The 300k debt-free diary!!!

pandapaws

Ta da!!!!:D



So I admit that I didn't do it last night after all BUT that's because we didn't get home till nearly 9, and had to get little man sorted out and into bed, so it was really too late. But I was disciplined, and wouldn't let myself log on here today until I had something to show! Flippin' knackered now though, cleaning and pregnancy clearly don't go together!

It isn't perfect - haven't hoovered because hoover is too heavy to lug up the stairs (that's my excuse for now!), and you'll see that I cunningly closed the loo door this time as I haven't done in there either, but planning to get DH to do it when he's home and I'm at work this afternoon! I plan to go through every drawer and wardrobe and sort out all the clothes/cosmetics/junk in those over the next few days, so that bit hasn't been done yet either!

Duvet covers were a total bargain - £8 and £10 for double & king size each with 2 pillowcases is Asda (we've got a duvet each, used to share a superking one, but kept fighting over it in the night!). They're just cheap plain dye ones, but look a hell of a lot better than what was on!

Now, I just have to keep it like this...

pandapaws

500Triumph650 wrote: »

It was £800 when we got it and that was nearly 7 years ago.

Wow, that was great! I rang HSA a couple of months ago and to be honest I can't remember how much exactly they said it was, but it was something like £150ish so they've obviously cut it right back since 7 years ago. We also pay for the most basic package that they do, so I suppose the benefits are a lot less than the ones you pay more for. Pity, but it'll buy a few packs of nappies if nothing else!

Natlou_2

:rotfl: What great motivation MSE is! The bedroom looks great and the duvet covers were a real bargain. I hope you don't mind me asking but do you mind saying what job you do, as it seems great pay, and you get to surf while you work.
Hope you aren't overdoing things either, especially with the lifting. When I was pregnant last year, I suffered from symphis pubis dysfunction (basically a loosening of the pelvic joint) I was in agony for the last few months and it ended up with me on crutches. (Not a pretty sight seeing a woman the size of a house hobbling around on crutches!) but I have a sneaky feeling I was partly to blame with my mad cleaning and tidying splurges.

Natloux

pandapaws

Don't worry Natlou - I'm definitely not overdoing it - if you could see the rest of the house you'd believe me!!! Will PM and tell you where I work, it's nothing exciting at all, but it would mean 'coming out' to a lot of people who I know lurk on here (and not all of them nice!) as there aren't that many of us doing it. Glorified office work really. There was a guy I used to work with who took great delight in searching the web to try and find people he knew so he could ridicule them, so that's the only reason I'm cautious - no big deal at all otherwise!

Had a quiet few days, but every time I get on here I've been booted off before I've managed to post anything so just about gave up! The Ebay auctions went REALLY well - have been informed that I broke the previous Ebay record for highest price fetched for a men's tie, selling for £110 which is outrageous really! Not sure if it's true or not, but it's a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a tie! The totals (I think) are therefore as follows: Current auctions (only crap left to go!) £20 + completed auctions: £882 = £902 as well as all the buy-it-now's which are part of my Ebay business and therefore counted seperately. Really pleased with that, and got another load of high value stuff to list as well although not as high as the first lot!

A friend just emailed me a voucher for 10% off at Mothercare that can be used instore as well as online. It's one that you print out to take shopping with you, so if anyone wants a copy PM me your email address. Expires 25th Nov though.


We've just reduced the price of the house to the dreaded £249,999 because the one we want to buy has done the same. Gutted as there won't be a penny spare when (if!) we sell, but hoping it will mean that we won't miss out on the house we want. Nothing yet from the agents though.

Hope all's well for everyone! Hopefully I'll be able to get back on soon without all the connection problems - anyone else had bother or is it just me?

Seaxwyn

Hi pandapaws. No it's not just you, everyone was having problems last night. Very frustrating!

The house looks tidy and I hope it'll get snapped up at the new price.

Amazing success on the ebay auctions. I'm going to have a listing session this weekend, all thanks to my lovely new camera!

lunar

well done on the ebay auctions, i bet you cant wait for it to come through. will you be putting it on your debts or will it get used up for christmas stuff?

The room is looking really good, have you got any viewings of the house booked in. It should get snapped up quickly at the new price.

Ive been having loads of connection problems on here recently, so frustrating when i cant log on!

pandapaws

Thanks guys, glad it wasn't just me! I'd get as far as clicking 'thanks' and the whole thing would freeze - I wasn't being rude, honest!

I've just been a really naughty girl and spent £120 in TK Maxx. This did, however, include a suitcase for parents Xmas (got another to return as this one's nicer!), a gorgeous winter coat for myself £40, which should also fit me through most of pregnancy, and 5 other Christmas presents. I think that I MUST be finished with the Christmas shopping now - every time I say it I remember someone else! But with the extra Ebay money I felt as if I could afford to be a little more extravagant as I don't mind spending too much, so long as it doesn't end up on a card!!!

I've just realised that our muppet estate agents are STILL advertising out open day on 20th October. Flippin idiots! And the price hasn't come down yet either, so no wonder we haven't heard anything. Going to have some serious words in the morning! We've put an offer in on the house we want although obviously explained with it that it is subject to a sale ourselves, just so we don't get missed, and in the hope it might put other people off a bit (it puts us off if a house is under offer!). They've pretty much said 'thanks, we'll accept when you sell!' which is as good as we can expect. They're as desperate as we are to sell as they've bought another house already and apparently paying 2 mortgages - nightmare!

The Ebay money will go into the save-for-debt account, but I suspect that much of it will get used up over Christmas, and with our trip to Dublin, but while it would be good to pay it to something I'd rather have it to spend than end up using credit. We're going to end up overdrawn anyway this month after paying a few extra things that we don't normally have so a lot of it will just keep that overdraft at zero.

Just looking at my kitchen - absolute tip. Child to bed, then tidy up I think!

pandapaws

Slightly more promising news today - the 2 couples that were interested in our house previously but did diddly-squat about it have both now dropped the prices on their own houses now we've dropped ours, and the pregnant lady that cancelled the viewing because she got taken into hospital is going to have her baby next week (not sure if that's because she's being induced or c-sectioned, or if she's just decided next week would be a nice time for it, but apparently she's adamant!), and still very interested so wants to come over as soon as she can. So we're feeling slightly more positive today.

My neighbour brought me a bunch of flowers today to say thanks for the info about the council tax appeal - they've just heard that they're getting reduced too since we won ours, so that was nice. We haven't told any of the other neighbours because we either don't know or don't like them very much!

I've just signed up for 3 broadband, which will cost a tenner a month but will - hopefully - triple my Ebay productivity as I'll be able to use my laptop anywhere with a mobile signal, and therefore be able to do full Ebay from work. At the moment I can't upload photos as I can't install a camera or Picasa onto the ancient PC there, so this should help. It'll be a very handy service to have anyway, despite the fact that I probably shouldn't be increasing my monthly outgoings, but it's only a tenner (I've said that before!).

I must go and clean the house. Bedroom is still intact, but I haven't touched anything else and it's getting out of control. Need to have it all clean by Sunday as we go to Dublin on Monday and parents arrive the same time as we get back on Weds, so no time then. I'm working tomorrow and Sun though, so this afternoon is the only real chance I have, so I shouldn't really be sitting here. Right...here we go!

Natlou_2

Glad to hear things are looking up on the house front - I really hope you get a buyer soon, how much cheaper a month would your new mortgage be if you got the other house?

I hope you enjoy your trip to Dublin - Its somewhere I have always wanted to go, ever since I was about 15 and I used to read Maeve Binchys books which are all set in Ireland. Are you taking the little one or is it a grown up trip? I have a sneaky suspicion that DH has booked a trip away for our anniversary which falls just before christmas. Two years ago he surprised me with a trip to New York which was great in December, despite the fact that I was 20 weeks pregnant!
Anyway, hope you have managed to get some cleaning/tidying done. I washed our leather suite down earlier which was covered in little milky bar handprints!
How long are your parents coming to stay for?

Natloux

P.S - Have you logged on to https://www.mumsopinions.co.uk - you get vouchers for completing surveys, usually between £1-£2 I don't seem to be eligible for many these days but if you are pregnant or have a newborn I think you will fit more criteria, if that makes sense!

pandapaws

Thanks - just registered with that one! I actually got a link to join it a few weeks ago and tried a few times but I think the site was down so I gave up! Every little helps!

I've just done a survey (and DH had one as well!) which literally took 5 mins and paid £10 each! Best value ever I think!

Mortgage on new house won't actually be any cheaper at all sadly. We'd thought about moving somewhere quite a bit smaller (skippier, as DH calls it!), but looked at it, and it would barely knock a year off our debt, we'd have redemption penalties to pay, and we'd be REALLY unhappy as we do love having space, especially with another tot on the way. So we're looking to buy at exactly the same price as we're selling, hence when they dropped their price, we've done the same! We will save about £400 a month on petrol for work though, C.Tax should be slightly lower and we'll have more time at home so potentially more Ebay time. Also won't have any need at all for childcare which is a huge bonus for 2 full-time workers!

Dublin Mon-Wed next week - just the 2 of us (although don't know what we'll do - we usually go there and get plastered!). Parents arrive Wed same time as we get back, and they stay until Saturday morning which is also my birthday. I booked them on the train with the GNER £5 fares so it's £20 all in for them. First time I think they've ever got a train anywhere, and they're not the best at 'doing things' so should be interesting!

I'm exactly the same with the Maeve Binchy books, and it's quite nice being in Dublin as you recognise things you've heard of before! We got the flights for £10 each all in, but a friend recently booked Dublin from Doncaster and got them for 1p each way all-in for January, so if you're looking for a cheap weekend and can find somewhere to dump the kids then give it a go!

Kitchen clean, DS watching Pingu in my bed and DH due home any minute to decant him to his own bed, so bedtime for me is imminent!