Learning to walk before I run

edinburgher

£3.14 OPed and £3.14 paid into my ISA after I withdrew some cashback from Ch@5e, including 1% of the cost of our expensive new to us coffee machine. I've had a little more positive news on this front, it seems I should be able to get about £170 after fees and postage for the existing machine as long as I give it a good clean and get a free/cheap listing day on eB@y

People have been very generous with DD2. After paying all her gifts into an ISA in Mrs E's name (I can't use the same target retirement fund as I already hold it in my ISA for my actual retirement), she has over £1,000 to her name already. Granted, that does include small amounts of pocket money up to age 5 when she'll actually get cash and a mistaken payment of £100 after FIL confused me

I'm slowly shrinking down a few budget lines that have been very costly over the last couple of months but which we wish to get under control, including Home Maintenance and Pets. They won't disappear overnight.

Edit: Bought a £10 cinema voucher as there was a £2 bank holiday bonus on TCB. £10 of my spare money on something I will use anyway gains £2.70 of cashback and 10p cashback from Ch@5e, which will all go towards shifting the mortgage. Always nice to have a wee bit of financially positive gamification of spends

edinburgher

I am absolutely mullered after 3 trips to the garden centre to pick up 13x 90l bags of bark chippings and 400kg of Scottish cobbles to replace the rather sad gravel around the side of the house. H0mebase have had nearly £280 of our (budgeted) money today and I thought it best to strike while a) I could be ***** doing these jobs and b) they had 20% off on gardens Still need to pick up some weed control fabric and ground staples, that's a tomorrow problem. Mrs E in a bit of a mood as DD2 has been a screaming cluster feeder, but not much I could have done if I was there. At least we don't have any further commitments bar a birthday BBQ this weekend.

savingholmes

Sounds like you had a great family catch up.

I considered mowing my lawn today but there were 2 bumblebees enjoying the flowering clover and I couldn't do it. I could get a sign made.... like they have at NT properties so people judge me less 

Suffolk_lass

savingholmes said:

Sounds like you had a great family catch up.

I considered mowing my lawn today but there were 2 bumblebees enjoying the flowering clover and I couldn't do it. I could get a sign made.... like they have at NT properties so people judge me less 

DH cut a couple of paths through ours, so it looks a bit more intentional. I have tried to stick to them with pup as the long grass and flowers almost hide him. 

Gosh ed, we get our aggregate delivered in ton bags from a builders merchant (it is usually a lot cheaper). Re membrane, we have used several (in under gravel, drive, path projects over 15 years) and this stuff is the best and lasts years (more expensive but no re-doing) if you were not thinking of buying and installing today (being German, it takes a few days)

edinburgher

@Suffolk_lass - sometimes you have a bank holiday weekend and the discount on the local DIY shed means that it's not *that much* more expensive than using the cheapest option 👍

I've filed under JFDI and the project is now well advanced - two small sections of membrane to go down after I can get more ground staples from BnQ when it opens at 9, then just pebble laying. At some point I think it will all have to go if we extend the house, at that point I'll recycle the aggregate into a gabion bench 

The membrane you linked to sounds good - it's 1/3 thicker than the normal and at screwfix prices. Considering replacing pavers with a gravel path, will mentally file for later

savingholmes

Love the JFDI filing... Well done sounds fab. 

LadyGnome

JFDI is sometimes the only option 

edinburgher

My paternity leave has ended with a (spending) bang, not a whimper. I had to spend another £50 today on garden supplies today, more ground staples and another 4 bags of pebbles. They are finished now and look absolutely fantastic, almost as if we'd "got a man in" I also spread the remaining 10 bags of bark chippings over our large side border, rinsed out all 34 pebble and bark chipping sacks with the hose and took them to MoMo's to recycle. I then loaded up the boot of the car with 8 bags of rubble, a broken gazebo that died in a storm last year and a huge Ik3@ bag full of waste electricals (tip booked for tomorrow morning).

I also had a chance to unbox our new to us coffee machine and it looks fab! Unfortunately it didn't come with a necessary water test, filter baskets or a water filter, those plus a good supply of cleaning products for both the grinder and the machine came to c. £78. Thank goodness I'm going back to work, less chance to spend money!

Registering DD2 tomorrow, then back to work on Tuesday.

£27.37 OPed and paid into my ISA (£50 of PB wins, cashback from Ch@se and a little cashback from TCB)

savingholmes

Sounds good. Registering the birth is another milestone

Karmacat

It *does* sound good.  And think of all the future genealogists who find DD2 in the records ❤🌈⭐