Debt free Munchin!! Now to stay that way.....

Munchin

Hi,

Still on holiday but plotting and planning, so putting it down here. OH is in shower so just killing time before we head out.

SS - mini review on Skin so soft... I have 3 mozzie bites in total, which for me is amazing. I usually have at minimum 3 on 1 foot never mind the rest of my legs, so for me it’s the way to go. I also brought antihistamine tablets and bite ease stuff so not suffering at all this holiday. We hired a car for 2 days and did a boat trip to the blue caves. Cut out the tourist bit as much as possible as we did a lot of it last year.

I bought a Greek fruit/salad bowl as I regretted not buying it last year. Food has been plentiful & amazing. We could have saved more by eating in but I can do that at home.

Home - so we have 1 day left & will make most of it. OH is brown and I am pink:). Planning ahead & I want to pay a bit more to credit card and have created 2 new wish list pots in YNAB for a new phone & perfume. The wish list is to help with frittering as I can’t buy until I have the money. I have also budgeted £35 per week on food when we return.

OH is out of shower so time to figure out where to eat:D

Munchin

Morning :hello:

I am sitting out on patio with my second cup of coffee & the only plan today is sit at the pool & pick up some freckles:D.

Last night we headed out and neither of us fancied a set down meal, so just had a chicken pitta (kebab) to go ...classy:o.

I’ve really enjoyed my holiday and would like it to last another few days but really can’t let the plane go without me tomorrow:). Thanks to therapy I have felt much more positive and less self conscious than before and even donned a bikini... but got belly burnt so more sun cream needed.

Budget - I forgot a 3rd thing on my wish list... I dropped the iron before we left and bits flew off it. It is still working but will need replaced.

It is 8.40am here and I’m the only 1 up and no towels on sun beds yet!!!!!

Munchin

Surveys & Vouchers (Additional income) @ 13 Sept

Surveys
Swagbucks - 360 SB (800 SB = £5 paypal)
Receipt Hog - 158 coins (1500 coins = £5/ 2850 coins = £10/ 5300 coins = £20/12000 coins = £50)
Topcashback - £1.35 payable
Prolific - £0
Travel expense (volunteering) - £6.40 pending

Budgets- w/c Mon 10th Sept 18

Grocery/Food - £102pm/£20.79 spent
Fuel -£80pm/£30 left
Household -£30/£19 left

HairyHandofDartmoor

Sorry about the job Munchin but I'm sure the right one will come along when it's meant to be.

Your holiday sounds lovely and much deserved after all your hard work.

Munchin

Thanks HHD - but it’s nothing in the great scheme.

So OH & I got home last night and it was so cold. This morning it is miserable outside but will nosy at holiday photos to cheer myself up. We stopped at Mr Ts for the essentials and OH snuck beer & wine into the basket which I paid for. OH says we are doing a dry October which is no bother for me and I think after holiday excess it will be good.

Munchin

Afternoon,

I'm really feeling the cold now I'm home and have on a woolly jumper which I think is a bit early in the year but it is doing the job. I ordered 900l of heating oil yesterday before it goes up anymore and it cost £460!!! It should do us right through the winter, as we have a wood burning stove.

I have my winter prep list from the last few years so I need to bring it forward for 2018. The good news is heating oil is sorted and my car has been MOT'd so will be winter ready. We have a curtain on the hall door from last year so lots of winter prep done before I even look at my list .

Budget - I amended my YNAB budget so that I now have 3 separate budgets. One main budget and then a separate savings budget (& I'm not tempted to sneak into it) and I now have a Euro's budget which is good as we cross into the South regularly and usually have some Euros about. I have increased my payments to my credit card and hopefully will be debt free again sooner rather than later.

Health - As you know I'm in ED recovery but the long and short is I have put on 3 stone and am fed up. I know that I feel great now and am not as obsessed as I was before therapy but I also know there was 2 occasions on holiday when old ED behaviours snuck up on me but I didn't act on them. I want to tackle this weight but at the same time not trigger the ED. My plan is to focus on regular exercise which includes yoga, running and getting my steps up. I want to lose 3 stone but it will have to be slowly so no specific timeframe but I would to be in a leaner/healthier place by this time next year.

Plans tomorrow -

• Iron holiday clothes
  
• Volunteer for 1 hour
• Tidy house
  
• If it is dry I need to tackle the weeds so I'm hoping for rain.
  

Munchin

I have, as per usual, borrowed the Winter prep list from the 'Preparing for winter' thread. I have tweaked it already and removed things that are not relevant for me ie Conservatory advice.

Winter Checklist

Clothes
Wash all coats, scarves gloves
Wash and mend jumpers and cardigans when you have done this for the time being put them away in the vacuum seal bags to keep them fresh and out of the way of moths until needed.
Repair or buy new socks
[STRIKE]Check Wellingtons
[/STRIKE]Polish all shoes and boots
Go back through clothing checking what you need and what you need to replace. Think - what will I wear - what do I need?
Put away all your summer clothes in either those vacuum bags or in a suitcase for the following year.

Car
Buy in screenwash now (either ready mixed or concentrate)
October make sure all fluid levels in cars are correct
Check tyre pressures and tread levels
Clean car inside and out making sure car has good amount of wax which protect it from harsh elements and salt and grit on the roads which will cause rust.
If possible make sure your car has rubber mats to catch wet and snow. Check Pound shops for cheap mats for £1.00 or so each.
Make sure that your mobile phone has enough credit in the event of an emergency on it.
If possible clean out your garage and put your car away each night. This will also help with insurance premiums as well and save you de-icing in the morning.

Food
Stock up on tinned products such as soup, rice pudding, baked beans and spaghetti. These items will keep as good store cupboard standbys.
Check and clean out your freezer, make a list of what you have and what you need to buy in. Keep at least two loaves of bread in the freezer. A clean frost free freezer will work better than a ice capped one!
If anything crops up on BOGOF and it will keep/freeze for winter buy it and store it.
Make a start on your Christmas food shopping list, a lot of it can be frozen.
Create a 'stash cupboard' or area where you can put all of your extra buys away safely.
Sink four pints of milk in the freezer or have UHT milk in on standby.

House and garden
Get your boiler serviced
Chimney swept
Snow Shovel - do you need it?
Buy in your logs and coal now while cheap deals are on offer. If you can and you have storage buy in your winters stock in one go.
Clean your home
[STRIKE]Clean out your guttering and facias
[/STRIKE]Clear away all fallen leaves
Clean windows inside and out
Launder you winter duvet and change over when the weather turns, now is also a good time to pick up reduced summer duvets for next year!
Launder all your throws
Buy in cheap white candles in case of a power cut. Also keep a torch on standby and use in emergency.
[STRIKE]If you have oil CH try to make sure that your tank is stocked up by the end of October
[/STRIKE]- done 13 Sept.
[STRIKE]Buy in Flannelette sheets.[/STRIKE]
Tidy your shed up to make more room in there.
Put all garden furniture away (either in shed or garage) by the second week of October. If you have no room to store - buy garden furniture covers to protect your investment.
Spring is generally the time to use wood preservative on your fences, but if you can there is no harm in coating them now, it's just that shrubs might get in the way making your job more difficult.
Cut back everything in the garden late October to give your garden a big boost the following Spring. Roses love this!
Wash curtains and cushion covers
Clean Your carpets on a good warm day so that they have a good chance of drying quickly
Buy in or make dehumidifiers from Pound stores or use household salt in a bowl to draw in moisture.
Oil all shed and gates locks, it will prevent rust and stop them seizing up when you most need to open them.
Drain any outside taps and protect and cover either with an old towel and then covered over with plastic or buy a proper outside tap cover.
If your interior doormats can be washed in the machine do them.
Re-silicone shower areas where the silicone has turned black or mouldy, take it out and redo it. Easy job but so often overlooked. Having the window open also allows the silicone to cure or go off better.
Wash your vacuum cleaner filters out. It will help with your HEPA filter and keep your home cleaner as well, it will also make your vacuum work and perform better.
Put away all garden pots and ornaments if they are not frost proof and protect them.
Check lightbulbs and outside security lighting if broken replace or repair.
Buy in batteries now.
Put food out for the birds they will so thank you for it. Buy in their food now while it is plentiful.
Get your paracetamol, throat lozengers and cough mixtures in now, when you are feeling ill the last thing you want to do is traipse down to Boots having to get it in. Mixtures have good dates on them and when you are feeling lousy the well stocked medicine cabinet will be a huge relief!

HairyHandofDartmoor

A good list for winter. It makes me feel a bit tired reading it though .

Munchin

Hi HHD,

It’s a bit of a list but thankfully most of it we do a lot of the time anyway:).

Sitting with my coffee and getting ready to tackle my plans for the day. I’ve not been out for a run for ages as knee was niggling so I have dragged out my orthotics and will slowly start to adapt to them again.

After that I will do some volunteering and then the mountain of iron.

Seasidegal58

Glad to hear that you had a lovely holiday Munchin.

BUT - you're well back into your winter routine. Makes me feel tired reading your list! I never seem to venture out from the Debt Free threads these days. Still amazed at all the helpful advice - will have to get out more!:D

Your dieting plan sound sensible and do-able as well.

Have a good week!