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A new royal start

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  • QueenJess
    QueenJess Posts: 4,495 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 17 February at 3:47PM
    Seeing as my laptop keeps restarting for updates, I thought I'd catch up on here quickly.  Had a disrupted weekend when DD got ill on Thursday night.  She gets out of control temperatures pretty rapidly when she's unwell, so I end up checking her throughout the night.  DH can't do it as despite it being incredibly simple (and me trying to teach him), he cannot tell if DD has a fever or not :/  So it is always me for the night duty.  Anyway, she's fine again now - must have been a mild virus she's fought off and she's bouncing off the walls again.
    Got up early Sat to do the sm run, which turned out to be a good decision as everywhere was empty.  Definitely will do that again as I hate shopping when it's busy.  Bought loads of food whilst I was there (plus some ys organic chicken that would have been criminal to leave on the shelf) so I should only need to do a top up shop and not a main one this week.  Spent £134 on sm shopping plus in week milk top up shops, £21 in the zero waste shop and £15 for Riverford (total £170).
    I've also worked out that after putting lots into my pension for the last 10 years, I think I now have the absolute minimum for existence right now if I didn't put anymore in until I can pull my pension at 57.  So now I am working towards a better quality of existence and an earlier retirement.  Feels like some progress!  Makes me feel slightly better prioritising pension over mortgage overpayments even though I know it is the right decision mathematically.  I am still rounding the mortgage down each month whilst I'm working so it feels like I'm doing something at least.
    Laptop is now restarted and updated, so back to it.
    2025 decluttering: 3,802🌟🥉🌟💐🏅🏅🌟🥈🏅🌟🏅💐💎🌟🏅🏆🌟🏅
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  • QueenJess
    QueenJess Posts: 4,495 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Back again for the food update of course.... off to gym later, so about to make a large tomato pasta for my lunch that can be reheated for everyone else's dinner later as well as leftovers for lunches tomorrow.  I will also eat the last piece of orange and chocolate cake :)  Don't worry, I also made raspberry buns and lemon biscuits yesterday and there is still hm apple crumble and custard leftover, so no one will starve.
    2025 decluttering: 3,802🌟🥉🌟💐🏅🏅🌟🥈🏅🌟🏅💐💎🌟🏅🏆🌟🏅
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    2025 decluttering goals I Use up Challenge: 🥉365 🥈750 🥇1,000 💎2,000 🏆 3,000 👑 8,000 I 🥉12 🥈26 🥇52 💎 100 🏆 250 👑 500
  • QueenJess
    QueenJess Posts: 4,495 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 20 February at 2:11PM
    Given I was already in town yesterday with DS, I did a sm top up shop and also did an extra top up from the zero waste shop.  Hoping that might be it for this month now except for milk or possibly the odd other item and next week's Riverford shop.  Next shop will be 1 March.
    This week I spent £41 in sm, £10 in zero waste shop and £48 at Riverford as I treated us to some of the annual olive oil they get in.  Basically £100 spent.  So all in all this month I've spent £380 so far with another up to £40ish expected for Riverford next week.  That's about £105 a week :)
    I think for March I am going to try to do fortnightly shopping.  I don't like it as much as I start to lose track of what we have and what needs to be used up, but I really don't want to squeeze shopping into a full time job week every week as I'll have to get up really early on a Sat to get it done.  Anything we need in-between will need to be a top up shop.  Will see how it works.  Freezer is still pretty full, so hoping for a low spend March as well to make inroads into that and reducing my grocery budget deficit.
    Right - better get back to work!
    2025 decluttering: 3,802🌟🥉🌟💐🏅🏅🌟🥈🏅🌟🏅💐💎🌟🏅🏆🌟🏅
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    2025 decluttering goals I Use up Challenge: 🥉365 🥈750 🥇1,000 💎2,000 🏆 3,000 👑 8,000 I 🥉12 🥈26 🥇52 💎 100 🏆 250 👑 500
  • QueenJess
    QueenJess Posts: 4,495 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 21 February at 5:20PM
    Wahoo pay day!  It's been a long time coming... not had one since November :D   It's even a bit more than I expected as I had forgotten I would have overpaid tax in my previous job as they didn't expect me to have a couple of months off!  Money shuffled off to pension and ISA so I can't spend it and a portion gone to my "I'm not in work cash fund" which needs replenishing after a couple of months off.  I did let the money go to my head for a minute and ordered myself a long sleeved top to replace one I hate wearing as it's polyester and makes me sweat and I haven't been able to find one in that colour (yellow) before and a coat for those times you need one but your thick winter coat makes you too hot (I only have a winter coat, rain jacket and a thin hoodie).  Both new as I failed to find anything second hand.  Fingers crossed they fit when they come.  Now I feel guilty for spending on myself :#
    It's been a long day today.. everyone is out here (DH took DS out, DD is at nursery) and even everyone at work is awol, so just been sat on my own getting on with the work.  It was nice for a while, but now it's too quiet.  DS and DH are back after dinner, so I am just going to have tomato pasta leftovers for dinner later.  I made a seed cake for dessert - properly vintage lol.
    Some other money wins today - my cash out from 1Poll is in my bank account and I managed to get myself a massive bag of clothes for DD on Buy Nothing for the next size up.  It turns out the clothes are really nice and it's basically a complete wardrobe ready to go, with loads of stuff she's going to love, completely for free!  That'll save a lot of money!
    Better get back to staring at a screen before I need to pick up DD for a girls night.
    2025 decluttering: 3,802🌟🥉🌟💐🏅🏅🌟🥈🏅🌟🏅💐💎🌟🏅🏆🌟🏅
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  • South_coast
    South_coast Posts: 5,866 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    That's a fantastic win from Buy Nothing 😀!
    Mortgage start: £65,495 (March 2016)
    Cleared 🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️!!! In 5 years, 1 month and 29 days
    Total amount repaid: £72,307.03. £1.10 repaid for every £1.00 borrowed

    Finally earning interest instead of paying it!!!
  • QueenJess
    QueenJess Posts: 4,495 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 22 February at 12:06AM
    That's a fantastic win from Buy Nothing 😀!
    Thanks :) DD is excited and loves them all. I think this even trumps the 7 foot used once Xmas tree complete with expensive decorations and storage box that I got last year from Buy Nothing!
    2025 decluttering: 3,802🌟🥉🌟💐🏅🏅🌟🥈🏅🌟🏅💐💎🌟🏅🏆🌟🏅
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    Big kitchen declutter challenge 98/150
    2025 decluttering goals I Use up Challenge: 🥉365 🥈750 🥇1,000 💎2,000 🏆 3,000 👑 8,000 I 🥉12 🥈26 🥇52 💎 100 🏆 250 👑 500
  • themadvix
    themadvix Posts: 8,748 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Mortgage-free Glee! Photogenic
    That is a fantastic find 😊 

    Don’t you feel guilty for a small spend on yourself - you earned the money, you work extremely hard and you needed the items. And you never spend on yourself!
    Mortgage free 16/06/2023! £132,500 cleared in 11 years, 3 months and 7 days

    'Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.' Ernest Hemingway


  • QueenJess
    QueenJess Posts: 4,495 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Not much been happening this week besides hospital/doctor visits.  Not been feeling great and struggling to be honest, so been on strike since Monday with baking/cooking, although not sure anyone has noticed yet :# .  Spent more money on food as I had a tough couple of days and sent DH to M&S to get a nice meal and pick up as many tins of beans as he could carry.  My final spend was £454.27, so about £114 a week.  Very happy with that and my deficit is going down nicely at the moment.  Planning on a big shop tomorrow morning to carry me through 2 weeks.
    Just been throwing myself into work this week as I would like to stay there longer (assuming they have more work, the budget and want me of course!) and I was waiting for various outcomes from health stuff and needed the distraction anyway.  Looks like things are moving although if they don't I may have to go private, so that's on my list of things to save for.  I've concluded that women's healthcare can be very unfair/sexist.  So much for equality. My low of the week was seeing a doctor about something completely different and he was so concerned I looked "awful" and "very pale" I got sent for an impromptu blood test :# Going to have to start taking DH to some of my appointments to help fight as it is draining sometimes.
    Anyway, end of the month and the deficits are all going down and I am very happy with progress all round. The only category not decreasing was home stuff because DH discovered we needed new filters for the kitchen and they were £80!  Such a rip off.... but at least we won't need any for a long time now.  Discovered that our council tax is going up by the maximum possible.  No surprise there and already factored into the budget.
    No food updates for today as no idea what's for lunch, dinner or dessert!  I might make an orange drizzle cake at some point as I have a load of orange syrup leftover in the freezer from when I made candied peel and refused to waste it!
    2025 decluttering: 3,802🌟🥉🌟💐🏅🏅🌟🥈🏅🌟🏅💐💎🌟🏅🏆🌟🏅
    2025 use up challenge: 322🥉🥈🥇💎🏆
    Big kitchen declutter challenge 98/150
    2025 decluttering goals I Use up Challenge: 🥉365 🥈750 🥇1,000 💎2,000 🏆 3,000 👑 8,000 I 🥉12 🥈26 🥇52 💎 100 🏆 250 👑 500
  • Jessy103
    Jessy103 Posts: 2,242 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Hope you feel better soon and make sure to take it easy and look after yourself x
    Mortgage Balance as of July 2025 £14,900.
    Starting Mortgage Balance (June 2019) £72,000.
    Aiming to be mortgage free by my 40th birthday, June 2026!
  • QueenJess
    QueenJess Posts: 4,495 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Jessy103 said:
    Hope you feel better soon and make sure to take it easy and look after yourself x
    Thanks.  I feel slightly better today and even made my orange drizzle cake yesterday and some shortbread.  Sadly it ebbs and wanes and I am awaiting a hospital appointment in 2 weeks that "may" fix the problem.  It's getting very tedious now and upsetting that I can't do things.  I spent most of yesterday in bed, but can't do that every weekend as I wouldn't see the kids at all which is the opposite of what I want.  It's getting me down, but just trying to cling onto the appointment in a couple of weeks.  Fingers crossed..
    2025 decluttering: 3,802🌟🥉🌟💐🏅🏅🌟🥈🏅🌟🏅💐💎🌟🏅🏆🌟🏅
    2025 use up challenge: 322🥉🥈🥇💎🏆
    Big kitchen declutter challenge 98/150
    2025 decluttering goals I Use up Challenge: 🥉365 🥈750 🥇1,000 💎2,000 🏆 3,000 👑 8,000 I 🥉12 🥈26 🥇52 💎 100 🏆 250 👑 500
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