Get a grip woman!

Suffolk_lass

Well I bit the bullet and made all my planned C cakes yesterday. Three small and two medium from two quantities of the recipe I use. As I have made them good and early I will "feed" them for a month by injecting with a children's medicine syringe and "injecting" brandy, before deciding whether to ice them. That is four C gifts sorted and one for us.

We did do the dump run yesterday but then I had to have a little lie down before any gardening (having got up at 05.00), by which time it was raining.

I have a Dr appointment this morning but planning another NSD today if possible. I must get out in the garden and plant my bulbs and prep the veg garden for winter. We will need lots of farmyard manure and maybe some old carpet/matting to suppress weeds too.

Suffolk_lass

Right. It is going to be another freezer week plus some sort of roasting meat. That leaves bowl fruit, breakfast blueberries and fridge stuff to buy. Still got loads of fresh and frozen veg.

November is looking a bit better but we have over £500 in planned spends to come so not going to go mad.

Karmacat

I love "the C word" :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Suffolk_lass

DEBTS[/B]

[STRIKE]£110,621[/STRIKE] £99,999.03 (£10,621.97 paid so far) - Mortgage
[STRIKE]£3,476[/STRIKE] £0 (£3,476)- DH's car - paid off on 21st Aug 17
[STRIKE]£8,755.54[/STRIKE] £4,377.78 (£4,377.76) - Barclays 0% Finance for double glazing (50% paid now!)

Total [STRIKE]£122,852.54[/STRIKE] £104,376.81 - that is £18,475.74 or 15.05% paid off so far.


SAVINGS
£10,414.78 the rest paid our mortgage down to exactly £100k, only for a few pennies to take it below and down to five figures :T:T
£12,541.93 (was £12,549.27 in August - so after a dip in September this has recovered well) S&S ISA with Fidelity International (original £10,000 5 years ago, no further capital added)
£6,641.19 DH's S&S ISA with Charles Stanley Direct]
£3,150.60 2 year Bond with Skipton BS @ 4% Finishes in early 2018 - This will be used to reduce the mortgage!
£11,330.58 7 year bond with Skipton BS - matures Oct 20
[STRIKE]£38,630.43[/STRIKE] £44,078.99 Total actual cashable savings this is a slight dip from last month but that is because I paid almost £3,000 off the mortgage

Shortfall -£60,297.82 (all debts)

Well the electricity meter is running, rather than walking, now the Aga is on for the winter but it does mean there is no need to turn the heating on at the moment, and no need to use the small oven in the kitchen or the gas hob (until April).

Suffolk_lass

October Report
- Live within our income - try to avoid any top-ups to bills account and running cost accounts in October Fail I accidentally used the bank card to buy my season ticket, and a couple of cheques have cleared that I thought I had already accounted for. I moved £250 from the emergency savings back to the current account otherwise that remaining credit card bill would have hit us with overdraft charges again this month. Other than that, no further mishaps
- Investigate how much it will cost to repair the wall scrape to the bodywork of my car that I acquired No estimate but the car is booked in to have the work done next week
- Overpay the mortgage by at least a bit this month done - I've now raided the savings pot just to nudge under £100k
- Do some fun things This month I have been to the classic motorbike show, been for a lovely walk with Son and friend in the local river valley - even borrowed two dogs, and went to friends on Friday for a girls night in and got completely and unexpectedly sozzled due to a bit of accidental drink-confusion
- Continue with the deep clean at our other house not done yet and not on the plan - a change of plan and Son's friend has moved in. Good job we sorted some of it.
- Kon-Mari a drawer in my chest in my bedroom Just did a pile of clothes - 8 pairs of too-big trousers to go to the charity shop
- autumn pruning and tidy in garden Did masses - still loads more to do
- lose at least 2 pounds to tip me under the next stone number on the scales did not tip under - stopped at exactly the stone mark. Disappointing. Must to better
- process the apples and tomatoes before they rot done



November Targets

• I am starting to think about Christmas things. I have also volunteered to host some friends for New Year, which will be fun, so I need to prepare for this.
• I also need to find out how many I have for Christmas Day. It seems we will be 7, 8 or 9, depending on whether Mum comes, son is working and whether his housemate wants to come if son is working
• All that chatter about Christmas on TOPM's diary has got me thinking. I am definitely doing recipes and ingredients in jam-jars for my fundraising stall at the beginning of December. And little books of domestic promises to give away.
• I need to do leaflets to gather items and publicise my Village Ebay table too (we will keep 40% with a £5 minimum) done
• I know I need to buy ingredients for 2 batches of christmas cake as my Mum, her friend and a third for her Minister are on my list, plus one for us. I shall make smaller cakes. done and five cakes made
• Going to try and reduce the food in my freezer this month
• Buy C cards (shhh) and write some

Suffolk_lass

Saw the new stone number on my scales this morning - I'm sure the battery is running out - it suggested I have lost two pounds. Fab if I have, but I feel sure it was going into one

enthusiasticsaver

Well done on taking the mortgage below £100k.

Suffolk_lass

Wow! Only five weeks to go until your early retirement enthusiasticsaver! What will you do with all that extra time?

Suffolk_lass

Today will mostly involve a round trip of 100 miles to the dentist, and then a slightly more pleasing local swap with a neighbour who has too much meat (her husband is employed to control game) with some of my frozen fruit. I just need to check to ensure I can squeeze it into the freezer!

Suffolk_lass

November update

• I am starting to think about Christmas things. I have also volunteered to host some friends for New Year, which will be fun, so I need to prepare for this. Had a chat with my Mum and she wants to come for Christmas and New Year so now I need to conjur up a fourth bedroom. I need to have a bit of a think
• I also need to find out how many I have for Christmas Day. It seems we will be 7, 8 or 9, depending on whether Mum comes, son is working and whether his housemate wants to come if son is working. I can't do more until he gets his shifts
• All that chatter about Christmas on TOPM's diary has got me thinking. I am definitely doing recipes and ingredients in jam-jars for my fundraising stall at the beginning of December. And little books of domestic promises to give away.
• I need to do leaflets to gather items and publicise my Village Ebay table too (we will keep 40% with a £5 minimum) done but no suggested items have been forthcoming yet
• I know I need to buy ingredients for 2 batches of christmas cake as my Mum, her friend and a third for her Minister are on my list, plus one for us. I shall make smaller cakes. done and five cakes made
• Going to try and reduce the food in my freezer this month Well I did a trade yesterday - two huge bags of frozen gooseberries, a bag of frozen raspberries, a string each of shallots and onions and a couple of butternut squashes - all swapped and out of my freezer. Now I have a massive haunch of venison I will save for Christmas and a second defrosting to make into casserole
• Buy C cards (shhh) and write some

I went off to my dentist expecting to be told my remaining bit of tooth would have to go, with the prospect of an implant but he says it can be saved. I am still signed up for another £244 before Christmas but the alternative would have been over four figures!