Mortgage Free now aiming for FIRE

TallGirl

Morning feeling jaded but not hungover as I only had a pint of larger shandy. It was a very cheap night as I stuck to soft drinks and DG had a cheeky bottle of vodka in her bag for her to drink. It was lovely seeing friends we play golf with and the food was really good. Not sure about the diet but I did dance a lot so that was fun and good. 

Busy day today again but a meeting has been rescheduled so that is a relief I can catch up on things. I am going to finish at 4pm I have worked quite long hours this week due to travel so I think that is only fair. 

I did do my money shuffles yesterday and I feel better about my credit cards. The joint fund owes me a bit towards the main credit card so that helps too. I could not put as much as I wanted into my pension my work only allows 25% salary sacrifice so I need to find something to do with the £500 I used to pay into PB. Maybe I should just reinstate the full SS but then it annoys me when I do not win anything. Actually I think I will pay £400 into my cash ISA and then £50 into my SS ISA that I can buy shares for that would be quite exciting. 

Right back to work.

TallGirl

All set up £100 per week into my cash ISA paying just under 4.91% from mid Dec. Also paid £50 into the investment account but I could not work out how to set up a SO at that point. I have already invested £40 in Aviva and Vanguard funds so now just over £300 invested. It is not in an ISA at the moment but it is quite small.

Got my first meeting out of the way there is a chance I might actually catch up with work now that would be nice. 

Going to Lidl later a whole month of collecting for freebies lol. Meeting friend tomorrow in London at a place that does 2 for 1 cocktails. I really do not feel like drinking but we meet her at 2pm and its happy hour 4 to 7pm so limited at least. Our train back is 8pm but we can go earlier if her husband decides to join us as he is really really hard work. 

daisy_1571

Since I'm such a lovely person ill take the £300 off you each month ?  Just to save you bother you understand   😀 😸 😁 😀 

Daisy xxx 

LadyWithAPlan

Sounds like you busy over here. I also am woefully behind on my xmas shopping. I am also aware of having too much stuff and contributing to my family having too much stuff... However I do like treating people but my YNAB is shrieking 'you have been pulling money out your xmas pot all year, what do you expect'!

When I dont know what to do wirh excess savings I split it between the options. I am also reducing my PBs as  2nd year in a row I am not winning enough  as per the market interest rate even with me being taxed on interest income.
Your night out and dancing (with secret vodka) sounds fun

badmemory

My PBs did great last year but not too great this year.  I am still just about evens with most interest rates although not the really good ones.  It is still better odds than the lottery or the pools.

TallGirl

Thanks Daisy, LWAP and Badmemories I alway enjoy reading comments on my diary and some really good thoughts there about PBS and savings. 

My mum was happy to go with no presents this year or minimal but my Christmas mad sister less so. They should all have Christmas lists so it should be easy or they got money. I only spoke to her late last night so nothing done this weekend. Well the nothing done this weekend was closely related to drinking 2 for 1 cocktails Saturday and ending up with a cancelled train and not feeling great on the way back. We had to get an Uber but at least have reclaimed for the tickets and my work trip last Monday. Actually it was quite good to have the Uber as neither of us would have wanted to walk up our hill. It was lovely to see our friend and her cute dog. Our share came to £120 incl food so quite a cheap night for London. 

Sunday we did nothing which I actually have I really do not do hangovers. We are due to have some friends pop in on Saturday who live in Australia and then in the evening our neighbours. The ones of Aus are ok as they will just stay for an hour or so and no drinking its the evening lot we really want to cancel. I cannot see how we will get everything done if we don't cancel. Maybe it will be a relief to them too. I have really found it a lot to travel 3 days on the trains in one week. Even if all the trips were really good and the people I saw amazing. 

Anyway onwards and upwards there is money in the savings pots to buy presents and I am going to try not to go mad. My mum might be ok about not buying too much this year lets see. I am sure it will be fine most things can be got online and I can get some in Denmark posted straight to my sisters. If not we are over there on the 21st so time on the 2nd to shop as they do not have restricted opening hours on Sundays and I want to go to the area we are looking to move to anyway.  

I have got quite a few meetings booked today so as usual I best crack on after I have made my slimfast. 

TallGirl

So I started Christmas shopping yesterday and got my BIL sorted just need some creme eggs to go with it. That is one down out of 5. 

I also got turned down for one of the reclaim claims it was 14 min late not heard about the longer one. I have also had my expenses approved £34 to me. We are said we will attend a dinner in London in January with the Danish Association. DG thinks it is a good business opportunity and I think it could be nice to meet other danes anyway. We might have to stay over or go and see DGs friends in Herts. 

The Danish estate agent who I went to see the house with the private beach with has been in touch he is happy for us to view the house again between Christmas and new year. I wanted to show DG the area so that is perfect. Yes it is too soon but then again is it? Sometimes you just have to go with things but it has to be the right house and there are things I am not keen on one being that it is so dark will be interesting to see it in Winter. DG is obsessed with having a pool bar again and I am fine with that. However there is no obviously place for it inside so she wants to make the lounge dual purpose which I am not keen on. 

Annoyingly we both forgot to have the recycling bin out and I woke up to the binmen and then it was too late. It is almost full and we all the Amazon stuff it is only getting worse. Now it wont get emptied until the 24th but as we leave on the 20th it could be worse. Got a meeting with some managers today that I am suppose to be prepared for. Well I am not as my manager has been on leave. We shall see how it goes still behind nothing has changed there. 

QueenJess

I’d say there is no such thing as the perfect time, just see what happens

Also, creme eggs for Xmas?

TallGirl

Thanks QueenJess I have stopped worrying about it we are only going to see it and we do not have to buy it just because it's the second viewing. I just think Dg will be so set on a space to have an entertainment room so will forget I gave up on my ensuite and utility room here. Luckily all houses in Denmark has utility rooms so that one is easy they just do not have ensuites so you have to do that in older houses they just tend to have 1 bathroom and you are lucky if there is a second toilet. 

The creme eggs is because my BIL and nephew loves them so so much. My sister used to like them (she started all of this) but less less keen now. One year we found them just before Christmas in Macro where we have a trade card and last year when it changed to Bookers they did get them in. I am hoping for the same this year but this weekend is our last chance to get them. I usually give 2 boxes to my nephew as his birthday present and 1 box to BIL. yes there are 48 in each box.

Gym was really hard yesterday DG did not go but I did go and I am glad I did. We are going to a Christmas spin tonight its meant to be fancy dress but we are taking some Danish nisser and have our alice bands from Turkey and Tinsel (£8 each so need to get lots of use out of them). 

Just ordered a few more presents on Amazon starting to get there also got some gift bags so it is easy to do it when we get there. 

So many meetings today so will be busy but hopefully get a bit more xmas stuff done this evening after spin. 



 

TallGirl

Great news I got £42 back from the cancelled train on Saturday so that more than pays for £22 Uber! Happy Days!