Climbing the Mortgage Mountain step by step

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

Hi All

Thank Crunchie it's Friday, I have really struggled this week, was actually falling asleep and the dinner table last night and feel nauseous this morning.  Just need to get through today and then DH and I have a week off.

We have a few things planned, DD wants to go to the seaside town where we spent family holidays when she was llittle, we'll just go for the day.  DH and I have a free night in a hotel, again only about 90 minutes away but somewhere he hasn't been before.  I have a haircut booked and am meeting up with an old friend and in amongst that we are hoping to get out on the paddleboards.

We're supposed to be having my work colleagues around for drinks and pizza tomorrow night but the weather is looking poor, may just revert to drinks and nibbles incase we have to shelter inside!

I've told my DD my plans for our bedroom, picking her Interior Design brains, she agrees it could work well, just need to break the news to DH now as he will be doing the lions share of the hard labour!

I've sold a pair of Cl@rks boots on V!nted so a healthy £35 headed my way

Have a lovely Friday, I will try and check in during the week.

MvTMM

savingholmes

Great win on the boots.

Good luck with the decorating plans

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

Hi All

Sorry for my extended absence, I had a week off which was lovely and then a hellish week back at work last week.

During our week off DH and managed to escape for a night, we had a lovely room overlooking the beach, the weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed an amazing Japanese meal, a first for us both, DH even ate the octopus sushi!  DD and I went to her favourite seaside town for a day, we were so chilled it felt like we'd been there fore a few days, we got the train down and DD has realised that she can easily get there from Uni too when she needs a break.  We had a couple of evenings on the paddleboards, tried to take DGD out one night but it was too choppy for her to be safe so we let her try it in the shallows and she had a great time jumping about in the large breaking waves with us too.  My haircut was a little more drastic than I had planned, it's probably the shortest I have had it since meeting DH, at one point it was to my waist, it's now about shoulder length, everyone says its nice, DD says I look pretty , I'm still getting used to it though.

I've told DH my plans for our bedroom, he likes it and thinks it will work, we just need to put it in to practice now, we did buy some new bedding for it when we had our night away.

Busy week ahead this week, short-staffed and I need to take Friday off now as the train DD had booked to go and pick up her accommodation keys has been cancelled due to the rail strikes!  I will be taking back the extra hours that I worked last week as I have no more leave to book.

Money wise, not a lot has happened, it's payday this week so I will be updating my signature.  I need to read the gas and electricity meters as I forgot at the end of last month but my smart meters are being fitted on 8th September so I won't need to worry about that in the future.  I have taken the decision to cancel my Next Unlimited subscription when it expires at the end of September, they no longer include free returns and with their sizing being so hit and miss I regularly order multiple sizes to get the right fit, through cancelling it will be a huge deterrent to ordering from them.  Because I knew of this change, over the last few months I have been stocking up on the items I needed or regularly buy from there, such as underwear, as and when they were on sale (I only ever shopped in the clearance section anyway) and have a little stockpile now to 'shop' from as and when I need them.  I will gradually clear my account and don't anticipate needing anything for quite some time, I can always source items from V!nted using my credit there.

Have a great day

MvTMM

savingholmes

Your mini break sounds lovely.

Sorry about the hellish work week. I had one of those too!

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

Hi All

Sorry I have been MIA for so long, things came to a head at work, think I was close to a breakdown and then I developed a bad chest infection so had to take some time out, signed off for 2 weeks, 2 types of antibiotics and steroids, a 3rd week working from home and I'm now finally back in the office.  I couldn't even take my daughter back to Uni as planned, she had to get the coach.  I do feel better, I spent the first week sat in the sun reading, didn't have the energy to do anything else and the second week I managed to do a bit of sorting out and decluttering so felt more productive, I think the biggest thing was being signed off and the relief of pressure I felt not having to go to work. and I could finally disconnect completely.

We haven't started our bedroom redec yet but we have finally finished the last bit of paving in the back garden and I am so thrilled with it all, it looks so smart and for the first time all of the paving matches

Payday again tomorrow so I will update my signature totals.  My savings a/c balances have increased by about £500 this month which I am really pleased about as seem to have been treading water for a few months through paying for the paving etc.  I have started putting DS's monthly contribution to one side as cash as I totally depleted my cash reserves and I do like to have a few hundred pounds in the house, I find it reassuring.  My YBS Monthly saver will be maturing this month and I will start another one, I like the balance of it paying a good rate, not being readily available but accessible in an emergency.

Our smart meter has been installed, I can see why people become obsessed with it!  Our baseline seems to be 4p ph which considering we have 2 fridge freezers and a small freezer I was pretty pleased with.  We have decided that after our week's Annual Leave in October we will pack the hot tub away for the winter, it isn't getting the use that it used to.

Next Unlimited cancelled.  I have been shopping from Vinted instead using proceeds from my sales, I have got 3 nice Merino jumpers for the winter which go with existing items in my wardrobe, have got a couple of lovely versatile dresses (BN and only £2 each!) which can be dressed up or down, put a jumper/gilet over etc, oh and my gilet was only £4!  I have even treated myself to some Trinny London makeup with some of my sales proceeds, something I have wanted for a while (want not need) but would never pay the prices.

Have a great day

MvTMM

savingholmes

Sorry you've had a tough time. Good that things seem to be back on a more even keel for you.

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

Hi All

@savingholmes, I do feel like I've pressed reset.  I've also restarted my counselling sessions, with the same counsellor, had the first one last week and I think that has helped.  I also spoke with my Line manager last week and he had been really concerned that I was going to leave, I told him it had been a possibility.

Wet and grey here today but the forecast for the weekend is looking lovely.  We are going to a charity ball, I'm really looking forward to it.  I have a choice of 2 dresses, one of which has been in my wardrobe for a few years waiting for such an event and the other was £3 from V!nted but could be dressed up and down and used for more casual events.  I have some gorgeous strappy heels and a beaded Accessorize bag which go together really well (£5 and £3 from V!nted) and the colours go with both dresses, all of these items were brand new and I'm really chuffed with them, DH likes them too, plus they were in effect free as they were bought with my profits!

I will update my signature now that we have had payday, slowly heading in the right direction again.

Have a great day everyone

MvTMM

savingholmes

The charity event sounds fun. 

Investing in a counsellor sounds a good call. I'm still seeing mine 2 years on but it has definitely helped me stay in work.

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

Hi All

3 weeks since I last posted, have been so busy with work and then had a week off last week, didn't go away but did lots of decluttering and DIY, took dad for his second cataracts op and had cinema and theatre date nights with DH.  We haven't stated decorating our bedroom yet, but have a plan and have bought the wallpaper and have had a good clearout in preparation.  It was a good job we didn't start the decorating actually as DD surprised us on Friday with a visit, she's here til Thursday and would have had nowhere to sleep if we had been doing our room (we would have moved everything in to hers out of the way!)

We had a lovely time at the ball, I wore the dress that had been sat in my wardrobe waiting for an event, paired with my Vinted heels and bag, I felt great, DH though I looked lovely, I even googled and easy updo for my hair.  The event was such fun and raised much needed funds for a local charity.

I've had 3 sessions with my Counsellor now, I'm definitely feeling the benefits, talked about allsorts work and homelife.

Money/budgeting wise - My Christmas regular saver matures on 1st November so that will be transferred to my other savings account, not that it is being used for Christmas it was £300pm, I'm hoping to do that again for next year as it was a good rate of interest, not easily accessible but easy enough if needed in an emergency.  I'll also be cashing in my Cashback money (c £150).  I didn't keep the 1p per day thing going but do have a bit of money in that pot, it all helps.  I have started Christmas shopping, got a few things for DD and DGD and some of my work colleagues, DH and i are just doing token gifts as we have our holiday to look forward to.  Not missed my Next account so far, it's still open but clear balance and I don't intend using it unless there is something we really need, I'm refusing to pay for returns.  

Have a good day

MvTMM

savingholmes

The ball sounds lovely.

Glad the counselling is helping too.