Easter 2025 I’m coming to get you!

Hettyhound

Well yesterday was mixed to say the least. If I hadn’t already resigned I think I may have walked out :mad: I have never worked with such a group of people, I won’t described them as a team because they definitely aren’t. Anyway only 16 more work days

Got the contract for my new job through and the salary is higher than expected :T. Weekly shop only came in at £17.58 :eek: so I’ve potted a fiver. We have two more wobbly teeth so £2 held back for the fairy visit. Looked at my TCB account and £24 from money supermarket has tracked through. Finished my Christmas shopping this morning online with Black Friday deals. Saved £45 on a kids tablet so that paid for the other bits. I have a 30th birthday in December but then I think everything apart from food will be bought.

About to get the slow cooker going (not for tonight). I got 1kg of chicken thighs for £1.65 last night so have found a honey mustard recipe for chicken thighs in the slow cooker. I will cook them and then freeze some and have some on Sunday with veg. Making a butternut and feta quiche for tea tonight with our homegrown squash, hoping it’s yummy.

savingholmes

Congrats on the new job! Well done on getting through your Christmas list too!

Hettyhound

Just made an overpayment of £37.77 to round the mortgage down to £58,860. Cashed in some TCB and Prolific so put it to good interest saving use

Hettyhound

Payday on Friday thank heavens, I have a pound in my purse and not much petrol I the car. I used MSE energy club last night to switch my gas and electric. It should save me about £8 a month but I’m more interested in getting my money back from my current supplier. They got my payments all wrong so I ended up around £180 in credit but instead of paying me some back they reduced my monthly payment by £13. I knew I was planning on switching so I just let it be. At the moment my heating is only coming on for less than an hour morning and night. The loft insulation has been a worthwhile investment

Hettyhound

Payday yesterday so did the big monthly shop. I’ve upped Decembers food budget to £200 from £150 to cover the extras and also increased the fuel and spends a bit too. Any remaining will find its way into my sealed pot. I seem to be on target at the moment but need to remain focussed when in Ald1! :rotfl: Christmas activities start this weekend and now I’ve only got 12 working days left in the horrible job

I spent far too much time on the mortgage overpayment calculator yesterday planning my budgets and overpays. I can do a new deal in a years time so was looking at the options for reducing the term and increasing the monthly payment as well as overpays. Will have to see if they will let me increase my payment but I earn more now than I did when the mortgage was taken out. Lots of time to think about this but I do like a plan!

Have to do some money moving today. Premium Bond, pay credit card, top up bills account and may be see if there’s a little for the mortgage.....

Hettyhound

Had a festive trip out yesterday to Fountains Abbey to listen to a choir, see the lights and drink hot chocolate! We had Mr Buble in the car all the way as he makes an appearance on the 1st of December every year. Happy to say my son is settled with his traditional non chocolate advent calendar once he had got over the initial shock :eek:

I think we have decided on what he wants Santa to get him, a microphone. I'll try to get that ordered this week; its on the list of jobs! We have had some behavioral issues these last few days and I'm just so very tired out and the festivities have only just begun. I'm having a nap most evenings when he's in bed which is not getting his sweater knitted (Christmas pressie) and I've got to pull some out because I've made a mistake :mad: Ah well if not finished its his birthday in March :rotfl:

Hettyhound

91/2 days left in this job and counting........Went out for tea last night at my old work colleague's house. It was lovely to meet up with a few friends and my son was very well behaved and charmed everyone. That lasted until 10 minutes before we had to leave the house this morning and I was on the receiving end of I hate you, you are the worse mummy ever etc etc etc........I only asked him to brush his teeth and get his sweatshirt on! I'm afraid getting out of the house on a morning normally involves a flare up.

Did some calculations yesterday trying to estimate my new income and how I will "spend" the increase; savings, mortgage, premium bonds. Also been thinking into 2020 and my plans and targets. My fixed rate ends in November 2020 so been looking at new deals and whether I should try and reduce the term to save interest and the balancing act between increased regular payments and the flexibility of over payments but the cap of 10%; I feel a spreadsheet coming on

Busy week this week; out last night, school play on Thursday, visiting friends Saturday and panto Sunday. Next week isn't much quieter and then we are away at the seaside a week on Saturday, I am exhausted thinking about it. I must start writing cards and wrapping up tonight otherwise it will not get done in a calm manner and I'll end up in sellotape frenzy :rotfl:

Hettyhound

I made an over payment of £25 yesterday so I have OP'ed by £1600 this year which is £100 over the target I set myself. Its mortgage DD day today so I'll check my online banking tonight; mortgage should have dropped below £58,500. Tooth fairy had a pound out of me last night but we have no more wobblies at the moment. I did a meal plan up to the end of the month and this is an area I'm going to try and concentrate on for next year. I've printed some meal plan sheets to fill in and would like to plan for at least 2 weeks at a time if not 4. Then I can allocate the frozen portions of my batch cooking to specific days and spread them out a bit. We have developed some favourite meals and some we have tried we won't bother with again. Tonight is veggie savoury "mince" in a giant yorkshire pudding and tomorrow is egg and chips with bread and butter to make chip butties, sometimes you just can't beat the old favourites

We are away at the weekend for one night in the free cottage we were offered. It should be fairly cheap as we will be taking a picnic and also food for the evening. We plan on visiting a NT property and having a couple of sessions on the beach so my purse can have a little rest. All the Christmas presents are now bought and will be paid for when the cc bill comes in. I did forget to cost in the price of card postage but not too many and they all go second class Sat in a draft at work (that's normal for this office) and counting down the time until I can go (and the days until I leave; only 6 days and 3 hours left not that I'm counting or anything :rotfl:)

beanielou

Great result on the mortgage

Hettyhound

It was mortgage DD day on Tuesday and it fell to £58, 452.25. In true MSE style I couldn't not have a round number so I overpaid £2.25 making it a lovely £58,450.00:D My daily interest is now £4.34 a day and this year I have overpaid by £1,622.28 which feels very satisfying :T