30 small steps

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Slight hiccup with OP so only £130 paid but will add the £70 to a one off OP. Can add this to my winnings from my premium Bonds....only £25 but very welcome all the same.

Super busy at work so haven't had much time to think about the mortgage. This weekend I need to plan out my Christmas Shopping. I need to see if there are any 3 for 2 offers I can use especially for Christmas stocking gifts.

My parents have been visiting this week and it has been interesting to see the bargains the have found. There is a good grocery very near to W*itrose which I must try as the fruit is nicer and much cheaper. In my case it is a case of balancing cost with time as we are always time pressured. Thank heavens for online shopping.

Must update my signature. Hope everyone is being MSE.

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Well I have managed to find some bargains for Christmas as I took advantage of the Gap discount code and added this to another code they sent me when I had to make a complaint. Dh will have a nice shirt under the tree and my little one cute pjs. I may even sqeeze in some tutoring before Christmas essentially paying for these gifts.

Another piece of good news is that now my son is three we can claim 15 hours free nursery care so this should reduce our fees by £250. Once I know the exact figure I will use this to set my OP target for next year.

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Lovely weekend. Did spend a bit on Saturday as we had a family treat and went to see Paddington at the cinema. Today quite MSE as went out for lunch thanks to my Tesco boost vouchers then to Kew. The lights are lovely and the little one was enthralled.

Next weekend is my posting weekend for Christmas presents. I have been using quidco to get some cashback for my shopping. Just two more gifts to get but running low on ideas.

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Hope everyone had a good Christmas. We had fun but have been spending quite a bit. Today we went to the panto which was good but Dh was ill so couldn't make it. One of my Christmas presents was a kindle so have had the chance to do some reading. Just got Rich Dad Poor Dad which is interesting. Dh and I did have a chat about finances and he is interested in being mortgage free in 15 years. Off to check over my spreadsheet to see how to make this happen.

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Made a £1000 OP today on top of my usual OP. January is always a long month but trying to keep to budget. I have made my menu plan and have also switched to a new energy plan which should save me £75 over the year. Money making is quite small this month. I hope to sell a bundle of the wee man's clothes. Of course even if I sell them I will probably end up spending on new shoes for him!

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Yay gas and electric reduced again so have managed to reduce my direct debit again. Very happy as have moved from £106 per month to £66. Meal planning going ok with a couple of hiccups but have managed to rustle something up from my store cupboard. Tonight it is courgette fritters for myself and the wee man and Dh is having pasta with veal ragu when he gets home.


I am going to work some extra hours in half term which will provide me with some more money to OP with. I have to confess I have not tried to sell the wee man's things but must try to do that this week.

A must do this week is to get quotes for my car insurance as the renewal looks high to me. Hopefully following Martin's tips will help get me a better deal.

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Good grief on my first alternative for car insurance given a quote £200 less than renewal and that's not including £50 cashback!


It pays to shop around.

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OP took longer to be credited than bank said but they are giving me £34 in compensation. Slightly annoying any payment over £1000 reduces monthly payment not term. This means our monthly payment is now £10 less but will just increase my monthly OP.




I hope to do our household finances sheet for January today. Just did a quick comparison of 2014 with 2013. We spent £214 more but that is pretty god considering this also includes some of the building work we had done.


Two confessions to make.
1. Still have not put wee man's things up for sale. Worse still driving around with boot full of things to drop off to charity.
2. 90% sure I am going to buy a new jumper for work. Justification is that it is cold, I need to look smart for work and it is in the sale.


Have a good weekend.


Update: Yes I did get the jumper but will get lots of wear from it. Managed to get a good deal from my insurer. From 481 to 268 so it really pays to negotiate. Need to be a bit creative with my meal plan this week so am off to look at the old style board.

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Note to self: Never take DH shopping with me.
Yesterday needed a small top up shop and also to buy a couple of children's presents for upcoming birthdays. Planned to spend around £30. Actual spend £120!! It would have been more if I had let him buy a new kettle.


FiL visiting soon so will cash in vouchers for lunch out however will need to increase food budget for his visit. It's only 5 days but he entertains us very well when we visit him. Waitr*se has nice merlot on offer so shall pick up a couple of bottles. He is disabled so cant get around much so I nee to make sure there are plenty of things at home.


I have changed my OP with the bank so it should be £200 this month. Don't you just love seeing that balance reducing.


Reasonably MSE day as planning on going to the park and taking snacks with us.

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Husband has redeemed himself now by filling my car up with diesel saving me £65 from his poker winnings last night. Had a lovey time at the park and wee man loved feeding the birds before running around the play park.