Pay off mortgage and start having even more fun 😁

CathT · 14 August 2024 at 10:30PM

Another fan here of hot chocolate
stations too. I really do love the Summer but I'm really looking forward to feeling all cosy with my autumn decorations.

newgirly · 17 August 2024 at 7:31AM

Ooh me too Cath 😊

Busy week again, I decorated bits and bobs in my bedroom, not properly as it’s too much to move stuff on my own, more touching grubby bits of white paint up, then I painted around the inside of the (walls not wood) of the velux windows in a dusky pink which looks very effective if i do say so myself 😬

Took Aunt to sofa shop yesterday, why are cheap sofas so expensive 😱 they didn’t even look that good! We have only ever bought new sofas once in our first flat nearly 30 years ago, ever since then we have had hand me downs from friends or bought second hand. Must have saved a fortune 😂 Today I’m back at the shopping centre again as dd needs a giant cookie for her dh’s birthday and I volunteered as shes working until very late, I shall be taking dh with me which is a novelty for him, probably get a coffee and pastry at ner@s with the 25% off code.

I’ve been very good this week as I’m trying to be more economical with the grocery budget, I’ve used up a fair few old bits that have been lurking in the freezer for ages, cooked from scratch most days, although we have very little left now. I’m getting some party type food for son in laws birthday tomorrow, but shan’t get carried away. I faffed about so much with my click and collect last night I ended up cancelling the whole lot and thought I’d just go to the supermarket and see what’s on offer 😆

So back to the finances, as that’s allegedly what this diary is all about. I’m loading up my new 0% cc with all the payments we can’t afford if we are to be mf next March, scans for the kids, bills for my heart monitor this week (mini rant , private hospital have used the same company I’ve used before , I paid £380 for a weeks use, two days via them was £445 ☹️ then I’ve a phone appointment this Sunday to find out the results and see if I need another op, I guess the same cost as an in person one which was £350) plus I shall pay the balance on next years 50th cruise due in January and I’m putting £150 on there for a hotel for our Manchester stay this November.

So as was going to happen anyway, we have the rest of next year after we are mf to pay for all the many trips I’ve booked and the new credit card debt 😆 I’m not sorry though as both paying the mortgage off , turning 50 and getting through open heart surgery are all good reasons to have some fun 😬 we also decided to pay next year for the family trip the year after so it’s all done. We can then start 2026 with a clear ongoing plan for the future, rather than the rather unbalanced year of holiday payments we have next year 😆

I’ve booked a little July weekend at centreparcs for just dh and I next year too as it’s close by and relatively “cheap” for there, £419 for a self catering hotel room plus an extra £20 cancellation charge which I unusually for me paid as I’m never too sure nowadays! We will take food and do the cheaper lazy persons activities like mini golf and table tennis, deposit again went on the new cc. We usually tend to go away not in the main summer months as it’s quieter , cooler and cheaper but next year I wanted a little summer break too, I think it ,as well turn out to be one of the cheaper options that’s not too stressful.

Dh is off to football with ds1 - this is unusual as ds1 asked him as he had a spare ticket and dh supports a rival team , admittedly dh is an armchair fan as ds1 would say 😆 but I’m glad they are having an outing together, although it involves the pub before and after so I won’t be expecting him back early or sober 😂

newgirly · 19 August 2024 at 9:35PM

I’ve had some good news, I had the follow up appointment with the specialist at the weekend and the heart monitor results came back fine, I’ll be reducing medications over the next month and if that goes ok then that’s it, no second operation 😊 I felt much better so had hoped it would be ok, it’s still great to be told that.

I feel like this year has been a bit of a haze, hopefully my brain will start functioning a bit better soon, the forgetfulness is so bad! I think it’s helpful in the early stages after a big op, it’s not pleasant and probably helps if you a scaredy cat like me to not remember the worst of it 😆 The next hurdles are to get the kids scans done so we can relax fingers crossed.

Money wise, things are tight as usual as I’ve been spending as usual 😂 we had nine in the end for party food Sunday so I ended up doing a shop and then a last minute top up as an extra two people were invited by son in law, good to see them all but my word it was exhausting getting the house and food ready and having people over, I went to bed at 6pm as soon as they left and fell asleep!

daisy_1571 · 19 August 2024 at 11:35PM

Brilliant news xxxx

Ramouth · 20 August 2024 at 7:44AM

Wonderful news NG! It really feels like you are coming out the other side now. It’s interesting what you say about the initial forgetfulness being helpful - major surgery is traumatising and it’s good for it to be a bit hazy. I must admit though it’s probably been 9 or 10 years since mine and my memory is still shockingly bad so I’ve concluded that it must be due to either poor sleep or inattentiveness!

newgirly · 21 August 2024 at 8:45AM

Oh no Ramouth, that’s not great 😆

I had a nice day yesterday, a very long bus ride back from the hospital as I thought I’d stop at a town on the the way back and a bus came along with that towns name on but a different number, on I hopped and it it took ages going round various other towns first, who knew busses don’t just go in a straight line 😂 Then I hopped off for coffee and raspberrry croissant with best friend with a 25% off code (of course!) then got the bus home to pick up a friend for lunch which she paid for this time, so a very enjoyable day!

Today I have no plans, I might pop round my parents for a coffee if they are in, other than that it’s a case of doing a few loads of washing, trying for rustle something up for dinner from what we have without doing a shop yet.

Last night I booked the Manchester Xmas market hotel for £120 plus 10% tcb for two nights right in the centre, plus one night in Southampton in an upgraded room with breakfast in feb the night before our mini cruise for £18.95 as I had an £80 clubcard voucher, I do like to travel and even better if it’s a bargain 😄

Also a few other bits that need sorting are dh, brother, and parents birthdays in the next month 😩 dh wants noise cancelling headphones, he’s very low maintenance except for laptops and headphones 😆 the last expensive ones broke and I’m not inclined to spend a lot so he might have to wait until we are mf!

newgirly · 23 August 2024 at 7:49AM

It’s our anniversary today, 28 years 😱 I know everyone says time flies but it really does, I’ve bought dh a few of his favourite snacks, genuine h@b n@bs 😂 (better than lidls apparently!) and Swiss rolls, he’s easily pleased 😬 tonight he wanted to book a new restaurant that’s opened in town, however we would needed to have booked weeks in advance and I’m not that fussed really, so now we are going for a nand@s and watching a film afterwards with our passes, cheaper and lazier which suits me, we can go out more while away in York next week 😊

Dil has finished their new spare room and it looks amazing, deep bottle green walls, black wooden bookshelves and a huge (regifted) velvet chesterfield snuggle chair, I think I need to get her to do the rest of the house as it looks so good and the only money spent was the paint and boot sale pine shelves, it’s like an old fashioned library.

No plans for today except cleaning and a little washing even though it’s still wet here, I might get our clothes together for our week away next Saturday, I’ve already said we are only taking a little hand luggage case each as we are driving in my parents smaller car together so we are all insured on it, my mum doesn’t do light packing so I’m trying to prove a point, except a week in York could mean bikinis or thermals really 😂 oh well it will keep me entertained for a bit I suppose trying to work it all out.

The food budget has basically been spent on miscellaneous bits rather than proper food which was silly, I need to top up with some personal spending money for fresh bits next week, we have cupboard stuff I can make cheap bean or lentil based meals from which dh is not so keen on, I may have to search the freezer for old sausages or something to keep him going , we onny need to limp on until we go away next Saturday 😬