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Progress not Perfection
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Happy Birthday month!
"Good financial planning is about not spending money on things that add no value to your life in order to have more money for the things that do". Eoin McGee1 -
Happy birthday month from here too! 🤩
🎉 MORTGAGE FREE (First time!) 30/09/2016 🎉 And now we go again…New mortgage taken 01/09/23 🏡
Balance as at 01/09/23 = £115,000.00 Balance as at 31/12/23 = £112,000.00
Balance as at 31/08/24 = £105,400.00 Balance as at 31/12/24 = £102,500.00
£100k barrier broken 1/4/25
Balance as at 31/08/25 = £ 95,450.00. Balance as at 31/12/25 = £ 91,100.00
SOA CALCULATOR (for DFW newbies): SOA Calculatorshe/her2 -
happy birthday month to Beanie and SA. It's good that your birthday Bank Holiday is at the end of the month as it keeps us celebrating for the whole month. I'm an April birthday so I often have 2 bank holidays - just saying 😀
5 -
Afternoon all and here we are back at the start of the week again.
Ran out of time to update my diary yesterday but I managed to get lots of cleaning done, did some gardening and had some time reading in my hanging chair. I also did a morning yoga/barre session in the morning from the FitOn app.
Worked in the office until late morning, WFH this afternoon.
Stopped off at Lid! on the way home. There were loads of brilliant fruit/veg boxes for £2 but I resisted temptation as there was more fruit than veg and I have plenty of fruit in stock needs using as it is without adding more.
Mr SA met me at Lid! and got his scooter stuck between a lamppost and an inconsiderately parked van at the end of our road. Despite help from local shop staff we couldn't shift his scooter. Someone thought they knew who's van it was and went to fetch him. No apologies from the man (quite elderly) who seemed to think he'd parked correctly to avoid blocking the road. Me and another woman had a right go at him pointing out that he might have left plenty of room on the road but not on the pavement. One woman told the bloke he shouldn't expect wheelchair/mobility scooter/pushchairs users to walk in the road because of him, she also reminded him there was a free public car park nearby! He didn't have a leg to stand on and stopped trying to make excuses. He moved his van forward so Mr SA could try to move but it pulled his scooter back with him. Eventually he got it free. So annoying 🤬
Monday budget check done and cc balance cleared. All the regular savers have been fed.
I need to rein in the grocery spends a bit now as have done a fair bit of stocking up over the last couple of weeks. Already halfway through the 4 week budget period. The plan for the next two weeks is to use up freezer/cupboard stocks as much as I can. I did yet another freezer audit yesterday and there's plenty of things that need using.
Today's exercise has been walking to/from work and a live strength training session at 7.15. There's a live yoga session at 8 so might join that too.
Tonight's dinner is leftover veg curry from Friday.
I get knocked down but I get up again (Chumbawamba, Tubthumping) -.literally have been run over by a bike, mobility scooter and a car - still here 💪7 -
I've just had to rescue Mr SA as he went out and his scooter broke down. He'd managed to scratch his head on a tree branch and there was blood pouring down his face so he looked a right state. Two little boys offered to help push the scooter, bless them. I managed to push it back home then went back with Mr SA's stroller so he could get back home. He says it's a flat battery but the scooter looks lopsided to me. I don't know if the damage was caused when it got stuck earlier.
in better news I've heard back from the gardener and he is hoping to come on Wednesday. There are two of them so it'll only take a day and the cost is £300 for the both of them for everything I need doing:
- Jet wash and re-sand the drive (it's a very long block paved drive)
- Trim a tree on the patio to a manageable height for me to maintain
- Trim down a bush to a manageable height
- Widen the path from the patio to the pond
- Dig up the stubborn remains of pampas grass roots
- Strengthen a structure next to the pond currently held together with random bits of wood and canes
I think £300 for that lot is very reasonable indeed.
I get knocked down but I get up again (Chumbawamba, Tubthumping) -.literally have been run over by a bike, mobility scooter and a car - still here 💪10 -
Some people are just so blooming inconsiderate.
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Lou~ Debt free Wanabe No 55 DF 03/14.**Credit card debt free 30/06/10~** MFW. Finally mortgage free O2/ 2021****
"A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of" Jane Austen in Mansfield Park.
***Fall down seven times,stand up eight*** in ~~Japanese proverb. ***Keep plodding*** Out of debt, out of danger.
One debt remaining. Home improvement loan. 13 months left.4 -
That is a really good price SA, especially if it includes the sand.
My mortgage free diary: +++ Divide by Cucumber Error. Please reinstall universe and reboot+++
GNU Mr Redo2 -
Not sure about the sand. We also need some paving bricks. I can’t imagine they’re included. I think the agreement was he’d fetch them and I reimburse him.
I get knocked down but I get up again (Chumbawamba, Tubthumping) -.literally have been run over by a bike, mobility scooter and a car - still here 💪6 -
on this occasion I really sympathise with MrSA.
Do you remember the advert where the lady walks past the badly parked car and lets her bag buckle scratch the car? I can't remember if it was for oven chips or vee w cars? I would never do it in real life but in my head I play out that scene when cars block the pavement.
2 -
Morning all.
I'm having to unexpectedly WFH today as Mr SA's scooter is out of action. I don't know whether this is a result of him getting stuck yesterday. He called the scooter place yesterday but the woman who books the repairs was off. Hopefully she'll get back to him today. I don't feel I can leave him on his own as he might try to do something daft like try to take the dog out on his walking frame. DD is working today so he'd be on his own.
Anyway I got up early and had a lovely relaxing breakfast.
I did the live yoga at 8pm last night and it was so relaxing. I'm going to make an effort to fit this in every Monday.
I didn't have the best night's sleep last night as Mr SA kept getting out of bed and staring out of the window for ages. He claimed he was looking for honey badgers 🤔 I don't know whether he was sleep walking or just confused.
The dog won't go out without the scooter so today could be interesting. However if its as hot as yesterday that won't necessarily be a bad thing. I suppose I could take Mr SA round the block in his wheelchair with her just to get them both out.
Today's exercise will be yoga, some sort of walking whether it be with the wheelchair or an online session, a lunchtime live Power Punch class and live Resistance Bands tonight.
Tonight's dinner is veggie sausages from freezer stocks, creamed cabbage and leek and roast sweet potato (all fridge stocks that need using).
Nothing money-wise happening apart from it should be a NSD.
I get knocked down but I get up again (Chumbawamba, Tubthumping) -.literally have been run over by a bike, mobility scooter and a car - still here 💪5
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