Climbing the Mortgage Mountain step by step

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

Hi All

Having a lovely day today, DD got her A Level results and they were better than she had hoped so she is really happy and it's a relief that she has definitely got in to her first choice University.

It's also 4 years ago today that DH and I met and he has had a beautiful bouquet delivered to my work.  He's booked a table for the 3 of us at our favourite restaurant tonight so we can celebrate DD's A Levels and our anniversary.  Not very MSE but very deserved!

I'm finding work hard this week, I had Monday and Tuesday off so it's a short week but really difficult and infuriating with people not doing as they have been asked, despite the fact that it is in their best interests, human beings are hard work at times.  I can't even go and blow off steam on my board as the tide times are all wrong at the moment, should be falling better by the end of next week so fingers crossed for some decent weather.  I just need to hold on another week or so as I have the week off following the Bank Holiday, a nice bit of R n R.

Hope you are all having a good day

MvTMM

savingholmes

So are you a paddle boarder then? It looks lovely when I watch others do it. 

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

Hi All

Thank Goodness it's Friday!! 

Hi @savingholmes, yes DH and I have just recently started paddle boarding, he bought us our boards as a wedding present and we are loving it, we have been to a couple of our local beaches, we are literally 5 mins from the nearest one and are hoping to go to a local reservoir soon now that we have our water ways licence and insurance.  We haven't quite got the knack of standing and paddling but even just sitting or kneeling it is great fun, very relaxing and I love lying on the board and listening to the waves lapping the sides or chatting to DH.

Bit of moneysaving this weekend, I have been given loads of fresh burgers, BBE 23/08, I'm not a great lover of grilling burgers indoors as they seem to make the house smell and I don't think we'll have time for a barbeque so I have frozen some and will make a chilli tonight with some and possibly a cottage pie type meal with some others for Sunday and Monday.

We need to do some food shopping tomorrow but will only buy the bare essentials, I need to get back in to meal planning as we are well stocked in cupboards and freezers, I used to be really good at doing that but it has fallen to the wayside a bit although I am still strict about not wasting food.  I think I will read through my old diary and refresh my memory on some of the recipes etc and get back into my old ways as I used to manage on a lot less money and need to cut costs and save what and where we can. If any gems pop up I will share them.

Have a great weekend.

MvTMM

Aimingforthegoodlife

Oh how was the meal? A well deserved treat for you all! Amazing news on DD, that is wonderful. Paddleboarding sounds good, especially if it helps you relax and get exercise, great combo! Have a great weekend!

savingholmes

I didn't know you needed a licence and insurance. Sounds sensible. What a memorable present - bonding for both of you too

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

Hi All

Hope you've all had a great weekend, ours has been busy, drinks to celebrate 3 friends' birthdays on Friday night, DH and I went to see a local band on Saturday night and then a 'big' birthday celebration yesterday for my sister.

I made a chilli with one pack of burgers, it was really nice and we had it with rice on Friday night, nachos on Saturday and there is still 2 portions in the freezer.  I'm going to make a cottage pie tonight with another pack which should easily do us tonight and tomorrow.  DH and I will be making a conscious effort to eat out of the freezers once DD has moved to Uni, we currently have 3 full freezers, will aim to get that down to the 2 fridge freezers and turn off the stand alone freezer.

@Aimingforthegoodlife, the meal was ok but we were a bit disappointed, the pub was previously privately owned and had an amazing menu which changed with the seasons, a bit pricey but worth it, its now been bought by a chain and the prices haven't changed but the menu definitely has and the service wasn't great, we probably won't go there again which is a shame as it's in a really lovely location too.

@savingholmes - you need a waterways licence for a lot of rivers and canals, there a £1000 fine if you don't.  Also our local reservoir insists on Public Liability Insurance and a buoyancy aid.  We've join British Canoeing which provides your licence and £10m Insurance for £40 per year, when I was looking at the insurance alone £3m was £28 so I think this is worth it and there are other benefits too.

A quiet week planned this week, hopefully get out on the boards from the middle of the week when the weather and tides seem to be looking better.  I've got a week off the following week, a few plans then including a concert and moving DD to her new flat plus DH will be starting his new job.

Oh and it's 2 months today since we got married!

Have a great Monday everyone

MvTMM

savingholmes

Thanks for the info on paddle boarding. I need to lose more weight before investigating that - but I'd love to try it at some point. It's on my future reward list for losing weight... 

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

@savingholmes I think you'll really enjoy it, it is so relaxing and peaceful and the combination of that and the physical exercise is so good for mind, body and spirit.  Don't leave it too long, I am overweight but not letting that stop me, in fact I'm hoping it'll help me tone up, I definitely ache a little after a session!

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

Morning all

It's wet and miserable here today but tomorrow is looking better and the tide falls right so we are planning an evening on the paddleboards.

I was a bit 'spendy' last night but all thought through and discussed with DH, necessary items and hopefully will have saved money in the long run.  I placed an order with 0cad0 using the £20 off £60 code, stocked up on £40 worth of dishwasher and laundry tablets, all of which were also on offer, to get the £20 off I had to spend £20 on groceries or toilettries etc (cleaning goods don't count) so ordered a huge jar of marmite and several deodrants for myself and DH along with some other bits and bobs, all stuff we will need over the coming months.  I also ordered some chelsea boots on Ebay as the ones I have are worn out (I live in them in the winter), the style I like were on offer and then a further discount through ordering 2 pairs so I got the 2 pairs for £34, on other sites they are this price for one pair.

We had cottage pie again last night, there is still enough for tonight but I think 3 nights on the trot might be a bit much even for us, so that will get frozen.  I think I'll do some pasta tonight as it's ages since we've had any., tomorrow night we'll probably get a portion of chips after paddling and then friday is shopping day, we really just need fruit, veg and bread and have our £10 Lidl coupon to use so should be a cheap one.

That's about all for today, have a good one everyone.

MvTMM

savingholmes

The paddling sounds awesome. Will try and shift what weight I can over the next six months and see if it's something I can explore next spring/summer. Unfortunately I'm a lot overweight and clumsy as well so... I think I'd have to start just by sitting on the board.... I find kneeling painful so that wouldn't be an option and I think I'd need a lot of core strength to get to standing... Hopefully I'll find out one day.

I tried windsurfing as a teen and my knees and legs were black and blue and that was when I was skinny.