So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

Karmacat

I read that article about dementia too, Vix, I was surprised at how specific it was (but very grateful).  Makes me think that wherever I am, I should join in the growing of tomatoes.

Suffolk_lass

I would be combining frozen strawberries with homegrown rhubarb - made for each other and delicious as a stewed fruit portion with yoghurt, custard, crumble, or as jam, compote or on their own.

Yes, we eat too many cheese based dishes here, and although my weight is creeping down, still too many creamy things here. 

QueenJess

@Suffolk_lass I love my cheese. When I was growing up I took cheese sandwiches for lunch to school everyday for 14 years 😂

I saw that article too, but haven’t given it a read. Maybe I should take a look although I tend to find just using common sense and eating in moderation tends to cover it all!

themadvix

Morning all,

Thanks for the suggestion for the strawbs SL - definitely a good idea to combine as they'll be all mushy on their own. And I have, surprise, surprise, a portion of rhubarb in the freezer too (although I could and probably should, just pick some!). I think we probably need to cut back on the custard a bit, but dairy in moderate amounts is good for you (and especially in terms of warding off osteoporosis, as my mother likes to remind me!). Jess, we're definitely pretty good about most of it generally too, but I am not a huge eater of raw veg/salad and am tight when it comes to buying fruit (homegrown is easy, but not necessarily all year round). That said, I had lovely stewed blackberries and redcurrants on my porridge this morning from the freezer (homegrown/foraged). It also limits the ultraprocessed carp to three portions a week which we could definitely improve on (the temptation when there's free Olio food is high) - and it doesn't limit the amount of homecooked sugary stuff! 😂 Last night's dinner was the last two bits of cod, baked in a garlic, lemon and olive oil marinade, with the Olio herby new potatoes and Olio frozen veg. It was really nice. I've updated my freezer inventory this morning and it's beginning to look a bit emptier. Veg box is coming tomorrow, which is good, but I think I'll need to go to Lidl/Aldi for some fish. Dinner tonight will be leftover pasta bake from Monday, with lettuce and peas - a bit weird but we're short on veg until tomorrow!

Well it was our turn for the 2024 Olympics tickets ballot this morning, but we were very MSE as when we logged in, dead on our slot time, all the tickets were upwards of £200, so we refrained (they started at 24 euros, so it seems like a very poor system that unless you get given the first slot, you won't be able to get cheap tickets). We'll keep an eye out later in the year for some resale tickets, but it seems unlikely now.

Mr MV now has the MT funds in his savings account and has 'found' another £900 in his PB account, so we're getting closer and closer to getting that mortgage finished and being on 0% for the last few months. Depending on where we're at, I'll probably transfer the last bit from the EF/buffer fund so that it's gone and we pay minimal interest on it. Apparently the funds from Eon will still take 21 days to come through. I do think they are getting off very lightly with this. 😡

Sorted out my work with Cambridge boss today and it seems to have worked rather well as it'll be PAYE, so they'll have to be paying some NI for me, but I have still set my own rates. I won't have to invoice either. In any case, boss/friend is happy as it means they can have me when they want me, without having to clear it with HR as I'll be a casual (rather than temp) worker. Have a meeting with her this morning for a catch up on all I've missed since March and then will no doubt be cracking on with some of that. At the moment though I'm working on the stuff for my main client. Have also done a tiny platform job this morning - it all helps and the platform balance for next month will look like a decent portion of my income, rather than slightly more than PA earnings!

Not sure if I mentioned yesterday, but my back is bad again. Probably caused by transferring a bag of compost to the car on Monday. I'm hoping it'll settle down of its own accord, but to be honest, I'm beginning to think it might not. We'll see. In any case, Mr MV has offered to help with Olio tonight as I won't be up for the heavy lifting (sacks of bread can get quite heavy!).

MS things:
* Clicks, comps and HW - no wins today - it's been a while in fact. I suspect my luck might have run out with a couple of the bookies (it definitely has with one and I should probably just top up my account and withdraw what's there to add to the OP pot)
* 1P surveys
* PA survey
* Using up freezer bits
* Olio tonight

Gratitudes:
* Sunshine, even if I'm not out in it
* A nice evening class last night
* Looong days

Have a good day all!

Karmacat

Shame about the Olympics tickets - I had a few reasonably priced ones for London 2012 (volleyball - and it was the first time I'd seen a young baby wearing noise-cancelling headphones, that was nearly as interesting 🤣).  Marathon was free, of course.  I hope you find something that's appropriate for the two of you nearer the time.

I still picked up some more pennies - around £1 - with one of the baby HWs, but like you the other one has run out, not had any luck there for weeks.  And I've still not opened a third  oops.

Good luck with your back.

themadvix

Thanks KC. Back is improving and I’m being careful not to overdo it. Fortunately there wasn’t much in my Olio collection tonight, so that helped (and Mr MV’s lifting skills!). We did have enough to keep lunch for tomorrow, hot x buns and grapes.

 Popped to the allotment this afternoon and managed to find enough netting in the shed of the right shape and size to cobble together protection for my fruit cages, so that was good and has saved what I imagine could have been quite an expense. Netting is all firmly secured and taut so it shouldn’t entangle any birds.

themadvix

Morning all,

It was chilly here overnight, so I am very glad I remembered to shut the greenhouse last night! Kale seeds (second batch, first were eaten - these are coming up successfuly through the wool pellets), parsley and French beans are just beginning to show their faces. No sign of the resown squash and courgettes in my propagator yet though, despite me talking to them and urging them on!

Today I will be sending the first piece of the new work back to my main client, doing my hour of Cambridge work and getting down to Curry's - we need gas for the sodastream and some AA rechargeable batteries (as I'm currently using the smart door lock ones in my mouse - and the mouse is helping with muscle pain). Veg box is coming too and I need some cashews to make carrot top pesto (I have a box of them from the zero-waste shop, but unfortunately I think they've gone off).

Lunch will be a coronation king prawn sandwich courtesy of my Olio collection (and mr MV has an Itsu chicken bao bun thing). Undecided about dinner as yet - I'm waiting for the veg box to arrive so I can decide whether to do some with all the lovely veg or have fish pie (Olio pack of mix in freezer) and a pile of veg with it. I think tomorrow's dinner might be pasta (again) - Mr MV has a pack of frozen fresh pasta in the freezer (Olio, of course) and I could make a simple tomato sauce to go with it and have plain pasta myself - it would be a quick and easy dinner post pub visit and get the pasta out of the freezer/use the open jar of passata in fridge.

Re the settlement figure for the mortgage, we are slightly confused at the Santa advice says that ringing up for a settlement figure will work out more expensive that simply letting the mortgage go to its natural end.... Not entirely sure about this, when they say there's no fee to redeem mortgage (and there won't be an ERC as our fix will have ended). We've decided to wait and see what happens when we've paid off the large chunk of money on 2 June. There will be about £1500 outstanding and they'll send us an updated schedule of DD payments, so we'll see what that says then. 

Not sure if I mentioned this before, but my desk chair padding has disintegrated and I borrowed Mr MV's chair (delivered by his employer during the pandemic). It was a revelation - not only is the padding still there (and firmer than mine ever was), but the chair is so much more supportive (it's not particularly fancy). Have made enquiries from supplier but it's £167 to get another one like it! (Inc VAT and £30 delivery). I think I'll be looking around again but another part of me says that's just about 3 visits to the physio, and would likely save that, so I'm thinking about it. My last chair was from IKEA, so I'm not sure I want to go back there.

MS things:
* Clicks, HW and comps done - withdrew the £4.31 from the bookie who has effectively gubbed me - it's been there forever and I'd like to put it towards the mortgage OP.
* 1P surveys - over £9 now
* 2 Y Live surveys - £5 earned
* PA survey
* YG direct survey - over half way now
* Free Olio food

Gratitudes:
* Lovely regular Olioers (we won't mention the newbie who took what wasn't his!)
* Back is definitely getting better - think I must have pulled a muscle on Monday
* Cambridge colleagues are glad to have me back

Have a good day all!

themadvix

Just popping back to share how smug I am feeling. Used the zero-waste hoppers in M&S to get my cashew nuts. Managed (without any trying whatsoever) to dispense exactly 67p of nuts.... precisely what I had left on my giftcard! 🤣 I couldn't have done it if I'd tried!

Also picked up the gas for the sodastream - the staff in our Curry's are always really nice and helpful. And now I have two fewer emails in my inbox with niggly bits of giftcard left on them!

My lunch was distinctly mediocre - I think I've established I'm not a fan of coronation sauce. Mr MV's though, was apparently delicious. A couple of PA surveys done here and I've made a start on the next bit for my main client. I'm out a lot of tomorrow socialising, so I'd better do a bit more now.

Fish pie mix is out of the freezer. Veg box is lovely looking but I wasn't instantly inspired to cook up something delicious with it, so we'll have veg with the pie and I'll get my head round options for Saturday - maybe a curry or two.

rtandon27

Glad to hear your back is on the mend Vix! I'm not one to ever say spend money where saving could do, but seriously think about the good chair!  I had to get one at work after it was determined that my migraines were being made worse by a bad desk set up - it was the single thing that made them disappear and I missed that chair during the lockdown year, had to get ergo cushions for home use and they are a far cry from sitting in a really good chair!

Pollie

You may already know but it is recommended that cashew nuts are frozen, if not being used immediately.