Project Mortgage Neutral Begins

savingholmes

I hope you get what you need back for the holiday. It will be strange having people to stay with all the recent social distancing. Hopefully they will see what a difference you've made to your home and garden. 

ajmoney

savingholmes said:

I hope you get what you need back for the holiday. It will be strange having people to stay with all the recent social distancing. Hopefully they will see what a difference you've made to your home and garden. 

The swim company have been extremely helpful, as expected they said I could transfer the deposit on to another holiday but because of my work situation if I am not sure I would be able to use it they have offered me a full refund on this occasion which is something they don't have to do.  Next I need to try and sort the flight, I haven't requested the voucher yet.

ajmoney

Such a strange mood for yesterday and today, I am going to try and do a bit of work and see how I get on.

ajmoney

20 minutes of work and decided I would be better putting my mind to something until I was in a better frame of mind.  I baked some shortbread and used a shortbread round mould that my mum bought me for Christmas for the first time.  I went online to see what my local tip booking system was like after ex helped me move stuff into another bag so I could lift them as only one person is allowed to the tip.  I couldn't believe it when I got an appointment for this afternoon so loaded everything into the car, garden stuff now ditched, car vac'd and patio swept where the grit bags had been sitting since Easter.  My garden bin was emptied today so for the first time in 3 months I have no garden waste, all in time for my mum arriving and probably filling it again.  We are only allowed to book one tip visit a week but I am happy with how it works now so if I get too much rubbish I will book another one.

Time to write 10 questions for a family quiz tonight and then cook dinner as I have been rather lazy so far this week around swimming sessions.

savingholmes

Glad that you were able to get to the tip and sort the holiday

ajmoney

Meal plan done for the weekend and shopping list ready for tomorrow.  I am trying to do the cleaning today so I can have an easier day before my parents arrive and not be racing about constantly, the bonus is I only have the bathroom and kitchen left to do.

ajmoney

By the end of August/beginning of September I should have reached £3k for my holiday savings so I am going to divert the monthly budget into my ISA instead which should help bolster my available cash in advance of coming up with a new plan for 2021.

ajmoney

Final call done for work and have taken the decision not to do any practice today unless I get everything done early so after a strange 4 months of working from home I now have 3 weeks off.  I have turned my alarm off and am about to put my instruments in their cases although I will still do some playing while I am off.

I have my to do list for before my parents arrive but need to go shopping before I can get any more done, I haven't got a clue on the opening hours for my local Mr M in relation to elderly shopping hours etc so will head along soon and if need be just sit in the car park until 10am.

juliejim

Have a lovely weekend with your parents.

ajmoney

The weekend was quite quiet but good.  Over the weekend I have planted out the reduced price sweet peas and broad beans, the growth in them was incredible on Saturday although the initial interest in nutrients has slowed to sensible growth levels now!  I have also planted out a courgette and squash plant given to me by a friend and sowed spring onion, spinach beet, peas and beetroot seeds.  I was also given a fuschia plants which I have put in the front garden with a box of bulbs, two plants bought last weekend and I have moved two fuschia bushes from pots round there too.  I have a tomato and two pepper plants to repot today and two japanese greens and an aubergine plant into the ground, all gifts from a friend.  I have covered the raspberry bush to stop the birds taking all the fruit and used mum's hedge trimmer to cut a silly little hedge between me and one neighbour although eventually it will come out when I find something suitable to screen my patio.  We also cheekily went around my neighbour's side to finish off the top and cut his side of the hedge, his partner is quite ill in hospital so hopefully it has helped a little.  I would like to put a lot of bedding plants in and inject some colour but I am limiting myself to buying plants once a week as the ground isn't really ready for anything even though I have space.  This way I can put them straight in the garden when they get home.  I am starting to take weekly photos of my garden as I think the change while being gradual will also be quick and I want to capture it.  I also took 2 cherries from my tree yesterday, they were delicious.

I have double checked all my financial stuff this morning as the last monthly bill went out today.  I have taken into account the money budgetted that hasn't been sent yet and even taking this out I still have £222.24 left so plenty of money to get some colour in my garden without going crazy