Walking into another chapter ...

benbenandme

Well that was a shattering first week back, a very chilled weekend for me! 
Yesterday I got the £50 credit for using Beanielou's referral code when I joined Octopus Energy - if anyone is swapping to them and wants my referral code please shout - we get £50 credit each. 

So today I have booked the holiday - we're going for a 2 week cruise round the Med next summer and I can't wait! I'm already getting in a muddle with what I have added to the holiday pot and what is in the September pot, so it's just all going straight in the holiday one. So altogether it is going to cost £2110. This includes all meals, tips etc. After this we will need to pay for passports (mine is fine, ds will need to sort his) and travel insurance, wi-fi (I can manage without, ds will want this and again can sort himself), excursions - will probably sort these ourselves rather than the astronomical tour operator ones, I do want to do a tour of the Nou Camp stadium though. We aren't going for a drinks package, instead we will buy as we go on the boat. You can take a bottle on each, either a bottle of wine or spirits, so will probably take on some vodka and that will do me. Tea, coffee, juice, water etc are included too. I do have around 100euros too which we can use on a shore day. 

Grumpelstiltskin

BenBen Get the Hop on Hop off bus in Barcelona. It stops outside the Nou Camp.

You can get it near the Cruise Terminal.

I booked it online it was cheaper than paying onboard.

benbenandme

Thank you Grumpy!! x

benbenandme

... and have just seen that they are not doing the stadium tours next year as it is being redeveloped, they are doing virtual tours but that isn't really the same is it Hmm ... plenty of time to decide on other tours

benbenandme

Had one of those unexpected moments tonight that made me really happy ... ds went to the pub with his mates to watch the England game and then they were going into town for the evening. Ds appeared home after the game and said he'd been offered some extra hours at work tomorrow so decided to come home instead of going out as it would end up being a late night. Finally, after all these years, there's a glimmer of sensibility creeping in  
And as if that wasn't enough to make me happy, he then told me very proudly how he had let himself spend a tenner on the fruit machine in the pub - put in the first £1 and won £90! He bought his mates a drink, played a couple of games of pool and came back with £70 left, and said "that'll cover my new passport" ... I felt so bloody happy, my ways are rubbing off on him, he could've gone into town and blown the lot but made a good choice and has made my night

beanielou

Woohoo for DS 

benbenandme

And the rain is back  Ds has gone to work, I've seen Mum for a coffee and collected the dog for the day. Washing machine is on, bed is made, some pottering around to do, some bits to do for work, a lazy Sunday ahead for me. Hopefully some pennies to be found somewhere along the way

benbenandme

£8 withdrawn from Pinecone, added to signature

benbenandme

So there is £885 left to find to pay for the holiday, this is my new focus I am aiming to find it by the end of the year, then in the New Year I can sort travel insurance and spends. So I have a few bits and pieces that I know can go towards the fund - I have £20ish in Clubcard vouchers and there is literally nothing in the Clubcard rewards these days that interest me, so they will probably be used on food shopping and the equivalent amount transferred across. Likewise I have £116 in nectar points - these have accumulated for a couple of years now, hoping for a return of their double up promotion, but no sign of that ever coming back, so they may also be spent on food shopping and the equivalent transferred across. Other than that I will be working on prolific surveys, matched betting, interest from my savings accounts and any other unexpected bits along the way. 

Chicken is roasting in the oven, that will do dinner today and lunches tomorrow with some more chicken for the freezer. 

Sun_Addict

Your son is a real credit to you, how thoughtful of him to think about his passport rather than blow the money. Looks like he’s inherited your good luck with wins genes too 🙂