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

apple_muncher

A washing up bowl...?

Treadingonplaymobil

apple_muncher wrote: »

A washing up bowl...?

:rotfl: :T :rotfl:

Busy_Mee1 wrote: »

A JL voucher so that you can shop guilt free in the sales after Christmas : D

cocalls wrote: »

morning treading

i wonder if you could ask your mum for the nat trust membership?
Hows the getting extra sleep mission going?

Both of these are great ideas, but she likes to buy me a 'thing' (something physical that can be handed over) or she feels like she has just handed over cash (which is fair enough).

apple_muncher

Two washing up bowls...?

PositiveBalance

apple_muncher wrote: »

Two washing up bowls...?

Now, now...I thought part of this journey was only to obtain the things you need. This is sheer greed!

Silver_Queen

What about something you want, like a nice new bag or new shoes?

System

What about a weekend away for you and DH and your mum looks after the DC's .

Treadingonplaymobil

Week 41: Day 6

I'm laughing at the washing up bowl suggestions! Would love to ask for time away/childcare, but it feels like a bit of an imposition.

Need to pack and get organised today for visiting relatives. It's going to be an expensive weekend as I am meeting some old uni friends for lunch, then taking DC2 out for the afternoon on Sunday for some one to one time as he really needs it (in London, he has shortlisted a few tourist attractions). We'll also go and see the Christmas lights and the usual big city stuff. I do have some money put by for it, and we're doing this as our pre-Christmas treat - no expensive pantos or santa visits or anything in December as DH and I don't really enjoy them, and the DCs seem indifferent.

Oh, another bit of good news that will ease finances from January (annoyingly not December, could have done with some bonus money, but equally I would only spend it on more presents, so maybe no such a bad thing) is it turns out we are enormously in credit with our gas/electricity, so our DD is reducing from £112 per month to £49! I thought we were only in credit by a normal 'pre-winter' amount, but thinking about it we've barely had the heating on until the last week or two, so I suppose our consumption has only just gone up, and we have been hundreds of pounds in credit for a few months.

I really feel like we've spent this year battling and battling to tame our finances, trying to keep things affordable without totally compromising our priorities as a family and keeping the extension dream alive. There's still a really long way to go before I can declare that we are anything like in control, but I do feel like we're in a really different place to where we were 12 months ago when we first started to tentatively discuss the fact that it might be nice to actually pay off our enormous debt. I don't want to get complacent, as we are still a looooonnnnnng way from secure, but I do feel pleased that we have sustained our debt repayment over the year despite a few hiccups of the non-earning variety along the way.

I must actually add up the numbers at some stage - I haven't actually updated the 'official' figures for a couple of months now. It will be all change once the new mortgage comes through anyway, so I'll probably take a fresh look at things when that happens.

to do today
1. sew together and stuff the unicorn, all the pieces are finished.
2. pack for weekend away.
3. finish December budget.
4. fill advent bags and add chocolate to food shopping list if required.
5. finish tidying utility room.
6. menu plan and shopping list for next week so DH can pick up anything we need on the way home from work today - he won't be back until late Sunday with the children so no time to shop then (I am working in London Tue-Wed next week, so will just stay up there with relatives on Sunday night and mooch around on Monday trying not to spend money).

To do this week
1. declutter and tidy utility room - it is such a dumping ground.
2. put advent calendar together.
3. do the next chunk of Christmas shopping - stockings.
4. buy some fabric for a tree skirt - just going to drape some linen over the table where the tree will go, nothing fancy. It has just occurred to me to ask my mother, who has loads and is visiting next week.
5. make more candles.

To do this month
1. Keep the total spend at the budgeted level - it's high on YNAB this month (£3,842) as it includes the £470 paid off the MBNA card and all our savings pots are actually budgeted.!This is not going well.
2. Keep a tight record of Christmas spends so I can ensure it sticks to budget as far as possible.!Ongoing.
3. Keep beavering away at my business goals.!Ongoing.
4. Make some candles - we've run out! And I know one person really wants another one for Christmas, so will add it to her hyacinth.!Done! Although I'll probably use them up and need to make more before Christmas.

Suffolk_lass

I remember you saying you wish you had a beautiful cup to sit and have a relaxing cup of tea. Maybe ask your Mum for this, maybe with a matching pot and use it to make you take time out to simply stop and be for 20 minutes in the day. You do yoga - you know the benefits

Misslayed

If you’re hundreds of pounds in credit, why not ask for it back? They wil still reduce your DD, but not by as much. Have you checked you’re on the best tariff? I switch regularly, it’s painless.
Do you wear perfume? Mum could replenish or buy matching bath/shower smellies for Christmas.
Enjoy London.

museumworker

Maybe your mum might see a membership as different to a gift voucher, the latter does seem more like cash to me than the former.

Enjoy London! With the lights and museums there is lots to see for next to nothing, if there are any paid visitor attractions on the list a huge proportion of them do 2 for 1 with your rail ticket, just print off the voucher online first.