Taking the plunge

Jelllibeanz

The weather forecasters were right and it was a glorious weekend. Considering it was the last weekend in March it was quite warm and sunny. This gave way to plenty of outside activity. It was a bit of a spendy weekend in that we needed curtain rods and net wire for the curtains and blinds we have rehomed. On the upside, we did buy a blind (that was too short for the window) and hose pipe (not needed) and whereas in the past we would have left them and said we'd take them back, but never actually got round to it; this time we did. So I'm no waiting for approx. £20 to find it's way back into my account. Why is it the shops are quick to remove the money from your account when spending, but it never shows quite as quickly in the online banking??


Where our neighbour is moving she has a compost bin with lots of well rotted brown stuff at the bottom. So rather than buying bags of soil I used this for all the lovely plants she's given us. Several of them were pot bound so they are now in lovely pots I bought last year that I never got round to using. What's nice is there were quite a few herbs including bay and rosemary. I'm hoping they will be happy in their new home. And am looking forward to using some fresh rosemary on lamb at Easter.


We have a gas oven at our holiday home (affectionately referred to as Voo Voo because it has stunning views) and it can be a work of art getting everything cooked in it. It does take a bit longer as it's only the top shelf that really gets sufficient heat. So making a roast dinner can be a long process. Yesterday we had a lovely bit of beef that I put in the slow cooker. It was divine and the slow cooker made it so much easier. There was a small amount of beef left over that I've brought with me for lunch today. Although it might turn into elevenses as it was so tasty.


It was also Mothers' Day this weekend. The boys and MrJ were lovely and brought me breakfast in bed ( a cuppa tea and some pancakes) as well as a few lovely gifts including a fidget toy for me to using in uni lectures. I really do struggle to sit still and concentrate, even when at home. So hopefully this will help me to stay focussed.
I'm missing my older two children (they aren't exactly kids anymore at 21 and 25, but will always be my babies) as they have moved out and have other commitments. I'm hoping I will get to see DS1 tonight and I had a lovely chat my DD. She is coming down in a couple of weeks time and I cannot wait.


The weekend was so good we decided to stay until Monday morning. We travelled back this morning with the boys still in their pjs. Up and out before 6am. Thankfully traffic was kind to us and we got back at half seven. The boys quickly changed into their uniforms and I into my work kit before heading out again. I've been good and put the slow cooker on with some wonky veg and beef. So when I get home tonight there should be very little needed to do.

Jelllibeanz

We spent another lovely weekend at Chez Voo Voo. This time much of it was spent gardening/removing the neighbours much loved plants before she moves away. She's moving to a flat so can't take any with her. We all ended up very muddy, but now have some lovely troughs with strawberries and rhubarb growing along with fushia, willow, Aguilera (I think that's what it's called) and some herbs.
I was good and made fresh bread rolls for the first time since I was at school - something like 25 or so years ago! They turned out great and kneading the bread was very therapeutic. I'm counting it as saving money as I'd forgotten to get some bread and the nearest shop is four miles away. Anyhow, it went really well with the homemade bean and veg soup.


Another thing we cooked that the kids loved I've started calling cowboy beans - it's basically a tin of baked beans with a dash of leftover fajita seasoning and spag bol. chucked on top of jacket spuds with some cheese. It's worked a treat and also meant that I can reduce the spag bol portion sizes slightly to eek out a second meal. My plan is to experiment with adding some different pulses (in very small amounts) to introduce the kids to something new without it ruining a meal. They don't like red kidney beans. So they are out. I'm sure we will come up with something.

Jelllibeanz

I'm celebrating a mini achievement.....


I tried something I'd seen on a FB post ages ago by fyf20quid. I popped some stabbed baking spuds in the slow cooker with some spray oil just before leaving for work this morning. The boys are off for the Easter break, but I need to work for the next few days so was hoping they would be ready for lunch. I popped back home at lunchtime (I only live 10 mins away) and dished them up with some cowboy beans and cheese. They were awesome!!! The social media site that I follow suggested doing a bundle and freezing them for ease. I wanted to try them first. They definitely get the thumbs up from me the kids. We'll be doing them again and we'll try freezing some too next time.


It was also an achievement as I managed to load and unload the washing machine and dishwasher whilst I was there. And I got some diced beef and onions browned off and into the slow cooker for tonight's dinner. All this and back in time too


Oh and I've also found freezing grated cheese is a fab way to protect it from the mice in the house!! They never think to look there

Jelllibeanz

It's been a busy few weeks what with Easter, the kids being on holiday etc. We managed to spend a week away at Voo Voo without major damage to finances. We used some free return tickets to SeaWorld as we'd used a two for one offer earlier in the year, but had the chance to go back for free as not all exhibitions were open. And we combined the trips along the south coast with other lovely venues to make the most of the fuel. Most importantly we had plenty of family time, good food and company with amazing weather.


I think the only downside was that I needed to finish and submit an assignment and the laptop screen had broken!! So we commandeered the HDMI cable from the kids console and used the family TV. It was a day and a half of putting the assignment together. I'd done a fair amount of research and just needed to pull it all together. It's not my best piece of work, but it's done and in on time. I'm just aiming for a pass on this unit as the first year's scores do not count. It's difficult cos I normally work my socks off, but I figured family time on this occasion was more important. Everyone was brilliant and so supportive though. I'm really lucky they are supporting me to study.


I'm only making small overpayments at the moment as funds are low, but this is being done by a few TTs and using the reimbursement for work travel - using the approach of it's gone so we won't miss it. Re-mortgaging soon so that will help and getting a long fixed rate will give us some security. In the meantime I'm trying to put what I can into it before the fix means we cannot overpay by more than 10% per year.

Jelllibeanz

I'm using this post to try to recollect a few MSE highlights over the past couple of weeks. With the Bank Holiday weekends it sometimes seems like I'm losing traction, but I need to keep focussed. So here goes:


1 - save £3 on parking this week. We have to pay to park at uni. So to avoid it there is a small car park where there are no charges. However, when I got there this week it was locked I would have had to pay for the normal car park, but I bumped into a colleague who had some passes for it. She'd normally give them out to her team, but was more than happy to let me keep this one. Happy days


2 - The awesome Mr J has got a new job. It's similar money. We will save on train fare. However, he needs the car to get there. So I am now walking to work (even in the rain - and I HATE rain!!). The plan is to buy a small run around for him in a few weeks time because I need one for travelling cross site during the day. In the meantime I can stick with walking.


3 - I still love my YS I saved £7 on 3 meals worth of salmon and some sandwich fillings.


4 - We've been running out of sandwich fillings much quicker than I'd usually anticipate. So I've taken to making sandwiches using the entire loaf and freezing them. It means we save time making packed lunches and I know exactly what we have.


5 - I've started to reduce the amount of meat we eat. I'm putting lentils and more veg into ragu and only using half a pack of bacon when doing a carbonara. I now chop the whole pack, separate and freeze at least half for another meal or two. And I'm blitzing veg in the food processor so the kids do not notice them so much. They even ate mushrooms last night and didn't have a clue!!


6 - Vegetable peelings are now being kept too. I made crisps using the potato peelings (just some spray oil, seasoning and oven cook for 20mins) that the kids love Other peelings are being kept and frozen for using in soups.


7 - Left over dinner is still coming to work with me for lunch. Some meals taste even better re-heated


I feel a little better for posting that


Ta much x

Miss_Money_Magnet

Hi, just read your diary and really enjoyed it. I am going to try the jacket potatoes in the slow cooker!! Good luck on your mortgage free journey!

Jelllibeanz

Thanks Miss MM (loving the name BTW). I've just caught up on your diary. You've achieved so much! I hope you are still enjoying your new home xx

Jelllibeanz

The sunny weather has been helping with the not having a car for work issue. I had to walk to uni and back yesterday. Well I didn't have to, but I didn't want to spend any money on buses or taxis. Six mile round trip with hills included. By the end I was shattered. If nothing else this should help me to improve my fitness levels and hopefully some weight too!


We had a lovely weekend as some friends had surprised us by booking a weekend away near our holiday home. I probably pickled my liver as we drank copious amounts of alcohol, but good fun was had by all.


Mr J is enjoying his packed lunches - even his frozen sandwiches! He came home gushing about how much he liked his cream cheese and ham ones yesterday. I do need to monitor the snack situation though. I think I have a secret snack raider who keeps eating the packed lunch treats. I'm not sure freezing them is the answer. I might make some homemade flapjacks tonight/tomorrow as I suspect we are running low.


To get a little extra money in I was part of the team doing the count for the local elections. It was lots of fun and I haven't pulled an all nighter in years. It's only a few extra quid, but it will grow in the mortgage account.


Speaking of which I had my annual statement arrive today. I'm paying almost £250 a month in interest!!! The joy of being on SVR


I'm just hoping they process the re-mortgage paperwork pretty quickly so it comes down. Sent it off last week. Fingers crossed it is all approved. I've asked for a reduction in term whilst opting for a 5 year fix. There was 15 years left to run, but I've asked to reduce it 10 years. I'm mentally aiming to only have it for five and a little bit. The little bit is to avoid the penalty as I will not be able to pay off more than 10% in any year. This means I could have shaved 10 years off!!! I just need to stay disciplined.

Jelllibeanz

Still no news from the mortgage co. I'm hoping there will be a letter on the door mat at least confirming they've received my paperwork. If not I think I will need to call them this evening.


I've done a few TT this past week. Only small bits. I'm resisting sending over a bulk amount in case it affects the re-mortgage processing. When they were running the quote a few weeks back there couldn't be anything in the OP pot.


In other news I need to stop shopping.... the freezers at home and voo voo are rammed with food. I've resisted going out for a lunch time stroll today to avoid the shops. Instead I've rummaged around in the bottom drawer of my filing cabinet and am using my hidden stash of pot soups, noodles and rice. I was good and brought some bran flakes with dried fruit and some satsumas for snacking on.


The weekend was good apart from the kids being moody/in trouble for not doing their homework. As a result their gaming console has been banned and the internet turned off at home. Fingers crossed they will be in a better mood tonight.
We still had fun though. A cheapish night out on Saturday was spent at the beach. The kids were given £3 each to spend in the arcades on the strict basis that once it was gone it was gone. So they made it stretch using the 2p machines. We did less than a tenner on sausages and chips that we ate on the beach. Although the seagulls looked a bit threatening and a couple of times I thought it was going to turn into a scene from the film The Birds! The kids had loads of fun in the park too. We topped it off with ice creams and a scary movie when we got back. Happy faces all round

Jelllibeanz

Still no news from the M Co. I can't call them from work and haven't been able to get home in time to speak to them either. Hopefully I can leave a little earlier today and find out what's happening.


In the meantime last night we made flapjacks and uses a thrifty leslie ginger cake recipe. They've been used in the packed lunches today. I may do the ginger cake again only next time do them in fairy cake cases to reduce cooking time.


I did the 6 mile round trip to uni and back yesterday. I did take a break on the way back for a quick sit down in the hairdressers. Getting it chopped cost £12, which is a huge amount less than I used to spend in London. I also realised when we were talking about the hairdresser's grandchild I hadn't been for almost 8 months!!! I'm pleased I've got it done. It looks much better. So I'm not going to leave it so long next time.