Mortgage Free in 10 years

megela

Second job payday today - £50 to DD1s school trip - now complete, and £25 to Log burner pot.

Received £50 cheque from N£wvist@, and £15 luv2sh0p vouchers from T0luna - all OPd.:T

Am not doing full shop this week as we're already pretty well stocked, so hopefully will have some leftovers from food budget - we'll see after the week is out. DH has a habit of not fancying what we've got and 'popping' out to get dinner and spending a small fortune!

Off to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park on Saturday, also probably London Eye, Buy 1 get 1 free with train tickets. My granma sent us a cheque for £40 to share for Xmas, so thought it better to make memories with it than waste on tat.

Mortgage_Reduction_Novice

Hi Megela,

An activity to remember with the money from your Granma sounds like a lovely idea. I keep meaning to do the London Eye each time our Tesco Clubcard Points rack up but then I find something else more worthy! This year we used them for activities on a city break and we're doing the same over the Christmas holidays - neither in London though!

Fortune_Smiles

Oooh - London Eye sounds fabulous Megela. Mr F told me he loved me for the first time on the London Eye so fond memories.

Fortune x

megela

Hi MRN & Fortune Smiles, we're keeping it a surprise from the girls, I've been on before, but DH & girls haven't so I think it'll be a nice surprise.

I've still got the £40 my granma sent us last year so that's paying for Winter Wonderland & lunch as well. So hopefully we'll have a lovely Christmas day out making memories.

Decorated Gingerbread men & ladies with girls last night, wrapped in cellophane for them to give to family and friends.

On MFW news received £10 *rgos voucher from S&S so OPd.

shala_moo

I shall be attempted my first gingerbread house this weekend.. any foolproof tips for a beginner.. do you stick it together with chocolate or icing?

I imagine it'll collapse whatever i do :rotfl:but it's the trying that counts surely?

megela

shala_moo wrote: »

I shall be attempted my first gingerbread house this weekend.. any foolproof tips for a beginner.. do you stick it together with chocolate or icing?

I imagine it'll collapse whatever i do :rotfl:but it's the trying that counts surely?

I find it easier to make a front and back, with 2 roofs and no sides. The roof pieces then reach to the floor.

Previous years we've done it with sides and you spend ages balancing it and trying to stop it collapsing or the roof sliding off.

Also use very thick royal icing to stick it together, it sets hard quickly and stops it falling apart. Would post a photo of ours but no idea how.

Most of all have fun with it, my house smells of gingerbread now - gorgeous.

Good luck and a Happy Christmas!!! :xmassmile

megela

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas.

Second job payday yesterday - £75 to Logburner pot - now £465.

Also main payday, £300 regular OP made - knocked another month off - now July 2031, offset interest should knock another off next week. Hoping to have knocked a full year off at the end of Jan - 3 months early to target of a year off in a year.

Also £175 to holiday pot - now £711.

Have given up with food budget until after new year when I'll start again.

misscousinitt

Hi Megela

Happy New Year.

Here's hoping 2013 is great for you.

MCI
xxx

megela

Thank you MCI - I'm hoping 2013 is a little quieter for us.

Hasn't started well as moved DD2s bed to put some shelves up and found a great damp patch under the window. We need the window replacing anyway so hopefully that will solve it. No idea what is is otherwise.

This weeks food shopping well under budget due to using stocks up, so bought MILs birthday present from budget and transferred £25 to holiday clothes pot. £137.50/£250.

Have decided to set myself several things to be achieved in Jan - just minor things.

a) - 8 visits to Gym
b) - lose 3lb
c) - watch all 7 episodes of The Paradise which are taking up room on sky+
d) get to Warwick Castle to buy Merlin Passes while they are on sale - was given £200 bonus from 2nd job, and have some £100 left from cash MIL gave us before Xmas. We then need to make sure we use them every month.
e) - get quote for en-suite - easier said than done as no-one gets back to me!

megela

Think I've got the January blues so feel the need to record what we have achieved in the house in the last year.

a) - paid off £2584.98 extra on mortgage, reducing it from a high of £111820.57 to £105580.95. A reduction of £5939.62.
b) Replaced french doors, boiler and TV aerial.
c) Finished hallway after 3 years.
d) [STRIKE]£855.96 [/STRIKE] £905.96 (missed hal1£ax rewards off) earnt from surveys etc.

House aims for 2013

a) Completely strip and replace en-suite.
b) Completely strip and renovate lounge, including plaster, woodwork, curtains & carpet.
c) Get mortgage to under £100k.