Pay off mortgage and start having even more fun 😁

Greying_Pilgrim

Disappearing Choccy Oranges.... very sad state of affairs - I bet even Madame Blanc couldn't solve that mystery! 😉 

Wowsers to the price of the M&$ Pigs in blankets and Mac'nCheese - but I think how you're treating it is perfect.  Whether you were saving it for 2, or it'll do as a meal for DH - maybe with some veg thrown on the plate too, you're treating it as 'special' and a worthy dish for the festive period.  Looked at like that, £5 isn't so bad, and you'd not get a plate of food like that in a cafe/restaurant for the same price. 

I am, however, inordinately envious of a good (and reasonably priced) curry house in your locale.  We've none - if they're good reasonable, they ain't cheap, and if they're cheap.... 

Greying X

themadvix

Oh that’s pants about the timer! I’m really surprised! But if you get a timer fitted surely it could be a smart one that you could override if you need to charge during the day?
Disappearing chocolate oranges, how strange!!

daisy_1571

I know where the choc orange is, I was in @sd@ today and there was a big basket of them, clearly it was a homing chocolate orange you got.

Dxx

beanielou

Can’t think what happened to the disappearing chocolate orange 🤣

newgirly

themadvix said:

Oh that’s pants about the timer! I’m really surprised! But if you get a timer fitted surely it could be a smart one that you could override if you need to charge during the day?
Disappearing chocolate oranges, how strange!!

You know what Vix, I’ve just remembered dh has electricians where he works now 🤣 I shall get him to ask (and if they could do it/ how much)! 

GP, we have a lovely restaurant walking distance away from us that does a good offer on a weds , bills about £30 each with a soft drink and tip, I go maybe once or twice a year with friends. On a normal night though 😱 this one we we are going to tonight we went the first time to a couple of months ago ( it’s nearly an hour away , we were collecting work friends mums sofa and wanted to say thanks) well it looked basic and I was worried to be honest 😆 food was good though, service good and it was £67 for three including a drink each and decent tip! The cost of a takeaway shocks me now, my parents sometimes say come over we are paying and the normal sides are like £5 each where they go, £1.50 per poppadum 😳 

No more chocolate oranges in the house, dd was the last one to get her hamper last night, it’s best temptation has gone! 

newgirly

We had a great night Saturday, meal was dearer than I thought it would be this time, that will because we all had a couple of drinks each. Had a lovely walk around the town and to the sea wall as old work friend lives in a lovely tiny town on the water, his cottage is about a 30 second walk from the water in fact the lucky thing 😊

The small tree is up in the bay window, 500 lights is way too many so there’s a puddle of them behind the sofa 🤣 I’m not buying new lights and I refuse to use the white ones we had that would have worked better, nostalgia over taste as usual 🎄

Final update figures for the challenge , we’ll just under £150 sept Saturday night from the £1 a day saving challenge I do through the year, so I’m not adding that as we were supposed to be out in Dec not Nov. Final figure is …..£1001.73 - so close! 🤣 I had £30.15 left and counted my way around ald! with it, coming in at 13p under to then realise that I hadn’t allowed for the car park for my hospital visit that morning 😩 £1.60. 

I’m counting it very much as a win though anyway. Normal service is now resumed with a not much bigger anyway really budget of £350 plus £125 personal spends this month, I’ve a surplus in that pot now which is just as well as I’ve a few things with friends planned that will cost money this month. Not sure we can stretch to the meal out we planned with the kids this month, I may think about changing that if I can, it’s just so expensive  to eat out now! 

I’m off to open my advent calendars now - three this year 😬 bought myself a Malteser one, got a northern nights cardboard one which you slot animals in from mum and my aunt turned up last week with a box of 24 wrapped gifts 😱 she says I do stuff for family so she wanted to do it for me, how nice is that. I will have to get a calendar for her today though as she’s mentioned she would like one, I’m not making one though 🤣

newgirly

Another meal out last night- it’s all happening this week 😆, this time with three friends who I hardly see anymore, £35 for a three course xmassy meal, two drinks and a tip which is pretty “cheap” I guess, it was fine but just an ordinary pub by a station. Today I’ve my Aunt visiting again, I’ll be getting dd too as taking them both to mums for lunch. 

I’ve now done all the Xmas shopping (bar one present) and wrapped up, one of the benefits of being at home and having more time I guess. This year will be the most streamlined ever as I don’t think we will be entertaining at all except maybe having some of the kids over in the run up for dinner, it will be cheaper than usual not doing Xmas that’s for sure! we don’t have much on socially this year , I’ve last nights meal, one next week that my dads is paying for for everyone and a day out Monday with friends which so far may be the cinema and dinner. No Xmas market weekend away or meals out together planned. 

I did say we would take ds1 and girlfriend for dinner, but we may see if they would do something else like drinks or come to us instead as it’s just so expensive and we asked them so would be paying as I know they wouldn’t be wanting to spend loads right now. This £1 a day for Christmas food and extras doesn’t go that far when I really look at it, this year it will but it’s shone a light in how much we must normally go over in December and I can’t say I’ve ever added it up! 

daisy_1571

We have - you do ! 😆 🤣 😂 cheeseboard anyone? 😆 🤣 😂 

Dxxxx

themadvix

daisy_1571 said:

We have - you do ! 😆 🤣 😂 cheeseboard anyone? 😆 🤣 😂 

Dxxxx

😂😂😂

Daisy makes a good point, BUT food is really a lot more expensive this year, I'm finding, so I don't think it's necessarily that it's just that you don't add it up!

Invite them for dinner - they will be grateful not to have to cook and to see you - I'm sure they won't mind not going out. You could always do something a bit fancier than normal (don't go mad!) - it will still be cheaper than taking them out. (Or go to Wetherspoons? 😬)

daisy_1571

Agreed, everything is expensive now

Dxx