Pay off mortgage and start having even more fun 😁

Ramouth

Super cute squirrel - and very brave!

Also loving the sound of your holidays.  Shame about the parking but we have found the hotel plus parking to be really good in the past as it reduces the stress of getting there on time on the day.  Plus you get one more night of being way!

South_coast

Loving Hazel!

newgirly

😆 Love you have new trees greent! She’s got through some nuts since yesterday, she must have enough for the rest of the year already 😁

Thanks Ramouth, I’ve still not booked yet as I’m checking the port parking just incase of cancellations, the hotel did say they have 23 rooms available so hopefully I’m not taking too much of a risk 🤔

Today I’ve put together the next two months’s budget, the mortgage will renew on 1st October so it seems the best timeframe. Previously I was setting a permanent monthly travel budget, now I’ve decided to blast this years trips all now and start fresh in oct. From oct onwards I’ll budget for the two trips we have next year but then I might just play it by ear and decide further down the line whether to keep travelling or go heavy for a year or so again on the mortgage.

AUGUST : 

• Bills excl gas/elec £587.70
• Gas/Elec £280
• Mortgage £344.78
• Xmas/b’days £200
• Personal spends me £100
• Personal spends dh £100
• Scandi birthday cruise spending £300 (all inclusive) so trips 
• Hotel DBB and parking for cruise £240 
• Sept cruise spending money pot £550
• Sept cruise airport parking £109
• Sailsbury birthday trip 2 nights spending £150 
• Dh birthday presents and drinks meal out with kids £300
• Monthly food and diesel £500

• SEPT:

• Bills £587.70
• Gas/Elec £280
• Mortgage £344.78
• Xmas/bdays £200
• Personal spends me £100
• Personal spends dh £100
• Centreparcs family weekend balance £600.50
• Sept cruise spending pot £150
• Krakow Xmas market hotel/transfers/airport parking/spending £500
• Centreparcs family trip spending £400 ( to book activities will take food!) 
• Monthly food and diesel £500

Obviously it’s a bit revealing listing everything 😱 I’ve also upped the kids rent by £25 each pm as it’s so low 😆 so I’m thinking about £600 for the 15 months after that to pay for the two big trips next year starting in October and everything else to the mortgage for a bit to helpfully start making a dent again! 

I’ve also decided to pay a little extra to go offset again, just incase as I would love to get under five years again, so three year fix offset at 4% 😩 but I’ll keep a long term still for safety reasons 😬

Another issue is gas and elec, that will definitely go up again in winter, but I’m hoping to offset that getting rid of the beetle and if I can get volunteers to help, the garage 😱

greent

How many of you are there at home now? X

newgirly

Hi greent five adults now, us, ds2 and wife and ds1, with occasional visiting girlfriend. I’m sure gas and electric will have to shoot up ☹️

Might have a look for the bread maker today , not to replace bread for toast as it’s a pain and makes a mess, more to have along side dinners sometimes, like casserole to bulk things out or with soup. The smell is very comforting too 😊 

Also still on the list is selling the beetle, was going to do it a couple for weeks ago and the cat got run over and it just didn’t happen, I WILL do it this weekend 😆 

newgirly

I can’t find the bread maker so far, it has to be somewhere!  After I’ve cleaned the floor and bathroom I’ll start cleaning the beetle, I may well list a few other bits if I find some as there’s certainly plenty to get rid of knocking around here and stuff I do want to get but don’t want to buy with real money. I’d love to makeover lots of the house, but when looking at prices of new stuff it puts me off 😱 I need to do a bit of up-cycling I think 🤔  I usually find the tighter the budget the more creative you get. 

newgirly

Still not found the bread maker 😆 I have however listed the car for sale finally! It’s got a few bids and I’ve listed all the faults, fingers crossed. 

I’ve also taken the plunge and ordered a new bed 😱 been looking for a second hand one to renovate on flea bay as ours needs a new mattress (it’s well over 20 years old) and decided to go bigger when I saw a very good deal with discount code on m@de.com so still undecided on a mattress but have a Superking velvet storage bed coming, £340 from £995 😬 I fear the mattress may not be too cheap though! 

As the bed is coming and the bedroom furniture is also hand me downs like the bed was, I’ve bought some paint to give it all a makeover, all supplies form £1land so pretty frugal, will post a photo if I don’t make a total pigs ear of it 😆

South_coast

Just don't get paint on the new bed 😱!

newgirly

No danger of that SC, I’ve chickened out and cancelled the bed 😂 its just so much money with mattress , new quilts and sheets and I won’t be able to use my Xmas duvet cover collection 😆
we do need a new bed and mattress but it will wait until another day! 

Need to go buy more Poundland black paint for the furniture, perhaps it was cheap as the tins are  small? Also should have worn gloves with black paint 😳

themadvix

The bed sounded like an absolute bargain, but totally with you on the cost of mattress, bedding etc. We need a new mattress (again!) and want to upgrade to a king size, but a) because of the layout of the bedroom it’s going to be tight and b) the cost is prohibitive, especially with the roof shenanigans going on. It’s on the list though.

I often think that about Poundland - my mother’s cynicism I think! Aren’t their food tins often slightly smaller making it not such a good deal (or have I fallen for mum’s funny ideas!)?