Going to get rid of my mortgage!

Spendless

bbh30 wrote: »

Hope your girl child had a good birthday Spendless.

She did in the end and I pulled off a party for her with just one days notice to go ahead on Bank Holiday Monday. I rounded up 4 of her friends having only got facebook details to contact one of them and knowing where the other 2 lived. I banged on their doors on Easter Sunday to ask if they could go, had to re-arrange timings when the time I wanted got booked up 20 mins before I emailed to say I wanted it but ended up going to kfc with the husband, boy child, girl child and friends and then taking the girls on to a photoshoot party where they had groups shots, individual photos, one with each of her friends and then groups shots with accessories eg feather boas and hats. After that it was back to ours for birthday cake and 'kids champagne' which is actually fizzy apple juice but comes in a bottle with a cork and opens just like a champagne bottle. We buy it when we go to France and try to keep bottle in for special occassions. All the girls get 2 photos of the day, a group shot plus one other, but they won't be available for a week, so I'd got party bags ready. Asda had a load of reduced items in their stationery so a tube of coloured pencils (50p) pack of 2 girly rubbers, flower and buttefly (10p) and a pack of 4 tubes of smarties split down (£1) meant I did bags for 85p. The next time her birthday falls Easter Sunday is her 21st and I've already told her she has to sort out her own party.:rotfl:

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Grocery bills are a pain. Mr S keeps coming home saying <insert supermarket> has put up their prices and I'm' no it's the cost of food in general that has gone up' Have you ever ventured onto the Oldstyle board for ideas on reducing food costs?

Well done on the cc. £2k in 2 weeks is good going!

bbh30

Sounds like a great party Spendless. My colleague did a photoshoot party for her girl in her last year of primary school and I thought it sounded like a really nice idea- especially as some of them were going off to different secondary schools.

I do go on the OS board but I really do think we eat pretty cheaply as it is. We probably only eat meat a couple of times a week, and the meat meals we do eat, I tend to cook in bulk and freeze portions. I bulk out meals with lentils and veggies. I make all our own bread, and snacks. I don't buy any ready meals or cooking sauces etc. In fact the only thing I think I buy that is an "extravagance" is fruit and vegetables that aren't always in season, e.g. strawberries, but the kids love them and I am loathe to stop buying them when it is healthy food that they love. I try to encourage them to snack on apples etc which are cheaper but they do love their berries!!

Had a lovely no spend day today. I keep reading on facebook about people moaning about the cold but I really dont think it is that cold! Surely if you wrap up warm then it is fine! I took the kids out for a LOOOONG walk this afternoon around the lakes and through woods, we all wrapped up warm and it was very pleasant. Girl child went to play at a friends house for a few hours this morning.

Now Im just trying to think of free activities to do tomorrow. We have a local farm shop which is meant to be quite nice with animals to look at so maybe we will go there in the afternoon for a nosey around. Lots of other parents have recommended it to me, but Ive never been before. Hmm maybe I could also take them swimming as we have our free swimming here.

bbh30

Feeling a bit blue today, no money to do anything, weather is just soo rubbish, kids are driving me up the wall. I have been very shouty at them today feeling a bit guilty now. We went to the farm this morning but it was so so bitterly cold we only lasted about half an hour outside with the animals. Came home and the kids and I made some rice krispie cakes, then we popped to Tesco to get some Fondant icing for the girl child's birthday cake- we are having her (postponed) party on sunday (it was meant to be a week ago). I got a few other bits for the party- some crisps etc- paid for the whole lot using clubcard vouchers. I know it's not the most efficient use of clubcard vouchers but I had them to hand and cash is in limited supply at the moment.
We are meant to be having a friend come to visit tomorrow with her 2 kids, going to make some bread for lunch tomorrow morning and we have plenty of ham, cheese etc for sandwich fillings.

I made a massive portion of mixed bean and lentil chilli for dinner tonight which was delicious, Ive got 3 more dinners for the freezer, and I made a huge pile of garlic flatbreads which can also be frozen.

Spendless

The weather is bitterly cold. I'm as bored of this winter as I am the current Government. Both make me feel as though I am living thru the month of January on a permanent loop.:rotfl:

What happened to the going swimming? I took my girl child today and her friend and forgot our towels cost me £10 in asda on replacement ones! Isn't there anything running for the Easter hols? My daughter is going to a sports camp next week at her school. It was £10 per day but £40 for 5 days which I booked, then she got a place on a science day at the local comp which she'll eventually go to and her brother already attends. Really excited for her, only 5 children from her year are selected (about 70 in her year). Son did it too in yr 5 but we've always been aware that he's good at science, we were surprised with the girl one. Her brother claimed that she 'just repeats everything he says and if we owned a pet parrot that would get a place too'

bbh30

Ah thats lovely Spendless, how great to get a place there! I havn't booked them into any holiday clubs this holiday as I was trying to save money- this week coming we have lots of activities and days out planned- last week was just a bit "dry".

Today we had the girl child's birthday party- they had a film afternoon, all wore pyjamas, followed by an Easter egg hunt in the garden, and then sandwichs and cakes before going home. I was pleased from a money saving point of view (was cheap as chips to run) but not very pleased as to be honest it didn't go very well. There are quite a few "problem children" in her class, which when all put in a room together, spent the whole time arguing and screaming. I ended up having the switch the film off and put my teacher voice on to sort them all out. I just felt so sad for a couple of the quieter ones who were obviously pushed to the sidelines. When it was all finished and everybody had gone home, I asked girl child if she enjoyed it, and she said, "not really, x, x and x were just so naughty, they are worse when they are excited and I think they were excited". However, it has given me a pretty unique insight into the dynamics of her class, and pretty much made my mind up that we will definately move their school when we move house.

newgirly

Hi bbh30,I've just read your whole diary you are doing very well sticking to a tight budget and having the new house to look forward to should help spur you on, best of luck !

bbh30

Brilliant news today! I applied for a new Nationwide current account (they give preferential rates to prospective mortgage customers) about a month ago- the account was set up but none of my direct debits came out. They rang me today and said there had been a computer error and they were so sorry that the direct debits hadn't been set up, they are giving me £100 to say sorry!! Excellent!! I am so happy about this- an extra £100 will come in so useful over the next week or so.
There was no NSD for me today- we went to the big adventure playground at a local science exhibition type place- they have recently started charging to park there so that cost me £2 in parking. Then I bought the kids an ice cream each (strange children, it was freezing cold!)- which cost another £3.70. Expensive ice creams there The husband has now gone to Germany for the week and I emptied his pockets of any spare change before he went (he has no need for £ in Germany so I may as well be helpful and relieve him of the excess weight!!!:) ) So I used that money for car park and ice creams, so bank account not touched.

Thistlewhistle

Your ice creams were not so bad as the ones in Rome BB! We paid €10 for two the other day.:eek:

QB_Wolf

bbh30 wrote: »

an extra £100 will come in so useful over the next week or so.

:T That is a nice little bonus.

Spendless

Ice creams can cost a fortune. I am waiting for someone to develop a portable mini freezer.:D