Getting shot of the mortgage sooner than 2049!

Bluegreen143

Nah I don’t think so, cheap local garage! My BIL has offered us his car if needed though which is good.

Did a little budget round up. Went to Lidl today and anticipating no more spends except car repair before our holiday next Friday which takes us to the end of the month. 

JOINT SPENDING £2,166.55
Mortgage £528.86
Council tax £159
Insurances £93.52
Utilities £25.19
Car bills/repairs £220
Diesel £125
Parking/transport £16
Food £249
Cleaning/toiletries £13.41
Household misc £21.19
Pets £18.20
Kids - clothes £22.91
Kids - other £64
TV & subs £116.35
Holidays £282.14
Home & garden £56.59
Fun £76.50
Gifts & celebrations £72.50
Misc £6.20

MY SPENDING £123.42
Bills £2.49
Clothes £78.75
Fun £42.18

Bluegreen143

On food - I’m really pleased with this total! Yes, we’ll have had 10 days away by the end of this month but it’s about half what we usually spend 🙈 

Today I cancelled my usual Sunday Tesco order and just went to Lidl, didn’t want to buy too much fresh stuff as trying to run down the fridge before holiday. So £25 spent including £4ish on non food.

Mealplan:

Tonight - we had roast spatchcock chicken, new potatoes, veg

M - lentil & veg soup

T - mild chicken curry (korma or butter chicken)

W - some kind of pasta

Th - chicken fajitas

Sarahwithlove

Hope the car doesn't need too much work doing to it. 

Bluegreen143

Yay, the garage couldn’t find anything wrong with the car and didn’t even charge us to check 😯 they think it’s just been a one-off issue with a sensor or something and to bring it back if we have it again, but otherwise the car seems fine 🙌🏼

So it cost us £13 for a taxi to and from the garage but that’s a lot cheaper than it could have been!

Luckily Red got it back about 3.30pm as just as he was picking it up, we got a text from Monkey’s school to say the school bus had broken down and we had to go and get him! So that would have been another expense if taxis had been needed but Red was able to go straight from the garage to school and pick me and Bambi up from the playpark next to the bus stop afterwards.

Bluegreen143

Making a list for this evening because I’m in danger of sitting on my bum on my phone all night otherwise 😯 Red has gone to do some chores in the garden so think I need to do a quick power hour and get moving.

Oh, in other news we’re all super pleased as found out the primary two classes today and Monkey is in the same class as his three best friends! I’ve also befriended the mums too so it’s really nice. I know friendship groups change over time, but I’m glad he’ll have friendly faces when going into his new class in August.

Had major mum guilt as we both had to miss his first sports day today due to working 😭 but one of the other mums so kindly took a few videos of him racing and sent me them. Really kind and thoughtful of her, it made my morning. 

List for tonight

1. 20 minute workout as not going to the gym today 

2. Make chicken curry for tomorrow night’s dinner

3. Put on the time for 10 mins and really tidy up 

4. Collect the clean washing from the line 

5. (while watching TV later, as my reward!) Start meal planning for our self catering holiday as we’ve booked a Morrisons delivery slot for once we arrive

List for later

1. Finish writing up packing list

2. Text local friend to ask if she can pop in to feed chickens/canary while we’re away (back up is my sister, but she loves further away)

3. Actually pack!

4. Get kids to make cards for teachers to say thank you, as this is the last week of school/nursery here. Monkey will miss his primary one teacher so much as he loves her!

5. Make sure budget is fully up to date before holiday and take out cash 

Bluegreen143

Bluegreen143 said:

List for tonight

1. 20 minute workout as not going to the gym today - ok, I did a 10 minute one aimed at busy mums, but I’m counting it! ✔️ 

2. Make chicken curry for tomorrow night’s dinner ✔️ 

3. Put on the time for 10 mins and really tidy up ✔️ 

4. Collect the clean washing from the line - decided to leave out as it’s nice tomorrow too 😅

5. (while watching TV later, as my reward!) Start meal planning for our self catering holiday as we’ve booked a Morrisons delivery slot for once we arrive - about to do 

List for later

1. Finish writing up packing list

2. Text local friend to ask if she can pop in to feed chickens/canary while we’re away (back up is my sister, but she loves further away)

3. Actually pack!

4. Get kids to make cards for teachers to say thank you, as this is the last week of school/nursery here. Monkey will miss his primary one teacher so much as he loves her!

5. Make sure budget is fully up to date before holiday and take out cash 

6. Change bedsheets before we go away, so they are nice to come back to 🙂

Power hour was a success! Feel good now. The 10 minute workout isn’t long enough to really count as a proper workout, but I got out of breath for 10 minutes which beats sitting on my bum for that length of time instead!

Bluegreen143

Urgh, went bed bed too late and finding it hard to get out of my cosy bed this morning! 

Made food shopping list for the holiday last night while watching TV 🙂 and started to put the food into Morrisons. We just need to check out by Thursday. 

List for today

1. Actual paid work

2. Collect clean washing from outside and do another load

3. Put away the 2 loads of clean washing in baskets

4. Finish writing up packing list

5. Text local friend to ask if she can pop in to feed chickens/canary while we’re away (back up is my sister, but she lives further away)

6. Go to the gym at 7pm

7. Go through fridge and find a way to use up anything I’ve not yet made a plan for, before going away 

List for later

1. Actually pack!

2. Get kids to make cards for teachers to say thank you, as this is the last week of school/nursery here. Monkey will miss his primary one teacher so much as he loves her!

3. Make sure budget is fully up to date before holiday and take out cash 

4. Change bedsheets before we go away, so they are nice to come back to 🙂

5. Give the chicken water dispenser a good scrub as I noticed it looks mucky 

6. Make a lemon drizzle cake to use up lemon and eggs

7. Finish Morrisons food shop by Thursday

8. Speak to Red about car aux port  not working, meaning I can’t play music or audiobooks on my phone in the car

9. Go to the library (tomorrow?) to return books and borrow new ones for our holiday

10. Get another ball of yarn from local yarn shop for current project I want to take on holiday

Bluegreen143

Bluegreen143 said:

List for today

1. Actual paid work ✔️ 

2. Collect clean washing from outside and do another load - collected the washing, washed another load but forgot to ask DH to put it in the dryer before I went out 🤦‍♀️ ✔️ 

3. Put away the 2 loads of clean washing in baskets - ran out of time as forgot I was going out this evening 

4. Finish writing up packing list ✔️ 

5. Text local friend to ask if she can pop in to feed chickens/canary while we’re away (back up is my sister, but she lives further away) ✔️ Done and she agreed to do it 

6. Go to the gym at 7pm ✔️ 

7. Go through fridge and find a way to use up anything I’ve not yet made a plan for, before going away Again, ran out of time 

8. Extra list item - phoned up and paid the £25 fee for Monkey’s week of swimming lessons later in the summer, which I had forgotten was due ✔️ 

List for later

1. Actually pack!

2. Get kids to make cards for teachers to say thank you, as this is the last week of school/nursery here. Monkey will miss his primary one teacher so much as he loves her!

3. Make sure budget is fully up to date before holiday and take out cash 

4. Change bedsheets before we go away, so they are nice to come back to 🙂

5. Give the chicken water dispenser a good scrub as I noticed it looks mucky 

6. Make a lemon drizzle cake to use up lemon and eggs

7. Finish Morrisons food shop by Thursday

8. Speak to Red about car aux port  not working, meaning I can’t play music or audiobooks on my phone in the car ✔️ he’s going to look into it after our holiday 

9. Go to the library (tomorrow?) to return books and borrow new ones for our holiday

10. Get another ball of yarn from local yarn shop for current project I want to take on holiday

Update on today’s list! I totally forgot I’d planned to meet friends in the pub after the gym, but luckily they texted me so I remembered (and one was the friend I was going to the gym with anyway).

We were all driving so I spent £8.50 on my round of the soft drinks.

Meals

Not been low-carbing as I’m focusing on using stuff up.

B - last of the homemade “granola” (cereal bars which didn’t work) with milk

L - tuna avocado boats with raw veg sticks

S - Greek yoghurt, crushed seeds, maple syrup and dark chocolate chips 

D - butter chicken style curry made with leftover chicken from a roast, chickpeas and green beans, plus rice, mini naans from the freezer and broccoli - so pleased the children ate their curry (except the green beans!)

Bluegreen143

List for today

1. Actual paid work

2. Rewash forgotten washing and dry it 🤦‍♀️ 

3. Put away the 2 loads of clean washing in baskets

4. Get kids to make cards for teachers to say thank you, as this is the last week of school/nursery here. Monkey will miss his primary one teacher so much as he loves her!

5. Give the chicken water dispenser a good scrub as I noticed it looks mucky 

6. Go to the library to return books and borrow new ones for our holiday

7. Get another ball of yarn from local yarn shop for current project I want to take on holiday

8. Do Gaelic Duolingo practise 

List for later

1. Actually pack!

2. Make sure budget is fully up to date before holiday and take out cash 

3. Change bedsheets before we go away, so they are nice to come back to 🙂

4. Make a lemon drizzle cake to use up lemon and eggs

5. Finish Morrisons food shop by Thursday

6. Go through fridge and find a way to use up anything I’ve not yet made a plan for, before going away 

7. Order new school jumpers for Monkey, as the branded schoolwear shop has a sale 

8. Check about booking swimming on holiday 

9. Look up things to do on holiday; we are mainly planning to potter about on the beach or the forest walk, and eat lunches in the local cafe, but may try a day trip too.

Bluegreen143

Bluegreen143 said:

List for today

1. Actual paid work ✔️ 

2. Rewash forgotten washing and dry it 🤦‍♀️  ✔️ 

3. Put away the 2 loads of clean washing in baskets - eeek, not done yet; will try to do it this evening 

4. Get kids to make cards for teachers to say thank you, as this is the last week of school/nursery here. Monkey will miss his primary one teacher so much as he loves her! ✔️ And he insisted he wanted to use his own pocket money to buy her flowers so we took a trip to Tesco to choose some; Bambi chose a wee plant for her nursery teachers also with her own money. Very cute and sweet of them! 

5. Give the chicken water dispenser a good scrub as I noticed it looks mucky ✔️ 

6. Go to the library to return books and borrow new ones for our holiday ✔️ and I remembered the library does DVDs so borrowed a couple of kids’ ones (we don’t have a DVD player so only own a couple ourselves , but the holiday lodge has no internet or TV signal, only a DVD player)

7. Get another ball of yarn from local yarn shop for current project I want to take on holiday - forgot my purse when I picked up the kids so will go tomorrow when I pass instead 

8. Do Gaelic Duolingo practise ✔️ 

List for later

1. Actually pack!

2. Make sure budget is fully up to date before holiday and take out cash 

3. Change bedsheets before we go away, so they are nice to come back to 🙂

4. Make a lemon drizzle cake to use up lemon and eggs

5. Finish Morrisons food shop by Thursday ✔️ Red still to add stuff though 

6. Go through fridge and find a way to use up anything I’ve not yet made a plan for, before going away 

7. Order new school jumpers for Monkey, as the branded schoolwear shop has a sale 

8. Check about booking swimming on holiday 

9. Look up things to do on holiday; we are mainly planning to potter about on the beach or the forest walk, and eat lunches in the local cafe, but may try a day trip too.

Not done badly today. My friend is about to come to get instructions on chicken/canary care and our spare key, and then I may manage to get Mt Washmore put away…