22 Foxhole East

f0xh0les

Well, my car is booked in for the festive lockset, the Santa service and the MOT on the 16th. So hopefully that will be it all sorted in one payment, job done, goodnight.

I have started to Christmassify the living room a little, before the tree goes up on the weekend.
Still slightly above budget, but I will not have to worry about lunchbox tat soon - 12 more packups til Xmas.... mind you, I have not bought a single present yet! or anything for DS4s birthday.

Mount Zanussi is slowly sinking, lovely sunny day but flipping cold out. Flipping cold in, too.

DH is back to work tomorrow, but he breaks up on the same day as the kids this year, so from the 20th - 2nd we are all on holiday, and the kids go back on the 7th.
I have just spent some more time putting dates into next year's diary, so I suppose we are on the downward slide into 2020. I might as well just get out my sledge and enjoy the ride. I am not feeling festive yet. Maybe when the tree goes up, and I make some pies, and the lights are twinkling

Lots of admin and nonsense done already. No sign of the mortgage phone call or email.....
see you later!

f0xh0les

I have the urge to splurge and spend. It was DS2s parents' evening last night, kill me now, the boy is going to coast himself into a sea of 5s cos he simply can't be bothered. He has no hobbies except his xbox, and his rubbishy little snopchat group about the xbox. He is horrid, and mean, and lazy, and not finished his transmogrification yet. I just do not know what to do about him. He is determined to just lie around in his room and do nothing at all and seems happy to do so. 15 years old. He refused to get up until one minute past when we were supposed to leave, and then I had to send him back into the house again as he could not be bothered to wash or clean his teeth. Total disaster of a morning.

So I have bought mice pies from ye Olde bakershoppe of Groggs. I have also eaten one, like a seal swallowing a fish. Or a letter posted into a pillar box...sideways.

So this afternoon will be all the fun of the primary school Xmas fair (the lady who lives inside my head is screaming in horror already).

The weekend does not bode well. I do not need a crystal ball ( always to be stored wrapped in a headscarf) to be able to read that into my future, nor entrails either.

So, in case I need to run screaming into the woods, ripping off my clothes, and howling at the moon, I wish you all a happy happy Friday and hopefully this will not be my last post outside of pokey.

Remortgage bod has come back with a 1.79% no fees 3 year deal - there is also a 5 year deal at the same rate, so £20 less a month than we are on now, and keeping the 18yr term. Not sure which one to go for. 3 years or 5 years. There is a 5%/4%/3%/2%/1% exit fee during the 5 years and the same 3/2/1% for the 3 year. Will ponder that whilst racing through the undergrowth pulling on my hair and leaping felled boughs. See, still multi-tasking whilst having a nervous breakdown.

Chrystal

Just letting you know I love your posts! :rotfl:

Hope you have returned from the Xmas Fair at least reasonably sane???

Regarding DS2 do you think dire measures are called for..... refuse to feed him, remove his Xbox and any other nasty things you can think of until he pulls his socks up? Otherwise you're gonna have to wait YEARS for his hormones and brain to catch up :eek: :eek: :rotfl::rotfl:

badmemory

Chrystal wrote: »

Otherwise you're gonna have to wait DECADES for his hormones and brain to catch up :eek: :eek: :rotfl::rotfl:

I've amended that for you!:rotfl:

f0xh0les

The Xbox and DS had already been removed from his room - the stuff about me and other parents on sn0pchat was really pretty vile. Not worried though, I could wipe the floor with him if I was so inclined (I am not so inclined and never have been). Still not pretty to see in the written word. I am putting it down to bravado and venting (and being a mouthy twerp).

Sometimes the only thing that saves him is my realisation that he has not yet emerged from his Chrysalis, and right now he is just a hairy, noxious, toxic caterpillar. Hopefully not for decades (cheers for that!). I suppose I could always start saving for his deposit to move out (just in case twerpdom goes on for longer than expected).

Two of his teachers did say that he had matured considerably in the last few weeks in their lessons. The others would have been happy to put him in a trebuchet and launch him into space. But they all said he was not disruptive or impolite or refusing to do the work and his homework, although messy, is right and in on time. They just find him incredibly annoying. Which I can understand. Because he is.

kerri_gt

Well I guess if he's managing the work and handing his homework in on time that's something. Maybe he'll turn into one of these entrepreneurial Richard Branson types and find his niche and launch a global empire. Or perhaps just keep saving for his deposit just in case....

I read a page from my diary when I was about 14 when I was clearing some stuff out...apparently my DM was the absolute worst for not allowing my to phone my boyfriend of the time :o:o

f0xh0les

Ha ha! I will look forward to being told I was right (in 30 years time) then.

DS2 could found a global empire, make millions, but would still refuse to pay housekeeping as it is our duty to keep him until he sees fit to leave, while moving a tiny mini fridge into his bedroom for his 'own' stuff and complaining about the broadband speed. He is like that!
Bit of an odd weekend this one. I feel like I am in limbo until the election on Thurs. Can't seem to focus on anything else. Was talking to Christian Grandma at the school fair, and she was the same. More twinkly lights needed, obviously. Actually the tree will go up this weekend. Light therapy? or light relief?

Did the electric meter readings (inside) not done the gas (outside) as it was not dark when I got up, so I did not flit out the front door and around the bay window to the meterbox like I usually do. It got light really early this morning. Very bizarre.

So, the school fair set me back a mere £10. I bought awful gluten free vegan cupcakes on the way out the door to make sure I had donated enough monies. Hard, heavy, and dry, all at the same time. Also tiny. But the mice pies went down well - dh has already snaffled 2 more for his breakfast, which is annoying as I made sure there were 6 left for elevensies, and had beat the two smallest ones away from them with sticks this morning when they wanted to have them for breakfast. Men! pah!

So, the last 2 weeks of term look like this:

Monday - child benefit (I had forgotten! will use for presents) foodbank x 2 sessions

Thursday - Election and foodbank session, DH out at pub, then works Xmas meal and do.

Friday- Xmas decorations afternoon at primary school
Monday - 2 x foodbank sessions, service, mot, lockset (£400 in the Car bank account ready to go) will borrow dh's car for the day.
Wednesday - foodbank
Thursday - foodbank
Friday - School ends. University closes. Everything gets a bit more exciting! I hope.
Plus many and varied trips to the dentist

No idea what the Xmas opening times for the foodbank are. It was so busy on Thursday, and lots of people turning up without a voucher. It did not stop for a second. I should be losing weight rapidly with the amount of stairs I climb carrying boxes of tins on foodbank days, but no. Nothing. Staying the same weight.

Oh well!Going to finish my book, put some clothes on (yeah - dh stayed in bed until gone 10 this morning. He obviously needed the sleep, and now he is hogging the bathroom having a bubble bath) I will get dressed in a bit. It is the weekend after all, and if the door goes, I can pretend to be ill.

f0xh0les

Today I have not spent any money at all
I have just cut DS3s hair (saving myself another £10 and an hour's wait at the barbers).
All food from stores
Inventory, menu plan, shopping list made
Tree still not up. Dh is making falafel for supper. I am knee deep in werewolves and I still cannot make up my mind about 3 year or 5 year fixes.It is the fear of getting it wrong (again) that is stopping me.

mark55man

generally interest rates are quite low, but they have been pushing lower. and you know Brexit

Using the MSE comparison the cheapest 3 and 5 were as below both with fees of £1000. ETA: for borrowing £100K on £200K house

1.44% for 3 HSBC
1.49% for 5 Santander

For an extra 0.05% which is about £50 a year of £100K, then not having to pay another £1000 after 3 years looks like a good deal. Broadly by end of year 5 you would have spent 2/3*1000 - 5*5 or about £400 less on the 5 year deal

How much are you worried about missing out if rates went lower so you could save more - well to get to £450 savings over 5 years your 2nd 3 year mortgage would need to be .25% cheaper by end of year 3 - not undoable, but not likely to be much upside

I think a difficult call to get spot on, bit one which is not likely to cause much downside if you get it wrong.

If inflation gallops away, and interest rates rise - which I think is very unlikely, then that would imply the economy has heated up which presumably might compensate in other ways.

good luck with your decision. I would go with the 5, but I have seen others advice that if its a close call, go with the one that ties you in for least time

EDIT: those rates at 50% LTV

trix-a-belle

Hey f0xh0les popping over from CCLs thread,
Sounds like you've had a reasonable weekend, I don't blame you removing DS2s gaming stuff form him, have you got an outdoor dog run or pig sty you could threaten to dump him in if he doesn't buck his ideas up?
What are your concerns about picking the 3 or 5 year fix? I always love a good pros and cons list to help clarify the situation. My 2p, I can't see the rates going down much more than you've got there (i'm jealous i'm just over 2 years into a 5 year fix at just over 2%), if your circumstances changed and suddenly you could pay it all off tomorrow 2 years isn't a long time to just keep it running to avoid fees, if you needed to move you could port it