6 grand in 6 months - my personal challenge!

HOK3Y

cottage_retreatist wrote: »

I'll get the live in au pair to do it obviously!!!!!!! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Lol!! Let me know how that works out for ya! :D:D:rotfl::D:D:D

cottage_retreatist

HOK3Y wrote: »

Lol!! Let me know how that works out for ya! :D:D:rotfl::D:D:D

Male au pair obviously - if they exist? Don't want too much temptation for the OH if the post-twins body isn't a svelte model size zero after a week or two of giving birth!!!! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Ah the dream world never ends cause one thing's for sure - I ain't a size zero even now!!!!!!! :D:D

cottage_retreatist

OK! Morning, morning people and I feel all ready for action stations at this point!

I've got my chocolate fondant hagdaz i got for only 1.30 for a full 500ml pot (reduced to clear), I've got my banana smelling e-cig, I've got my notebooks and my coffee, only thing I could really do with is a cheeky rockstar energy drink!!! But i am ready to ROCK!!!!!!! :j

The big question of the day - is it worth trying to battle my DCA down an extra few pounds and the hassle of psyching the OH up to phone them or should I just pay the amount they offered online? It's so tricky!!!

Next question - why isn't it the 15th today so I can use OH's wages to pay off even more debts? :mad: (only 3 days to wait!!!)

Final question - what the beep am I going the get my mother for Christmas?!!!! I've joined Charleybear's Christmas present challenge: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4785346 so I'm going to dedicate a bit of this weekend to checking sites for prices, trying to squirrel info out of people about what they want, etc etc!! My OH has run out of his lovely smelling cologne but I want to buy his something special this year - not just smellies!!!! Hmm, time to ponder methinks!

I love really autumnal weather - it really kicks the Xmas spirit into me!!!! yay!!! :santa2: :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

hope y'all having a good Saturday too?
xxxx

HOK3Y

Hiya C-R! Might be worth just paying what they have offered given OH is possibly feeling overwhelmed/out of control at the mo. But I wish you luck regardless! Keep us posted so we can celebrate with you!

Urg, Christmas! Have you thought about making something? Can you knit/crochet? I used to make lovely scarves in really unusual wool for good friends and family. I'm dreading November because I have TONS of birthdays: hubby, my 2 best friends, my son, my neice.....it's just painful! I guess it's just going to be an expensive couple of months for us all unfortunately. But if you come up with a genius idea, do share! I'll take all the help I can get!

cottage_retreatist

HOK3Y wrote: »

Hiya C-R! Might be worth just paying what they have offered given OH is possibly feeling overwhelmed/out of control at the mo. But I wish you luck regardless! Keep us posted so we can celebrate with you!

Urg, Christmas! Have you thought about making something? Can you knit/crochet? I used to make lovely scarves in really unusual wool for good friends and family. I'm dreading November because I have TONS of birthdays: hubby, my 2 best friends, my son, my neice.....it's just painful! I guess it's just going to be an expensive couple of months for us all unfortunately. But if you come up with a genius idea, do share! I'll take all the help I can get!

hey HOK3Y! thanks! he's playing GTA5 at the mo but I'll check with him a little later and if he's not up for it I might just pay -getting bored of this waiting around now!!!

I don't knit or crochet - although I tried to teach myself both in the past - i didn't like the feeling of the wool passing between my hands - dunno if that sounds weird? :rotfl: but I do cook - so jams will be in the hampers as well as mini xmas cakes - on the hampers thread at the moment looking for inspiration!! I think to make them fun I'm going to put in some of those xmas scratchcards - you never know they might win and give us half the winnings! and an M&S 10 quid giftcard per hamper so they have it if they want to treat themselves to food they don't usually buy or can't usually afford to treat themselves to!

i'm trawling for inspiration and I'll keep you updated!! :beer:

ps - just read on that other board someone is making their nephew a 'pulling' hamper complete with lucky pants and a box of condoms - I dare you to do one for your son!!!! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

xx

HOK3Y

ROFL!!!!!! He'll be 15 next month so darn well better not need 'pulling pants' or condoms!!!! LOL! I'm still getting over the shock that he took a friend's daughter to homecoming and he's now officially a cool member of the American football team at school!

I LOVE the idea of the hampers - really, truly, love that idea. You have my wheels a'turning in my mind! Think those would be great for the 3 couples I buy for. And I could make some of my favourite things to put in as long as I delivered them that day......hmmmmm, like it very much! Thanks for the idea!

cottage_retreatist

hahahaha!!! he sounds like an extra from an american high school programme! Member of the american football team! That's great!

I love hamper - been doing them for a few years now but I was just saying to my OH - I feel as though I really can't top some hampers I've done in the past and it kinda makes me feel upset. Example -one year in her hamper my mum got 3 pashminas in different colours, and dead sea beauty products and an olivewood carved nativity set all bought form the market in Jerusalem and when I visited the Dead Sea and I bought my nan xmas tree decorations from Nazareth.

How can something from even J0hn Lewis top that?!! Cause I've been looking to buy her some baubles to put in her hamper so when she brings them out every year she looks at them and it's a forever gift but none of them have the same magic!!!!

Oh well, thinking cap is firmly on! Deffo not flying out to Israel to make it special :rotfl: but I'm sure i'll think of something low budget but great!!

gargh! why did I used to have money - I suppose the question is more - why did I allow myself to become without money!!!!!!!

Saver-upper

Hi,Cottage Retreatist,
I have spent the last 4 hours reading your diary from start to now,and I must say," WELL DONE YOU!!!":beer::A:money:
You have done absolutely brilliant debt-kicking over the last few months:YOU GO GIRL!!

I love your attitude,and humour (and the fact you wear the debt-busting trousers around your house!!!)

Good luck with the diary,stay positive,I am subscribing.

cottage_retreatist

Hello saver-upper!!!! :hello:

Welcome to my little world - and thank you so much for your kind words!!!!! I seem to have put a lot of money into something that's for sure!!!! :rotfl: But I won't know how well we've done til December 31st which I have already dedicated to doing all the accurate totals to recalculate our debt level. I do hope we get down to 12 grand by then but I don't calculate interest on my spreadsheet so It's not a totally accurate total that I have running at the moment!!

I was doing some 'play' paying off on my spreadsheet to look at what will happen at the end of this month and I'm so excited! If all goes to plan a total of 6 creditors by 15th October should be paid off!!! :j Only 10 left to go!!! :eek:

Sending the letters for Wongka on Monday re F&F offer (wish me luck!!) and removal of the double default on OH's credit files. Would love to have this one gone by Xmas as this is one of the defaults on OH's credit file but then only MMF will be an issue - eek!!!!!!!! :eek:

I'm already thinking about how much we could save after being debt free and my aim is in 1 year to save up 20k - it's ambitious but I reckon saving is much more enjoyable that paying off debts!!!! So that's my aim!!!!!!! :cool:

Could be a bit premature but I'm a planner through and through!!!

PS - OH didn't call the DCA but gosh darn it - Monday or else!!!!! Classic OH this is - stalling rather than facing something! :mad:

HOK3Y

cottage_retreatist wrote: »

I'm already thinking about how much we could save after being debt free and my aim is in 1 year to save up 20k - it's ambitious but I reckon saving is much more enjoyable that paying off debts!!!!

I think that's a great aim and I reckon if anyone can do it, you can! You have some serious determination and you have to aim high. I'll follow along and cheerlead!!

I think you might have to rethink the twins and the Au pair though....:D