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

Karmacat

That all sounds so good, madvix. I know what you mean about the costs that some people seem very happy to pay - last year, I hear that one nephew bought another one a bottle of vodka. So far, so good - but it cost over £100 ...

:eek:



Got to be :cool:

:rotfl:

Watty1

Karmacat wrote: »

That all sounds so good, madvix. I know what you mean about the costs that some people seem very happy to pay - last year, I hear that one nephew bought another one a bottle of vodka. So far, so good - but it cost over £100 ...

:eek:



Got to be :cool:

:rotfl:

????? What ....over £100 ??? !!!

themadvix

Karmacat wrote: »

I hear that one nephew bought another one a bottle of vodka. So far, so good - but it cost over £100 ...

:rotfl:

:eek::eek:

Karmacat

Yep ... feel free to blame financial workers in London :eek:

Busy_Mee1

Lovely post Mad Vix. It sounds as if you are really getting into the Christmas spirit. I like the sound of the pallet Christmas tree, let us know how that works x

themadvix

Pallet Christmas tree is coming on - DH reads this diary and apparently it makes him accountable too! We have the shape and a few hooks but no paint. We're both out tonight so it'll be tomorrow before more progress is made. The jury's out on whether to paint it anyway.... although I think it'll look better with some colour, especially against our pale wall.

Not feeling great today to be honest - I think I overdid it last week (walking up fells), and I'm feeling it now (chest pain etc.). Will be taking it easy for a few days and doing things the 'granny way' - i.e. tiny things at a time!

Have just had a look at pet insurance as ours is due for renewal on 28th (really inconveniently!). I think there's some savings to be made there, so will have a proper look with DH this weekend. As we've never claimed yet, I find it unfair that the premiums are going up each year!

Annoyingly, a book I won which I'd earmarked as a present for FiL hasn't arrived and I've now noticed that the company says it was posted over a month ago, which suggests that it's not going to turn up. I'm not really sure I can ask them to send another one as it's a prize.

I helped Mum out yesterday by popping round to look after my niece for a couple of hours (mum has her on a Monday) - Mum had intended to do her Christmas shopping on Sunday eve, but ended up stopping at Nan's longer than intended. What with my nan, my niece and her aunt (who is recovering slowly from an op), Mum feels like a full-time carer! I took niece out for a walk in the pushchair and Mum got some jobs done, but I do think this has probably contributed to me not feeling great today.

MS things:
* Surveys done - SBs target met
* Daily comps entered - have been out of the habit of these, but felt like doing them this morning.
* Leftovers for dinner (DH is going out for 'free' sausage and mash with a friend - buy a drink at the pub, get free dinner!)
* Think it'll be a NSD for me - I'm not planning on going anywhere!

Gratitudes:
* The (first ever!) nappy I changed yesterday was wet, not pooey!
* The pear and chocolate pannettone DH brought back from Italy last week is yummy (we weren't sure it would be because of the pear)
* Various hopeful work prospects for next year
* There's blue sky outside - I might go for a short walk later

Karmacat

Ooh, be careful of your health! Worst time *ever* to fall ill, just before Christmas. I can see you're helping people out, though - such a difficult line to walk.

themadvix

Thanks KC. Am feeling much better today for a rest yesterday. And will continue to take it fairly easy today - some work, some housework and some baking. Have had letters about hospital appointments through, so am pleased they'll have sent me for tests before I see the cardiologist.

DH had to get up really early this morning as he'd promised a lift to a colleague before remembering that she'd moved last weekend and it would be much further to collect her! So I had furry company from about 5.45. On the lift front though, DH was also sent £100 from his regular lift share to cover the last couple of months - despite occasional times when one or the other of them isn't in the office, it seems to work really well and the money is a nice bonus. She invited us to a Christmas gathering last night, but because of my evening class we couldn't go, but we'll go for a drink at the pub at some point with her and her boyfriend - it will be nice to have some local friends.

On that note, I don't think I mentioned that BiL and his girlfriend have had an offer accepted on a house just over the road from ours - which is brilliant! We'll be making savings on cat-sitting and have neighbours to have over for drinks. Our best friends are also moving back into the county after living in Surrey for a few years, so 2018 promises to be a year of socialising (**Must, must, must get the decorating finished first though!)

MS things:
* Worky bits done this morning - a few small bits, but a minimum charge does help matters!
* Promise of a larger project arriving Thurs eve - DH is working between Christmas and NY, so if I don't get this done on Friday it's not the end of the world - this is from a returning new client
* Potential bigger project in the pipeline in Feb - also from a newly established client
* £50 Am voucher received as a thank you from another client - very kind, but unnecessary, but that's not to say I won't put it to good use!
* SBs done, survey done so daily target met (3 days in a row!). Looking forward to the Jan bonus.
* Comps entered

Gratitudes:
* A fun evening class last night
* The lebkuchen and mince pie slice that are in the oven
* Having finished the shopping - no need to venture out, just relaxing with Christmas music on the radio (listening to the traffic report always makes me grateful I'm not out in it!)

Jessy103

Glad you're feeling better MV. Congrats to your BIL & GF on the house, will you be getting them into the MFW frame of mind? Lol. Looks like you've got some good work projects to look forward to and I wish you the best of luck with them.
Have a fantastic Christmas and New Year! x

themadvix

Hi Jess, thanks and you too!

Erm.... yes.... it will be interesting to watch BiL and GF get their act together. Both currently live at their parents' homes on very low rent and are used to leaving everything on. BiL works in IT and we jokingly refer to his room at DH's parents as the 'server farm'. They also spend a lot on going out and on (unnecessary) stuff.... I think it's only because they're at home that they can afford it, so it will be interesting to see if they realise (I suspect not, saving for a deposit has taken longer than they intended). We will be more than happy to help them though - I'm very evangelical about MSE! DH's other brother is much more clued up - we enjoy talking about OPing and switching electricity etc! (BiL has asked for our bills plan, so there's hope - he's not stupid, just profligate!)

We bought the paint (tester pot) and hooks for the tree last night (total spend £4.62), so my next job this afternoon is to get it painted, ready for hanging when DH comes home tonight. I've done a couple of small bits of work this morning, but things are really quiet now (apart from project expected tonight).

In good news, I spotted a 'we missed you note' on our back step this morning.... turns out the missing book has been in our outside boiler cupboard for who knows how long!! :rotfl: The note was not in the usual place and we hadn't spotted it. So FiL's present is now complete and I can actually say I 'won something for Christmas'!

My records are very incomplete and only really started from when I started winning stuff, but through surveys (not all included, by any stretch!), wins, PB wins and savings through shopmium/vouchers/freebies I've made/saved £646 this year. :beer: Next year I intend to keep *much* better records though, as the true figure is probably substantially higher (for instance, I know we've got £70 sitting in our S&S account at the moment and it doesn't include any VB, YG or NV payouts). It's amazing what all the little bits can add up to. Just wish I'd been able to pay them all off the mortgage, but I guess that's for next year. Review coming shortly!

MS things this morning:
* SBs done, although still looking for a survey to get past daily goal; VB poll done
* £1.50 NV survey done (at £33 now)
* No heating on (since 7.30) - it's just not that cold
* Lunch from stores (jacket potato and Port Salut - no idea if the cheese will melt!)
* Milk cancelled for Friday (normal delivery moved, but that just doesn't work for us)
* S&S submitted - don't want to miss deadline as it's double points at the moment
* Not so MS, but finally inspired and bought DH's Christmas present....(can't say any more than that at the moment!)

Gratitudes:
* A clean and tidy house at last!
* Plenty of food in the cupboards
* Lovely veg box delivery ready for Christmas
* Health to get stuff done (gently)