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Janey's Journey to Becoming a MFW

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  • ljaneyr
    ljaneyr Posts: 1,135 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Thanks for dropping in folks :wave:

    The holiday was amazing... I haven't quite come to terms with the fact that I'm back yet. For anyone who is interested I thought I'd write a little bit about where we went and it will also jog my memory when I'm trying to sort the photos out later. If you're not interested, look away now!

    After landing in Athens we stayed the night near the airport then drove to the Peloponnese to visit the site of Ancient Corinth and nearby Acrocorinth. We were quite shocked at how run down Greece is, especially around Athens, far worse than any of the islands I've visited, with abandoned buildings and rubbish everywhere. We stayed two nights in Nafplion which was really beautiful, and visited the theatre at Epidaurus and the acropolis of Tyrins and Mycenae which was my personal favourite.

    Next we drove through the mountains for more than four hours on a road suspended from the side of mountain! It just went on and on for miles, mostly a single lane with barely any barriers and massive potholes - very scary, but we did stop to lend a hand to a wild tortoise that was crossing the road at a very leisurely pace! The following day we visited the temple at Olympia then drove north-east to Delphi along more mountain roads, this time attached to cliffs over the sea. Quite a lot of the roads had a sort of concrete cage above them to stop falling boulders!

    The next day we went to the temple at Delphi before driving back to Athens where we stayed for two nights. Athens was hot. So hot I had really bad headaches both the days we were there but I still managed to see the Parthenon and most of the sights. The city was in such bad condition with practically every other building abandoned in some areas and more graffiti than I have seen in my whole lifetime.

    After that we flew to Corfu to 'relax' after our strict sightseeing schedule but we still did a lot of exploring, the most exciting of which were driving to the top of the mountain - more mountain roads - and a day trip to Albania to see yet more ancient Greek and Roman ruins!

    So, it might not be to most people's tastes we it was the perfect holiday for us :)


    Anyway, in MFW news I have finished changing the spreadsheets and am more than a little confused about whether I've got it right! I also paid for a month of martial arts in advance so we can go to more classes for a fixed price. We don't have any plans to spend much in the next few weeks so can hopefully start adding to the newly reduced renovation pot!

    I'm sure I'll spend some more time catching up with all your diaries tomorrow!

    Janey x
    "It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It's called living." Terry Pratchett
    Bought our house 2012 :) Married 2015 :D Started renovating 2015 :eek:
    Renovation fund... what renovation fund? :eek: Emergency fund 40% Future fund... ongoing...
  • ljaneyr
    ljaneyr Posts: 1,135 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    edited 13 August 2014 at 12:10PM
    Morning all :wave:

    Woke up late this morning - after 9 o'clock :eek: Feel a bit odd as usually up early and also sad after hearing the news today :(

    Spent the last few hours catching up on diaries - you lot write too much so there's still loads to go!

    Have been reading of vinegar with interest in Tilly's diary and will be adding some to the dishwasher which came with our free second hand kitchen last year. Anyone know where you actually put the vinegar? Washing machine broke last month so have a new sparkly clean one but would like it to stay that way. OH has erratic laundry habits so it's not unusual for the machine and/or his clothes to smell a bit yuck!

    Also want to pop over to Greying Pilgrim's diary for some new veggie recipe ideas as I'm thoroughly bored with our weekly menus at the moment.

    Right, time to get life in order!
    • [STRIKE]Another load of washing
    • Shower
    • RM survey stuff
    • Text friends haven't seen for a while[/STRIKE]
    • Go to large pharmacy named after things you wear on your feet Not done. Decided to get from Mr Ts instead then I can sneak it into the shopping budget :whistle:
    • [STRIKE]Walk dog[/STRIKE] She only had a very short walk to the post box, will go further tomorrow!
    • [STRIKE]Other things that have currently slipped my mind[/STRIKE]

    Better get going :)

    Janey x


    Ooh, almost forgot MSE news:
    - £5.18 large TT sent to ISA so now 23% of target
    - about £240 left over from holiday savings moved to renovation pot
    "It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It's called living." Terry Pratchett
    Bought our house 2012 :) Married 2015 :D Started renovating 2015 :eek:
    Renovation fund... what renovation fund? :eek: Emergency fund 40% Future fund... ongoing...
  • ljaneyr
    ljaneyr Posts: 1,135 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    :o Just asked a question in another area of the forum and the answer I received, while polite, suggested I should have been able to find the answer elsewhere and was just being lazy by asking on there.

    Does anyone else feel nervous about posting questions on non-MFW boards? I've seen some horrible replies to people's questions in the past and it puts me off. I'll just have to stick to MFW where I feel safe!

    Starting this whole RM survey thing is making my brain hurt :( I thought I was relatively intelligent but it seems not!
    "It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It's called living." Terry Pratchett
    Bought our house 2012 :) Married 2015 :D Started renovating 2015 :eek:
    Renovation fund... what renovation fund? :eek: Emergency fund 40% Future fund... ongoing...
  • ljaneyr
    ljaneyr Posts: 1,135 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Just a quick lunchtime post :)

    I've spent the morning doing 'jobs' and now have some me time... I plan to walk the dog, do some pilates (need to get back into this as back is protesting), catch up on diaries and maybe declutter some of the sky box!

    This morning I have:
    • updated spreadsheets
    • hung out the washing
    • returned some stuff to N£xt :A
    • paid off the £71 balance on my N£xt account :mad:
    • paid a parking ticket :mad::mad:
    • made a new rota for household jobs
    • spent 15 minutes sorting through crap from Mum's loft.

    I need to do a lot more sorting but its a bit difficult because I keep coming across things which I no longer need but they have lots of memories attached.I'm going to try to do 15 mins a day until its done. I'm going to Mum's tomorrow to help her go through a load of stuff too.

    In more exciting news:

    :j I bought wedding shoes - hope they fit :

    :j:j filled in the form on the rescue centre website about getting another dog :j:j

    Right, time to relax...
    "It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It's called living." Terry Pratchett
    Bought our house 2012 :) Married 2015 :D Started renovating 2015 :eek:
    Renovation fund... what renovation fund? :eek: Emergency fund 40% Future fund... ongoing...
  • Habibiboo
    Habibiboo Posts: 1,582 Forumite
    :wave:

    Just had a catch-up Janey, excellent progress all round I'd say!

    :) Absolutely agree with your thinking re: wedding fund and renovations fund, I'd be exactly the same. Exciting too about the dress and shoes ... it's all starting to seem very real!

    :) I do ask questions in other areas of MSE from time to time and usually start mine off with a "sorry to be a muppet but ..." having established myself as a muppet from the off tends to prevent others from pointing out the muppet nature of my ways or my question, it seems. Either way though I wouldn't worry about it, the forums are here for asking questions and sharing advice and experience, if anyone's grumpy with you for asking it says more about them than it does about you.

    dog-32.gifNew doggy! Big news! Have you got any links to the rescue centre website? Thread poll to help you choose? Can we? Please? x
    Stash busting 2014 45 / 60 (balls of yarn)!
    2014 Sealed Pot #2136 ?/£500
    House: Decluttering 322 / 365
    Original mortgage [STRIKE]£149,000[/STRIKE][STRIKE]£117,750[/STRIKE];[STRIKE]£112,500[/STRIKE] MFW 2014#69 GOAL 1: [STRIKE]£109 K April[/STRIKE] ;) GOAL 2: [STRIKE]£103 K by Sept[/STRIKE] ;) GOAL 3: < £100k by end of 2014 MF goal: Nov 2020 - 4 years early
  • ljaneyr
    ljaneyr Posts: 1,135 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    edited 14 August 2014 at 8:35AM
    Morning all :hello:

    :) Thanks for popping in Hbbb! I'm still catching up on your diary, it always reminds me to attempt a more positive attitude! I contacted the greyhound rescue west of England website yesterday. They have some gorgeous scruffy lurchers but it will be more about matching it with our slightly grumpy Jack Russell than what it looks like I'm afraid!


    An earlier start than usual for me today! I didn't sleep very well and couldn't see the point of trying to catch up with the bin men clonking around outside!

    I'm going to see my Mum's new house later and I'm very excited! They're hoping to complete in the next two weeks so we've got a mad day of sorting and taking stuff to the tip to look forward too. I had a lovely chat on the phone with her last night and it made me really happy to hear her so happy and enthusiastic about the move as it's the first major thing she's done on her own :)

    Before I go I've got to post some RM stuff (getting into the swing of this now I think) and have got to do some pilates because my back won't thank me if I don't!

    Got a few more minutes of perusing diaries on here then got to get going!

    Janey x

    Edit: Just had a look at the bank accounts (which wasn't on my list!) and moved £23.57 across to the renovation fund to make it a nice round £300!
    "It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It's called living." Terry Pratchett
    Bought our house 2012 :) Married 2015 :D Started renovating 2015 :eek:
    Renovation fund... what renovation fund? :eek: Emergency fund 40% Future fund... ongoing...
  • ljaneyr
    ljaneyr Posts: 1,135 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Afternoon all :hello:

    The sun is shining here - I was up early and feeling good :j

    Felt a bit emotional last night after a day of sorting through things at my mums. Strangely it was a box of Christmas jigsaws and old board games that made me feel the worst! I also bought home the dolls house that my dad made me when I was about 9. It's a proper 'grown up' Victorian style house and I used to spend all my pocket money on bits and bobs for it and played with it for hours and hours. It could do with a bit of a renovation now but I could never part with it. When we finally managed to get it upstairs I just burst into tears, all the memories felt suddenly unbearable :( I felt fine afterwards, it was quite strange.

    Back to feeling positive now :o We have been assessing our money situation and are desperate to get the house sorted so that we can get on with our lives but we have an awful lot to save. I have been thinking of ways to further cut our costs and have come up with a few ideas. We are going to have to really think in terms of needs/wants!
    "It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It's called living." Terry Pratchett
    Bought our house 2012 :) Married 2015 :D Started renovating 2015 :eek:
    Renovation fund... what renovation fund? :eek: Emergency fund 40% Future fund... ongoing...
  • ljaneyr
    ljaneyr Posts: 1,135 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Thought I'd put this in a separate post as it's a wee bit long!

    1. Update OH's spending spreadsheet every Friday.
    He is in full agreement with this as he said he always feels guilty when he goes overdrawn and realises how much he has wasted at the end of each month. This is even more important now he will be the main earner again.
    He also wants to switch to 1st Direct and get the bonus £100

    2. Cut down grocery spends.
    This will involve more batch cooking by me on my days off as well as more careful menu planning.
    I did a Tilly-style freezer/fridge/cupboard inventory this morning then wrote a menu for the next week and a half. When I did the Mr T order online it came to just over £25 which is amazing for us. I bought a few more budget brands too.
    Also need to do a toiletries inventory and try to use these up :eek:
    When the new supermarket opens up the road I will do all our shopping in there and L!dl and cancel the Mr T delivery saver.

    3. Get prepared for winter.
    I found a guide to making a log store online and OH is going to make it, then we're going to stockpile wood for the fire so that we don't run out like we did last year! OH says we need to buy a chop saw to do this and he will use it during the renovation too so it is probably a 'need'.
    Have also been thinking about making a fleece curtain to hang over the badly fitting front door which makes the living room even colder.

    4. Switch electricity provider now we have got our outstanding balance down.

    5. Think want vs. need.
    I want new winter coats/boots/pjs because they look nice in the shops and I didn't get any new ones last year. However, after looking at the old ones this morning, they will survive another winter. I also want to get all last years winter clothes out and work out what I need to buy to get the most out of what I've already got.
    OH has agreed not to get a new phone when his contract ends in September. He's going to join me on a sim-only deal. I keep reminding us that it's not forever!

    6. Investigate a new phone/tv/broadband deal


    We're also going to look closely at the wedding plan to see where we can cut down the costs. Thinking of doing more ourselves and looking at the guest list carefully.


    Sorry for the giant post but it helps to get it down on 'paper'. This was all swirling around in my head early this morning!

    :j Don't forget it's Friday :j
    "It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It's called living." Terry Pratchett
    Bought our house 2012 :) Married 2015 :D Started renovating 2015 :eek:
    Renovation fund... what renovation fund? :eek: Emergency fund 40% Future fund... ongoing...
  • Goldiegirl
    Goldiegirl Posts: 8,806 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Rampant Recycler Hung up my suit!
    Gosh, you've been busy with the posting:)

    I went to Corfu at some point in the mid 1980's. We could see Albania from the beach of our hotel, but back then Albania was very closed, and it all looked very mysterious. Times have changed a lot, I could never have dreamed it would be possible to do a visit there.

    You are very lucky to have your dolls house. My dad made me a dolls house (actually it was a 1960's modern bungalow). I loved it, but a gave it away when I was 17,thinking I'd grown out if it. I regret that decision now .
    Early retired - 18th December 2014
    If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough
  • Goldiegirl
    Goldiegirl Posts: 8,806 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Rampant Recycler Hung up my suit!
    Oh, I meant to say, I much prefer the MFW and DFW areas of the board, plus old style.

    I sometimes post on the mortgage boards, as there's a few questions I can still answer, particularly about Transfers of Equity which used to be my specialist area at my old employers. But I do try to keep in friendly!

    These days, I actively avoid some areas of the board as it can get quite ugly.
    Early retired - 18th December 2014
    If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough
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