The march to financial freedom

Ali-OK

Broggers - It's great when there is good financial stuff to report and it's made me think about the mid-month slump that will be up-and-coming. Time to do something about car booting and clearing the garage, though I said it last year and didn't do any I did empty the garage of the sports car though!!

Lilt - Interesting on the IFA and turnaround time with the figures! Will PM you with those when I have them if I may

We handled the gravel from the top of 'Fire Mountain' :eek: it was hot! Quite fancy walking on some too, might warm my tootsies up :rotfl:

I get ridiculously excited at the small amounts being saved - I really 'get it' about 'look after the pennies...'

Caught up on your thread too now, so that was my day sorted yesterday :rotfl: Just joking, as I did some work in the front garden, filled the green bin and that will be collected today. More to do later to get the pesky weeds out that seem to have grown up and out everywhere overnight :eek:

Fully unpacked and sorted out yesterday with a small pile of ironing to do, so after a good night's sleep it's back to lists and meal planning. Both done :T

Yet to do the food shop but we don't need much so should be less than £20 (famous last words!). Am off there next.

Already walked to the bank with doglets in tow (who they don't mind allowing in either) and deposited those £2 coins and Easter money - I maybe able to scrape in with £5,000.25 left at end of April, looking at what's to go out and they'll be work expenses to pay myself back.

Monthly use and pay off CC bill has landed, so full payment set up for 19th April.

DS's £100 to the H@lifox Reg Saver has gone out today. He's a friend coming over later which they've turned into a sleep over :mad: so I've got a batch chilli to make and we'll have that for dinner tonight.

Another gorgeous sunny day here so though I want to download and sort the mortgage spreadsheet, I'll keep for that for an evening or when the weather changes, I've got some keeping tan going work to do :rotfl:

Ali-OK

MollyMischief wrote: »

So glad you and DS had a great holiday!
X

Cross-posted! Hi Molly :wave:

Hope you're having a lovely Easter break off school with the kids. How is DH's new job going? Well I hope.

Emmala

Ali-OK wrote: »

Cross-posted! Hi Molly :wave:

Hope you're having a lovely Easter break off school with the kids. How is DH's new job going? Well I hope.

We broke up on Thursday so enjoying the first days of relaxation! DH is enjoying the challenge of being back in work, he's in Germany this week for the second week out of three, so I'm having to readjust to being at home with the kids......just like the old days but easier in many ways as they're older (no nappies!:rotfl:)

Slight wobble on his second day as I turned the lunchtime news on to hear about that awful plane crash in the Alps, just as DH was on a flight bound for Germany. It made me very glad that we hadn't got to the point of cancelling our life insurance, although I'd been tempted to save the monthly cost.

Have been enjoying a bit of a splurge (the kids were thrilled with boxes of branded cereal! :rotfl:) and as DH has officially begun work today we have been able to round off the tax credits year without losing out. New budget starts 1st May, and we need to pay off the debt which is approx £10k :eek: but I'm hoping that we can chuck about £1k a month at it so the aim is to end next year with savings again and be ready to remortgage so we can start paying down our rather large mortgage.

I'm still following your journey, inspiring as always but do make sure you look after yourself young lady!

Much love, Molly x

Ali-OK

All sounding very organised Molly and a great plan for you to be back in the black. Shall be cheering you on for sure.

:eek: How worrying with DH's flight and the Alps crash.

:rotfl: at the cereals, I do hope they appreciate the luxury of brands now!

I'm hoping I can keep this more relaxed me going, but suspect work will interfere quite quickly - I'm back to it tomorrow from home, then client site Thursday and Friday morning. Planning to enjoy sitting out in the garden Friday afternoon for the 20c forecast

Ali-OK

Achieved a fair amount today so quite pleased.

- Food shop done and came in at £20.18 - knew I'd sounded the death knell of getting it under £20 by posting it this morning :rotfl:

- All the ironing and putting away done :T

- Finished front garden - looking nice and tidy, turned over and more level. Just need some plants in there now :rotfl: It's where an unsightly rockery made of old concrete bits was removed as part of the garden work last autumn.

- Batch chilli made, considering extra portion used for DS's friend, I managed to get 4 more meals out of it and into the freezer.

Tonight I've eaten half a very large Easter Egg because I'm worth it :rotfl:.

Jobs still to do:

- Contact IFA to arrange next appointment
- Write and put money in nephew's birthday card
- Phone D@ligas... not had the annual bill from March still, they didn't take the March DD, so that's worrying me a little.

Other than that, it's work stuff tomorrow. Will keep that minimal if the sun is back and I can find something outdoors to do

liltdiddylilt

Hello you!!

Of course PM me your figures if I can't make head nor tale of it myself I've got a lot of people around me who can although if you need a mortgage or PMI/life insurance recommendation I'm your girl these days apparently... :eek:

£20 for a weekly post holiday shop? What insanity is this?!? :rotfl: I made a chilli the other day and it made 8 big portions with 500g of mince and it was delicious. (N.B marjoram for the shopping list :wall:)

Am now wishing for winter weather tomorrow after wishing for it to be good all week, because my new £130 (I paid £35) skiing weatherproof all singing all dancing coat arrived and it is far too warm, and I am NOT waiting till winter to wear it :rotfl:

Lots of love, don't work too hard! xx

Ali-OK

Evening Diary

Busy day all round here. A late start to work stuff what with sorting 2 teenage boys out with breakfast - no mean feat when all answers to questions are grunts :rotfl:

Work all caught up on and prepped for tomorrow. Not achieved anything from the leftover To Do list - will be Friday before I can get to most of them, with one I need to do in time for tomorrow night.

Lilt - Food shop low-ness is down to meal planning and using plenty from the freezer - and being a short week . Chilli is 8 portions I guess - 4 'chinese take away' size boxes, each feeding both of us a decent meal We're also out on Sunday so no lunch or eve meals to supply.

Half the 750g of mince I've turned into bolognaise as well, so even more batches in the freezer now :eek: Running out of room!

Tonight, I've used a YS pack of beef strips and added a beef casserole mix, we're having that with mash and fresh veg and a yorkie pud Should have plenty left for some tomorrow night in readiness for needing a quick dinner.

Nothing moved on the financials today - a NSD :j

Going to crack on with the final bits of Year End tonight, Accountant will wonder why he's not got my figures otherwise - I usually have them in straight away

Hope everyone has had a good day - and what fab weather for those off this week.

liltdiddylilt

Have been loving the weather today! A lovely day at the park was had feeding the squirrels and sliding So nice to not need a coat finally!!

Love your meal planning. I wish to god I had the staying power to do it. I manage a weeks worth once every 4 months or so

Yay for NSD. Same here :j and what time do you want me for dinner tomorrow? love yorkies, and beef casserole! xx

Ali-OK

Lilt - I think your snow coat will get it's first use next week, not that I'm wishing the sunshine away. Loving it and getting outdoors

When I meal plan, it's good, when I don't, it's dismal for food shop bill and waste :eek:

:rotfl: Wouldn't be surprised if DS raids the beef casserole whilst I'm out today. Got a freezer back up if so

So last night I finished Year End and that's all dropboxed to Mr Accountant for his whizz of turning it into 'proper' accounts and telling me I've over-calculated tax and here's a few hundred spare

Nephew's cards written and cash inserted ready to take tonight.

Emailed IFA with suggested dates/times to meet.

Which just leaves D@ligas to phone and work to go to... better get my backside in gear and disappear then :rotfl:

Have a good day all

Ali-OK

Something very weird is happening since debt freedom - I am chasing people for utility bills :rotfl:

Yesterday it was D@ligas who were super-quick to answer the phone again and super-helpful :T I'm impatient apparently bill should arrive in next 2-3 weeks and new DD won't start until after that..which means I'm £54.46 better off as I left March's DD in the budget and it wasn't taken :T I'll up the SO to the Reg Saver to £350 so it earns 4% gross interest til June when that finishes.

Similarly, our Water supplier hasn't written to me (or if they did, neither letters have arrived) to advise they're no longing using the bank's Bill Manager system to post bills to as well the SoLo rate disappearing. So I phoned them too

I've made a decision to stop the monthly DD, so I can have bills twice a year on their new e-billing system (it's annual on DD) and only pay for what I've used, as it's not like gas and elec with the ability to give a reading and adjust DD if appropriate. I'll earn the interest on what I put aside thanks very much SO to Reg Saver £375 then

Slowly getting myself back into the depths of work, clearly trying to avoid it with the sunshine and patio sitting with cups of tea this afternoon

LO beef casserole was still intact on returning yesterday and was our dinner before we enjoyed HM birthday cake for nephew's birthday. Same day as Lilt's Jelly but in last year of teens for DN.

IFA meeting is on 22nd April

My Mum is pretty poorly She has Pulmonary Fibrosis and has done brilliantly to date having been given a terminal diagnosis and 5 years - still here nearly 11 years on. But looks very much like she's progressing quite quickly into the next stage. Always a battler, so hoping against hope she perks up but we know she won't improve. She was born with the issue that caused this, so it's dogged her all her life in various ways and she's done amazingly well to stay with us this long. She makes up for her physical ability in her mental state and that sharp tongue

She'll be around all the extended family on Sunday as we head to a family bash for my Great Great Aunt's 95th birthday.

Back out to enjoy the sunshine for a while I think. Happy Weekend everyone