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

themadvix

Afternoon all,

I thought I'd come on here to report that a) I've just put another £100 into my ISA and b) I did a PA survey for the first time in ages!

Still very busy with work and a new project, which I'll tell you about in due course.

MS things:
* Resisted takeaway last night when circumstances meant it was tempting
* PA survey (and another)
* NV survey
* Lots of work
* Heating not on regularly yet (although we've had a couple of half hour boosts - just to check Hive is working, of course!)

Gratitudes:
* A lovely weekend in Bristol, lots of food, drink and walking. We were lucky with the weather - it was gorgeous on the Sunday
* New walking routine is going well
* Time with Mum and her friend at an NT place yesterday

Have a good afternoon all!

newgirly

Hi vix, sorry I’ve been rubbish at reading diaries lately, glad all is well with you

themadvix

Whoops! It's been a while....

Morning all,

As a I said on Cheery's diary earlier, I think my motivation got put out with the recycling by accident at the end of the summer... I've been struggling lately. In other areas of life (work, exercise, socialising etc.) things are going well, but I just have been a bit all over the place with being an MSEr. Money is not out of control by any stretch of the imagination, but I do feel some bad habits have been creeping in (the odd cuppa when out, or a piece of cake or...) and I've just not been very disciplined of late (and I thrive on the discipline!). (And see above, we've bought some big one-off things too.)

Work has been very busy for a while and will be relatively busy for the foreseeable with a couple of big projects on the go. I think this has been part of the problem - but I'm not rushed off my feet, so I need to get systems in place for doing the other stuff. Systems have been working well for exercise, evening class stuff and housework, so I just need to incorporate a bit more.

Two more parts to the problem:
a) compared to DH I don't manage to put much away in savings, no matter how hard I try, and he has loads leftover for fun stuff (which he is more than willing to share, but I feel I should pay for some stuff!) - this makes it hard to be motivated;
b) we can't OP at the moment (maxed out) and we're a bit stuck with moving (nothing suitable in our price range, still!) and have a lot of cash savings (I know, not something to moan about), so the small amounts just seem to be a drop in the ocean.

Woe is me.... I'll get over it - we're in a great position really and I am very grateful for that.

SO:
Tomorrow is a new month and I think I'm going to adopt Cheery's Thriftvember! I have a few things which need to be allowed for:
* London to Brighton this weekend - some costs on the Monday to cover (lovely friends will no doubt not let us pay for anything on the Sunday!)
* Meal with ex-Brownie people :j
* Mum coming for Sunday lunch
* Bowling and meal with friends (although DH managed to get us 2 games each for £6.55 each - bargain! :T)
* DH's birthday at the end of the month, so we'll have a meal out then (cost of his present will happen later as it's an experience thing and we'll book once he's decided when)
* Day out in London with Mum/meeting DH for dinner in Town - visiting the Language Show (free tickets :T), but transport and food need to be considered

These aside, I think I can focus on not frittering money on food out (there's plenty of fun stuff going on!) and making the most of what we've got in. The cupboards are full, the freezer is full and there's no Brexit shortage to worry about for the time being (who'd've thought - all that excess Christmas chocolate will be the Brexit stash!! :rotfl: Maybe... who knows! :huh:).

Things I have been doing:
* 2 x pub MS - one Monday and one conveniently tonight so we're out when the hooligans come calling (if it's dry we may walk too)
* Ebay - various bits have been and gone and have a couple left to get rid of
* Using vouchers - to some extent. I have a couple of quid left on an M&S card and the same on an Asda card - might try to use these up for food
*A couple of small Christmas presents bought and ideas in progress for others.

Christmas presents need attention though - we haven't planned yet to know who we're making for versus what we need to buy. Possibly a job for Saturday.

I need to keep up:
* Clicks (sorrily by the wayside of late - SBs is liable to be forgotten)
* S&S and FOTG
* Surveys (also by the wayside and I'm so close with 1P)
* RM survey

So, I'm back - please hold me to account! :eek:

Oh, gratitudes (I think I need these!)
* The trees are still so beautiful (loving my thrice-daily walks when I get to enjoy them)
* Work is busy (and I really must get back to it) - ooh and I might be getting a raise in Jan! :T
* We visited the Clean Kilo at the weekend - awesome zero-waste shop in Birmingham - and they had tofu! :j

Have a good day all!

Cheery_Daff

Yay to a raise! :money: and to Thriftvember, I LOVE it that you're adopting it too, will help me not to forget it after the first week :rotfl:

Tis indeed easy to beat yourself up and feel undisciplined, but you're doing really well, and just keeping track helps sometimes doesn't it? :j

themadvix

Thanks Cheery! Knew I could rely on you for some motivational cheer! :j

I think you're right about keeping track - there's been far too much just paying by card and not really having any idea how much I'm paying. More attention needed there.

Forgot to add - I'm looking for a new coat, so that will probably hit the expenses in November too. If it's pricey it'll be because I'm expecting to last a long time!

themadvix

Afternoon all,

MS went well last night, although the fee/expenses won't entirely cover the cost - but that's fine - it was still very cheap for a nice(ish) dinner. Was amazed by how busy it was though (and there were bouncers on the door when we left?!).

Have spent £1.29 on lemons this morning. I've got one of these in the oven as I type. I don't 'do' Halloween, so fancied seeing what people do to celebrate All Saints Day - and that's what I found Needed a lemon for that and I have half a ton of cucumbers (no joke - 9, all a good size and some pretending to be the marrow equivalent of a cucumber!) from the garden that need using and lemon and cucumber cake appears to be a thing, so I'll give that a go.

Am pleased to say that the raise has been secured by one of my clients, so from January I'll be getting 5% more for the work I do for them. :T And it came with some very nice comments too

DH apparently needs a Thriftvember too, so it's good to be on the same page there. I also forgot to add the England v Germany football match we're off to next weekend - although hopefully we won't need to spend much apart from on train tickets? I need to check what, if anything, we can take in with us. Something hot may be required at some point though (I've never been to a football match before - no idea what to expect, but we'll get cold I expect!).

Off to do my clicks etc. now. And then perhaps some invoicing. After I've 'tested' the Allerheiligenstriezel, of course.

Gratitudes:
* Feeling quite warm and snuggly in the house today - even without the heating on
* A nice meal with DH last night
* It's Friday!
* Fruit bread and new plaiting skills!

Happy Friday everyone, have a great weekend!

newgirly

Sounds like you are back on track Vix on a long journey like this it would be strange if we didn’t have periods of fatigue

Karmacat

Sounds great, madvix renewing focus is only to be expected. I'd love to hear about the results of the lemon and cucumber cake, thats not a mix I'd have expected - all the better for it.

themadvix

Thanks my lovely interweb friends

The lemon and cucumber cake is this one, Karma, although I've not bothered to ice it (yet) - it'll go in the freezer. It's lovely - very light and mostly lemony, with a hint of cucumber. I made cupcakes and a loaf (two batches), so it works in those forms too if round cakes aren't your thing (more faff and less easy to freeze!).

themadvix

Morning all,

We had a great weekend, as always at the London to Brighton - our friends are so lovely and the weather, amazingly, was quite warm and dry! I didn't ride on the car this year, but we did get a quick ride back to the trailer at the end of the day. Financially, of course, we weren't allowed to pay for anything (we don't even try any more - but the hunt is on for a good thank you pressie). On Monday we had our traditional milkshake and wander around Brighton before heading home. We even bought some Christmas presents (obviously not included in the Thriftvember budget) - which is a start!

We were pretty restrained otherwise - just parking and the milkshake, which counted as lunch. Did pop to the Coop yesterday for a couple of bits - spent a fiver there, but that included two pieces of heavily reduced salmon, which are now residing in the freezer. DH has gone to work on the (cancelled!) train this morning, as he's going to some leaving drinks tonight. He used some credit he won from Trainpal towards his ticket, so a small saving there (this event was on his list of 'exceptions' to Thriftvember).

Have been doing my clicks :T and we've been enjoying the food we have in.

Gratitudes:
* Up early to take DH to station - went for my morning walk in the frosty weather and peace and quiet - bliss
* While most leaves are down now, the two trees I can see from my window are still gorgeously golden
* Fabulous weekend - friendly people, excellent food, excellent weather

Have a good day all!