2017 - moving life forwards

Kittychick

Just catching on my 'my subscriptions', congratulations... Any idea of wedding date?

littlemonkeywolf

Coming out of stalkingmode to say congratulations!

coastalchick

thanks guys!

date not set yet but probably next december. Already worrying about cost!!!

This month is just not going to be frugal at all. My parents were here for a long weekend so that was expensive in terms of feeding them both at home and out (even though my dad paid for some stuff). Out this sat night with friends, at least £60 per head if not more. Then we have 2 bbqs here in a row - feeding 16 at 1 (12 adults, 4 kids) and 6 at another. Am going to ask people to bring a bit of meat I think so that we don't end up forking out for all of it.

Had to pay holiday balance today - 2218/2. So all in all, not a good month and we are only 4 days in from pay day!!!!!!

coastalchick

Having chicken stuffed with goats cheese and apple, wrapped in parma ham, plus potato waffles (essential) and veg tonight. All from stores. Annoyingly however, when I was preparing it I totally forgot we are having same again on thursday and used nearly all the parma ham so will need to buy more!!!

B is currently cleaning his flat, and spent hours doing it yesterday too. He (perhaps rather naively) let the current tenants (who moved out yesterday) off with having to get professional cleaners in (as per lease) on basis that if they cleaned it well enough themselves that was fine. However, after he let them go, he noticed they had really barely cleaned and there was disgustingness everywhere. Thankfully he hadn't repaid their deposit. No time to get professional cleaners in between yesterday and tomorrow when his new tenants move in so he is there slaving away. They've agreed he can retain £100 but it's very irritating. Why are people this way?!!!! They've messed us about so much and we put ourselves out finding new tenants and drafting severance agreement etc all because they don't (conveniently) actually understand what a lease is.

I do find I get irritated with people quite a lot!!!

coastalchick

Not the best of days but not going to post it here as decided to try not to be so negative!!!

Checked credit card and quite a bit on there I had forgotten we had spent over weekend with my parents so winced a bit, but it's done now and just have to try to be more frugal going forwards for the rest of this pay month (to 19 august) to make up for it!

Didn't spend anything today though and tonight tea is seabass, potato waffles (cannot, seemingly live without these right now) and vegetables all from stores. B picked me up from work as packet at post office needed to collect so did that and he's now upstairs sorting all his books out having picked up a bookshelf from his old flat yesterday.

Going to have a nice relaxing evening this evening, just resting. Only 2 more days in the office for me!

coastalchick

we were naughty and instead of healthy seabass had waffles, beans and chilli cheese! (though did have a salad as a "starter") but from stores so still MSE

Raining here today so will drive in. Still a bit of a walk from parking but better than 35 mins in rain and arriving soaked (yet still hot due to weather!)

B has band practice tonight so will have the seabass before he goes. Might have to grab milk and potato waffles so not a NSD but should be minimum.

Going to try really hard to get focused at work now. Not been for ages and not done a whole lot. Days go quicker when working hard so just going to do it.

coastalchick

Got milk, waffles and naughtily chocolate (as B out tonight) on way home - £5.65/2. Would've been about £3 if not for chocolate but it looked sooooooo nice!!!!

Went to see a wedding reception venue at lunch. Cost is getting huge already and we need to make cuts. Going to do a spreadsheet at weekend. B balked when said I had decided was not going to pay for bridesmaids make up and hair, but where we live that will easily be £500 if not more (me, mum, MIL, 5 x bridesmaids) - I figure B's sisters are good at doing hair and make up so it's not like they won't look good. And I am paying for their dresses. But looks like we are going for 30 november 2018!

Going to make a coffee in a mo and settle down with Orphan Black. Been looking too much at wedding stuff! Thinking of doing tables named after places we've been together and love - so Madrid, Berlin, New York, Tuscany, that sort of thing. Then thinking of maybe the favours for each table being reflective of the food or drink in that place. But then favours are also a lot. So might just do jars of sweets in middle of table for people to take home.

Kittychick

All sounds very exciting, we had a very small wedding and the only nod we did towards favours was a sweet buffet with lots of old fashioned glass dishes and jars with various sweets and stripey paper bags and told everyone to help themselves or take some home! Like I said though, ours was very small, just me with my daughter giving me away and then it was 'champagne and cake' back at the house... We also had food and a beer tent outside.. Was a lovely day and two years later we still talk about what a lovely day we had and are also both v happy we did it all without debt... Really looking forward to hearing your plans.. I love a good bit of wedding planning!

coastalchick

Love that idea!

We were actually talking about eloping last night. We did a spreadsheet of what the wedding was likely to cost (where we live, everything is £££) and it was easily going to be £16-20k. I just don't think we can justify spending that amount of money on one day. I mean, yes, it's lovely to see all your mates in one place and wear a nice dress and have the photos but how often do people look at their wedding photos? you barely get to spend quality time with anyone and I'd barely see B! I think we just have different priorities now. We both love Corwall so have been looking at that maybe for mid sept then we can have Sicily as our honeymoon (which is already booked and paid for). Think our parents might be a bit put out but it's not their day. I turn 40 next year (sept) so thinking maybe we'd just have a massive party for that with buffet, free bar etc and invite all those we were going to invite to wedding to that. Would be SO much cheaper and just as much fun. But will we regret not doing it the usual way?! Tough one. My view is that the party isn't the important bit, it's the marriage and that is over so quick anyway why bother spending so much money?

PLUS there is possibility that if I get up duff soon I won't get paid maternity so we have to factor that in - 6 months off work without pay and because of wedding we are putting off getting house decorated/furniture - surely the money would be better spent there?!

Last night spent £6.78/2 as needed parma ham for dinner and got some elderflower lemonade cans (£££) but treat as not drinking. Today is not going to be NSD - got to take cat back to vets for check up. Then meeting a friend for jacket potatos and coffee (but that should be around £6-8 so not too bad), then meeting B tonight for pizza. He is off out with the lads tonight for one of their birthdays but wants to eat beforehand and doesn't want to come home first as he then either has to take car and leave it and get it tomorrow or walk as once I'm home and settled I won't want to drive him in. So he came up with idea of me going to meet him in town for pizza at our fave place pre-drinks. Should hopefully only be around £20 each and guess otherwise I'd be sat on sofa with pizza on own (which I was actually quite looking forward to!)

Siebrie

Congratulations!

We had a very simple, enjoyable wedding: my parents contributed EUR 2,000 (GBP 1,800), so that was our budget, as we didn't have a penny.

We had a picknick at the local city farm with my parents and sister, my best friends and his best friends, 20 people in total. We'd prepared most of it (snacks, drinks the days before, we could use the city farm's kitchen and education room, all decorations were stacked there, and the first thing we did when we arrived for our party was decorate outside with all the guests . Decorating took about 10 minutes, and created a nice bond between the different 'groups' of guests. We hired two ladies to cook us a hot meal, and then invited them and their families to join us for the meal.


One friend took wedding pictures with a point-and-shoot, another shot some video footage. They sent the 'raw' material to us and we did the editing, etc. ourselves.