Keeping on the Straight and Narrow...

DancingInTheRain

Had a good day off yesterday - DH and the children had a boys day at home while I went to get my hair cut & dyed and then visited my cousin to check on her (this is my late Aunt's daughter), we had a good catch up and set the world to rights over coffee and cake at her house.

The boys then invited themselves to sleep over at my Mum's house 🤣 which she agreed to so DH and I unexpectedly found ourselves child free. As such we decided to go out for a date and enjoy a couple of drinks. We had a good couple of hours out and treated each other using our personal spends, it felt good to do so plus no impact on the budget which was another win ✅

Typically though I've still wokem up early even though the boys aren't here demanding breakfast but it's nice to wake up gently, currently sitting in bed with a nice cuppa 😊

Will pick the boys up in time to take them for their swimming lesson and then see where the day takes us, need to start packing for our trip on Monday so that will be one job.

Had some interest paid on our general savings account today so that's been sent across to the CC, all heading in the right direction. Feels good to be back making additional payments.

savingholmes

Glad things are going well. Love how disciplined you are with the extra money. Hope you have a lovely weekend 

DancingInTheRain

Thanks SH ☺️

We ended up popping to A$da yesterday to buy a few supplies for our trip and also stocked up on Easter eggs so that we can distribute those next weekend when we're back. Spent a bit of time in the garden too as the weather was quite pleasant.

£18.15 sent to DH's student loan today - a mixture of account cashback, using an A$da rewards voucher and an Amaz0n voucher.

We've spent today packing for our holiday, the kids have been content to play in their bedroom to avoid getting any jobs 😉 The weather forecast doesn't look too bad for where we're going so that will be an added bonus.

Got a load of washing pegged out and and DH and I made a Sunday dinner using some chicken breasts and old veg from the fridge that needed used. We had some left over roasties and Yorkshire puds in the freezer from the last batch I made so a lovely dinner with minimal effort.

Will have a few last minute bits to pack in the morning but other than that we're in a good position to be ready to set off once we've had breakfast. It'll take us about 5 hours to drive there once we factor in a couple of toilet stops so an early start will be beneficial.

The boys are very excited so need them to calm down so they'll have a decent night's sleep, wish me luck! X

beanielou

Happy holidays 

savingholmes

Enjoy your holiday.

I may do some washing and see if I can peg it out today. It is much better weather today.

DancingInTheRain

Wow what a week! Busy but fun 4 days away, the kids had a fantastic time and we all came home exhausted! The weather was mostly dry and sunny and we had indoor activities booked when the rain came in so we did well.

The traffic was horrendous coming home, took us over 7 hours so we caved and had a takeaway when we got back as we were all 'hangry' after such a long journey. We had some holiday spends left over so used that to pay.
We did manage to unpack while waiting for the takeaway arriving so got everything put away and piles sorted for washing before we sat down to relax.

The weather was lovely here on Saturday so got 4 loads of washing dried on the line. DH gave the grass its first cut of the year then pressure washed our yard and patio areas so outside is looking tidy.
We then had family round yesterday to exchange chocolate eggs, we did a small egg hunt for the young ones and we all enjoyed a few nibbles I prepared and a couple of beers/glasses of wine for the grown ups.

Today we have done nothing! It's been a rainy day so we all got showered and then put on fresh PJ's this morning and have spent the day snoozing, watching films, playing games and, of course, eating chocolate eggs!

DH and I are back to work tomorrow so back to reality, grateful it's a short week. The boys are at my Mum's tomorrow while DH and I catch up on the last week and then we need to make arrangements for Wed/Thu depending on our diaries, neither of us could bring ourselves to log on to look but our Mums and sister in law have offered to help if we need it. DH is office based all week but I believe I'm WFH all week so If my diary is relatively quiet I may be able to juggle work with the children, will see how it all looks when we log on tomorrow.

We had limited Wi-Fi while we were away which was a blessing in a way but means I've got lots to catch up on here, hope everyone is okay.

Finance wise we seem to be doing okay, budget is on track. Have accumulated £19.97 in free money since my last post thanks to Cha$e cashback, TCB and Prolific so have split this between the CC and DH's student loan, all heading in the right direction 

DancingInTheRain

Our IT systems are down at work so no opportunity to catch up on tasks other than clearing out my inbox, frustrating but out of my control. Attended a couple of online meetings so have done something work related at least. 

Keeping Prolific open in case I can nab a survey or 2 while I have a little time.

Forgot to mention in my last post that the CC is now below £6k which is great. DH's student loan is now at £3,800 so we've hit another little milestone of those 2 combined being below £10k

I know I've said about this before but the interest rate on the student loan is bothering me with it now being at 5%, don't want to make any rash decisions but considering options of either paying a lump sum off this or using savings/0% purchase card to minimize the interest paid. DH has also suggested using some of the additional borrowing mortgage money and then paying that back but I'm just not sure. Will continue to ponder...

beanielou

Great news on debt.
You dont have a money transfer card you could use for the SL?
My son will be paying his forever I think sadly.

DancingInTheRain

Thanks Beanie.
Money transfer is also a good option for us to consider, thank you.
DH is almost gutted he will pay his Student Loan back, he was quietly hoping it would be written off but once I looked into it further it became clear it will be paid within the next 4 years maximum (he's on Plan 1) so we definitely need to consider it more. Interest is around £15 per month at the moment, I know this will reduce as the balance decreases but in the long run it's still costing us a decent amount in interest when there could be other options. If it was a credit card it'd be a no brainer but we're more hesitant in this scenario.
My grown up nieces and nephews will be like your son and also be paying their Student Loan forever, I definitely like Martin's approach of thinking of it more like a graduate tax for their circumstances although it would be even better if they didn't have to pay anything at all. 
I dread to think what student finance looks like by the time my 2 are 18 

beanielou

Yes, this is what I say to my DS~~graduate tax. 
I hate to think how much he owes & that is with family help.