Pay off mortgage and start having even more fun 😁

newgirly

😆 I can’t afford to this month, I’ve still got bits to buy sadly, should be under £40k by the end of the year though, the lowest mortgage on any property we have had ever! Thanks so much for your support though, it’s very much appreciated 😊

No plans today except popping round mums later, I’m going to get my stuff together for the trip and see if I’m missing anything I still need to get and write a list or take photos of it all so I don’t forget what to pack. 

The spare room is done now, just need to hang the York photos i took and get rid of a large animal tank of dil’s which she’s trying to sell, it looks lovely in the there, very sunny and bright, I managed to get a nice modern desk for £20 in the sale in primarni, which hopefully we be good to work from, as well as a yellow vase for £1.25, all in all a very cheap makeover with the free wooden floor from leftovers in dads shed. 

earthgirl2

Spare room sounds lovely! I'm also doing something similar - a big money making/ savings push to try to get a big holiday balance paid off. So I might de lurk more!! 

newgirly

Oh yes, I’ll pop over to your thread and cheer you on, I’m so behind with diaries lately! 

Meal out last night with a couple we have known for years but rarely meet up with, £60 for both of us in the harvester for a not very good meal, and one drink each, how times have changed! I was thinking I don’t think dh and I have been out for a meal (except breakfast) for years alone together unless we are on holiday, it become one of those things that have fallen into the too expensive when we don’t need to category, it also seem like more of a treat when away somewhere. After last night I’m not sure we are missing much, luckily dh paid 😬

Dh is not slinking off to work today, so I think we are going to decathl@n to look at the snow boots, I spotted them in there last week but didn’t want to buy without him trying. I’ve been very lucky to receive some money from mum yesterday, she’s given me and little brother £300 each 🙂I’ve put £200 into the holiday spending pot and the rest has paid for some thermal socks and a scarf for dh and some ski gloves and liners bought online for us both. 

I also took £50 out as I’ve bought £42 odd pounds worth of food in Lidl for bake off this week as it’s bread week, which is traditionally olives, flavoured oil, cheeses, crackers, chilli bread, salami, houmous  etc. still need to buy the chilli bread on the day (homemade is not as good I’ve tried 😆) I would have tried to take this from the food budget normally, but it’s been reduced by £50 a month and this is a big one off spend for one meal out of it which will make the rest of the month harder, so now it’s paid for 😊 

Novembers Norway spending pot is now : £369.52

themadvix

How many are you feeding for bake off night NG?! That sounds like a lot of food! Presumably there might be some leftovers, so it’ll help stretch the food budget.

Random cash gifts from mum are always appreciated, aren’t they 😊

earthgirl2

I've been doing MS lately to go for meals out with OH, but the food has been grim! My friend who works in hospitality says that to make ends meet, restaurants are employing teenagers so they don't have to pay them as much, and then basically a teen that would normally be washing pots is ending up microwaving food. I'm not sure if this is true - or legal!

badmemory

It is the ingredients too that they cut down on.  We have a ready meal once a week & the one we choose usually has cheese on it.  Frankly some I've seen if you blink you miss seeing the cheese at all & that is inspite of the price going up.

newgirly

That seems very dodgy Earthgirl 😱 there was a lack of staff last night and much smaller portions with a dearer price….

Bad memory, funny you say that, I ordered a very cheap frozen lasagne for dh to try and he had it today and said it was as flat a pancake! Not something I normally buy but sometimes it nice to have a cheap easy day off cooking. 

Hi vix, probably 8 adults and one is dh who doesn’t eat all day 😆 it’s because it’s nice picky bits, first week was pasta bake, last week was pie and veg, I’m not usually this generous 😂

Dh has got snow boots finally, after going to very single shop that might have sold them, £29.99 in sports direct, plus a pair of lightweight waterproof casual boots for around the ship as he only has smart ones, weirdly from primark as that’s the only ones he likes that were under £100! Only £20 which he paid for, he’s now done and dusted and I just need maybe some ski trousers if the £4 ones are no good and perhaps a few extra knickers 😬 

themadvix

Oh, if there’s that many of you, maybe no leftovers then! Wasn’t it just three of you last week? (I may be misremembering!)

 Sounds like you’re nearly there with cruise prep - and at least knickers have a longer-term use 😂

Debsnewbudget

We got 2 frozen lasagnes from Olio and my daughter commented that last time they tasted bland. So before cooking I grated cheese on the top and it totally changed the taste, 

newgirly

It was less last week Vix yes, they come and go 😆

It was more the lasagnes were very thin, like an inch high, I shan’t buy again! We do that with pizzas sometimes if they are a bit rubbish with the extra cheese debts new budget 🙂

I think I need  a to do list this week: 
  

• Buy new travel insurance as it ran out 
• Pay for a fizzy drinks package on cruise 
• Start doing a little exercise, find something on you tube to follow at home 
• Put up pictures in spare room 
• Clean whole house thoroughly from top to bottom