Excited to try and be mortgage free

[Deleted User]

You seem to be doing a good job of blasting from when I'm standing. Glad you had a great time in London.

chumpy45

Thank you CosmoCat and Makethedayscounts for your support, lovely to have visitors.

Soooooo, one of my summer holidays goals is to get fitter but in a MSE way. I know I will not stick to a gym or Slimming World so don't want to waste my money. I therefore downloaded Couch25K and set off this morning full of trepidation for my first attempt. Major mistake was that I thought it would be a good idea to take the dog :rotfl: So there I am puffing my way round the park, listening to instructions from Sarah Millican about when to run and when to walk, when the dog runs in front of me (he was a little overexcited cos I was running - it doesn't happen often), I tripped over his lead, which in turn yanked the headphones out of my ears, which in turn pulled my phone out of my pocket and we all ended up in a heap with "you ain't never had a friend like me" from Aladdin blasting out (which for some inexplicable reason is what I chose to run to). It was like something from Laurel and Hardy.

Apart from that (as if that wasn't enough for one day :rotfl:), I have been baking for a fund raising concert which my DS4 is performing in tonight. Raspberry and white chocolate muffins - yum. I did have to eat one for quality control purposes of course, which probably undid all the good of the disastrous run :rotfl:

Finances looking a bit squeaky for July, need to try and keep my purse firmly zipped shut for the rest of the week. Off to get ready for the concert. I am on taxi duty.

chumpy45

Felt very MSE yesterday as I received a loyalty money off coupon from the Vet just when we had run out of poo bags for the dog. So purchased a little stock pile of biodegradable ones. Was also entitled to a free pack of chews so had a happy pooch on my return. Have just followed my shopping list very carefully in Aldi and Tesco, then completed ShopnScan. Nearly up to 5,000 points now, it soon adds up. I think you need 10,000 to claim a voucher but need to read up on this as have only just started using it. Meal planning is really starting to make a difference to the shopping bill. At the end of the month I will check totals and transfer any money saved from food budget to mortgage OP. I am planning to keep a copy of each week's plan in a folder and then mix them up a bit when I return to work in September to try and make life easier and to keep organised. Fingers crossed. Buildings and contents insurance renewal is due shortly, so must find some time later to visit TCB and the comparison sites. The usual rigmarole - if only they gave you their best price in the first place it would save so much time. Some ironing beckons and then can relax and enjoy the weekend. I hope the sun appears at some point. It is currently raining !

chumpy45

Aaargh discovered I had missed the renewal date on the buildings and contents insurance. Rang up and managed to negotiate discount of £80 plus switched to annual payment which was cheaper saving £120 in total. Was mulling it over this afternoon however and still felt annoyed as this was higher than the figure on the comparison site I had been using. Rang back today and cancelled the policy and took out a new one saving a further £170 and should also receive £25 cash back. Phew. They are still going to charge me for the 48 hours of insurance cover that I had with them!! I used my Tesco credit card to pay in order to take advantage of the points, so I just hope the refund comes through before the next payment is due or there could be a slight cash flow problem! Will keep an eye on this. Have now made a big entry on my calendar/diary reminding when the renewal is due. Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful sunshine and managing to stay cool. We had a massive thunderstorm last night. At 3.15 a.m. I was watching the lightening streak across the sky - it was very impressive. Happy Wednesday

chumpy45

I purchased 2 replacement cushions for our recliner deckchairs on Monday. Trying to be responsible and not throw away perfectly good chairs. The new cushions (£20/each) however do not fit so I have returned them for a refund. The guy in Argos queried the opened packaging - ummmm, yes that's how I know they don't fit !! Looking at some of the offers in Homebase and Tesco however, it seems it is almost cheaper to buy new chairs. What a throw away society. Back to the drawing board to see if I can find replacements that will fit. OH was paid today - phew that was a little close for comfort in the current account. Will wait to make OP until I have also been paid next week so I can sort out everything together. Hope you're all surviving the heat and thunderstorms. It's the weekend and I can hear a glass of wine calling me !!!!!

savingholmes

Great saving on the insurance

shangaijimmy

With you on the whole throw away society thing chumpy. Since this whole MFW malarky has kicked off I've become very aware of the way we've previously been wasteful. And I see it so much in both sets of parents. Maybe its a MFW mindset? Or maybe the whole plastic issue is subconsciously making us more aware? Either way I empathise with your situation.

chumpy45

Thanks SJ, yes MFW/MSE certainly does change your mindset in many ways. Lights and appliances left on is another :mad: of mine. Seem to follow DS4 around the house atm switching things off. Was very happy recently to find Tesco have started selling paper sandwich bags. Previously had to to buy them from Lakeland where they are more expensive and as there is no store near me, I had to rely on DS3 buying then in his Uni town and passing them on when we meet up so I didn't have to pay delivery :rotfl:

So, some scores on the doors;

• Mortgage balance current stands at £16,758 - yes with a £250 OP we have hit the 16s :T
• Daily interest in July - £0.98 (finally under £1/day :T:T)
• Six months knocked off end date :j

This weekend I have been rubbing down and re-oiling my garden bench that I bought with some prize money in memory of my dad. It was looking very sorry for itself, but after a bit of graft with an electric sander and some teak oil it is looking much happier. DH has been promising to do this for over 2 years, so I thought how hard can this be - turns out not hard at all and quite enjoyable.

I am in the process of re-reading GallyGirl's MFW diary. Such an enjoyable and inspirational read. Amongst all the exploits of onions, MFW parties and wine drinking which have had me laughing out loud for the second time, there is an underlying passion and steely determination to knock that mortgage into submission and enjoy life. Don't know if you ever read my ramblings GG but thank you for the fun and for helping me notch up my motivation again to a new level. Now, where's the Mystery Shopper link?

Enjoy Sunday everyone, off to admire my bench again.


EDA: just paid off £8.83 as it looked untidy so mortgage now at £16,750.00. Much neater

shangaijimmy

chumpy45 wrote: »

Thanks SJ, yes MFW/MSE certainly does change your mindset in many ways. Lights and appliances left on is another :mad: of mine. Seem to follow DS4 around the house atm switching things off.

I keep threatening to knock 20p off DS1's pocket money for everytime I have to turn a light off. But the cheeky sod trumps me by asking how much I'm knocking off Mrs SJ's as she's just as bad!

savingholmes

Can't beat neat numbers if they are helping you clear debt and get to Mortgage free