Single, six kids and going to be debt free!

Mumoffourkids

Spendless wrote: »

Just caught up. Hope your DS is ok.

I think I can tell you're an accountant, you seem to love numbers.

The holiday sounds exciting - perfect idea when you have a different age range, they will all find something to enjoy.

A few years back my friend booked a Florida disney hol for her family. She couldn't afford that and big Xmas presents for her 3 kids as well, so she didn't tell them and at Christmas they opened mostly 'stocking filler' gifts and then each one had a small velvet drawstring bag and an old fashioned ticket inside it printed with the wording on each '<child's name> you are going to Disney' and the dates. I think she got the bags and tickets from etsy or pinterest. Her kids were 13, 11 and 7 the Christmas they received them, to go away the following August and they all loved it, both the present that told them and the hol.

Thanks Spendless, yes he is fine now. His cut is covered by his hair and I'm not allowed to wash it for five days to make sure the glue stays put! He keeps touching it because it feels weird, but everytime he does, I ask him if he's ok and he says I'm fine!

Yes I do love numbers and spreadsheets, quite sad in a way lol :rotfl::rotfl:

I love that idea for giving the tickets as a present. I really want to do something like that. We will probably have our christmas on the 27th and then we go on 30th so a reveal like that would be perfect. I just need to keep it all under wraps so they don't find out, but I am so excited to see their little faces when they realise what I have done.

Drawingaline

Make sure you take enough clothing to wrap up warm. My sister used to teach travel and tourism and would always go to Disney in December as a field trip with her students. It can be ridiculously cold apparently :eek:

Mumoffourkids

We used to live in France not far from Paris and used to get snowed in all the time in the winter. Don't worry we will wrap up warm and take loads of clothes, although one of my boys doesn't seem to feel the cold! He was wearing sandals and socks until the first snow hit in December!

Mumoffourkids

So the list didn't get completed but that was mainly because the kids didn't go to their dads for the weekend. To be honest the snow wasn't really that bad where we are, so I am presuming that they could have gone, but anyway it's his loss.

- Get DD3 to school for 8.15 as she has a cross country competition Done

- Take car seats to local charity Done

- Clear small freezer and defrost All done and taken to ex. He looked after the four youngest kids today as rugby was supposed to be on. It got called off as I was dropping the kids off but he said they could stay. So I had a few hours with only the oldest two at home. Mini break for me!

- Do Shopping order on Ocado Done

- Do tip run not done but haven't really got much rubbish at the moment.

- Phone school re DD2 Not done but emailed her head of year and I am seeing him at parents evening week after next.

- Phone gym re membership Done

- List ten items on ebay/FB Listed five items on ebay yesterday - didn't list anymore. I need to do this tomorrow.

- Check banks and update spreadsheet Done for today

- Check work emails Done

- Look at wedding quote not done, will try and do tomorrow

- Change my sheets Done

- Washing mountain Feel as though I have got to the bottom of the washing basket :j

- Take kids to their dads Not happening because of the snow!

- Take girls to rugby Was called off.
- Clean bathrooms Did a quick clean of the bath, but will properly do tomorrow

- Sort out black toy boxes Done and this was a big job, but have made more room for more toys to be tidied away. Got two more toy boxes to sort out downstairs and that will be all the toys downstairs sorted

So the list for the weekend didn't get done. I will do a new list for the week in my next post. I never seem to get to the end of a list. Maybe they are too long and I am too optimistic on what I will get done in a day!

Mumoffourkids

So list for next week.

- Clean bathrooms
- Weigh in day :eek:
- List ten things on eBay/FB
- Check banks and update spreadsheet first thing each morning
- Iron school clothes
- Work for three days
- Hand in absence request forms for both schools
- Make list of things to take for weekend away
- Get costumes ready for Saturday night
- Exercise twice in the week
- Tidy/sort garage out
- Buy shelves for garage?
- Hoover stairs, middle floor and top floor

Right I think that's enough seeing as we are away next weekend on a rugby tour. I have my spending money sorted and will try not to spend it all, but if I do then that's fine.

This week I saved £48 from my weekly spending budget so that has been put to various spending pots. I can't seems doing the same next week but hopefully I will hear back from the two PPI claims with some good news.

Hope everyone has had a good weekend. I'm off to bed as early start in the morning.

Storm89

Hey I love your list making idea. I'm totally going to do that. You're doing brilliantly in all areas .

joeyjimbles

We took our DC to Disney Paris years ago - DS2 was just a baby - but we didn't tell DS1 until we were at the airport. He thought we were going to visit relatives and had somehow missed that we were in an airport. When we went through to the Departure Lounge we gave him a backpack with a mickey mouse keyring, a disney signature collection book (came free from the disney package), a pen and a few bits - the look on his face when it clicked was priceless. We still have the photo in a frame! He's 19 now and still talks about that trip - we went at Hallowe'en - I took loads of snacks and drinks with us as the park is really pricey so we were only paying for hot drinks and some meals.

Mumoffourkids

Mumoffourkids wrote: »

So list for next week.

- [STRIKE]Clean bathrooms[/STRIKE] Done
- [STRIKE]Weigh in day[/STRIKE] :eek: Done
- List ten things on eBay/FB
- Check banks and update spreadsheet first thing each morning
- Iron school clothes
- Work for three days
- Hand in absence request forms for both schools
- Make list of things to take for weekend away
- Get costumes ready for Saturday night
- Exercise twice in the week
- Tidy/sort garage out
- Buy shelves for garage?
- Hoover [STRIKE]stairs[/STRIKE], middle floor and top floor

So I have made a start on the list but also done some extra things like tidying and cleaning the downstairs which has gotten a bit out of hand in the last few days. I have made a start on the garage but I think in order to sort properly I need to get some shelves. These could come out of my house savings pot and they would help me clear a few more cupboards in the garage which I could then get rid of.

I have also had a reply this morning to one of my PPI claims. They have turned me down but I am going to try and appeal via the ombudsman.

Thanks Storm, although it has slowed down a bit on the money saving front. I need to keep up the focus and need to try and keep going with the listing of items for sale as that will help with bringing in extra money and clearing out the house!

Thanks for the tips re Disney Joey. We are driving so I can take loads of snacks from home to keep us going through the day. Also we all have refillable water bottles so I think taking them might be a wise idea as well.

I am planning on telling the kids when they open their presents. I won't give them as much as I normally do and then will get them to open something which says we are going to Disney. Got ages to think up an amazing idea though!

Right best get back on with my cleaning list and I still haven't ironed the school clothes for the week!

joeyjimbles

I think there's a thread on MSE somewhere about how to keep the costs down when you're at Disney - plus if you have the car you can at least nip off site to a supermarket/pizza place.

Mumoffourkids

joeyjimbles wrote: »

I think there's a thread on MSE somewhere about how to keep the costs down when you're at Disney - plus if you have the car you can at least nip off site to a supermarket/pizza place.

Oooh I will go and take a look for that. But yes we can always go off site for food.