Discount Duck’s Quest For Mortgage Freedom

Baileys_Babe

The children are also being responsible pet owners cleaning the dog. Now if only children could just as happily clean the bathroom life would be perfect 😃

Buttery crumpets and a lit fire, bliss.

DiscountDuck

My ethics application got approved!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 I am so relieved and so happy! Now to just get the questionnaire onto a useable format and send it out! The end is in sight! 

DiscountDuck

This weekend I’m trying to keep busy while the kids are at their daddy’s. I’ve got a couple of cross stitched cards finished for elderly relatives who will really appreciate them and will try to get them posted this weekend.

After they get home tomorrow DD is doing her grade 1 singing exam by video link. I’m very proud of the hard work she’s put in for it. 

I’m 6 walks away from a £15 supermarket voucher on the BetterPoints app our council promotes. It is a brilliant scheme, rewarding people for exercise. I’m trying to be disciplined enough to have got it by next week, which is why I’m telling you guys so I’ll have a sense of accountability! 

I’ve sorted out the kids outgrown clothes and put them into bags ready for when we aren’t in tier 3 any more. A college in our nearest town has a business scheme for the visually impaired students where they sell things on eBay for commission. It’ll be more than I’d get on a car boot, plus the joy of getting to support a local enterprise. They are going into the garage in the meantime. 

The bulbs have arrived for the front garden and they look great. I can’t wait to get it all planted up so that I’ve got something nice to look forward to next spring. 

I hope you’re all staying safe and well. 

DiscountDuck

Life is going well. DD got a high merit on her singing grade 1, my research study came back enormous and my ptsd is well under control due to having so much positive stuff to focus on. The front garden is all planted up,  it was back breaking but will be worth it. I’ve been super busy so haven’t updated in a while. I’m catching up on several threads for you lovely lot too and it’s great to see what people have been doing.

I stocked up up on the stuff I think will get expensive post Brexit including dried complete dog and cat food, and we are hunkering down for winter now. A friend who is a green keeper had to fell a dangerous tree, so kindly dropped me off some logs which filled my log store to the brim. 

I sold the old hen coop and am putting the money into the January mortgage overpayment pot. The one mum got us is much easier to move around and more spacious given that they can’t come out at the moment because of avian flu. Boudicca is very angry about this, she has started pecking me when I block the door and won’t let her out. I swear if she was human she’d have an ASBO. Mavis doesn’t care so long as there’s treats. 

powerspowers

Hi discount duck, sounds like things are going well! Just wanted to say hi and good luck from another east midlandser duck 🦆 

debtfreeoneday

Hi. New to your diary but read the first post and then the end. I will go back when I have time but quick question. Did the loofahs grow this year?

debtfreeoneday

Also as I start to read the diary - we are HE as well if we can be of any help 

DiscountDuck

Thanks @debtfreeoneday we got two, so not as productive as I’d have liked for how much space they took up! I won’t bother with them next year but it was fun to give a go. 

@powerspowers ay up me duck! I’m about to have a look for I’d you’ve got a thread I can follow!
Thanks HE-ers but I needed the participants to be home educating parents who use online support groups so I don’t want to skew the results. It’s very kind though, thanks. So far the results look like HE kids are so visible I’m wondering how anyone can miss them 😂 but of course it doesn’t account for CME and the main problem is authorities conflating the two groups. I’ve got cling white board sheets all over the house with mind maps and those ideas that come to you in the night. My kids’ vocabulary is improving immensely! 

DiscountDuck

Well I got through Christmas with no other half and a fractured family. It hurt but I didn’t die so I guess I’m ok. We did a secret Santa for all the kids in the street then they did a distanced treasure hunt to find their gifts. They loved it. 

I am making decent progress over coding and theming the dissertation findings, although it’s being done under pressure with 20 days until it’s due in and trying to write it while looking after two kids and bubbling with mum. I cannot wait for it to finally be done. I’m not making my mortgage overpayment until it’s submitted, treating it as a reward.

After the end of the masters degree nightmare which I rather wish I’d not started, I’m going to get out some of my craft kits. Maybe the kids and I will be able to use the caravan as a little change of scene as we’re getting a bit stir crazy. 

It’s flooded all around us so we can’t get out for decent walks. We’ve been out for a very short but successful evening walk to spot bats and another one where we tried to see the aligned planets but it was too cloudy. 

Not long to go before the better weather and longer days now, the longest one of winter is done so onward and upward to spring and good things, hopefully. 

DiscountDuck

Well, it’s New Year’s Eve and I’m making great progress with the homework, am in bed with my dog and an episode of festive Sewing Bee on the iPad and I’m full of hope for next year. 

So happy new year to my MSE family, thanks for all the great ideas and support and words of advice when they were needed. I wish you all a great 2021.