So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

themadvix

Absolutely EH - I've definitely picked up many influences from this board and the website generally - it came into being pretty much as Mr MV and I were first year poor students and I couldn't count the number of ways we've used to earn pennies over the years that have come from this board. This ability to ensure every penny counts has absolutely enabled us to do so many things that we might not have been able to do otherwise. It is a wonderful place!

Cheery_Daff

I'll join in with the MSE love-in, it is the most excellent place! 🥰

themadvix

I'd also like to credit the forums with acting as an excellent reminder to do things... variously, putting washing on (thanks Cheery, I have just read about that on your thread and I need to do that next), pelvic floor exercises (I know you're all now doing them as you read! 😂), feeding the plants, etc. etc. So useful!  😂

Cheery_Daff

😂😂😂 Yes, I'm often prompted to remember things because someone else mentions them. And also new money saving things like opening high interest savings accounts and switching energy tariffs 😂

Jessy103

Congrats on being completely mortgage free, vix! 🥳

themadvix

Afternoon all,

Thanks Jessy!

Inspired by Foxgloves, I'm aiming to have a productive and money saving week. It has had a slow start as my brain was really struggling with focus this morning, but I am currently up to date with work for main client (have just emailed to check I'm not missing anything).

Had a lovely weekend - yesterday was spent with friends playing games and kittens (so adorable) and eating, which was very enjoyable. They are easy company and despite Mr MV moaning about having to go (he'd just rather not see anyone at the weekend 🙄), he enjoyed himself.

My aim with being productive and MSE is to ensure that despite the expected expensive month (most of it is budgeted for, but I'm sure there'll be things that crop up), things don't get out of hand. With that in mind, I've cancelled the R'ford order for Thursday. I think we can manage a week without - and Mr MV is away one night anyway. Having done the big stock up at the refill shop, I've got plenty of alternatives in. I am about to pop to Sains for a few bits that I didn't remember to get last week (one being decaf tea, which was OOS in WR, and is now OOS here - a critical situation!). We have quite a bit of lovely veg in still anyway and there's fruit in the bowl too. I'll stew some fruit from the freezer for my porridge and that will stretch the bananas a bit further.

Once I finished the piece of work I was doing, I popped out to the postbox and, realising I had my allotment key in my pocket,  continued on there and planted my garlic (conveniently waiting for me in the shed). So that's a job done.  And the grass had grown, so I got the mower out too - always makes it look better. Planted four bulbs worth, all homegrown, so fingers crossed they'll do well and I'll be self-sufficient in garlic next year too.

Mr MV very unhappy with work again, so pondering options there (and LinkedIn too).

MS things:
*  £20 1P payout on its way
* £25 RM survey voucher claimed (opted for WR, so will help with grocery spends)
* Clicks and HW
* A couple of surveys done over the weekend (can't remember what)
* TV survey done
* S&S barcodes transmitted

Gratitudes:
Lovely weekend - lots of laughter with family on Saturday and friends yesterday (and kittens!)

Have a good afternoon/evening all!

QueenJess

A bit belated (I’m catching up with diaries), but congratulations on finishing the mortgage cc debt! So exciting!

I also love these forums as everyone is lovely. I strayed into reading a different forum page recently and people were brutal!

themadvix

Afternoon all,

Thanks Jess! And yes, some of the other boards are very scary indeed!

Dinner last night was hm fajitas with peppers and black bean filling. Nice, but always faffy when you factor in the making of the tortillas. Still, I made one more wrap than we needed and it's in the freezer with previous leftovers, so I'm looking forward to the 'free' fajita night! Tonight's dinner will be curried cauliflower steak with a lentil dal (I had this at the wedding I went to the other week for my veggie option and it was delicious).

Yesterday ended up being fairly productive - I didn't mention that I made bread and granola, so we're set for the week now. The brain cells have clearly been pondering how to be productive this week as the list of things I could get sorted has grown already. This morning I've cleared and rearranged a kitchen cupboard, hopefully into a much more useful form, and have listed a few bits of Freegle (and two have since been collected) and reposted some other bits. There's a box for Ziffit (this will be the third attempt at actually get it out the door) and some stuff for rags (to be sorted as either for rag rugging or actually got out of the house for rag recycling). These may not all get done today but they will get done by the end of the week, along with various others (sewing up the oven gloves). In other decluttering good news, the large box containing two pairs of shoes Mr MV ordered (a work expense) have just been sent back and I've regained that corner of the kitchen!

Work is still busy - and I've made a start on one of the reports needed for Cambridge too - just stymied by lack of response from others/information that's not where it should be!

MS things:
* A tiny PA survey
* 1P survey
* Clicks and HW
* Have just cooked two eggs in my IP - one for today and one for tomorrow's lunch (small things indeed!)

Movement:
* Hmm... this needs improving, especially as I have an achy back today

Gratitudes
* Freegler turned up as expected and took two items, no hassle!
* Appreciation from main client
* Foxgloves's productive week - it's having a good effect round here!

Have a good afternoon all!

themadvix

Afternoon all,

Productivity continued yesterday afternoon as I processed (i.e. put away) the herbs and chillis that had been drying in the cupboard and sorted the rags from the rags. Dinner was delicious and there's leftover dal and half an uncooked cauliflower to use - we were full but it definitely felt like I stretched the meal nicely (half a garlic flatbread each was plenty with it). I also managed to get out for a lovely walk around the park - it's a bit further than just round the block, but I hadn't been in ages and it was so nice to get out into the green (the park is right on the edge of town, so it really feels countryside-y).

Don't say it too loud, but I'm caught up with work for main client and have been able to get ahead with some Cambridge stuff this morning, which has been great. There's more to do, so I'll come back to that, but I need to post an RM survey item, try and find a rag bin for the rags and get some milk - so a walk is next on my to-do list.

Main client sent through the info I needed for my invoice, so I've submitted that this morning - it's hard to believe I missed a week's work in October, given the amount of work done! I've also got the new address for my formerly UK client (now elsewhere in the world), so I've sent her an invoice too.

Mr MV is out and going to scrounge lunch from a supplier today, so I'll have the egg mayo I made yesterday for lunch. He's away tomorrow overnight, so I won't need to feed him (I might invite myself to dinner at Mum's!), and he's going by train, so I'll have the car.

MS things:
* Clicks and HW
* Stretching dinner by having less greedy portions (they definitely weren't small, but I could have put more out, but we didn't need it)

Movement:
* Got my 10k steps yesterday with my walk
* Yoga
* My physio-ordered core exercises - back wasn't good yesterday (result of planting garlic the day before?), so have prioritised these.

Gratitudes:

* Evening class was fun, despite there only being two of us
* Am already noticing the benefits of the productivity/declutteringness
* Lovely walk in the park just as it was getting dark

Have a lovely day all!

themadvix

Afternoon all,

Haven't posted because it seems like I just repeat the same stuff over and over. Not much new to report! Work for main client is currently in a lull, but a suspicious one - we're waiting to be inundated. Spent Tuesday in Cambridge though, which was really productive and have been cracking on with reports for them. Small possibility that I may get some SE work from that direction in the future, and have been given some CPD (skills expansion) to think about - feel I need to take a leaf out of LaPlan's book and enrol myself on a course!

Did a very good use-up job on the veg and had an empty fridge until today's delivery. Sis and Niece came for dinner on Sunday evening - did a bean chilli, so nice and cheap and enjoyed by all. Last night we had curried roasted veg and dal (basically R'ford's masala carrots, but a use-it-up veg approach and a different dal recipe). There's enough left for post-pub dinner tomorrow. We may have gone for a cheeky mid-week drink at a tap room in another town last night - supposedly it's £3/pint for cask on a Wednesday, but we got there and no cask on! Was good to support the business though as it's owned by the former barman at our usual Friday haunt. Today we ticked another thing off the 40 before 40 list - eat at the local college training restaurant. So a delicious three-course meal for two and soft drinks enjoyed for £32.40. Service was what you'd expect from 16-year-olds (awkward!), but will definitely return - the food was excellent (it was on the list because it was one of those things I'd been meaning to do for ages - much like visiting the local museum!).

Have spent a few hours at the allotment since the sun returned - bean poles finally put away, one bed covered, garlic planted (may have already mentioned this). I harvested a whole 6 (French) beans from my borlottis 🙄 but also picked a courgette and the first three Brussels sprouts. Am waiting for the frost to harvest my oca (yams). Have been eyeing up some perennial veg from Incredible Vegetables for next year. Have also put my name forward for another allotment - it's being offered to the waiting list on a first-come, first-served basis as it's already full of fruit trees and bushes, so not your average allotment. I'm third in the queue (mainly because I dithered for a couple of days!), so we'll see what happens. It would keep us in fruit and jams for sure.

Have been making good use of our Library of Things - borrowed a waffle maker for the weekend (a long saga that ended with a flash of blue light and Mr MV replacing the wall socket 😬) and currently have a handheld steamy thing for cleaning windows. We've also donated a few tools, which has freed up some space and were gratefully received.

ETA: And I've finally sent of my Power of Attorney forms! Just need to hassle Mr MV now, although he did mention it the other day.

MS things:
* Clicks and HW
* YG survey
* S&S
* TV survey
* YLive surveys
* Batch cooking - the chilli did an easy dinner on Tuesday when we got in from work; the dal will do tomorrow's dinner

Movement:
* Lots of yoga (although not as much as my Garmin credits me with - I may have forgotten to end the activity after a 10 minute bedtime yoga - woke up at 2am when it asked if I'd finished yet! Trimmed the activity but it had already awarded me the November yoga badge)
*On a three day streak for steps
* A couple of good strength workouts so far this week

Gratitudes:
* Lovely to see colleagues in person on Tuesday - they're all lovely
* Sunshine! It has been soo nice (and several loads of washing done and nearly dried by it)
* A brief visit from Dad earlier for a cuppa

Have a good evening all!