The second hurdle - Nichelette v the huge mortgage

Nichelette

Thanks @RedLipstick. Hope you had a nice Christmas too 😊 

I'm still illlllll 😭. DH too. Has been a week today. Was hoping it would be on the way out by now, but no. We were supposed to see my family for our Christmas gathering today but we've not gone as we don't want to pass it on.

Christmas has been a bit of a write off to be honest. I can't taste anything properly (same every time I get a cold) so feels like a waste eating anything nice. I bought a bottle of champagne as a treat for Christmas (was on offer in tesco anyway then an extra 25% off 6 bottles) but it's still in the fridge as I figure it's a waste if I can't actually taste it. Same with my camembert 😭. If I'm better (or at least improving) by new year I'll have them then instead. Kids at least enjoyed which is the main thing, though they're not 100% either to be honest. I can tell because snottyness aside, they're not eating everything in sight and they're absolute bins usually 🙃. 

Never mind! Am over it now and looking forward to spring already. I'll be 40 in May, hopefully we'll be in (or nearly in) a new house, and then I'll be able to escape my job.

I took off my Christmas nails yesterday and I've re-done them in a lilac ombre thing today. Miles away from winter (and actually sounds very girly which I'm not remotely 😅). That's one of my plans for new year actually. Buy less nail dip powder and bags as both have become a bit.. uncontrolled. I don't need any more of either 😳. 

Oh, DS2's op is now scheduled for 13th January so hopefully it goes ahead this time.

Hope you've all had a lovely Christmas!

debtfreewannabe321

Aw I'm sorry you've had the dreaded bug going round too. DP and I have also had it. Nearly two weeks for me 😭 and DP is a few days in and acting like he's dying. It's rubbish isn't it. I think our bodies keep going until it knows we have time to be sick and then bam! We're sick for the whole holiday period. I hope you're feeling better soon 💖.

Nichelette

debtfreewannabe321 said:

Aw I'm sorry you've had the dreaded bug going round too. DP and I have also had it. Nearly two weeks for me 😭 and DP is a few days in and acting like he's dying. It's rubbish isn't it. I think our bodies keep going until it knows we have time to be sick and then bam! We're sick for the whole holiday period. I hope you're feeling better soon 💖.

Oh not you too! I always have the bank holidays off work, but had Xmas eve and have the 30th and 31st. It was partly to look after kids, but just seems such a waste when we've been ill and not able to do anything 🥲. Hope you feel better soon too!

Nichelette

Since last post I've managed to have a bit of a spend up 🙈. 

I've bought this:  https://www.noaandnani.co.uk/products/mimi-shorty-bunk-bed-in-classic-white

I need the kids in low bunks really as their room looks awful for selling, but also due to the size and layout of the room DS1 (who is tall for his age) is still in a toddler bed, and DS2 is still in his cot. He's happy in there unlike DS1 so he was out as soon as he could climb it 🙃. I'd planned to get a second hand ikea one, but unfortunately it's slightly too long. I've spent so long searching but this is the only one I can find that fits. Quidco were doing £20 bonus cashback for spending £100+ at B&Q so that was about as cheap as I've ever seen it. Unfortunately the mattresses aren't a standard size. I've found memory foam ones that are 5cm wider for £50 instead of £110 so I'm going to test cutting one down to see if it works 🤞🏻. It's probably only a temporary situation so I don't want to spend loads tbh. 

I've also bought curtains (slightly reduced in sale) and new duvet covers as they're still using the toddler ones so I've had to buy singles. Annoying the width of the window was almost exactly the same as the curtains so I had to pay another £15 for next width up. 

I've caved today and bought a new (decent) ironing board. Ours was cheap and is falling apart. I refuse to go into the new year with it again as I've been meaning to replace it for ages😂. It has lasted 11 years so I think we got our moneys worth. I think it was possibly nearly free using nectar points anyway if I remember rightly!

I'm working on Friday but I'm trying to convince DH to book a dump run as I'm so sick of clutter I just want to bin everything 🙈. I say that, but I'm actually quite conscious of the environment and will pass on anything usable. 

We're both still ill but I feel less congested today (though sinuses still not happy). I need to food shop really but can't be bothered... I'd like to try and be better prepared with more freezer meals etc for nights when I can't be bothered with cooking from the meal plan. We don't really have takeaways much but I want to try and reduce ultra processed junk. I do cook most of what we eat from scratch, but if I'm being lazy a lot of stuff especially veggie freezer food is processed junk tbh. 

To do list continues to be massive. I desperately need to clean the double pram and photograph to sell it so I can get it out of my boot. I should hopefully be able to get a few quid for it too as they cost an absolute fortune. If anyone in East Surrey area wants a cybex gazelle hit me up 😂.

becksport

Hi, I have just bought the same bunk beds for my grandchildren aged 2 and 3 and it really is perfect. I bought it from noa and nani's warehouse https://nnwarehouse.uk/beds/shorty-bunk-bed-splits-into-toddler-and-day-bed-in-white. The bunk beds are currently £40 and the mattresses were £75 and I had a code so paid less for all of it than the bunk beds should have been. It would he better to cancel your order and reorder from there instead of trying to cut mattresses down. Toddler duvets still fit these beds but I had to get the waterproof and fitted sheets specially made. Hope this helps save you some money. Happy New Year. 

debtfreewannabe321

I sometimes put things on FB for free in local groups and they're collected pretty quickly meaning I don't need to dump them or take to the charity shop (our boot is not the best for transporting stuff 😆) and they always think it's great as they get a bargain but really I just wanted the space lol. 
I also need to do a tip run though because I missed the bin day. I assumed they would change it to just before the usual one as it fell on Xmas day but no they collected 5 days early and we missed it. So we have a two week wait now for the next one and have full bins 🙈!

Nichelette

becksport said:

Hi, I have just bought this bunk bed for my grandchildren aged 2 and 3 and it really is perfect. I bought it from noa and nani's warehouse https://nnwarehouse.uk/beds/shorty-bunk-bed-splits-into-toddler-and-day-bed-in-white. The bunk beds are currently £40 and the mattresses were £75 and I had a code so paid less for all of it than the bunk beds should have been. It would he better to cancel your order and reorder from there instead of trying to cut mattresses down. Toddler duvets still fit these beds but I had to get the waterproof and fitted sheets specially made. Hope this helps save you some money. Happy New Year. 

Thank you so much! The other one is on the way already but I'll return it. I can get the bed and the mattresses for marginally more than I paid for the frame alone. Really appreciate you sharing. I looked so much and didn't stumble upon that site at all!

@debtfreewannabe321 I do stick things on free groups sometimes. It was good but recently has been a bit hit and miss with people turning up. I think if I lived in a town it would probably be easier to get people to take things. My mum bless her has done some charity runs for me. The smaller one I like to give to near us doesn't take at weekends which isn't very helpful when we're both working then. Only issue with my mum doing it is we don't really have space to put much aside. 

becksport

Your welcome - glad to help. If you contact the company that you ordered the first ones from they will be able to cancel the delivery with the courier or you refuse it at the door. The main bunk bed package is very heavy so better to get it stopped before delivery than having to get it returned. 

Nichelette

becksport said:

Your welcome - glad to help. If you contact the company that you ordered the first ones from they will be able to cancel the delivery with the courier or you refuse it at the door. The main bunk bed package is very heavy so better to get it stopped before delivery than having to get it returned. 

Thank you 😊. Other one is arriving today but I've told company and they've said to refuse delivery too so I'll do that later. All in the mattresses and bed with postage were £190 which was about half what I expected initially so a huge difference!

Nichelette

So final mortgage OP of the year made today. A whacking £1.70 from sprive 😆. It all adds up... I'm at £55.27 from there. Can't honestly remember when I started using it, but I don't think it was that long ago. 

Being new year I can't really commit to the thing I'd usually like to (overpayments) due to hopefully moving and money being up in the air, but we are continuing to save £500/month towards that so I guess that's the aim. I'd like if by the end of next year we're able to put everything we need to cover the remaining nursery fees away. DS2 starts school in September 27 so we have just under 20 months left to pay for. I think with the funded hours and TFC it's about 14k we need to stash away? Once we've moved and I have numbers I'll make a plan to get rid of the mortgage. 

My other aims are to start C25k again. I really loved it when I did it before and was about 3 runs from completion before I for some reason was shattered and struggling having previously found it manageable. It became apparent the reason was being pregnant with DS1 😂. I did try it again after I had DS2, but I fractured my foot a while before and found it too uncomfortable on uneven ground. It's still not perfect and don't think it ever will be so I might need to push through. I'm 40 early May so I'd like to time it so my final run is just before then, so I'm not starting just yet because it's not great in the rain and ice either (spring or summer rain different story as I love that lol). 

Other aims are not leaving stuff on the stairs (I know not safe and I'm awful for). Trying not to walk out of my job 🙃. Eating better and planning more for when I'm worn out and can't be bothered, and decluttering. Also not being ill next Christmas would be great 😆.