360 Months to go?

Porridgecat

Hi Grabs, I'm also quite new on the board. 
We often have a something on toast meal sometime during the week, usually Welsh rarebit or mackerel pate which helps keep costs down, I'm also a big fan of cook once, eat twice, so tonight we're going to BBQ (it just takes a sighting of the sun to get us out) and I'll joint and cook a whole chicken, we'll eat some tonight and then I'll make wraps with some tomorrow night and then something else as well.

Grabs39

Rarebit sounds like a great tea!

Our BBQ hasn’t left the shed yet this year, but with the weather this weekend it probably should have!

With just two of us if we do happen to have a chicken I can usually make it stretch to three meals.

Grabs39

Well the decorating is well underway.  The carpet is ordered.

Car went in for MOT, Service and timing belt yesterday.  £580 all in, but no other work needed which was good.  We've had this car for nearly 3 years now, and I think it's got at least 6 years left in it (12 plate) so a bit of preventative maintenance should be worth it.

So an expensive couple of days, hopefully there'll be something left to go off the mortgage this month - 3 weeks to payday.

Grabs39

Good news everyone - after 11 months and 1 week of chasing our water meter has been fitted!  We've been given a £200 credit for overpayment (I think because they have charged us for unmetered water but are required to have installed a meter within three months) which should land in the next few days.  I'll pay £150 straight off the mortgage and keep £50 for a treat.  So that's £475/£9000.

Excitingly (what a life I lead) we have a cleaner coming this week for three hours to do a good clean of our kitchen, bathroom and downstairs WC.  I know it's not very MSEish but does anyone have a cleaner regularly?  I'm wondering if we got her to come once a fortnight for two hours to do the kitchen, bathroom and WC and maybe a bit of dusting if it would be worth it, or do you really need someone in once a week?  Or would we need more than two hours?  We both work long hours so it just gets on top of us, but we'd be paying the cleaner far more than I earn per hour so we're trying to balance it.

caeler

Great news on the water meter, mine is great and I'm sure saves me a fortune on what rates would have been.  Re the cleaner, I don't have a cleaner but the jobs you mention need doing every week so if you went fortnightly you'd just end up doing them yourself!  Could you reduce to a shorter period each week if they'd come for just an hour or perhaps what your thinking is just a deep clean once a month and each week you do a light clean?  

Grabs39

Yes, I can't imagine a cleaner would do one hour a week unfortunately, so I'd still have to do them every other week, but possibly not to the same standard!

MissMoneyManager

Hi Grabs,
I have had a cleaner for around 6 years for 2 hours per week. I think it is absolutely worth it.  For a long time I lived alone so perhaps didn't create as much dirt as bigger households but still thought it worth it.  I work at least 6 days a week and for a long time studied as well and it has been a case of money buying time. Also now living with OH it means less arguments about household chores. I know others who have a cleaner for two hours fortnightly but everyone has different standards of how clean they want their houses to be and how much they are happy to do themselves.

Grabs39

Thanks @MissMoneyManager At the moment I clean the kitchen surfaces at least daily, give the sinks a wipe weekly and clean the loos a couple of times a week, but it's rare I clean the tiles, mop the floors etc.  We both work six days a week too so keeping on top of everything is just a pain we could do without!

family355

Hi Grabs39, 

We have had a window cleaner once a fortnight since we moved here. When I joined MFW last year I wondered if I should cancel & throw at the mortgage Instead?! We had paid for our horrible old windows to be cleaned for that long that I decided we should at least maintain the new ones! I would love a cleaner for the house but know I would end up cleaning beforehand 🙈

I would at least give it a try...you can always change your mind! 🙂

caeler

My window cleaner visits every 2 months! Probably a bit too money saving!