Finally I have a mortgage I can start to pay off!

themadvix

Morning all,

Thanks SL :hello: Karma and TH and thanks!

Yes, am on the boat. DH is fine but prefers to lie down, so I've found a cuppa (£1.60, not bad!) and the free WiFi. It's a nice boat and the godparents' club membership seems to have got us preferential treatment as well as the 10% discount - we got waved through the queues!

Nothing money saving to report... Breakfast would have been cheaper if we'd stopped on the way down but managed to miss the sat nav telling us to get off two junctions before so time was tight

Will do some clicks now (and maybe read post 12, see what wisdom I shared way back when!!)

Have a good day/week all

Jessy103

Have a fantastic time MV

earthgirl

Off to read post 12!

Have a great time x

newgirly

Have a fantastic time

Suffolk_lass

earthgirl wrote: »

Off to read post 12!

Have a great time x

Not you earthy! :rotfl:

themadvix

Afternoon folks!

Hope you've all had a good week? We had a lovely time away - quite gentle and low-key, but just what we needed to relax and spend time together. The weather was pretty good except the last day (when we planned to go to the beach of course!). We did quite a bit of walking, reading, watching Queen's (the God-PIL have Freesat so we had English TV) and eating. Apart from food and fuel/parking, we didn't spend any money... It's just that there was quite a lot of yummy food (and that was with packed lunches nearly every day and home cooking most of the evenings. Haven't totted it up yet, but it should be fine. Obviously we also brought a load of food/drink back with us too and all thank you presents were edible. Used some LVs on way home from port last night to have dinner.

In other news, American client paid their bill dead on time without any reminder from me. :T Very pleased about that. Have a few bits of work to keep me busy this week, and I'm sure more will arrive once everyone remembers I'm back. Picked kitties up this morning.... I think they've nearly forgiven me. Saved 10% on the bill by paying cash (she offers a discount for stays over £200). Have also sorted RM survey and got through my emails.

We have plenty of food in, and with UF July coming up, I think I'm going to challenge myself to spend no more than £75 on food until end of July. I topped up at the zero-waste shop before I went and have cancelled veg box for tomorrow as they all included turnips (which we're not keen on). With this in mind, I bought a few bits in supermarket and we have cabbage ready in the garden (as well as strawbs, rasps, redcurrants and soon potatoes and beans!). Will need milk and eggs (and probably flour - but some French stick for the next couple of days) and then probably a veg box or two at some point. We even have meat in the freezer should we fancy a BBQ. If we have people round, then I might need to go over budget, but as that doesn't happen often, I'm not going to avoid it if we feel like it.

In other shopping, I'll need a WGAC delivery very soon (not onto our emergency rolls yet, but not far off!) and if there's a discount from Ethical Superstore I'll order some shower gel. Will need a present for 1 yr old, but will use gift card for this - need to get to M&S before the sale is over. Sis's birthday coming up too - have a card for this and the 1 yr old, but will need a present for sis. Might order her some vouchers from S&S.

DH is away one night at least in the next week or so, and I'm away for 3 nights at the end of July, so both of those events should help (and likely to bring some leftovers home from my stay - our last ever Brownie holiday!).

Right, better get on with some work....

PS Post 12 not very riveting at all! But I guess it did mention EF and SE buffer.

PPS No new plan formulated... too much relaxing happening! Various thoughts at the moment, but all in a bit of flux, so keeping plodding is the answer for a bit longer.

Karmacat

Hiya :hello: welcome back



That sounds a lovely relaxing holiday, madvix. Excellent that it was too relaxing for a new plan to be made :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:


Glad you've got the kitties back, and that sounds a good discount too. My neighbour's cat was rubbing herself all over my back garden step, and I was watching adoringly, till I really wanted to go inside after gardening. Whereupon she ran a couple of bounds and hissed at me before stalking off :rotfl: I'm pretty sure I'm not forgiven for wanting to enter my own house.

Jessy103

Glad to hear you had a lovely holiday mv!

themadvix

Morning all,

Thanks Karma and Jessy I forgot to mention the cat that visited us while we were away. DH's godmother is a huge cat fan, so we knew we'd be visited by cats, just not that they'd know where the food was kept in the house! Cheeky cat was waiting for us on the step when we got back one day, shot into the house, straight into the kitchen and made a very head-butty, friendly nuisance of itself until it had had some food. Then it sat there looking longingly at the empty bowl! :rotfl: :rotfl: He was very sweet though and quite happy to jump up on shoulders or settle down on your lap for a cuddle - DH enjoyed this as our cats tend to prefer me for cuddles.

I have a load of washing nearly finishing, so that can join the rest on the line - the weather has been dry but still and humid, so it's taking a while to get dry here. I have work to crack on with this morning, but hoping to pop to see Mum later and will hopefully get to M&S for the 1-yr-old's birthday present. Have a couple of cheques to pay in too and will pick up milk and eggs.

Bought a globe artichoke in France, so thinking we'll have that for dinner (boiled and with melted butter/mayo, so I'm led to believe?), followed by bread and butter pud as the stale bread in the freezer is getting out of hand and I need the space!

Had forgotten we've got a couple of days out booked for July when planning my UFM yesterday. However, they are presents (theatre and llama walk), so money for food out/train tickets on those days will come from treat fund (Christmas present money).

MS things:
* Have asked sister what she'd like for birthday as vouchers may not be best option - might be something available from Amaz0n, so can order vouchers for that instead.
* Going to a BBQ at weekend - will make rhubarb or redcurrant 'something' to take as both of these are flourishing at the moment.
* Converting Sbs to Itunes credit has worked perfectly for DH's 4pple Music subscription (it automatically used the store credit he had from the last voucher) - so ordered another voucher. It seems to have taken money for two (which shows in ledger and I have a screen print of), but only sent one confirmation email. Will wait and see what turns up/whether I get recredited with the SBs. Why is nothing ever simple?!

Gratitudes (forgot these yesterday, although I did rabbit on a bit!):
* A lovely, relaxing holiday
* Produce galore in the garden
* A challenge for the next month

Have a good day all!

Karmacat

You have redcurrants! Thats pretty good - I'm behind on harvesting *everything* right now, but my blackcurrant bush is nice and big and not shaded by nettles anymore so I hope it'll be good. Do you get lots of ants on your currants? I tend to get a bit nesh about making sure I've brushed them all off me, let alone off the currants