The Big Adventure

greent

ooh - exciting news re the trip, GG! Am also loving the mindful spending


x

Goldiegirl

Hello everyone.


4 things sold on ebay over the weekend, and three have paid so they have been parcelled up and have been sent


The suitcases we ordered have been received, so they are now ready and waiting in the loft.


We are beginning to research ports for the trip in February.


As we're going to the USA, we need an ESTA, so thought we'd get the application done. I've been reading all sorts of scare stories on the net about how it can go wrong if you share a name with someone on their 'naughty list'. As our surname is quite common, I needed to get this done and out of the way.


We filled out the online form and made our payment, and submitted the form. I was expecting to get authorisation immediately, but both our applications came back as authorisation pending:eek:


After some anxious Googling, I discovered this was quite common, and I should check back shortly. So 30 minutes later, I had another look, and we were both approved ! :j


That was $28 well spent for peace of mind.


Or approx. £18, which is the amount that's gone into my spending diary.


No other real plans for the day. I managed a short walk this morning, but it's raining again this afternoon

Goldiegirl

Hello everyone, had a lovely day out in Canterbury yesterday. We went to see Blood Brothers at the Marlowe Theatre. A fantastic show, I thought it was brilliant. Half the audience were from local schools. After the show, all the kids were buzzing, so if it's got some young people interested in the theatre, that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned


The day was also an achievement of conscious spending.


Mr Goldie's train fare reduced by a third with his senior rail card.


Morning coffee, free with two vouchers from the M&S premier club.


Lunch. We had hoped to take our own, but the weather was too iffy first thing to consider eating outside on a bench, so we went to Pizza Express instead. I got a 40% off food voucher from the web site, so a nice saving there. Plus, I love Pizza Express - all the salt content info is on the website, so I can make informed choices about what to eat


M&S Sale - nothing I really fancied, but I had a £10 premium club voucher, so I thought I'd buy a £11 top for just £1. But the voucher wasn't useable in the sale..... so I didn't buy the top! :T


Theatre tickets - bought last year, but the best tickets at Canterbury for both of us cost less than one ticket in the stalls in the West End


I bought a 2016 Paperchase diary.....for no discount at all, but I just liked it. But no one's perfect! :rotfl:

gallygirl

Goldiegirl wrote: »

I bought a 2016 Paperchase diary.....for no discount at all, but I just liked it. But no one's perfect! :rotfl:

I bought a Paperchase diary for 2015 - not cheap but I still love it :T.

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

I love Blood Bros. Sounds like you had a fantastic day.

Enjoy your weekend, Tilly x x

Goldiegirl

gallygirl wrote: »

I bought a Paperchase diary for 2015 - not cheap but I still love it :T.

I've got a 2015 Paperchase diary as well


At one time, Paperchase was my go to place for stationary and cards and I love their products. But, I stopped all that some years ago, as there are less expensive places out there.


But the annual Paperchase diary is a yearly little treat, to remind me of the good old days when I'd be in Paperchase once a month!

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS wrote: »

I love Blood Bros.

Yes, it was a fab show, I'm not sure why we've never seen it before.


This morning I've been thinking 'footwear'.


I'm well off for boots and trainers and I've got sandals as well.


But I've only got one pair of shoes that are comfortable to wear for walking, when I need to be a little smarter, for example the theatre visit to Canterbury. This shoes are about three years old, but still in good condition


I bought another pair at the end of last year, to replace my work shoes (they were at least 8 years old!) with the idea that they could be used as an alternative to my other shoes.


But I'm facing up to the fact that one of the shoes is too tight and it's never going to be comfortable to wear for a whole day of activity.


I keep wearing them to the supermarket to 'stretch' them, but it's not working.


I'm going to cut my losses at get them on eBay, then look for another pair. I need a size four and half, so when I find a shoe that fits well, I'll just buy it, even if it's not in a sale. I keep my shoes for years, so I'd get my money's worth.

Karmacat

I've only seen Blood Brothers once, but I loved it! I think the production I saw was the original one, with Jonathan Pryce in the title role, at the Liverpool Playhouse (tho I don't think Wiki quite agrees with me ... odd timings).

I had a brief flirtation with Paperchase, but never got into it like that - always good when you love something like that, tho

Goldiegirl

Wow, I'd have loved to have seen Jonathan Pryce. Marti Pellow was in the production I saw. When we booked it, we didn't know who'd be in the cast, but it was a nice surprise as I had a 'thing' for him about 25 years ago ! :rotfl:

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

I love your measured approach to purchases. Real thought given.

Hope you've enjoyed the sun.

Tilly x x

Goldiegirl

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS wrote: »

I love your measured approach to purchases. Real thought given.

Yes, I do seem to go through a thought process these days!


Previously, if we wanted to buy something (within reason), we'd pretty much go out and buy it, without too much thought.


This is probably why we had so much stuff to declutter!


Nowadays, we give a little extra thought, and try to buy in sales, or when there's offers, or when cashbacks or additional loyalty points are on offer. When the extra thought is given, we sometimes work out that we don't really need the item anyway!:rotfl:


We've got an extra incentive now that we've booked these longer holidays, as it'd be nice to save up at least some of our spending money, and not take everything from savings.


The latest casualty is Yankee Candles. I love them, but I'm sure we can survive without them. I've got a cinnamon one in the cupboard for Christmas, but after that we'll be Yankee Candle free for a while!


The sun is being enjoyed, and it should be good weather all this week, so we hope to get out and able while we can