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

themadvix

Whoops, just realised, I'd completely forgotten to mention the *huge* amount of money we spent at the weekend - our holiday to the States is now all booked (barring activities)! DH's cc took a beating, but there's lots of cashback headed our way too. It was not cheap! :eek: But we are fitting a lot in and staying in hotels a lot of the time, which is not normal for us.

Karmacat

:j:j:j USA holibobs!

themadvix

Afternoon all,

Sorry, I've been terrible at updating recently. The big work project finally arrived and I've got through most of it now. I've also made a stonking OP of £7600, which has maxed out our OPs for the year. We're at £75,000 now. I have another £2300 to OP when our allowance renews (December maybe?). Money has also been distributed to pension and ISA too.

I've also just taken delivery of a new mattress. We went for a Hypn0s one in the end - after some research it seems they are fairly environmentally friendly (ISO standards met etc.) and we were able to try it out in a chain shop (M*ttressman - we then bought it online from 'B3dman' which is owned by M*ttressman, but offered it for £50 less and with a higher rate of cashback - can't say I was happy about not supporting the shop, but if they're in competition with their own company, it's a bit ridiculous!). Delivery was excellent and looking forward to a refreshing sleep tonight!

Uncle has headed to the States for a month of road-tripping - he's bought the National Parks pass and has said we can have it after he gets back, so ~$40 saved there (we'd have bought a second-hand one on Ebay rather than the full price $80 for a new one).

We have sourced a new dry food for the cats - it's organic, grain-free and substantially cheaper than what we've been buying (don't ask!). We're nearing the end of what they've got now, so will be getting a small bag to test on them before buying 10 kg's worth. Will save about 50% on what we're paying now! :eek:

I need to switch mobile contracts - would do it this afternoon, but it's in DH's name, so it'll have to wait till the weekend. (Saving: ~ £2/month)

Gratitudes:
* A lovely weekend - socialising (my first Brownie-free Friday night), using my shiny new NT life membership card and getting some gardening done (and I cleaned my car, inside and out :A )
* Sunshine (after the rains yesterday!)
* Caught up on work, so can get out this afternoon!

Karmacat

Great update! Never occurred to me to get a used National Parks pass ... must pass that on to rellies thanks.

themadvix

Karma, they have places for two signatures on the back, so if still in date and only one signature space has been used, then it can be used again. They come up on eBay. Hth

themadvix

Morning all (get me, two days in a row!),

I went to start on the next part of the big project this morning and there's a technical problem, so I can't do anything. Which rather scuppers my plans for today. I will probably pop out in a bit but have the plumber coming to service the boiler later, so will be here most of the day. There's plenty I could do, I just need to motivate myself. Have started an inventory of food - we seem to have an awful lot at the moment and while I want to keep a Brexit stash, not all of it is Brexit-related. So I think some menu-planning is needed to reduce/consolidate stocks a bit - it feels like we have a lot of random stuff in that we don't use all that often.

Also need to pack and get organised for Goodwood!

MS things:
* Clicks etc. done. Trying to get *something* on Swago - not trying too hard though
* PA survey done
* Bit of job spotting yesterday - will do more if I head out

Gratitudes:
* A better night's sleep on new mattress - yay!
* A good first evening class back last night - feeling motivated as work over summer has helped
* Cucumber has at least four cukes growing on it!

Have a good day all!

Busy_Mee1

Morning Vix.
We are also heading down to near Goodwood for the weekend for a family Birthday party (all being well). We really struggled to get any accommodation at a reasonable price, despite trying to book last Christmas.

I couldn't understand why everything was so expensive and then someone told us that it was Goodwood revival. I didn't know what it was, so googled it and it looks fab. Will you be dressing up ?

We are staying with a family friend now, so will probably cost me the price of a bottle gin or some other suitable gift to say thank you :money:

themadvix

Hi Busy Mee!

Yes, we're dressing up. I got a 1950s vintage dress on eBay for £20 and a handbag at the local vintage charity shop. DH has a cap and jacket. The rest we'll make up from what we've got. We hired the last time we went (but it was a corporate thing, so didn't pay for anything else!). I might be repeating myself here, but we're taking the fathers - think they'll both enjoy it and they're dressing up too. We had a great time last time we went but didn't get to see all that much (corporate politeness etc!). Looking forward to seeing a bit more of everything this time, even if we're paying!

We are staying at Gatwick airport travelodge as it was the only reasonably priced accommodation - about an hour away. So a very early start on Friday morning as DH thinks we should get there for the flypast at 8am to avoid traffic!!

themadvix

Morning all,

Well Goodwood was fantastic, as expected. The dads had a good time and the weather was excellent. It's such an amazing atmosphere there with everyone dressed up and all the entertainment.

Up at the crack of dawn this morning as it's Niece Day! Mum's on holiday, so I've got her for the day. Currently watching Monsters Inc, very peacefully! Off to see a friend with a boy a similar age later (she has three, so will be in the company of an expert!). So far, so good!

Not much MS to report - although managed to persuade friend that park rather than something with admission charge would be good for today. Loads of work waiting for me tomorrow though!

Have a good day all!

themadvix

Morning all,

Not a lot to report here, hence the lack of posting. Work has been very busy, which is great. We have also been spending quite a bit, but mainly on considered, well-researched and necessary things: new mattress (so much better for my back), a couple of items of quality clothing, a Hive thermostat. Still saving though, albeit this month slightly less.

September has been a very sociable month, which has also hit the bank balance somewhat. However, October is looking quieter, thankfully! Off by train to Bristol for the weekend (using the 'fun' money allocated from my inheritance) - have Leisure vouchers, Pizza vouchers and an NT voucher to spend (and visitors who use public transport to Tyntesfield get 20% off in cafe), so should be a low-spend weekend in terms of 'real' money. I feel the need to start watching the pennies again - the discipline is good!

Oh, and to finish the story about Niece Day - we had a lovely time, until just after my sister arrived, who proclaimed, 'oh, she's not well!' - she was cuddled up on my lap, apparently only does this when feeling rubbish! Sis and I went out to swap the car seats and were called back by DH as niece had vomited everywhere, poor little thing! She made a quick recovery though and was back to normal the following day.

Gratitudes:
* Many catch ups with friends and family
* A lovely day with niece (but can't say it made me broody!)
* A day out today with Mum at an NT place (the sun is shining, we've been trying to get there for two weeks, but illness, weather and work have intervened)

Have a good day all!