Getting shot of the mortgage sooner than 2049!

KajiKita

Your new chucks are gorgeous 😊🐓❤️

Well done on the new perspective by shifting the dining table - things like that are so mentally ‘refreshing’ (can’t think quite how else to describe it) 😊

Bad luck on the carrots - I still haven’t sown any yet …. Ahem … and the ground is sooooo dry now! Maybe this weekend 🤷‍♀️😊 I have just managed to collect three good bowls of strawberries though 😊

KK

Bluegreen143

Sorted out home insurance renewal last night. Nearly just paid to stay with the same company (£160) as tbh I felt I have enough on my plate.
 
Then I gave myself a talking to re my laziness and did a comparison quote. 

Got it for £88 in the end! 

It’s not like for like as I did remove the cover for my engagement ring: 

1) We now have more than the value in the emergency fund

2) We have a £1k excess so it’s not that much extra to pay anyway on top of that. 

And 3) the ring doesn’t fit so I don’t wear it so I’m unlikely to lose it 😂

I do have a couple of very expensive pieces of jewellery I inherited from my grandmother but I’ve chosen not to insure those. I wouldn’t replace them if I lost them as I’m not a jewelry wearer - what’s meaningful is the memory which couldn’t be replaced. 

On a ring-related note, I do already need to replace my wedding ring (lost a couple of years ago) - it’s under the £1k excess amount so no point claiming on insurance. I have put off doing it as I don’t want to order one several sizes bigger so I’ve decided my reward if I lose 2st will be that I will finally replace my wedding ring 😆 

Other MSE tasks coming up - our internet is now at £32 a month, having started at £20! MUST prioritise sorting this out. 

Swayingseaweed

When my OH had to have his ring cut off we couldn't afford  to replace it. So I made friendship bands in our favourite colours. My colours entwined his on mine and his colours entwined mine on his. We've wore them for about 5 years until we could finally afford to replace his ring last year. I stopped making them but had a request from OH a couple of weeks ago as he missed it on his wrist.
Seaweed x 

Bluegreen143

Aww that’s lovely @Swayingseaweed!

Red has already replaced his original wedding ring (not expensive - it was titanium) as it was a bit tight. He has replaced it with a wood ring which is beautiful and even cheaper! And more true to him as a woodworker 🙌🏼

The problem is I want my wedding ring to be the same one as it’s in a set with my engagement ring so they match. It’s not a cheap set! Hence why I don’t want to order it while my weight is fluctuating 😕 I love the idea of friendship bands as a temporary solution. 

Baileys_Babe

The only jewellery I wear is my grandmother's wedding ring. I like @Swayingseaweed idea of friendship bands.

rugbymadfamily

Hello! I haven't been around for a while but great to read about all your progress / payroses / emergency funds etc!

I have a gorgeous engagement ring and wedding ring that I rarely wear as I'm not a big jewellery wearer either. What I wear in a daily basis is from bottoms, they come in a variety of colours and are made from silicone so might be a good stop gap while you wait to replace yours?

Bluegreen143

Oooh thanks for the idea, will look into that @rugbymadfamily

Have been very good this week and not spent anything except for our Tesco delivery on Monday. Until today, which was always planned to be a spendy day. 

It was Monkey’s sports day today so had to pay £5(!) to park near the school for 1.5hr. Worth it to see his happy wee face. 

We got our Tesco delivery - £51.

I’m going to get the bus to the school later (£3?) - I need to leave the car here for Red, as I’m staying down there til the spring fair this evening while he will drive over once he’s done with work. 

Have agreed to go for pizza with two friends and their children in the gap between school and the spring fair. After me saying we almost never eat out! Needless to say the children are delighted to be going out for pizza with friends.

I’m going to be firm at the fair and not pay for stuff for the kids. They both have about £20-25 of pocket money in their wallets at the moment, so that will do them. And I’m going to try not to buy anything myself except a couple of raffle tickets. I don’t want to buy cake etc as I’m still dieting so pizza is enough on its own! 🙄😆

Mealplan:

F - eating out! 

Sa - crispy shredded beef for us, chicken nuggets & chips for kids 

Su - something with chicken and the ingredients we have in, haven’t decided yet 😂

Bluegreen143

Have had a lovely weekend that’s not been too spendy. 

Spending round up below, I’ve also added last week’s as I didn’t do it then. Week one is just from Wed 31st (payday) to that Sunday, but is a big amount as it includes sending Red all the money he’d budgeted for projects/big expenses this month so far. 

WEEK ONE SPENDING (31 May-4 Jun)

Roof rack & luggage bag £200
For holidays and other adventures 

Garden project supplies £100
Levelling and painting patio stones at end of garden 

Gifts £80
Wood for making garden planters 

Chickens £68
New cute pets x2! (They are fancy breeds, that’s why they cost more this time) 

Eating out £50
Date night dinner

Groceries £42.50

Household supplies £30.22
Cleaning stuff, toiletries etc

Kids £53
2x water pistols plus pocket money 

Convenience £15.22
Quick family lunch from Morrisons salad bar as we were in a rush; not worth it as the kids wouldn’t eat theirs 🙄

Me: social £13.75
Date night drinks 

An eye watering £701.68 😨

WEEK TWO SPENDING

Groceries £119.26

Me: social £31
Dinner out for the kids & I, with friends 

Kids: activities £12
Swimming for all four of us 

Parking £7

School fair £6

Household supplies £4.50

Me: other £3
Raffle tickets at school fair 

Public transport £2.85

A MUCH more reasonable £185.61 😂

Isn’t it funny how expenses clump together in certain weeks! 

Bluegreen143

Update on (somewhat) frugal dieting. 

Last year when I lost weight I did the Joe Wicks plan which is very protein/meat heavy, low carb. It did work out really well but was extremely expensive as I was making fancy lunches with chicken breast, salmon or steak as well as having higher protein dinners. 

This time I’m heavily reducing ultra processed food/treats and somewhat (but not hugely) reducing carbs. I am buying lots of nice fresh food but am also being careful to use up leftovers for lunch rather than making salads etc.

Last week was my first week and we spent £119 on groceries which isn’t really any higher than a usual week for us (I’d normally spend £100-120) so I’m really pleased with that.

Got a Tesco shopping coming tomorrow for the next few days of meals as per below. 

Mealplan for M-Th this week:

M - chicken fajitas (if I have time to make wraps - otherwise fajita rice bowls)

T - pizza pasta bake (aka pepperoni pasta)

W - fish fingers, air fryer chips, veg

Th - tomato daal, griddled chicken and some flatbreads (if I have time to make them)

Breakfasts - porridge or smoothies for me; cereal/porridge/toast for the kids 

Lunches - leftovers, smoked salmon & scrambled egg; salads 

Snacks - fruit for me, only if needed; fruit/yoghurt/toast/HM flapjacks for kids


Shopping - food £52.58
Milk 4 pints x2
Seeded sliced bread 
Bananas
Raspberries
Mango
Diet cola x4 (for Red!)
Cherry tomatoes
Tinned tomatoes x3
Passata x3
Pasta
Frozen peas
Fresh chillies
Onions
Peppers 3pk
Grapes
Instant coffee 
Mozzarella
1kg chicken breast
Frozen cod fillets
Coriander
Crisps 6pk x2 (for Red)
Demerara sugar
Cucumber
Smoked salmon
Oatcakes
Ice lollies (for kids)
Carrots
Crispy rolls x2 (for Red)

Shopping - household £10.78
Sponge scourers
Kitchen roll x2
Toilet roll 6pk
Matches
Sunscreen
Face sunscreen
Furniture polish
Cocktail sticks

Reasonably happy with that both health wise and financially. Apart from the ice lollies, cola, crisps and bread nothing else qualifies as ultra processed and I’m unlikely to eat any of those things except possibly a slice or two of bread if needed. I’m happy to spend £50-60 twice a week on food if it’s going to good, fresh, healthy food. 

I actually sat down to have a drink of diet cola yesterday as it was so hot and I was really thirsty. I could only have one mouthful because I’ve not had any sugary food for a week and it tasted unbearably sweet and artificial. Hoping I continue to feel like this as it will be helpful 😅

Oh I meant to say, I lost 4.4lb this first week which I’m happy with! But I’m competing with Red and he lost 5lb despite still drinking beer and eating crisps! 

Baileys_Babe

Well done on you weight loss. 

If I'm very thirsty I enjoy a diluted orange juice, often I use fizzy water (soda stream), I find it more hydrating than water.