Aligning the Stars

Starmummy

I've just sent an over payment to the debt so all debt payments sent for February.
I know some people like to PAD but the little extra payments on my bank reconciliation just annoy me. If it's gone to the debt I can't spend it.

This leaves me with £66.94 for personal spending money this month. Technically SC and I are only home one weekend this month as the two shouldering half term we are away and any spends then will be covered by travel savings. So that £67 should stretch. I don't need anything and with Mr Star away I won't be spending £6 a week on yoga as I have no-one to watch SC.
I imagine half of that will be spent taking SC to lunch in the city on Saturday. I hope to find myself a new jumper too.

I shall sit down with SC this week to look at the things we would like to do in half term and work them into the travel budget.

Joint account spend should be low with no car to run and only 2 mouths to feed.

WelshKitty85

Hi Starmummy, just caught up on your diary. If it's not too late I find washing up liquid works wonders on greasy stains.

Starmummy

Thanks Welshkitty. I'll try a few bits this weekend. Do i just put the washing up liquid in the washing machine or do i use it to soak them?

Starmummy

I had a bit of a flashback yesterday and it reminded me how far i've come.

I popped to Aldi last night to pick up some bread. While I was wondering home with my shopping I thought to myself "Aldi is so cheap, why didn't I shop here in the old days when I was really struggling"

Then it hit me! I was too poor for Aldi! My budget was so impossible to balance that I had no cash in my current account for a grocery budget. All food shops went on the credit card and Aldi don't accept credit cards.

That world no longer feels like one I lived in, the memories are like watching a sad film. I wish I could reach back and give that girl a hug and tell her it was ok.

AdventureWanted

You're doing really well starmummy. I agree that travel makes us richer. Where will you be travelling to this year? We really want to travel, but haven't made any plans yet (mainly as I've hardly travelled myself, so the thought of taking 3 DC scares me slightly!!).

Starmummy

AdventureWanted wrote: »

You're doing really well starmummy. I agree that travel makes us richer. Where will you be travelling to this year? We really want to travel, but haven't made any plans yet (mainly as I've hardly travelled myself, so the thought of taking 3 DC scares me slightly!!).

Thanks Adventure.
It's one of those things that once you do you will wonder what you were worried about, I suppose easier for me to say with only 1 older child.
We actually have lots of travel plans this year, some attached to Mr Stars job.
*Netherlands this month (Mr Star's working here for the foreseeable, will probably go again in May)
*A weekend in London in March
*Stockholm to see a friend in April
*Lake district in June (so I can do the great North swim in Windermere)
*Paris in August (SC has wanted to go for years- for the museums and sites not Disney- so it's a surprise early 'present' for her 10th Birthday)
*Slovenia in August (hiking in the Soca Valley- super cheap and just google it- stunning)
*Portugal in October (to hike the Fisherman's Trail)

I have a personal goal to have visited all countries in Europe by the time I'm 40 (currently 30)- I am only including places I've been to since turning 20, so it only includes travel I've done off my own back, rather than with parents school trips (what a shame I have to re-visit Greece, Malta, Germany, France, and Czech republic) I'm up to 7, there are 47 countries in Europe (counting UK as 1) I should be up to 11-12 European countries by the end of this year/ 16 countries worldwide ( we may spend a day in Austria when we are in Slovenia) So I had better get cracking :rotfl:

So far all of this years travel has only cost us £2100 (although we still have to pay for travel to Paris and accommodation in Portugal- plus spending money while there -Netherlands travel is covered by Mr Stars work though) I'm amazed at our Slovenia trip, we go the last week of the school summer holidays, flights total £359.99 for all 3 of us and accommodation was £305!

Obviously we are staying in Air BnB type places, not spa hotels, and we fly hand luggage only, but you will be amazed what you can do if you think outside the box.

redofromstart

I remember the frustration of Aldi/Lidl no credit cards from the peak of our problem too. I think they started to take them just as we started to have some cash flow again.

I'd have guessed washing up liquid onto the stain and soak. I've read some entertaining accounts of foam marching out of the dishwasher when people have subbed liquid for tablets.

WelshKitty85

Starmummy wrote: »

Thanks Welshkitty. I'll try a few bits this weekend. Do i just put the washing up liquid in the washing machine or do i use it to soak them?

I put it straight onto the grease, then wash as normal. The washing machine can get very bubbly though!

enthusiasticsaver

You have set yourself some great challenges. I especially like the visiting every country in Europe. I have never counted them before so interesting there are as many as 47. On checking the list we have only done 22 and much older than you so we have a way to go. Ireland, Austria and Czech Republic are next on our list but due to the Brexit shenanigans I am reluctant to book overseas trips yet until we know what is agreed re borders, visas etc. We have opted for New Forest, London, Stratford on Avon and Lake District this year so far.


The debt appears to be coming down so well done on that and I totally agreed with you about Aldi, Lidls. I cannot believe how much more I pay if I shop in Waitrose than Lidls. We decided to treat ourselves in December and shopped mainly in Waitrose and having just paid off the credit card cannot believe we paid 3 times as much as a normal month even allowing for a few Christmas treats and more alcohol than usual.


You will love Stockholm. I really love Scandinavia and would go more often if it were not for the fact we live in Cornwall and the journey to an airport to get us to these places is worse than the flights themselves. I wonder what Mr Stars colleagues in the Netherlands make of the Brexit situation?

AdventureWanted

Wow I'm loving the travel plans. Slovenia looks so pretty. Isn't somewhere I've ever thought about going to, but will definitely add it to my list now.x