Pay off mortgage and start having even more fun 😁

newgirly

Seven hours to get home from York 😱 usually it’s four with one stop off! Three top up charges on the way home (could have squeezed two but the chargers seem to slow down as it’s nearly full.)  The weather has clearly had a big impact on range 🙄 I’m yet to tot up the total cost yet, charging on the go can be ££ but that’s to be expected I guess and it’s only occasional really for us in normal life. Other than that the car is fantastic, drives lovely, very smooth and comfy so happy with that side of things. M@rrisons York was the dearest charger we came across oddly, more so than the motorway ones.

Today will be stressful, we are going to finally clear ds1’s bedroom of what he left behind (earlier this year 😡) after too many “I’m going to do it mum” ‘s I’ve given up as he barely ever around! Dh will be taking the lead which will make him very annoyed so I’m not looking forward to it 😆 then we will bleach (no joke) the room and set it up for the cats to move into 😬 I’m going to move their tray and cat tree etc. up there from the conservatory, then we can maybe think about getting rid of it in the near future, we don’t use it except at Xmas as we have a huge extending table that seats about 18, but we really don’t need to keep it just for that! In the meantime I might take off the table extensions get some curtains to go across the conservatory and try and keep the droughts out as it’s freezing. 

Ds 2 has been asking for mortgage advice - great for them sad for me 🥲 They think they may be able to scrape a mortgage next year as dil’s hours are now better, I’ve told him a few pieces of advice but as usual my main advice is don’t listen to me or anyone else, this family worships at the alter of Martin Lewis and what he says goes 🤣 so they will now be preparing for a few months of being perfect mortgage candidates and not spending. This has now included food 😆 can I feed them for a few months to cut down on the shopping bill, to which I have of course said yes! With the savings they make they can look a bit more frugal and squirrel a bit away for cash spending if they need it in the next few no spend months. 

Jellytotts

I can confirm that Yorkshire has been ruddy cold this week but I love it. I’m a big fan of the colder weather, another reason I wasn’t sorry to leave Kent and it’s mono season.  We’ve had a good covering of snow and even though it’s raining this morning it’s still covering the garden.  

Car charging wise, they all slow to a trickle when you get to 80% so they can’t over load you. So annoying. We always found with the MG that, that extra 20% was the difference between another stop for charge or making it home comfortably. And yes the weather plays havoc with the charge.   

The market is looking particularly lovely this year I thought.  

daisy_1571

Lol, I think that's a bit ridiculous 😅 the lender will still take into account living expenses  think you're being played ng 😆 

Definitely get the table down and the curtains up, thought you were doing that last year?  Conservatory will be leaking all your heat, you'll noticea big difference.

Dxxxxx

LadyWithAPlan

How great you can give good advice to DS on the mortgage - but yes living costs will be taken into consideration but I guess the more they can save the better 

themadvix

NG Octopus need to be able to control either the charger or the car (you'd need to check if the car was compatible on their website) to use an *intelligent* EV tariff, but if you have smart meters the standard Octopus Go would work for you. Charging at the standard rate is going to work out really expensive, and it really shouldn't be. Octopus Go is basically a bit like Economy 7 - you have a much cheaper overnight rate (for us it's 8.5p/kWh) between 00.30 and 05.30 and a normal rate during the day. Any power you use during that time is at the cheap rate (we charged our house battery too and put the dishwasher on overnight). If you don't want to switch (even though Octopus are amazing), I imagine Eon do EV tariffs that are similar.

Regarding charging on the road, do you use ZapMap to plan your charges? You should be able to see costs in the app, which should help with planning.

Debsnewbudget

Another fan of zap map but I also now have Octopus electroverse app and card 

newgirly

Hi jellytots, I do love the cold too, dh not so much. The market did look lovely this year, I spent many hours just wandering 😊  There’s really something magical about York, my favourite thing is getting up on my own and walking up the road into town for an early morning coffee by the window watching the place start to come alive.

Hi Daisy, I know they will take into account living expenses 😆 I don’t mind as it was ds2’s suggestion to buy his own food when they pay rent anyway, it gives them a bit of extra temporality so I don’t mind, I don’t mind being a push over as long as they never expect it! 

Hi Debts new budget and Vix, we have been using zap map and it’s been helpful especially travelling across Nottingham where we don’t know the services like we do on our route to York. Vix, we still have an old meter, but I’ve booked in for a smart one just after Xmas. I’ve just changed to eon for I think 18 months as it was the cheapest, when compared before I checked octopus go it said it didn’t support our charger, is there a different tariff that would be better even if it doesn’t support it? Perhaps it’s the smart meter that’s the issue, I will get it fitted and then revisit.

We have finally cleared ds2’s room, under protest I have to say 🙄 for some context my mum asked when he can come for roast dinner in September and he only had 8th December free for the rest of the year 😂  so it’s part being busy and part laziness I’d say! This week they are in Leeds, last week Berlin, very different to my life when I was 24, I was pregnant with twins and had a 2 year old 😆 Anyway loads to the tip and recycling and the rest boxed up to give to him to sort through. Today now hopefully I can rearrange the living room and move the cats bits upstairs.

Dd and sill and DGD are popping over today at some point, I have warned them we will be in a mess, I’m debating putting up the tree as we will be upside down anyway, it’s too early I know but it’s another job ticked off and involves the spidery shed so I’d need help at some point and they are all here today 😆 I said to ds2 we can’t put up the decorations early as it’s “common” well that’s how I was brought up, he said mum we are common it’s fine 😬

South_coast

Loads of people have got their decs up round here, have had for ages (I'm sure I saw a tree through someone's window in BF's village back in August 😳). I haven't put any up for years as I am too lazy and am never here on the day anyway, but I guess it just depends on whether you would get bored of them/want to keep the magic for a bit closer to the day? Getting them dragged out of the shed while everyone is there sounds a good plan regardless, even if you don't put them up straight away 👍

newgirly

August?! 😂 now that is common 😁 

Dd and her dh and DGD came over early and stayed most of the day, I was doing a roast but we were in too much of a mess so I ended up doing platters with roast potatoes, brie and cranberry paninis and veggie pizza , a weird but rather wonderful concoction. We moved lots of furniture around and took some up to ds2’s old room and then put up the tree and garlands and my light up old fashioned wooden thingys. It looks lovely this year, I’ve got the dolls house lit up at the far end with a light up Xmas tree inside it too. 

Tomorrow I’m off to Canterbury for the day with friends for the Xmas market and a meal out, I’m exhausted so hope I 
last the day, lately I can’t stay awake past 9pm, today is the exception.

newgirly

Well it was a nice day out in Canterbury, did the park and ride into town and then a coffee and a lovely  early dinner at the Ivy, very nice and a proper Xmas treat after a rubbish year with two wonderful old friends 😬  

In others great news my step granddaughter is coming for Xmas day, She messaged to ask if she could - er, yes please!  she’s such a sweetheart, but with a dry sense of humour that gives ds2 a run for his money 😁 So there will be lots of silliness and giggles with her Aunt (my DIL) no doubt! Xmas seems to be racing up rather quickly this year, it feels like theres still so much to sort out, I think it might time to start writing lists, long ones perhaps with things I’ve already done so I can cross some off straight away 😬