Discount Duck’s Quest For Mortgage Freedom

Suffolk_lass

Shout if you want the link to the method I used for soaps - I also made a bit of exfoliating salt scrub using some of those little clip top jars with a pretty ribbon - I used pink Himalayan salt so it looked pretty in the jar

DiscountDuck

Ooh yes please Suffolk Lass. 

We are off camping tomorrow for three nights. I must have finally lost the plot but the kids are SO excited. I’ll be finishing off my methodology section of my homework at night when they’re in bed as it’s due to be sent to my lovely new tutor on Monday night. But it’s not like I could go out or do anything when they’re asleep anyway, so it’ll keep me out of mischief.  I’m also taking a crochet blanket I’m making for a friend’s baby. 

I went round the supermarket and bought the food today, so we don’t end up paying a bomb at the campsite shop. There’s bound to be something I forget but that’s ok. We’ve got disposable barbecues to take with us that I’ve had sat in the garage for a year having picked them up at 50p each in Wilkos clearance section ages ago. Knew they’d come in handy at some point. I hope they don’t go off? Are there chemicals in those that could go stale? We will find out soon 🤣 

DD is vegetarian now so I’m packing Richmond veggie sausages, which are fab, and some quorn mince for a chilli one night. All those individual packets of sugar and sauce that I take home when I’ve not used them in a cafe are coming with us! My bf teases me about it but I save them in little Tupperwares in the caravan and they’re ever so handy when we go away. Also, the complimentary herbal teas in individual packets that I collected when I used to get put up in hotels in my last job! These little freebies are perfect for camping.  I hope you all have a wonderful half term and enjoy money saving trips too.

It’s check in month on the mortgage free in 3-5 thread and I’m quite excited to send in my latest total. I can see it coming down now, there’s an end in sight. It’ll be so liberating when it’s finally gone. One day! 

Baileys_Babe

We collect the unused sachets and individually wrapped tea bags, perfect for self-catering holidays. 

MrsDippy

Hi DiscountDuck, just read your diary - an inspiration, thank you for sharing.
I hope you realise all the talents you have, cooking, gardening, money management, crafting, academic... you will reap the rewards, as you say just keep swimming.  Just wanted to say hi and wish you every success.

Suffolk_lass

Re soap making - Here's the recipe link but I prefer the video with this one Lye is basically caustic soda and water (I used filtered, not distilled). If you've got a proper hardware store you can still get caustic soda. Peppermint essential oil is nice too.

Baileys_Babe

Suffolk_lass said:

Re soap making - Here's the recipe link but I prefer the video with this one Lye is basically caustic soda and water (I used filtered, not distilled). If you've got a proper hardware store you can still get caustic soda. Peppermint essential oil is nice too.

I recently bought caustic soda in Wilkinsons. 

Suffolk_lass

I meant to add, I have a couple of silicon moulds. In particular I liked using the patty tins to produce guest sized soaps - about 10-12p each and they are low suds - great after gardening as they leave your hands soft and clean (doing what it says on the tin, as it were!) Speaking of tins, I was considering making some to fit in decorative tins, wrapped in tissue paper, but have not got round to it.
If you want them for Christmas you just about have time

DiscountDuck

Aw, thanks Mrs Dippy ☺️

@Suffolk_lass I appreciate you sharing this, I’ve watched the video and can’t wait to give it a go. With the second wave of Covid coming I think nice soaps will be much wanted pressies this year. 

We’ve just come back from camping in Norfolk for half term. We only went for three nights but had a lovely time beach combing (8 new beautiful bits of sea glass) and metal detecting. My little lad found a fork and was delighted. We also have a few lead fishing weights and a piece of unidentifiable something or other that’s copper.  We went round Norfolk Lavender (couldn’t resist some essential oil while we were there) and went through a nature reserve to get to another beach - seeing a black redstrike and a Palace’s warbler on the way. The twitchers win their big cameras were kind enough to tell us what they were. The kids weren’t terribly impressed despite the warbler having come all the way from Siberia, because it just looked like a goldfinch and we get those in the front garden all the time. They were thrilled with the bits of metal and the sea glass treasures though. 

I took my computer with me and finished off my dreaded methodology section of my dissertation while we were away. I was up until 1am working on it each night while they slept, then we were all up at 6 as my hyper boy is full of fun and ready to go, early, each day. So I’m pretty tired but glad to have it finished. It’s sent off to my tutor and I’m awaiting a meeting with her by zoom to discuss it. I’ve got a kid free weekend this week, as their dad is on a fad of seeing them (albeit to introduce to his ‘friend’ of the week - they’ve met and spent the day with two different women in their last three visits). It’s upsetting having them used as his stage props but it’s out of my control. I’m going to try to not get into a gloom once they’re gone and use the time productively to do my ethics approval form for Uni and apply for energy saving measures under the Green Homes scheme. I think room in roof insulation and new heating controls and external doors might be best but let’s see what they say I can or can’t have. 

Baileys_Babe

What a brilliant little holiday, having a great time with the children, making wonderful memories for all of you and you finished off the methodology section of your dissertation. I hope you are doing a little victory dance around the kitchen.

DiscountDuck

Thanks Baileys_Babe. I was rather pleased with myself. 

I let myself down and wasted this weekend though. I got all depressed and sad once the kids were gone, not helped by their dad already driving whilst texting by the time he drove past the house with the kids in the back having turned his car round at the end of the lane.  

Although I cleared out the greenhouse and did some tidying and cleaning in the house, when then I had a leak upstairs that started coming through the hall ceiling (the bathroom is above it), it was all a bit too much. I got an insurance man out to look but after that point everything was like dragging a tug boat through treacle all weekend. I wrote a letter to my great Aunty but achieved nothing on the dissertation as I just couldn’t think that hard. Now I’m disappointed in myself. I couldn’t even face leaving the house to post the letter. Pathetic or what. The kids are home again now so I’ve got to get a grip and at least fake being ok and just keep swimming. 

Next week I’m working three days from home while the kids are on half term, which is always hard work, but I’ve booked us a bargain Wowcher trip to walk alpacas at a local alpaca farm on Wednesday which is one of my days off. I’m also hoping to pull in one last visit to the beach hut at the weekend before it gets super cold, as they just love it there. 

The borough where I live is about to move into tier 2, as it’s infection rate is higher than areas of Leicester that are already tier 2. This means I’ll have to wfh for the foreseeable future. I’m lucky to have a secure job, but it’s so isolating being a single parent and not getting to even spend time with other adults at work. I’ll get a grip on my Eeyore self soon, but it feels all a bit much at the moment.  It literally raining in my hall has been the final straw.