Discount Duck’s Quest For Mortgage Freedom

DiscountDuck

Well the Black Country Living Museum was amazing and more than worth the drive! I ended up super busy running round after family the day before so only assembled snacks and drinks, and splashed out on fish and chips when we were there. It was so lovely, a really fantastic day out.  They’re doing something at the moment where they upgrade day passes to annual ones for free at no extra charge, so besides already being a good value day out thanks to the Blue Peter badges for the kids’ entry it’ll be totally free next time! Yay!!!

The garden continues to bring joy all the time. I think our cucumber must be part triffid and we are all getting a bit fed up of them now. I think the neighbours are too. We’ve got some great French beans which I’m cooking, then plunging into cold water, patting dry and freezing. I made a potato and aubergine curry tonight with our own potatoes and onion, which was a surprisingly big hit with the minions. We made our own flatbread to go with it from flour and a small pot of natural yoghurt and won’t be going back to shop bought ones. It was so delicious but super easy, I’m going to bear it in mind in future as a really cheap but nice present to take along to a barbecue or the kind of meal where everyone brings a dish.

I’ve read Kath Kelly’s book ‘How I lived a year on just a pound a day’. It was an ebay bargain and the most interesting thing I’ve read in ages. It made me think just how wasteful we are with excesses etc, so we’ve had a big clear out for the charity shop. I’d like to see if I could do a (far less extreme) challenge and set aside the savings towards reducing the mortgage perhaps even earlier. I’ve got one of those pot money boxes that I bought for £2 from the charity shop I help at, and if I put the money I’ve saved in there it would be a wonderful surprise to see how well I’d done when it is finally full and needed smashing. 

I’ve been tonight to fetch a washing machine for my homeless uncle, to store for him until he gets his flat. It’s so unfair that carers like him become homeless when their parents pass away after making the sacrifice to care for their own family, instead of working outside the home and having a secure life, then get penalised for that kindness. We are still waiting on keys, they’ve told him it won’t be ready until the beginning of October. He won’t come and stay with me no matter how much I beg, as he’s working within the lockdown zone and refuses to put me or the kids at risk of Covid. I’ve been gathering together the things he will need for when he gets his flat with the stuff all coming off a Facebook local version of freecycle. There really are some fabulous people about, and it saves loads of stuff from landfill. This lady is just changing the colour of her kitchen and wants all her appliances to match. I’ve also got him a brand new kettle and a lovely toaster that way. A friend has passed me a Hoover for him and our vicar may be able to get first refusal on an old fridge freezer soon too. It can all stay in my garage until he’s in his flat, it’s nice being able to feel useful for him. 

I got a little  bit more dissertation done, which still feels impossible but baby steps will hopefully get me there. All in all, a fantastic week so far!

Baileys_Babe

Your trip to the Black Country living museum sounds great, it is on our list of places to go but too far away for a day trip.

It is disgraceful how this country treats carers. It is good to hear he has people looking out for him. I hope his temporary accommodation is safe and secure.

Suffolk_lass

I'm going to ask my DH to speak to his sister on the back of your Uncle's experience. They are well into their seventies and their local authority home is almost certainly just them as tenants with their son living with them, helping them.

DiscountDuck

@Suffolk_lass make sure he’s given a ‘right to reside for life’ as that’s what he needs. If they won’t give him one, at least he will know in advance that he won’t have tenancy security and can start to plan in plenty of time. 

Today was a brilliant day. Although it was expensive as I had to get all the uniform for school for the minions, we’ve had lots of hand me downs from friends which has saved us a fortune and also Sainsbury’s had boys wellies on sale at £1 (my kids have to have a pair of wellies, trainers, plimsolls and school shoes each for school) so DS got his home and school wellies plus a size up for the ‘grow into’ cupboard! I had £7.50 of nectar card points so that helped the eye watering total a bit. Between that shop and another (cheaper) supermarket they’re all kitted out now. Then at lunchtime they got picked up by their dad and so I now have an entire dissertation writing and dog walking weekend planned. The walks help give me brain breaks, plus I get BetterPoints on this Leicestershire council app that pays out supermarket vouchers for exercise. Win, win! I’ve made really good progress today and feel quite optimistic about having the start of something decent to show my tutor at our appointment in a few weeks. It fulfils my new goal of a daily something that does me good and something that helps me build a better future too, an idea I got inspiration for from @pinkypig on her mortgage free diary. 

I hope you’re all having a good weekend and are nudging towards your goals. Happy Friday! 

Viking_mfw

Ooh, wish I'd noticed those wellies when I was in Sains earlier!

DiscountDuck

Today was another super productive day. I’ve made a bit more progress on the never ending dissertation and had two brain breaks to walk the dog. Progress on my happy future and my health! 

I had a NSD which makes me feel great and off sets a little of the huge cost of school uniforms yesterday. 

I’m going to start making smoothies to use up our glut of cucumbers so have been looking up recipes to hide the flavour! I’m SO sick of cucumber...

Suffolk_lass

Pickle some of your cucumbers? with other things like shallots or beetroot?

Viking_mfw

There's an Indian dish called Chicken Chat (or presumably anything you like Chat) which involves cucumbers. Sounds weird but is delicious - it's the only way my husband will eat cucumber at all. 

DiscountDuck

This week has been a bit up and down. Homeless uncle who refuses to come and stay with me has made progress on getting the date to move into his flat, as the council hold up has been that they want to decorate etc and frankly given that he’s living in a leaking caravan in a pub car park he just wants a roof. I’m really relieved they’re being good about letting him move in sooner with it undecorated as we can do this ourselves. I’ve been adding bits onto each weekly shop for when he gets in so he will have washing powder and kitchen roll etc (all the stuff you don’t know you need until you’re in). My garage looks like a mini apartment with the contents of his flat waiting in it. I’m still on the look out on free local pages for an under counter fridge freezer, but other than that I think we’ve got all the basics now. I wish there was more I could do for him but he just won’t risk us despite me telling him that now the kids are at school we are more likely to give him Covid than the other way round. 

I’ve made slow but strong progress on the dissertation and am 1500 words into my literature review section. I’ve got an appointment for a zoom meeting with my tutor on the 11th so would like my lit review, methodology and survey design done by then. I’m just keeping swimming, Dory and Nero style, with it. I keep telling myself that this isn’t impossible and to think how great it will be to graduate in front of my mum and kids as the highest qualified person in our family, ever. 

I took the kids to my dad and step mum’s for a visit today as they had a yarn bomb festival in their village. We walked a couple of miles spotting all the amazing woolly story characters, many knitted in full person size and set up in scenes. It was a brilliant day out. We also popped into my dad’s allotment and came home with some cabbage, a courgette and some peppers. I might do a nice Chinese style vegetable rice with them tomorrow.  Walking definitely does my mental health good. I’m vaguely thinking about trying to do the couch to 5k but I don’t know how hard that would be with two kids and two dogs in tow. Also, I should maybe check with my GP given the dodgy heart thing, but I’m stable on beta blockers so presumably all exercise is good? I don’t think I’m ever going to be one of these super fit people running marathons, I’d just like to feel a bit fitter and stronger than now! 

The weather is set to be better tomorrow so I’m hopeful of getting a load of washing out, some gardening done and the hens cleaned out. We need a nice day outdoors, as my hyper son has been bouncing off the walls the last couple of days. He needs a good long go on the trampoline and a dog walk and a couple of hours helping do heavy garden jobs to tire him out a bit! 

Baileys_Babe

Hopefully, your Uncle won't have to wait much longer for the keys. Will he be local to you when he moves in?