£67,031.92 is a frightening number indeed....

Kittychick

Any chance you could put a link to Twinks Hobnob recipe, I have tried searching but didn't do v well.... Thank you x

redofromstart

Kittychick wrote: »

Any chance you could put a link to Twinks Hobnob recipe, I have tried searching but didn't do v well.... Thank you x

Try this:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/471992

quintwins

I love hobnobs, they recommend eating hobnobs when breastfeeding so I'm gonna jump on the "they are a health food" wagon aswell :rotfl:

Suffolk_lass

Treadingonplaymobil wrote: »

OMG went for the hobnobs. Best. Recipe. Ever.

I'm wondering if 4:30am yoga cancels out 7am hobnob breakfast...

...and you have lots of embellishment options still to try out (chocolate dipping one end, being my personal favourite). I especially like the fact that they work well with baking fat instead of butter too.


They are so popular here I only make half a batch at a time and ration them.

Suffolk_lass

Re driving vs train - I used to commute 100 miles return in my car. I had to pay extra insurance for the high mileage, a few extra services,, regular new tyres, subject to fuel cost variations and the stress of driving an hour each way. I saw three vehicles written off around me and was held up by numerous accidents I did not see.


I get a lift to the Station as DH still drives to work and I read the paper, do my emails and think about the day on the train. Thinking time is much underestimated in my opinion. There's more to consider than money...


And if mileage for work exceeds 10,000 per annum, isn't there an additional tax liability? and a requirement for a business user clause in his insurance policy to consider too?


Your call but I know which I favour

wishingthemortgaheaway

Does the 10k miles tax liability thing only apply to business miles rather than commuting miles? -it's a genuine question, I don't know if it does or it doesn't.

Topm - guess what I did last night - trod on a playmobil Mrs Noah- it flipping well hurt. It might even have been worse than standing on lego, but not worse than standing on a 3 pin plug.

We're off camping next week too.

Suffolk_lass

Business miles - I believe it becomes a taxable benefit above 10,000 and the rate is about 45p a mile (which contributes to wear and tear) and a lower rate equivalent to public transport, that doesn't.

redofromstart

Commuting miles are not normally taxable as the employee pays them, If your employer pays them then that payment is taxable if it is to a permanent place of work, or if it becomes a permanent place of work. You can be paid up to 45p a mile for genuine business miles in a private car, but that drops to 25p a mile over 10,000 miles per tax year. If your employer pays you less you can claim tax relief on the difference - which can be useful if you have a car allowance and a lower rate for business mileage. You can also be paid for business miles on a bicycle - again for wear and tear. If you do any paid business mileage at all in a private car then you should have business class cover but it isn't a huge difference if you add it at renewal. Its when you ring up mid term to add it and they whack an admin fee on top that it is a problem.

I have to know about these things for my job. I do have a life, honest.

Treadingonplaymobil

DH's work doesn't pay any of his mileage, but I do think our insurance costs would go down slightly if our mileage went back under 10,000 a year - I certainly remember it increasing when we went over that the first time!

Car service was horrifying - some crucial brake part was wearing out, so it came to a weep-inducing £317. So that's pretty much all of our savings wiped out . BUT at least it didn't have to go on the credit card. Really not sure if we're going to get to the end of the month without using the credit card, but so far we are limping on. I fear if I crack out the card for one purchase it will be a slippery slope to having a thousand or two on it before I've blinked.

Had to do a top up shop today - £6.82 on baking ingredients, a toothbrush for DC2 and tealights for camping. I have realised that 'hosting' takes a noticeable portion of our food budget - the £3.50 or so I spent on baking ingredients today was after baking stuff for guests today (and using the ingredients that I need in order to bake for camping tomorrow), and I've mentioned before that around £25 a month of our food budget seems to go on having friends over for lunch or similar. Not huge amounts, but it's where some of the extra is creeping onto our shop. I'm not sure I want to eliminate it, as I like having friends round, but it's becoming clear that if I want to stick to anything around £400 a month, the weekly food shop has to be seriously tight every single week to allow for those extras.

to do today
1. start packing for camping. Not done, but the list is printed out ready, and two of the DCs are out for part of the morning tomorrow, so I'll have some extra time.
2. bake fairy cakes. Hobnobs. YUM.
3. tidy upstairs. A bit done.
4. more laundry and ironing (oh how I long for this not to be on my list every single day!). Done.
5. batch cook macaroni cheese. Not done.
6. check how many gas bottles we have for camping. Done, we have enough to avoid a camping shop trip entirely.
7. make sweet potato soup to freeze, as we won't need it for a meal before we go camping, and the potatoes won't last forever. Not done.
8. make curry to take camping. Done.
9. 2hrs work, somehow! Done.

to do this week
1. as much work as I can squeeze in - any extra earnings will really make the difference this month!
2. trip to the camping shop for gas, possibly sleeping mat, anything else that crops up as we unpack and clean everything. Not needed!
3. car service - panic about the price and wish I'd been better about saving. Done. £317. Sob.
4. I'm sure I'll add more to this list as I work through my bullet journal lists today.
5. Ooh, talk to DS1 about his birthday party - he seems up for taking one or two friends on a day out to a trampoline place or climbing wall, need to discuss further.

to do this month
1. Pay some extra off the MBNA card - I'd like this card gone asap. More than the £15 I managed in July would be nice.
2. Find ourselves with more than £228 in the savings account on 31st August.
3. Keep that overall spend figure down below £3,900 (baby steps!)
4. business planning and scheduling, so that I am ready to start making some immediate profit in September when DC3 starts preschool.
5. think outside the box with the food budget and keep a close eye on anywhere it might be going wrong.
6. Try not to need the child benefit money to balance August’s money, so it can go towards Septmber’s (it is paid four weekly, which is currently falling towards the back end of the month, so I have balanced the budget to work without it, and will aim to put it towards September’s income rather than August’s. We’ll see).

Lucylocks

I'm so sorry to hear about the car. At least it's sorted now