From debt to freedom...

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Spendless, Willowtree222, Dakota Rose and Cherryfudge. Thats’s a really interesting explanation Spendless - thank you.

I felt so rough on Wednesday night that I got a dr’s appointment on Thursday. I am not keen on going to the drs when chest infections can clear up with self care but being asthmatic and having the worst night I can recall with wheezing and coughing, I didn’t risk waiting. Now on 2 lots of medication and awaiting a new inhaler so starting to feel more human again! Have missed 2 shifts with Job 2 so will have to request holiday pay for those.

Yesterday was payday so monies have been moved to various pots. The strategy of overpaying just £25 a week off debt from my Job 2 wages has meant a month in, I’ve cleared an extra £100 without noticing it too much! I pay that first when my wages come in so it’s gone and out of the way. It’s satisfying to see the numbers coming down weekly 😊.

This week kick starts the 12 close family birthdays we have in the coming months! Three are significant birthdays for my DS, lovely brother and DSIL. Am conscious of the need to plan very carefully. I’ve planned to give DS money for his with the instruction to spend it on something he wants. Every spare penny for him is saving for his first home purchase at the moment.

The first birthday in the list came with the request of a tirimasu dessert instead of a cake. The specific instruction was a strawberry matcha tirimasu. Haven’t ever done one of these before and was quite alarmed to see just how green matcha is but it did make a good constrast with the puréed strawberries. I am informed it tasted delicious!

Willowtree222

Matcha is huge at the minute and I haven't even tasted it!

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Willowtree222.

My DD4 drinks gallons of it!! We know when she is home from uni because the milk consumption of the household goes up by about 8 pints a week, to make the matchas!!!

Spendless

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82087969#Comment_82087969

Snap! One of my friends has and disliked it but she did try at Greggs which possibly wasnt the best choice for a first try.

Glad youre starting to feel better HSL. It was in a prev job where I noticed people just overpaying their weekly rent by a small amount managed to build up a decent amount of overpayment that needed refunding (various reasons why theyd overpaid in the first place) and I thought I need to apply that principle to myself, just build up small amounts.

Gosh thats a lot of birthdays close together and Im guessing shortly followed by Christmas. Cant believe you're now at the life stage where youve got another one saving up for their own place.

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Spendless… I am pleased that DS2 is thinking carefully and planning for the future. It is interesting to see how 3 of my older children have been able to get their first home. One has gone down the shared ownership route and they are now trying to plan in stair casing ( I think that’s the term), another has gone for the traditional open market with a mortgage while the third is hoping to buy via a Section 106 which is a local connection purchase.

Still plodding health wise… I managed a short shift on Friday evening but am very much pacing myself because this horrible cough is still with me. I did manage a gentle stroll on the cliff path on Sunday. The sea air was definitely very welcome.

Direct debits all came out yesterday… the mortgage is getting closer to £130k which is gratifying.

Had a baking day yesterday to top up the tins which, in the school holidays, require more regular topping up!! Apple flapjacks, brownies, a lemon drizzle cake and a key lime pie filled them up. DS1 has decided he misses the cake tins from home and came to partake as well!

Cherryfudge

All your baking always amazes me: you manage such a lot in a session. Are your cupboards always topped up with suitable ingredients or do you plan and shop for each session? Sorry to be nosey, but I'm that person with lots of things in the cupboards that aren't getting used fast enough, but if I want to bake, there's often some vital ingredient missing.

Strawberry matcha tiramisu just has to be eye-catching!

I hope the cough eases soon. Very debilitating for you.

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Cherryfudge. I usually keep flour, sugar, cocoa powder, eggs, oats, golden syrup, butter and vanilla essence in stock at home which allows for quite a few recipes! The strawberry matcha tiramisu ingredients were bought specially!

I was hoping to get more done today but still felt rough and ending up sleeping for an hour in the middle of the day 😳. 2 NSDs this week so far as I haven’t been anywhere to spend!

Cherryfudge

I think I would have the same things in stock as you do - plus a few things like frozen bananas for the day when it's not too hot to make a banana cake! I suspect that in my case the useful things get a bit lost in the good intentions items, which include various nuts, dried fruit etc.

I'm sorry you're still unwell, but if you have to rest, try to do it thoroughly! Send the children out blackberrying and read a book or something. Think of it as storing energy for future use. 😊

Spendless

That cough is lingering. I know when my DD had an ongoing one it was (eventually! ) worked out to be acid reflux. Go back to the Drs once your anti-bs have ran out if you still have it.

Key lime pie is my fav dessert and I rarely see it on a menu (even in the US).

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Cherryfudge and Spendless. Feeling much better now but the cough is still lingering at night.

In the last week I’ve made it to the beach about 3 times. I’m sure the sea air is good for the lungs!! I had felt so bad about DS3 not having done much when I was feeling so rough but we are making up for lost time now.

We have also been out blackberry picking. It was delightful wandering down the allotment which has a lot of brambles on the boundary hedge. The sun was shiny and there were so many butterflies around. The pots were filled quite quickly. Some blackberries have been frozen for future crumbles. Others have been turned into breakfast smoothies…the colour alone is amazing!

Two and a half weeks left before term starts so am determined to make the most of the time!