And so it begins: The Pig Vs The Mortgage

Karmacat

Do you want to name-drop the app?  That sounds very interesting, and I wouldn't mind having that particular obsession 🤣 

Cakes sound good ... today's shenanigans don't ... and Mrs Wilson, I watched that when it first came out - amazing.  Enjoy!  And enjoy your half term, woo hoo.

pinkypig

Karmacat said:

Do you want to name-drop the app?  That sounds very interesting, and I wouldn't mind having that particular obsession 🤣 

Cakes sound good ... today's shenanigans don't ... and Mrs Wilson, I watched that when it first came out - amazing.  Enjoy!  And enjoy your half term, woo hoo.

Really enjoyed Mrs Wilson KC, what a life she had 😱
The app is Loop (they do sell devices but the app is free).  It tracks the actual cost based on the price cap tariff rather than your actual tariff but the KWH is really useful.  I can also see what I would be spending if I wasn’t on a fixed rate 😱. Dreading when that ends! X

pinkypig

Morning 😀

I’m thoroughly enjoying not being at work.  It’s odd really because I enjoy work on the whole but I’m always glad to be on holiday.  I think of them as practice for retirement!

With that in mind I’m trying to keep to some sort of routine, albeit a relaxed one.

Today is my last day at home as I’m heading to OH’s for a city staycation which I’m really looking forward to.  We’ve got some lovely things planned none of which cost any money 😀

I’ve focused on getting all my home chores finished this weekend so that I can relax and enjoy the rest of the week.

In money news I’ve had a small top up grocery shop of £8.97 which included 15 free range eggs to do my last batch of Christmas cakes ( don’t know how I managed to miscount when I got the original ingredients) as I was three short.  The remaining ones will get eaten next weekend.

This weekend’s small steps to happiness and retirement included;

Coffee in bed 😀

A run through the woods 

Ran the dishwasher for the first time since Monday on an eco wash.

Got all the laundry done and line dried yesterday, including changing the bed and the towels by watching the weather forecast.  Three 15 minute washes with half the recommended amount of liquid.  Everything clean and smells lovely and fresh.

Made two batches of Christmas cakes for hampers and gifts. Reused the baking paper tops on the second batch.

Made DS’s birthday cake and put it in the freezer ready to ice next week. Made a smaller one DD and her BF.

Cleaned the kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom.

Emptied the bins and sorted out the recycling.

Visited mum

Visited DD

Had a nice morning with DS

Went through gift list and wrapped a November birthday gift and some Christmas presents.  Don’t hate me but  I have a very small list of things to buy and then that’s my Christmas shopping done!  In reality it’s done throughout the year and mainly in the January sales.  December is crazy busy for me so it’s nice to get organised at half term then I can actually enjoy the build up to Christmas. 

Watched my energy consumption.  No heating on but I used the heated throw on Friday night and lit the wood burner last night as it felt chilly and the towels and a thick jumper were still a bit damp when they came off the line so they dried off in front of it overnight.

Used up lo rice to make veggie egg fried rice for dinner and it was yummy.  All other meals were out of the freezer which I’m trying to run down so I can switch off the garage freezer.

Today I’m having my covid booster and then a couple of hours pottering at home and then DS is taking me to the station.

Happy Sunday 

PP x

Baileys_Babe

We too managed to wash and dry the bedding yesterday. Thursday & Friday were very gloomy with occasional rain, plus lots of rain overnight, today so far misty with rain it is as if a cloud has dropped out of the sky and is hovering a meter above the ground. Yesterday by contrast was bright and sunny with a breeze, perfect for drying the laundry.

Enjoy your city break.

I am slightly jealous of how organised you are for Christmas, I haven't even sorted myself for OH's birthday at the end of the week, opps.

Karmacat

You do so much each day!  And you're so organised for Christmas - excellent news.  Plus a little staycation with OH - the best of both worlds, have a lovely time.

pinkypig

Hello 😁
I seem to have lost two weeks 🙄😂
Glad to see I’m not the only one who weather watches BB, mind you not much chance of line drying here this week - I hope you had more success!
Our staycation was lovely KC, lots of walking, a couple of runs, reading, relaxing and good food. I also took a bit of an internet break and that was really good too (although it felt odd until I broke the habit).
I’ve just got round to sorting out my month end and despite a spendy birthday month (including a big birthday I’ve hit my savings targets. 

 As my AVC increase still hasn’t been processed 😡 I’m putting the extra that would have gone in there into savings.  So this plus my usual pay yourself first amount plus the extra I’ve squirrelled away led to my saving 160% of my target for the month 🥳🥳
Budget round ups were ;
Grocery £156.95/£150 - over which isn’t great but I did do two birthday dinners for family at home so on reflection I’m guile pleased with this.  I do hate going over though !!
Fuel £87.45/£150. This was a combination of lift sharing and a week off commuting at half term.
Personal £39.50/£50. This was on CS books, some lovely new bits of clothing for my winter wardrobe and the balance of my work Christmas party. I was pleased with this as we had a little city break and did some Christmas shopping (separate budget) and I actually stuck to the list! I bought myself a mascara from Primark as mine has almost dried up and some biodegradable make up wipes but that was it.  A very different story to the spendy years 🙄🙄

So targets for November are very straightforward as we have nothing out of the ordinary and the two small birthday gifts needed have come from my present and card stash.
I’ve done a fridge, freezer and cupboard inventory and there should be no need for anything other than small top up shops and I’m going to try and get my fruit and veg through TGTG boxes and Olio ( very late to the party but had my first pick up this week and it was amazing 🤩).
I’m managing to lift share about 2 days out of 4 and that’s making a noticeable difference to my fuel budget so I’ll definitely be keeping that up.
Personal spends will be the usual treats and wants rather than needs. I love having a bit of money I can spend on myself guilt free!
I’m also going to continue with Operation Fuel Economy as the Loop app is showing that my small changes are having an impact as my  electric usage is down by about 20% from when I started   which shocked me as I thought I was being really careful! Heating is on for the odd half hour when it’s really cold but the wood burner, heated throw and my electric blanket are serving us well.  Loop also showed that I’ve reduced my phantom load by £115 a year (based on the current price cap tariff) 🥳.  I’m hoping this will improve further when the ancient garage freezer is emptied and turned off.
My only other spend will be dog wormer and flea and tick treatment but I buy a year’s  supply from an online retailer that my vet nurse friend recommended so the savings are huge and the amount comes out of my annual savings budget. 
I’ve got a regular saver maturing later this month so I’m currently researching one year bond options .
Happy Sunday 😀
PPx

pinkypig

Morning 😀
Not sure where the weeks are going at the moment!  Work is very busy and there’s things (nice things) emerging at home that are just sucking up inordinate amounts of time.  My diary feels very neglected but I am still very focused on money saving, even more so actually as the current financial situation is getting scarier by the week.
My mid month budget check is looking good ;
Grocery £.53.33  /£150. Thank you TGTG and Olio 😘. I’ve also continued my pantry and freezer challenge.
Fuel £90.11. /£150.  This includes two extra trips that were quite long so I’m pleased with this.  Lift sharing is really helping.
Personal £18.35/£50. Lots of lovely CS finds including a beautiful grey wool dress and a really smart mustard and navy waterproof Trespass coat which has been so useful for dog walking in this month’s wet and windy but weirdly mild weather.
I’m currently in bed with a large coffee and I don’t intend to move for another hour as I want to have a read of my CS book which I’ve finally got into.  I just don’t seem to be able to read like I used to.  I used to fly through books but not these days.
Plans for today include a run ( I’ve been rubbish recently and need to make more effort.  Once a week is not enough when you enjoy your food like I do 🙈😂), a meeting with my account, a trip to HB or B&M as I need firelighters.  I’ve also got some roast pumpkin out of the freezer which I’m going to use to batch cook curry and possibly a risotto for dinner.  Im also out of hm soup and have cream cheese that needs using up so I think I’ll make creamy tomato soup.
Happy Friday 😀
PP x

Willow1983

Hi Pinky, I follow your thread and just checking if you have started a new thread as you haven’t posted on this one since last November. Hope all is ok.