Vala's frugal journey to be MF!!

Vala-Mal-Doran

Sooo, im officially rubbish at knitting!! :rotfl: I understand the stitches but i end up with gaps and double loops everywhere! Im on my fourth attempt at the moment...wish me luck!

Mortgage wise notna lot to report im afraid-just sitting on the pennies as best I can so they dont escape

Trying still to cut down our energy bills, toyed with the idea of getting one of thiose monitors but it seems detrimental seeing as the cheapest one iv seen is £20! Id be a nightmare to live with tho :rotfl: oh wouldnt be aloowed to switch ANYTHING on!

Have made a draught exluder for our living room door-well its half made, im just gradually filling it up with cut up clothes etc, that shoukd stop the heat escaping when it gets chilly.

Have started giving myself a weekley budget-drawing out cash on monday and thats it until next week and it seems to be working, its only because we have a very expensive wedding to attend at the end of the month, iv set some money aside mentally and trying to forget about it! I feel bad thinking about it in terms of Money but when the hen weekend cost £190 I cant help but add up the 4 hours each way petrol cost, ths present and the b&b (found one £60 for 2 nights not £630 to stay in the cottages she wants us in:eek:) and on top of that iv had to buy a hat as she wants all women to wear hats etc im trying not to mentally tot it up...

Vala-Mal-Doran

Sorry for my absence - have been spending too long on the Old Style boards - particularly the baking ones, we were given some plums that were too small to have raw so needed some inspo for some pies. They came out ok actually and so followed biscuits more pies and even oh made an apple pie from scratch - he's never ever baked before! I was so proud! :T Unfortunately I then found a shed load of weevils in some of my bread flours so they had to be chucked - grr, I hate wasting stuff like that.

Monthly O/P will be made next weekend - cannot wait!! :j

I also must make sure i stop playing with the overpayment calculator on my spreadsheet...working out that if we overpay 10,000 a month we can be MF next year! ...and then I come back to earth and remember that we are still going to be stuck with it for another 28 or so years ...oh well - on ward and (hopefully) downwards!

Vala-Mal-Doran

Hello again!!

Its been a while, been going through a few tough times this last few months due to health and other things but trying to get back on top of things now.

The overpayments only wained twice and we're now fully back on track and hope to be under 100,000 by the end of march! Iv now got to work out somnd of rota for getting on with those surveys and review websites which I signed up to a while ago but never got aroundnto properly doing but I know that free money is free money and I fully intend to make as much as possible this year!

We are on a strict spending fast between now and mid feb as we have booked a trip to Japan, we hve been talking about it for a while and if we dont take these two weeks we will have to wait until oct/nov until we can go due to work. This probably seems a bit of a splurge but this tends to be what me and oh work for (besides mortgage clearing!!) We dont drink, smoke, eat out or buy expensive clothes. I really cant wait, im looking forward to discovering the japanese traditions and zen buddhist ways of living...and lots of sushi!! Staying in traditional ryokans whilst there to keep the cost down as only £35 a night for the two of us!

Going to be keeping a spending diary and hoping to only spend £20 on the weekly shops until then, however its proving fifficult when you want fresh veggies!
Will hopefully post more of a 'plan' tomorrow.

Vala-Mal-Doran

Quite a productive day today - I signed up to sw@gbucks and 2 other survey websites and checked my topcashback only to find £60 that I had from our car insurance that i had completely forgotten about so have arranged for that to be paid into my account ready to be OP's, i know a lot of people get the amazon vouchers as it gives a little more back but im not sure we'd get the most out of them as we dont use it that often.

Saved a few pennies on tea tonight as was donated some oatcakes from mum (the proper staffordshire kind from down the road!) so had them with some cheese and ham and mushrooms - nom nom, bit unhealthy but i know if we put them in the freezer they would be lost forever until the next clear out and it saves our usual sunday MrA pizza for another weekend.

I really wanted to make this angel food cake which i have bought a couple of ingredients specially for it this weekend and i havent made it im hoping il have time one night this week - fat chance!

Planned spends this week are for a birthday present for my mum, i am really stuck on what to get tho and internet shopping could be out of the question as its on thursday!!

Vala-Mal-Doran

Writing from my bed today - I am off with some kind of flu

Happy tho as the tCB payment appeared in my account and has been swiftly o/p'd to the mortgage. Meaning that once next months payment and regular o/p has been made we will be £50 away from getting under the 100,000 point!! :j

We have almost taken a year off our end date too, a few mse celebrations will be in order when those mini milestones are reached!

Iv canceled my gym membership too, im finding it much easier to stick with my workout dvd's and will be taking up running again once im back on my feet and they dont cost a thing! It was only £30 a month but i havent been for at least 2 months and I cant justify that waste!

One the MF front - i have been keeping on top of my survey sites and answering as many as I can although it really disheartening to get screened out of a lot of them. Im sticking with it!:T

Vala-Mal-Doran

The plus side of being ill in bed...getting to catch up on everyones diaries and making a dent in the recommended reading of The millionaire next door. (Free pdf version of course :money: )

Today is most definitely a NSD too. :j

Got to look on the bright side of runny nose and shivers.:T

edinburgher

I really cant wait, im looking forward to discovering the japanese traditions and zen buddhist ways of living...and lots of sushi!! Staying in traditional ryokans whilst there to keep the cost down as only £35 a night for the two of us!

Oh wow - that sounds so exciting - definitely on our bucket list

Ps. Are you bored by TMND yet? Statistics do not an exciting book make.

Vala-Mal-Doran

Haha - I will admit to skipping a few of those tables until something catches my eye!
'How I lived on £1 a day' is a much better read IMHO.

Vala-Mal-Doran

So another NSD for me - being in bed sniffling all day tends to help these along a bit!

Not a lot to report really, doing well not to have the heating on in the day so I am not using more than we would do on a normal work day just because I am home. I can huddle under the duvet and copious fleeces anyway!

We have 2 free tickets for the Destinations show this weekend and I REALLY want to go, OH is saying if im ill we really shouldnt but Michaela Straken and julia Bradbury are giving talks and theres always free nibbles its usually a good day out ~(we only go when we get the free tickets mind) My plan is to dose up on ibuprofen in the morning and jump around going 'Look - im better now!!' :j just like that little guy!

Fingers crossed he believes me!!:p

littlegreenpeas

If you really want to go to the show, your body will work out a way to do it.


LGP