Staying on track to be MF and ready to support my daughter at 18

ElmoR

All good advice Cheery, no idea why I seem to be hard wired to work myself silly.
Less than 2 weeks til conservatory/kitchen door work...getting excited.


Moneywise, urrgghhh. Things have not gone smoothly this month and the O/P will be less than previous months but hey ho. Had to raid the slush savings pot this week too. We bought a very pricey collar for one of our moggies because he has developed flea allergy and sensitivity to the gloop that keeps him free of them. It works out cheaper in the long run IF he doesn't manage to lose it for 8 months. He is a much healthier, contented cat now though.

We re-gigged our food shopping budgets/responsibilities too. Usually I would do one big online A*da shop for bulk stuff every two weeks and OH did a weekly shop in T£sc0 for fresh items. Now we are adding the meat type stuff to the bulk shop, putting it in the new freezer, and seeing how that goes. There is a giant L1dl being built near us, so when that is finished, we may drop the online shop one.
Still doing well with the batch cooking, which keeps spending really low on a day to day basis. Not been feeling the need for lots of lattes at work either. Feel slightly more cheerful at work for some reason? Maybe it is allowing myself to say no to things that helps?:o


The other major outlay has been rewards for DD. She flew through her mocks staying pretty stoic throughout, revising well and without any nagging from ourselves. It's a huge relief to see that she has her own self motivation. We give her rewards for doing exams, not the grades/outcomes, just for doing them. She chose a trip with her friends to an escape room as her reward, so they are off to do that today


Finally, after working all weekend last week, I now have two whole wonderful days of rest this weekend Batch cooking and experimenting with a biscuit (slimming universe friendly) recipe today...


Have a good weekend all,


ElmoR x

Cheery_Daff

You've still got SOME OP though so well done! :money: :j Sometimes things don't go to plan I suppose but think how far you've come even since you just joined here :j

Glad you're more cheerful at work, always a good thing!

ElmoR

Mostly pleasant week for a welcome change
Done well on all the basic routine type stuff, batch lunches, occasional coffee treats etc. Had a day off work for my birthday too, which was excellent. We went out for a meal and I had anything I felt like, all three courses and a beer. Slimming Universe progress has been slightly set back, but hope to walk it off over the weekend. I did see my target weight number flash up on the scales at the start of the week though . It'll be a few weeks before that becomes and evening weight on target mind you, but the end is in sight finally. There are lots of clothes in my wardrobe that fit me again, must be approx 10 years since I wore many of them, it's like turning the clock back a decade
The mortgage o/p wasn't as good this month, even though I threw birthday money at it too, but it's ok, I already reached the target initially set for this year and the new target will be a bonus if I get anywhere closer to it. The pressure is to keep plugging away at it before the variable rate kicks in next autumn. We have to revert to that rate to be able to end the mortgage, so no new fixes will be possible.
Busy week for DD coming up, parents evening and sixth form college visit/meeting...then the school buses them all to Meadowhall in a convoy for a Christmas shopping trip. I'm not sure how I feel about the school's reward for the terms hard work being an evening shopping trip, it seems very materialistic/capitalist?! It is handy though in that we give her a wishlist and some cash for presents and she shops around to find them. Apparently the school has to forewarn the shopping centre that 200+ teenage girls are descending on them so they can arrange extra security and have the shops stay open longer! Can you imagine the racket of so many teenage girls giggling and talking?:eek: If you live in the area, maybe postpone any shopping you were thinking of doing for another week.
Have a good weekend everyone



ElmoR x

Cheery_Daff

Crikey - I can't imagine the noise :eek: :rotfl: I agree it's an 'interesting' choice for a treat... but I suppose if it's coming in handy for you...

Excellent work on your weight loss :j I'm going in the opposite direction myself at the minute so good to see someone is on target. And on target for MF too! :j :j

ElmoR

It's great to have positive feedback Cheery, thank you! The weight thing is a hard one. I spent years trying alone but had to tell msyelf that being at the weekly meetings and paying each week meant that I had to sort it out. The random back injury a couple of weeks into it helped provide the extra motivation too. Take it from me, deal with that extra weight now and you'll benefit enormously later. Let is slide and you store up problems in a decade or two. I wish I had nailed it properly in my 30s, but I went on a rollercoaster of ups and downs with it til I neared the big FIVE OH on the immediate horizon. Not to mention the self shame/disappointment in myself during all those years too. I feel so much happier in myself now The plan is to wait til next Saturday morning and weigh in then, to get my target award. I gather you then go on a 12 week programme that helps you maintain within a range, but most importantly, you don't have to pay weekly fees anymore. So on a final mission this week...



DD sailed through the busy week well. She had her first ever formal interview at the sixth form college. I was worried I would have to do the talking, but we sat quietly in the back of the room and she did well at answering the questions. It certainly helped that her mocks gave her good grades and the sixth form college were going to be lucky to have her. She's starting to find a bit of confidence perhaps? Anyway, she had the formal offer letter and has accepted the place, deciding on her A level subjects. So now it's a case of keeping everything on an even keel and calm while she gets ready for the summer of GCSEs...:eek:


The builders arrived when they should and installed a lovely French door at the price they said. The kitchen is now the same temperature as the rest of the house in the mornings and almost certainly saving us money on the heating bill. Will do the sums next time the gas company bill us and check exactly how much. Should have done it years ago.:o



Another slightly weird thing that happened this week was a letter from Fd mortgage department to say that they had miscalculated our monthly mortgage repayments and that we had overpaid £1200 more in the past year than was correct. They apologise and ask if it caused financial hardship, which I doubt I could say it did since I've been overpaying by £750 a month minimum all year anyway. It goes on about the mortgage term and recalculations which they enact in January. The main worry for me is that I feel a bit untrusting now. I always felt that Fd were efficient and trustworthy, but now I'm less sure that they aren't diddling me, or worse still, trying to catch me out now that I'm hopefully within 2 years of paying the mortgage off early. Will wait and see what happens in January...


Have a good weekend everyone :j

ElmoR x

ElmoR

Still tootling along.


Reached target at slimming universe and will now no longer have to pay that 5 quid each week. :T
The dishwasher seems to have given up the ghost though, so may now have to replace that. The washing machine died last month, the kettle too, so I'm wondering what's going on in our kitchen these days?! It has a Bermuda triangle in there, it's nice and warm now though, which I suppose is what I wanted. Must be more careful what I wish for.


Everything else ticking along but I'm not sure if much of an O/P will be possible this month, but will wait and see...fingers crossed the dishwasher can be revived.



Have a good week everyone,
ElmoR x

ElmoR

DH saved the dishwasher :T, saving us £££s by avoiding buying a new one. I suppose we only delay the inevitable but it did allow me to throw more money at the mortgage this month. Bathroom extractor fan went this week though. Bermuda triangle moved upstairs. He's been y0utoobing how to fix those now.


Doing a review of monthly spending and budgets to see if there is any tweaks we can make? I already cancelled the gym membership for both DH and myself - we started off going regularly and it petered out by April. How many times do people say that! To be fair, I did crock my back good and proper in May. But then the walking therapy for the past 6 months, combined with slimming universe, blitzed the weight far more effectively than attending the gym ever did. Walking = free. Won't fall into that 1 year gym trap again.:eek:
The other saving for 2020 might be a shift in supermarket habits...will give the new one being built near us a try in the new year and see how we get on.



Have a good break all



ElmoR x :xmassmile:rudolf:

Kat78MFW

Congratulations on your overpayments and weight loss this year.

Well done to DH for fixing the dishwasher and fingers crossed for the extractor fan.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

ElmoR

Good to see you back Kat78 In my imagination, you have been at cricket matches in glorious sunshine all that time, despite the winter time of year!


I have to hand it to DH, he has only gone and fixed the bathroom extractor fan using y0ut0be videos again. He is a fixing things wizard. It seemed to involve a few stints of swearing and several outings to DIY stores but got there in the end. At least until things fall apart again...:rotfl:


Struggling with a dilemma though at the moment. It's a nice dilemma but one nonetheless. We have been saving money aside from over paying the mortgage, at a much slower rate and smaller amount and for the past 5 years. The plan was a super-big holiday after my daughter finishes her GCSE exams in this coming June. We haven't been abroad for a holiday since she was in final year of primary, visiting Scotland or in laws in the South instead to keep costs down. The accumulated money comes out of a fixed term account next week. So it was planned for, budgetted, gradually built up and soon available. But I feel this horrible anxiety about spending it I suspect that the past year of being so very focussed on saving and indeed being very controlled in my habits personally (careful on wasting money at work, batch lunches, slimming...). And the threat of redundancies at work hanging over everyone is making me feel this way. Like a loss of control? The rational part of my brain says 'hey, you saved it up with the purpose of having a one in a decade holiday, sort it out'. The lizard part of my brain says all sorts of financial ruin will befall us if I don't hoard it. :eek: I'm paralysed on the issue and not thinking straight.


I'll go see if there is a section in the forum someplace on travelling budget tips, maybe that'll counteract it to some extent...:money:



ElmoR xx

ElmoR

:j Slightly belated happy new year to everyone.
I just glanced at the date and realised that over two weeks whooshed by me and it feels like the holidays were yonks ago. Clearly I have fallen into the work treadmill trap again


The first mortgage payment for the year went out and I totally cannot fathom what the bank had done wrong over the past year at all. My regular monthly payment has dropped from £404 to £257. How could they get the maths that wrong?! In response, I've just increased the monthly O/P amount. Anyway, if I could just find a spare other £400 this month, I can bring the total outstanding to under £20K. I did do some extra external work but not sure that will reach me til next month, plus it's only £200. Hmmm.


Slimming Universe has been challenging the past couple of weeks. I had made it to the bottom of my target range the week before Christmas, to give me some scoffing flexibility, but that was a morning weigh in session. Then I went back again but on an evening session and, oh my, I was 1.5 pounds out of the target range at the top end. :eek: I had chomped my way through 6 pounds (well, some was morning/evening weigh in differences). So now I have to wire up my jaws for a weeks time and get myself back in range or have to part with £5 a week again - nnoooooo!!



Otherwise, everything ticking along. I had an accidental NSD yesterday by forgetting my entire handbag and leaving it at home. No purse, no phone. The world didn't end. Batch lunches are now second nature and I rarely bother with cafe spends at work. Probably should now set myself a new behaviour change target? But what?



And how to magic up £200 from nowhere...hmmmm


ElmoR x