Climbing the Mortgage Mountain step by step

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

Hi All

@savingholmes, thank you for your words of encouragement, however, I am still really annoyed at my stupidity!  BUT we learn by our mistakes and I am moving forwards.

It was payday yesterday, first repayment made to the credit card of £750, £200 that would have been the Council Tax payment put to one side for holiday money, £50 'pocket money' transferred,1p savings challenge brought up to date and the direct debits for premium bonds and my regular saver have gone through.  I need to update my signature.

I am being really good in transferring the money out of my pocket money account when I make a purchase, whether that be in cash or card, the money is moved across to my normal current account.  I'm also being strict about Next purchases, anything bought HAS to be paid for IMMEDIATELY, I'm not going to let that build up again now that I've transferred it to my 0% card.

I did buy a couple of things in the sales on Monday, I had a TOIL day with DD, and went to the Primarni in Big Town, managed to get a beautiful, classic grey wool look coat for £10 and a lovely soft checked scarf with oranges and greys in it for £4, both of which will not date and will last for years hopefully.  Oh and I bought 2 lovely candles, the double wick type, in stylish pottery jars for £1 each!  I felt very extravagant but actually only spent a total of £16 on items I absolutely love.  I treated DD to some bits in the B00ts sale, there was loads left, and I managed to pay for what she wanted with my points card so some lovely freebies for her.

Another saving made this week, my phone contract has expired, normally that would mean a new phone but instead of upgrading and spending £35pm on a contract, which is what my current one is, I decided to keep my phone and do SIM only.  02 who I am with wanted £18pm for 5gb, I went through Usw!tch and the same contract came up as £8pm but then I saw a Leb@ra one £4.95pm with the first six months only £1.95 and no tie in (the 02 ones were 12 month contracts)  So I am giving that a go and the £30pm saving is being put to one side for a future holiday.

That is another confession......DH and I had such an amazing holiday in Tenerife that we have been waiting for the hotel and flights to be released for the same time this year.  Eventually they came on line, obviously more than we paid last year and DH put his sensible head on and said we won't book it as there is some work we need doing on the house first and of course he is right, that does need to take priority, but he seemed really down about it.  I've gone ahead and secretly booked it as there was a discount code, cashback and I've only had to pay the £120 deposit which we will get back if we cancel, the rest doesn't have to be paid until December IF we go ahead so there is no risk and as far as I can tell the prices of flights etc will only go up as we get nearer the time.  My savings on my phone contract will be going into the pot for this along with any other bits of money I can raise, really need to get eb@ying etc.

I think my mantra this year is Champagne lifestyle, Lemonade budget.  I have loads of toiletries etc to pamper myself, I sorted through my huge stash and I definitely DO NOT need anything this year apart from toothpaste, deodorant and sun tan lotion so I need to keep away from all chemists/department stores etc for the next 12 months.  We have nice things planned through the year, most of which are already paid for (concerts and weekends away) and when the better weather arrives we have loads to fill our time locally, paddle boarding, swimming and picnics in the park when there's a good band on.

I'm feeling positive so far, long may it last!!

MvTMM

savingholmes

Best of luck 

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

Hi All

Continuing on the positive theme, forgot to mention that I read the meters on 31/01 and submitted the readings, they then asked for another £11pm, but I haven't upped the DD yet.

I saw that Y0rksh!re Building Society are offering a Chr!stmas regular saver, matures on 31/10/23 and pays a really good rate, I have set one up and am transferring £300 per month, don't worry, this isn't for Christmas spends it's just general savings making use of a good rate and away from my other accounts so I'm not tempted to dip in to it.

Oh and in stead of our take away fish and chips last night after shopping I bought breaded fresh fish fillets which had been reduced, frozen chips and a tin of mushy peas and we did our own version

MvTMM

savingholmes

Sounds like you are back on track.

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

Hi All

Hope you have all had a great weekend.

We had games night with DD on Friday at her request, was great fun.  Saturday DS and his family came over, I made 'build your own' wraps with homemade chicken fajita or pulled pork fillings, all from stocks, have to say I am making a real dent in the freezers now!  Yesterday I had to drop DD off at the train station in Big Town but resisted doing any shopping, we did have a coffee as we were in plenty of time but we went somewhere where I get discount   When I got home DH and I weren't that hungry so we decided to have a Port and Cheese night as we are still working our way through the Christmas cheeses and finally broke into the ones we were gifted.  So my only spends for the weekend, aside from groceries, were 2 lovely, big,stoneware baking dishes to replace some that are chipped and cracked, they were £5.50 each and some Lilly of the Valley bulbs that were £2.50 a pack, I keep trying to grow these, I'm determined to succeed eventually.  

DIL was telling me how much she is making on V!nted selling hers and DGD's clothes, she has offered to either show me or list things for me so I will plough through my huge pile in the garage and see if anything sells, I also have some bridesmaid dresses which I didn't then use as we eloped (don't worry, they were an absolute bargain so positive I'll get back as much, if not more, as I paid).  I can then post through the Morrisons Local down the road rather then trying to get to the Post Office when they are actually open!  I think this may be a project for the weekend.

Anyway, lets get Monday done and dusted.

MvTMM

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

Hi All

Beautiful blue sky here again this morning, but that means a thick frost and it's very chilly.

Been having a fairly frugal week, made salmon and dill pasta from scratch on Monday using some reduced salmon flakes and dill from the freezer, last night I made chinese style chicken curry, again from stocks, and I froze left over portions of both for DH when I am on my girly holiday.  Had a couple of half days working from home and managed to do a bit of sorting in the process, sorted through my drawers and got rid of 7 bras and a couple of tops.

I'm feeling more in control this month, money is looking tight but that's because I have been salting money away to various pots and accounts, note to self: I must add my new Yorksh!re BS account to my signature.  Must also submit my expenses claim for last month, it's only £30 but it all helps and that will cover my petrol for this month.

Have a great day

MvTMM

savingholmes

Everything headed back in the right direction. Help with clothes selling sounds perfect.

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

Hi All

Hope you've had a good weekend.

DH took me to a fancy local restaurant for an early Valentine's meal, it was a place I had always wanted to try in a nearby village and was absolutely amazing!  DH had the Beef Wellington, which was what we had on our Wedding Day, bless him.  The rest of the weekend was very relaxed and frugal!

Last night I cooked chicken and mushrooms in a mustard and honey sauce and we had it with roasted garlic and rosemary potatoes, there is enough of the chicken for us to have it  tonight with some rice.  I made some Creme Brule on Friday with a packet mix I bought ages ago, they turned out really nice so we had those for dessert, I think next time I make them I might add some Baileys or coffee liqueur for some extra flavour.

I finally managed to list some items on V!nted yesterday, I've put about 12 items on for now and have sold one already.  I was surprised at how cheaply everything is listed but as there are no fees and no postage to worry about I think it is still worth doing, I have piles of items to put on there and any money made will be going in to the holiday pot.

Have a great day

MvTMM

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

Hi All

Another gloriously sunny day here today, feels very Spring like.  I'm hoping this weather lasts for the weekend so that we can get out in the garden and tidy it up a bit.

We had the leftover chicken and rice last night and the final 2 Creme Brules.  Tonight I'm cooking us steak with peppercorn sauce and dauphinoise potatoes, all from stocks (the steaks were from the Co-op £4 deal in November), I think there are some macarons in the freezer so I might get those out for a pudding.  I struck lucky in L!dls last Thursday, got 2 huge, free-range, corn fed chickens for £2 each, should have been £12 each, they have gone in the freezer for when we have visitors, I already had some (rather puny looking, compared to these) chickens in the freezer so may roast one of those at the weekend, it will then feed us for a few days.

I've sold a second item on Vinted so will post both things off after work.  I will list some more at the weekend, I do have some shoes and boots to list, which should make quite a nice sum of money, but nervous about what size parcel they would be.

I have received my small mileage claim from work (£30) and waiting for an even smaller expenses claim (£12) from before Christmas which I had forgotten about and so submitted this week, not huge amounts but will help.

2 weeks until payday, no major expenses planned, although it is a good friend's birthday today and I think he would like to go out for drinks at the weekend.  I do need to make an order from Superdrug, down to my last hair dye, need a new concealer and suntan lotion for my holiday, I'm weighing up whether to wait until payday or get it now so that I know I have it.  I've also realised I need to organise some travel insurance for my upcoming trip.

Have a great Valentine's Day

try_harder

Wow ,you did strike lucky with those chickens