A Fresh Start

a_fresh_start

Good news! after sending a querying email about the length of time a transaction had been sitting as tracked, I’ve got £42.41 quidco cashback confirmed and winging its way to me in the next payment run! So that’s a decent additional mortgage overpayment!

After reading T-rex’s comment yesterday afternoon (cheers T-Rex!!!), I texted my friend (who introduced me to the Personal trainer) early this morning and suggested we try to train together once a week. He came back and suggested twice a week so are splitting the cost! BOOST!!!! This means I can have 2 shared sessions and a single session per week for the same price as two single sessions. The Personal Trainer assures us that we will get just as much out of it - hopefully we train well together and it’s not much of a compromise. Although it’s not a saving to the monthly budget as I’ll be paying the same amount to the Personal Trainer, I am getting more out of my hard earned cash (3 sessions instead of 2 per week). So chuffed.

Need to nip to the supermarket tonight and get some essentials...milk, fresh veg/fruit for lunches, etc. Hopefully will keep the supermarket visit controlled and not chuck too many additional items in the basket!

Need to keep the momentum up, I’m trying to do at least one thing a day to meet my goals. I’ve found that I get a bigger psychological boost when it’s something I’ve been putting off, or don’t particularly like!

a_fresh_start

Money Saving Tips! Sent the OH a text asking him to nip into sainsbobs on his way home from work and listed 5 things. I went straight home from my work and started making supper. In he comes with exactly the requested 5 things – no more, no less. Whereas I would’ve came back with half of next week’s shop and a few extras too! I think I’ve solved my grocery budget leakage! Send someone who is not seduced by offers J Saved a lot of time too – I can’t just nip in and out of a supermarket!

moneycurious

Just found your diary .... keep on with the good work!

a_fresh_start

Well only one more week until payday! This has been a very long month! Just paid a cheeky £50 to the mortgage to tidy up the joint account and for psychological purposes whilst I wait for the flurry of activity payday brings J

I got my car insurance renewal through – well over £50 less than I’d budgeted! Will need to check around on principle, but pretty pleased none the less!

Hoping this last week is relatively low in spending, we’re away for the weekend (looking very forward to my burns supper and whisky!) and then I’m away Tuesday – Friday on a training course at some fancy country house near London somewhere. So good food, and gym, but have to do all the corporate socialising and the actual training course too!!

moneycurious

It makes you feel great paying off those extra bits and pieces doesn't it. so whats your new balance atm x

a_fresh_start

Well, It’s still a scary number of just over £116k!!! But on a positive note, We’ve managed to get the daily interest down to £7.15/day. We started owing almost £170k at the beginning of 2007!

I seem to remember the mortgage docs when we took it out stating that for every £1 we were borrowing, we would repay £2 over the 25yr period. Will need to see if I can figure out what we are actually repaying!

a_fresh_start

Righto bag packed last night for my trip down to London, and get to work this morning and realise I’ve forgotten my passport!! :eek: Everyone’s assured me all I need is my driving license, so hope to goodness they are right! To ‘nip’ back home to retrieve my passport would take 1.5hrs (round trip)!

Having a bit of a money juggle – I don’t get paid until Friday, but will be 2x £30 for taxis to and from airport this week So had to take it out my savings, will get reimbursed, but still.

In other news Mr Gadget himself is away to purchase some piece of kit that allows us to monitor / control our heating (and I think HW) form an app on our phones. I think I’ll stay well clear until it’s all up and running Hopefully it will earn its keep, and maybe help offset the hike in energy bills when we come off our low fixed tariff in April.

Online Grocery processed for delivery on Saturday morning once I’m home. £52 to add to the grocery shop – though Sat is 1st of Feb, so might just bump that into Feb’s spend Actually I will, since we will be eating it in February!

a_fresh_start

Amazon trade in - some of OH’s Techy books that he’s read / no longer interested in. There’s a promo on where you get an additional £5 gift card for trading in £15 worth of books. Done it before and its a good way of clearing out. Promo finishes 13th Feb, so will do it this weekend.

Added benefit – sorting through the books will also force me to clear out the study J

Sign up for sainsbobs online delivery saver (offer expires 6th Feb) so I can continue to be organised and save on delivery charges J Used a free del code for past 2 deliveries, so was leaving signing up until last possible minute. I think A$DA has an offer on too, but I’ve never done online shopping with them before.

Really looking forward to my weekend, although I have nothing planned, we’ve had a busy run of weekends and I just want to potter!!!

a_fresh_start

well I'm back home from one of the most intense training sessions I've ever been through! I'm mentally drained (still!!!). On the plus side it was very informative and interesting and the food was delicious. a cooked breakfast, and 3 courses for lunch and evening, then free flowing alcohol of an evening. On the downside, there was absolutely no exercise nor fresh air.....and I suppose all that rich lovely food affecting my waist line was not so good either:rotfl:

as can be expected my flight was delayed, so spent 4.5 hours in heathrow waiting for my gate to be announced. Without meaning to, the guy giving out whisky samples took a liking to me (I'd like to think it was my brilliant conversation and whisky knowledge, but he was probably just bored!) and I spent a good hour chatting away and enjoying the tasters - he ditched the thimbles and gave me the proper glencairn glasses with a decent glug of the bottle each time. All I had to give in return was what I could taste and smell.....DEAL!!!!!
but I got home at 11pm, with the beginnings of a hangover after my double inflight drink too lol:rotfl:

anyways, got my online groceries delivered yesterday morning, and went to costc0 today, so am more than sorted for groceries for a good while but have spent £90!!!

away to hang up my 5th load of washing for this weekend, then make a lasagne... yum!

a_fresh_start

oh! and when I was updating my spreadsheets, (I think I read it right!!) if we keep up the £2000 total mortgage payment (includes standard) we should be paying our last payment this time in 4 YEARS!!!!!!!! :money: saving a whopping 14 years off the term!!!

Told OH and he smiled and immediately started thinking/talking about getting a sports car! what a reward huh?! well, we'd have £1000 EACH extra PER MONTH!! I want to go to loads of places around the world, Thats loads of holidays :D:D