And so it begins: The Pig Vs The Mortgage

pinkypig

Thought I'd posted this five hours ago. Idiot

So far I've managed a nice mix of productivity and sloth!

I've had lots of coffee and reading breaks but have also ;

Made a vat of veggie tagine for dinner and the freezer

Made spiced plum compote for the freezer with my glut of ys plums. Had a little bit in yogurt at lunchtime and it was yummy

Sent scary email :eek:

Did 18 eBay items as I've got extra free listings ending today. I've saved them as I've run out of free scheduled listings and Ive heard things do better if the auction ends in the evening rather than the middle of the day.

Been through new tenancy agreement and found a significant error so glad I did

Swept kitchen floor and wiped down the units.

Laundry done and on airer

About half my writing assessments done

Set up March's spreadsheets and uodated annual ones.

I got the wood burner on first thing and switched to slow burn once it got going. I've only used half a bucket of coal and the kitchen and living room are lovely and warm without having the heating on extra. It'll also dry the washing overnight which is fab. I've had open fires before but not a stove. I love it so much I just couldn't be without one now.

My mortgage accounts don't update until tomorrow but I've been paid today so my new budgets are now in place. February's spends are;

Grocery £124.24/£128 . :j This is my new for 2018 super squeaky budget so delighted with that particularly as it included 36 loo rolls and a £7 contribution to a friend's takeaway birthday tea. Definitely reaping the rewards of freezer batch cooking, increased veggie meals and ys shopping. Having those ys joints of meat I picked up after Xmas have stopped the kids feeling deprived and I've still got 6 joints left

Fuel £67.01/£120 . :j This was helped enormously by half term so no travel costs for a week and a non driving staycation and lift sharing.

Personal £56.21/£46. . Not great and I probably cheated by putting the takeaway in the grocery spends. It did include a night out and lunch out with the girls but it also included nearly £40 of clothes that were wants not needs However ( she says clinging on to her mse credentials) they were eBay and my fave cs warehouse so that bought me an evening dress, 2 blouses, a jumper, a jacket, posh trousers, a long top, a handbag and 4 (:o:o:eek:) bikinis. I'm officially kitted out for me holibobs :rotfl: This needs to be a one off!!

Annual costs included;

House £28.29 (new bedding, milk jug, fleece to line curtains, a flask, cake stand and cushion from the Cs and a plug)

Rentals £131.92 (things to meet new regulations)

Gifts £16.45 (mother's day card and some bargains for the gift cupboard).

Holidays £148 (summer flights booked:j)

Dentist £56.30:eek:

Going forwards no more non essential house costs, no clothes and keep up thrifty socialising!

I've made a start on the last one - girl's night in tonight with hm pizza, teacher gift wine and dessert is been brought along. J



Budgets for four week March are;

Grocery £128

Fuel £120

Personal £46

I've no annual spends that I'm aware of but do need to pay for holiday accommodation. I'm also one lot of rent down :eek: March is going to need focus

Hope everyone's managed to negotiate the treacherous conditions.

PP xx

pinkypig

wishingthemortgaheaway wrote: »

Thank you, it's been a lovely day - only 20 children in the class and I was a ta not a teacher so very unstressful.

Days like today make me think I could possibly return to teaching again, then I come to my senses....

Back tomorrow for day 2.

Sounds lovely, glad you enjoyed it:). The fun is been sucked out of actually teaching sadly

pinkypig

Karmacat wrote: »

Thank you PP :kisses3: one of the funniest family moments was when we found a fourth stash of patchwork material - *three* underbed storage crates - and we really thought we'd got it all :rotfl:

:rotfl: my kids will have a simlar experience except it will be reused yogurt pots (and based on this month's sins, excessive numbers of bikinis:rotfl::rotfl:).

Glad you enjoyed some laughs:)

wishingthemortgaheaway

pinkypig wrote: »

Sounds lovely, glad you enjoyed it:). The fun is been sucked out of actually teaching sadly

Most definitely. It's one of the many reasons I left.

pinkypig

I think the conditions are getting worse, more snow overnight and its all frozen solid, the roads are lethal:eek: All the schools in the area I live and work are all closed so I've got another snow day:). Currently feeling more relieved than bouncy, so glad I don't have to drive on those roads :eek:
I've just spoken to a friend who lives in the woolly wilds and she's got no electricity, therefore no heating and they are in the middle of lambing season. I felt so sorry for her

So, pinch, punch and all that - it's mortgage update day:j. Off to number crunch very soon ! I'd also like to ;

Bake a cake

Finish assessments

Cook lentils I soaked yesterday

Walk to post office to post ebay parcels - £21.97 on this week's items:)

Fold and put away laundry

Do April's meal plan - sounds nuts but I've done March so thought I'd get my recipe books out while I have some bonus time.

I'm going to read until 8.30 and then its up, wood burner on, showered and dressed then up and at em! Promise

Take extra care folks.

PP xx

Karmacat

You take care too, PP. Sorry to hear about your friend at lambing season with no electricity I've seen a few interviews with sheep farmers on the news in the last few days - it must be *so* rough for them.

pinkypig

Karmacat wrote: »

You take care too, PP. Sorry to hear about your friend at lambing season with no electricity I've seen a few interviews with sheep farmers on the news in the last few days - it must be *so* rough for them.

She now has electricy and heating but three dead lambs

Hope you're keeping OK, it feels never ending doesn't it? I couldn't live in Russia:eek:

pinkypig

Another snow day:j. Where I live is better (roads now clear and gritted) but where I work still grim and forecast more so we are closed until Monday.

Last night began well, got to a spin class, had a easy batch cooked dinner and had an hour watching Shetland by firelight:). Ended less well when I brushed my teeth before bed and sink was blocked. Tried plunger and long pokey thing but no. Took u bend off but its in a pedestal so a right a**e to get to so couldn't really catch what came out so smelly black stuff all over the floor, me and up the tiles for good measure. Didn't look like much when it was sat in the sink!
Re-assembling u bend a right faff and then it leaked so much more faffing:eek: Just finished and saw sink was still full of water :mad:Gave up at that point, cleaned uo and showered off the slime before going to bed.
Woke at 6 thinking frozen pipe:rotfl: It was in fact a frozen, blocked drain _pale_. Lovely job but sink now emptying and not all over the bathroom floor. Bloody hate these types of things they make me want to sit and cry:o. Developing my skills though:)

Anyhoo, never got to do my fave post of the month. Mortgage totals:D:D

Pension AVC £880/£880 (net so £1k in the mortgage pot):j

OS savings £628.66/£430 :j

Os benefit saving £70.50 :j

Total Os saving £ 699.16/£500 :j

Capital reduction £1,641.15/£1250:j :j

Super chuffed with that as there have been a few hefty annual expenses to find in February. Its given me a real boost as I've had a few wobbles recently re income, long term goals etc. Those mse baby steps definitely work. Feeling very well disposed towards the Mse/mfw communities - again:A

Have a good ( if horribly cold and windy) one

PP xx

wishingthemortgaheaway

That is some awesome savings pp.

Hope you have a lovely, restful weekend and that school does indeed reopen safely on Monday.

pinkypig

wishingthemortgaheaway wrote: »

That is some awesome savings pp.

Hope you have a lovely, restful weekend and that school does indeed reopen safely on Monday.

Thanks Wish, its felt a bit squeaky since Christmas so its really motivating to see that mortgage balance coming down:). Desperately want to be sub £90k but it won't be this month as I'm well down on income. Any overpayments this month will be hard-fought but I'm determined to os something!

I hope you have a lovely weekend too. I'm getting rather used to being a lady of leisure:rotfl: