EH - Keeping on track. (AKA focus Woman! FOCUS!)

cazmanian_minx

EssexHebridean wrote: »

Caz - it's the Canon 100-400mm - Been saving for 18 months and finally there - just got to get the nerve to buy it! looking forward to having it for some Airshow action this summer!

Ahhhh, I splashed on one of those when we moved here You won't regret it, it's an amazing lens

EssexHebridean

Souk08 wrote: »

Just popping in to say hello and great to see that you've got bits of your holiday sorted already :jAlways a good feeling. :T

Liking the grocery budget and the goals. :money:x

:hello: Ahhh...another familiar face! Thanks for stopping by Souk - love getting holiday stuff sorted, I know you feel the same! (Rather different sort of holiday though usually! )

lionheartedgirl wrote: »

ooh a few old/friendly faces in here think I will tag along too

not sure I will make the Hebrides this year but will definitely be spending a fair bit of time - as much as possible - in the far north :j

Happy New Year EH X

:hello: And another! This is getting to be just like old times! Happy New Year to you too!

cazmanian_minx wrote: »

Ahhhh, I splashed on one of those when we moved here You won't regret it, it's an amazing lens

Everyone keeps telling me the same thing - I'm convinced! Was browsing this morning - OneStop Digital, from Hong Kong, paid by bank transfer for an extra 2% off is looking like the [STRIKE]cheapest[/STRIKE] least expensive way of doing it.

Didn't manage a NSD - we did the first chunk of one of the walks on our list, got distracted at the other end by Home Bargains, and then popped into Tesco to check for reductions. Another £1.06 on the grocery spend, but for that we got two lots of soup, a big pack of bread rolls, a loaf of bread, a small piece of Wensleydale cheese with cranberries, and a pack of raisin and cinnamon bagels. Bargain!

I've done a meal plan for the rest of the week, and will portion out cereal for breakfasts at work too - I usually make flapjacks to take in but ran out of time today, so the next best thing is to take cereal. If I leave it to do each morning it won't happen, so doing four tubs and taking them all with me tomorrow is the way forward.

We had a bit of a play with the mortgage spreadsheet earlier on too and after some debate have decided that it's time to set a proper target date for getting it gone. At the moment our figures say we're due to get it paid off in March 2018, so in order to make it a bit of a challenge....

...I hereby declare that our mortgage will be paid off on, or before, 24th July 2017

Nothing like a firm statement for focusing the mind, eh?! :eek:

cazmanian_minx

Try someone like Caxton FX for the bank transfer as well as your own bank - they save me about £30 on a £2,000 supplier payment.

EssexHebridean

Thanks for that Caz - I think I'm right in saying that one stop have a UK bank account though - another advantage in using them!

Greying_Pilgrim

Love that you have 'set a date' EH.

Here's to the 24th July, 2017 :beer: 'Coz I know you'll achieve your aim

Greying

EssexHebridean

Oh good, well as long as someone does.... :eek:_pale_:whistle:

Seriously, we know it's possible, it's just whether it's probable that's the question! Anyway, remembered in the nick of time last night that Mr EH was out of the home made muffins he takes for breakfasts so I threw together a quick batch of those. This weeks food will be a potato-free zone - didn't have any but as we DID have rice, pasta & couscous a-plenty I decided against buying any either. OK Pippi - sit down, I know that a tattie-free zone brings you out in hives! :rotfl:

We also have the remainder of a rather lovely "posh" loaf bought from the gorgeous local artisan bakers on saturday, so I have decreed that tonight will be a "things on toast" night - probably eggs. Other planned meals for the week:
Tue: sausages, veg, couscous
Wed: sausage pasta incorporating the remaining roast veg from yesterday
Thur: Butternut Squash risotto - I'll lob some peas into this as well. Hopefully I have arborio rice - if not I'll turn it into a pilaff
Fri: A new recipe to try - Rick Stein's Goat curry from his new India book. :T
Saturday: Tea will be crumpets & cheese - lunch will be whatever I can find as Mr EH will be at rugby
Sunday: too far ahead to think about yet but lunch will be portable as weather permitting we're doing the first stretch of our Thames path walk - dinner might be a slow-cooker creation so we've got something to come home to.

Foods that need using:
The rest of the limes
The rest of the lemons
half a pack of digestives (might be another cheesecake coming on!)
A beetroot
The other half of the butternut squash.
Assorted bready things in freezer and lots of soups bought Y/S'd - factor these in for one meal a week from next week.

starnac

Wow I can't believe you have half a packet of biscuits that "need to be used"!!! Half a packet of biscuits is not a concept in our house unless one of the kids (probably DS) is using it against me while on the phone to childline

I too have faith that you will reach your MF date. 2017 doesn't actually seem that far away!!

EssexHebridean

:rotfl: in fairness, they are T*sco value plain digestives - I only bought them for the christmas cheesecake, and they are about the ONLY form of biscuits that are safe from MrEH, too!

Today is not going to be a NSD - MrEH has gone home from work poorly-sick, which means he's taken the car, which we both travelled into London in this morning....this means tube and bus home for me - £2.30 on the tube and probably somewhere between £4.50 - £5 on the bus. on the plus side I did blag the bus fare off Mr EH when he came to collect the car key.

EssexHebridean

List: (Things I would like to be able to cross off by the end of this month)

- [STRIKE]Re-do blog to archive "Simplify it 2013" page, and start a new one for "2014 - the year of walking"[/STRIKE] done Wed 08/01/14
- [STRIKE]Lee valley walk - 1 section [/STRIKE] Done Sun 05/1/14
- [STRIKE]Thames path - 1 section[/STRIKE] Done - 8 miles - Sun 12/1/14
- [STRIKE]Offer a days work to our City office on Friday 24th January - I need to be in London anyway and this will mean an extra lump to the mortgage.[/STRIKE] Conscious decision not to do this.
- If the extra day is declined, use the travel into London to tick off one of the Jubilee Walkway walks
- Respond to the council on the Major Works dispute
- Order new lens
- [STRIKE]ebay return - only needs something printed and then the thing stuck back in the post[/STRIKE] Done Tue 07/01/14
- [STRIKE]Meal plan for the next 3 weeks through to the beginning of Feb[/STRIKE] Done Thur 09/01/14
- To have done one of the outstanding jobs on the flat.
- [STRIKE]Cook one new recipe[/STRIKE] Done - a curry from the Rick stein India book.
- 217,000 steps between 1st - 31st January

starnac

Poor mr EH. Hope he is okay? :rotfl: at you blagging bus fare off him