomorrow, so better get on!

frugalfrog

Hi, very interesting diary, I am interested on following your progress. I am started on a Mortgage free mission however, a bit more long term than you (13 years aim!).

I would love to have chickens, but outlay is a bit too much at the moment, maybe next year.... I'm planning on starting growing some veg in our garden so may ask for tips. Do you grow your own coriander? We love it in this house but I always manage to kill the plants, so end up paying 80p for the cut packets from Tesco (not very frugal!).


& if you think your season ticket is bad, I'm arranging mine at the moment for my return from maternity leave and train and parking costs £8000!!!! :eek:

Good luck on your getting rid of your mortgage

newgirly

Hi dawn, just spotted your new diary. It is so lovely that after working hard bringing up your family you finally have the home that you wanted, it puts it into perspective for me how lucky we are nowadays in comparison. I don't know anyone nowadays for example that makes their own wine, its something I planned on doing last year, bought the stuff to do it and did'nt get round to it!

Best of luck.

DawnW

Ooh, new posts, how exciting - I thought I would just be me wittering away to myself!

:eek: to the 8k season ticket - I hope you get paid loads more than me to compensate!

My OP strategy is to be as frugal as possible, while still trying to finish off the house and make it look lovely . There is only OH and I now, and really only me working. I also try to help out the kids and grandchildren when I can though.

So, today:

It is really cold here (everywhere I guess), but no snow here currently in the SW.

Woodburner going, and kettle singing nicely on top ready for a cuppa in a minute

I have just got the washing in that OH hung out this morning, and it is NEARLY dry, so it is now on the airer to finish off overnight.

I have been paid :jbut the DDs don't come out till tomorrow, so over the next couple of days I will need to work out how much to put back in savings (to replace what I took out to pay for b***** season tickets) and how much to pay off the mortgage :j

HM meals from stores - pasta with tomato sauce that I made from my tomato mountain back in the summer, and froze, and salad, then a spoonful of the Xmas pud that I have been ploughing through since nobody had room for it on the big day :rotfl: It has so much booze in it, I am sure it would be absolutely fine if I kept it till next Xmas, but there is only about one more small portion left now.

Got the bill from the plumber who sorted out our heating issues the other day, and paid that

Posted a small item sold on ebay

The huge box of cra**y novels that my brother left behind has now been taken by freecyclers, so I now have more space in the loft conversion bedroom

Still heard nothing back about the non-existent parking notice.

Pretty boring day at work - I thought it was Wednesday till about midday, and was really disappointed when a colleague pointed out the awful truth Still, I managed to get a lot of niggly bits done and out of the way.

DawnW

Early posting this morning! Came downstairs to a lovely smell of curry as I put one in the SC overnight. OH will pop it in the fridge when cold, and we can heat it up later for supper, with rice, some creme fraiche and fresh coriander - yum!

Well, I have just checked the banking online, and the regular mortgage payment has gone out, plus £250 on my regular saver, and I am STILL waiting for the cheque from B*rclays to clear over a month on from my bond maturing :mad:

Once it does, and I have the other CC statement, I can work out how much more to put in savings and what to overpay. I have 2 CCs which I pay off in full each month. I use them for ordinary shopping, petrol etc and get extra Nectar points - IT doesn't cost anything, as I pay off in full each time, so it seems a good idea

Sold a book on Amazon, so the £5.91 I make on that will be a little extra to pay off the mortgage I am also waiting for about £18 in expenses from work, and that will go the same way. Every little helps!

Looking forward to phoning for the February balance so I can update my signature :j

Jobs to do today:
Sort out lunch and fruit for work in a minute
Post book to Amazon customer at lunchtime
Get OH to peg out the washing I have just put in, if it stays dry, cold and windy like yesterday.

Right, better get sorted out for work :eek: