A question about : MF Mission....The JHH Dream!!
Hi all,
I have been a long time lurker and had an attempt (well a few actually 
) at writing a diary before.....i some how managed to loose/mess up my previous login deets for MSE so here goes....new username and fresh start at the diary 
!
A little about the JHH household.....
DH and i are early 30's. We purchased our dream house in our dream location in March of this year 
with a current mortgage of Ј264k
I have a burning desire to be MF! 
DH not so much 
He is 'partially' on board with the idea (especially when i show him the interest ЈЈЈ we will save by paying it off early) but he also wants to enjoy life .... 'you only live once' ....and all that good stuff.
Whilst i don't inherently disagree with him, i think we can enjoy life more simply and would therefore free up the ЈЈ we dont spend enjoying life 'his way' to overpay the M.
Before we can start overpaying the paying we have a number (3 large ones!!) of costly items/things to pay for 
- namely:
Private Op for me 
(NHS waiting list ~ 3years!) = Ј8600
Garage (This was the deal with DH when we purchased the house, as it didn't have 1 ....I have tried in vain to get him to pop a couple of hundred pound shed up for his motorbike instead 
....to no Avail 
) = ~Ј14000
Bank of Mum/Dad Loan (they helped out with the depsoit so we could get better rates on a 15% LTV mortgage) = Ј21000
Total = ~Ј43,600
The Op ЈЈ (Ј8600) is currently set aside so tick in that box.
The plan is between now and next Nov (15) we need to pay for the Garage and bank of Mum and Dad back.
I am a bit of a spreadsheet geek lover and have had one for years upon years, to track everything and monitor spending etc. So hopefully, god willing and good luck prevaling - we are on course to meet the Nov 15 target 
Come December 2015 - everything we have been saving for the garage/loans etc will then be thrown at overpaying the mortgage.
My plan in the interim (i.e before Nov 2015) is to OP the M with any 'unexepected bonus type ЈЈ's ' that come our way
This includes (but not restricted to) work bonus, selling items, reducing overall household spends etc etc.
Think that is probably enough waffle for the mo - all i have to do now is crack on 
JHH x
Best answers:
- TGI Friday everyone
Yesterday's MF endeavours .....
MFW Goodness - NSD
- DH bought takeaway for dinner (only chips and curry so not too heavy on the old wallet) because i was feeling dreadful after the plethora of tablets i'm having to take pre Op next week
- Took the hounds (we have two beautiful boxer girls) on a walk midday through our local woods. It was lovely to see Autumn in full swing , which i had chance to enjoy for the first time this week as it was actually dry!
- Hi JHH
well done, I love your determination.
I would like to join this soon as I am about to take my 1st mortgage ever at age 45!
this is for a 50% shared ownership.
My goal is to pay off as much of the mortgage as possible in the next 3 to 4 years to then be able to mortgage for the rest of the 50% and then pay it all off before I retire.
I'd like to retire knowing I own my flat 'fully' (it's an expensive flat in the outskirts of london)
would you be able to either share your spreadsheet (without your personal budget of course, just its 'skeleton') or point me to some good ones on internet
I want to get hold of my spending budget properly for once in my life and keep a close eye.
Also any tips for spending as little as possible on food apart from starving LOL
PS I ride a big 1000cc motorbike and I'd love a garage for it so I agree with your hubby although I am a female I've always been a 'tom-boy' type of person - Thanks for popping by NB's driving!
Congrats on the soon to be mortgage! Scary stuff isn't it!
Happy to share my S/Sheet - will PM it over....It's very 'tailored' i.e i have tinked with it over the years to get it how i want it....not sure it would suit everyone though ...!?!
I generally have two mains ways of tracking ЈЈЈ....
I have a main tab in my s/sheet that covers the Current account pot (all bills incoming/outgoing which i mark off as the DD is paid each month ) and one that covers 'Saving's Pot - this has an abundance of mini pots (i.e holiday fund/car maintenenace etc) again where i mark off if we have spent 'x' of the holiday pot - with a running balance for each pot and then overall balance.
I then have an app for my phone where i track spends on my 'personal' allowence i give myself each month
It cost me a whole 89p i think!? but soo worth it - it's literally called 'spending' (has a brown wallet as the app on your phone) it's so easy to use/tailor and it exports into my lovely spreadsheet so i can track until my hearts content ....
I have to say i basically look at my s/sheet each day and track everything to the n'th degree ....a little sad, but it makes me happy
Re the food tips - there are far better people on this board than i at this but i have to say my latest revelations are working a treat - meal planning and Aldi!!
I was a bit of a supermarket snob before, but having been forced persuaded by a good friend to give Aldi a go, i will never go back. Don't get me wrong there are some things i won't forfeit, heinz ketchup/beans and a few other things (that i still pop to the T3sco etc for each month) - but can honest say as to the rest of it, ranging from Tuna, ricepudding, fresh fruit/veg/ etc etc - if you hadn't told me it was Aldi - i would not have known any different and it is SOOOO much cheaper
I reckon in the last 2 months (according to my current stats) with meal planning + Aldi, we have saved almost 40% month on month.
Ahh - DH has a 100cc i think - Aprillia RSV??
I do love being a pillion don't get me wrong it's just the exorbitant cost of the brick built shed i object too to house the thing in - Yesterday's MF wannabe actions
MFW Goodness - 5 x surveys completed (Screened out an awful lot more though) , but I'm getting close to being able to collect some of my hard earnt ЈЈ
- Ј28.20 from Quidc0 - Moved to the 'Ad-hoc' savings pot in my trusty spreadsheet, once we get to the required Ј500 we can make a MOP
- Spending time with family
- Enjoying some chill time this weekend in peace and quiet whilst DH is away!
- Cuddles with friends little girl tomorrow (1month old) and a cuppa
- Out for a meal with the family last night which meant ЈЈЈ. DH paid and it was only Ј60 for both of us, so pretty good actually
- BFF's dog died this week, she lived to a ripe old age of 14!! But still very sad
- Bought a new winter short coat from D3bnehams @ Ј50. In my defence I haven't bought a new winter coat for a long time and don't have a short smart one - so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it
- Lots of rambling thoughts, nothing particularly uplifting or MSE like to report though! So as my dearest mother (and may others) say, if you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say it!
- Confession time
MFW Goodness - Not alot (like an almost big fat zero!) except another few surveys completed....
- Relaxing day had by all yesterday, and by 'all', i mean me and the hounds. We had a leisurely hour + walk the woods in our village, lots of play time indoors. It looks so pretty atm in the woods ...although the slippy leaves and mud may yet be the death of me
- DH (and his not so relaxing day) did the 74mile bike ride , came home around 8pm, i fed him and then he went to bed. Ready for his early 5.30am get up to drive to Newcastle
- Bought a chaise long for the 1st guest bed - it is very pretty (have been after one for a long time) and was a bargain...but still ЈЈ spent and not very MSE
- Second hand 4 x le creuset pans bought ....
but still ЈЈ spent and not very MSE - JHH I think those are good buys
- Hump day today for me as my last working day is Thursday this week....blimey this two days has been a long two though! Not sure if this is just me...?
Plan for tomorrow/Thursday is to try and menu plan for the next two weeks
Today's MF actions....
MFW Goodness - NSD day
- 2 x Surveys completed
- Planned a new and 'slightly' improved strategy to try and pay of the bank of mum and dad debt + garage fund….
- Stressful time at work…. Multiple reasons….
- Continued incompetence from a particular dept (which is a direct result of their incompetent leader IMO ) causing a lot of pain for me and the team I'm in - on n hourly/daily basis!! The powers that be are either very short sighted and cannot see how little impact (+ive anyway) she is having for the business or they simply don't care enough!?!
- Prepping for leave……2 weeks of it currently post op, hence trying frantically to close everything off or as much as able (nigh on impossible in my role, as most, to do)…+ prepping a detailed hand doc (which I know no one is likely to read in any great detail but it makes me feel better !!)
- We still have a roof (although i have to say this was in doubt on several occasions!)
- My newly acquired, ahem, chaise longue arrived today and it looks fantastic
- Worked through a lot of the 'to do' list of things that I want/neeeeed doing before the op….i know if I don't get these completed, they will drive me mad whilst I'm sat on my proverbial a$$ for two weeks recovering/doing nothing….
- MFW Goodness
• Lots of (virtually all) NSD days over last few weeks
• Dozens of surveys completed
• Talked DH out of buying expensive sound system for the lounge
• Should have an extra ~Ј300 in the pot this month to put towards the 'paying back/saving for' funds - this is due to doing bob all but watching TV/staying in the house!
The Not So Good
• The Operation didn't go to plan and have been in surgery 3 x now - hopefully all is now right (or so they are telling me) and I can properly start to recover!!
• So unbelievably bored of sitting on my behind literally doing nothing but watching TV! I know I shouldn't moan as I'm thro the ops and on the road to recovery but I am not a natural 'sit and do nothing/watch TV person' and I'm finding it incredibly challenging!
• Menu plan an spends on food gone to pot! Too many takeaways by me and more so DH! Very much Looking forward to getting into a routine again in a few weeks and eating home cooked food!!
Blessings & Good Stuff
• Very thankful to my amazing surgeon - he's been fabulous and I am so so grateful to him
• Work for being so very understanding in my somewhat challenging circumstances
• Fab neighbours who helped with letting the hounds out whilst multiple hospital visits/stays have been necessary
• DH for sorting everything and putting up with my stressy & v grumpy face for several weeks
• Being incapacitated and not spending any ЈЈ has opened my eyes slightly that even on top of all the efforts to pay off the pots currently - I can still do more!!! - Yey you are back! Off to catch up.
- I really hope that you are feeling well again soon, take care,
Squirrel x - MFW Goodness
• Continued the LSD/NSD days over last week
• X lots of surveys completed
• Multiple Tilly tidies in the last week ~Ј5
The Not So Good
• Off work for another week+
• Still v v v v bored not being able to do much
• Eating too much!
Blessings & Good Stuff
• Caught up with a few besties Fri night and sampled a cheeky glass of wine
• On the mend! Can start getting back to normal life (slowly) soon
• Keeping focused on the MFW journey - while the temptation to shop online is v v tempting atm!!!
• Decided to have a bash at a few homemade Xmas pressies - fudge, chutney and caramelised onions - let's see how they turn out - 37 sleeps till Santa
- Forgot to add Ј23 from Јco paid
- MFW Goodness
• NSD
• Started the meal plan which takes us to the NY
The Not So Good
• The youngest hound made a great escape over one of the garden a walls earlier today (it's nearly 5ft!)!! We plan on having a garage built there so haven't done anything to it - she hasn't ever tried before but I think she must have seen a cat/pheasant by the speed she moved! Have gone for a cheap solution and placed lots of plant pots on the wall, hope this works!
• Sent DH to buy a new Xmas tree (this is of course good also but the ЈЈЈ spent classes it under naughty) from BoftheQ with my dad (he has an oap card! ) - I will pay half towards it, but tomorrow which I've classed as a spend day texhnically leaving today as NSD
Blessings & Good Stuff
• Gentle first walk with the hounds today for 20 mins - I have missed this so much! Just being in the fresh air (indeed it was fresh/crisp!) albeit briefly has made such a difference!
• Ingredients List made for homemade fudge, chutney and cleaner (lemon and vinegar) - will get all the ingredients tomorrow
• Lovely catch up and cuppa with the girlfriends last night - this has been a Tue eve ritual for years but we have all gone of piste for a few months - however allagreed to ensure we do our best, even if only for an hour!
• The village church is doing a Christmas carol service Xmas eve which DH and I are looking forward to attending - I'm not overly religious tbh but I like the reflection time when in church - although we've only been a few times since moving in earlier this year - 5 weeks today and it's Xmas Eve
- MFW Goodness
• 55p TT
• Spent Ј9 on a new pic frame from the range (this isn't the good bit tho ) which is what I went for and resisted buying other things, that even a few months ago I would have justified - was quite proud
• Not much else to report
ЈЈ Spends / The Not So Good
• Spendy 3 days!
Thu was food shopping, spent around Ј120 which includes Aldee, Tesc0 only a few Ј but couldn't find bits in Aldee and then our local farm shop. So a fairly unavoidable shop (esp as we haven't really done one, any kind for a month!) and I think we are stocked up well enough to last us through the 4 months of snow they now seem to be forecasting!
Fri - frivolous spend of Ј30 at bingo with a few friends, I am justifying this as I've done nothing and been nowhere in virtually a month! Didn't win a bean though
Today - Ј6.xx on a few white cobs (bought to make bacon sarnie at home instead of buying from sandwich shop!), lemons for the lemon tart I plan to bake tomorrow, white wine vinegar to top up my home made cleaning solution I'm giving a whirl - in the hope of getting away from the chemical based plethora of solutions I seem to have in the cupboard! And 2 x lotto tickets, with 20 x millionaires it would be rude not too! Also we are off to the cinema tonight to watch hunger games, so more ЈЈЈ. We don't v often go to the cinema (mainly because you need a second mortgage these days!) unless it's a film we really want to watch - but we have really enjoyed the hunger games so far + we can get 45% off the price with O2 priority moments
• The impending cold weather which will mean a ^^^ heating bill is inevitable - we have a smart metre though so it's far easier to keep track than at our previous house- so hoping to keep under control
Blessings & Good Stuff
• Wills have been re drafted, signed and sent back to sols - a weight of my mind now this is sorted!
• First (v steady) hour walk with the hounds today - fabulous!
• Pork belly, mash and braised cabbage for lunch Tom with lemon tart for dessert - yummy! Much more MSE than eating out!
• Lunch time visit from DF and her little man (2 year old) on Fri - I'm not overly fussed about kids in general tbh, I do love my friends little ones but I'm just not a natural - however little man is super super cute! Cheered my day right up! - MFW Goodness
• 57p TT
• NSD
• Nipped to the village to buy a tart tin this morning - couldn't find one so I've improvised with a quiche dish instead. What I realised, as I was wondering around multiple shops looking for said tart tin, is that I didn't actually want to buy one even if I'd found one because I wanted to keep my NSD….. I hope my lightbulb has been well and truly been switched on the MFW and frugal lifestyle!
The Not So Good
• Life is good in the JHH household atm
Blessings & Good Stuff
• Another steady hours walk with DH and the hounds & we managed to stay dry
• Lemon tart is baked and looks pretty good!
• Pork Belly, mash, roasties & red cabbage are all prepped and will shortly be cooking - I plan on making up the formal dining table and opening a nice bottle of red as a treat for us both (much cheaper than the Sunday lunch we would most likely have nipped out for previously!)
**edit to the above, pork belly and lemon tart suitably scarfed down - both were delicious! We also palmed off 1/2 the tart to next door in the vein hope of trying not to put weight on**
• I finished reading secret saving squirrels diary this weekend (must post on her thread) and wow - what an inspiration she is - it's really given me food for thought about the frugal, decluttering lifestyle style. TBH we don't have that much clutter anyway, our house is fairly minimalist for several reasons - 1. we moved from a 2 bed to 5 bed house this year and 2. more so because I can't stand untidiness/clutter - having said that I've already started ear marking a few things to bin/free cycle/sell, but there isn't much! I am definitely beginning to like the thought of not buying more mindless carp tho, we really do have everything we need/want already - it really seems to have resonated with me…. Long may it continue!
Another week not at work but I'm allowed to 'potter' and start getting back to normal!
Quite a few things on the 'to do' list:
1. Make Fudge, chutney and lemon curd
2. Buy printer Ink/print copy of wills
3. Clean the house: Polish, bathrooms, clean windows
4. New tyres for DH car
5. Buy Christmas cards
6. Finish meal plan until Jan 3rd - MFW Goodness
• 52p TT
• NSD
• Ј4.35 tracked with Јco
The Not So Good
• Had to buy 2 x new tyres for DH's car(from the car maintenance pot and DH paid on his card, hence keeping my NSD) but with the supposed 'worst winter in 100 years' around the corner, a necessity I think!
Blessings & Good Stuff
• Fished out some of last years Xmas pressies and plan to upcycle/redistribute them via gifting them as Xmas pressies to others, who I know will use them.
I don't want to seem ungrateful , but I rarely use the 'smellies' bought for me and they will just sit there for another few years if I don't re distribute...
• De cluttered/binned a few bits (really couldn't sell them, few old t-towels and some plastic bits!) - we really haven't got that much to go at but am going to get it down to bare bones!
• Found a few good 'named' dresses to put on FleaBay (which I will add to the list for this week) that I have been reluctant to part with previously but I know I'll favour other dresses over wearing these - so may as well sell and earn a few pennies to the pots!
I am contemplating if it's worth using FleaBay tbh, as the amount of trouble people seem to experience of late - ho hum - not sure I know of another method to use though?
• Have some toms left over after making the chutney today, so will make some Tom soup and Hm cobs on Wed for lunch as DH will be WFH
• Feeling very determined and strangely excited about embracing the MFW and frugal journey over the next ~7years
This weeks 'to do' list:
1. Make Fudge, chutney and lemon curd
2. Buy printer Ink/print copy of wills
3. Clean the house: Polish, bathrooms, windows
4. New tyres for DH car
5. Buy Christmas cards
6. Finish meal plan until Jan 3rd
7. List dresses on FleaBay
The Not So Good
Blessings
Ramblings
Very disappointed with myself today that we didn't stick to the meal plan (had been doing so well!) and snarfed a takeaway, having said that i felt so rubbish last night i didn't care at that point.
DH is away this weekend with some friends in the South downs completing a 100+ mile bike ride - rather him than me.
I hope to spend some time with a couple friends, catch up on the ironing (which is likely to bury us if i don't ) and maybe batch cook some meals in preperation for the week/or two i will be out of kitchen duties.
I've always loved cooking, however a few of my main challenges with it (in the previous house) were a small galley kitchen, no dishwasher + i like to try cooking alot of new dishes (and not repeat things week upon week) which generally means some little bit of something for a recipe i haven't got (despite having very well stocked cupboards of everything)....And i hate going to the supermarket.....
In the new house we have a lovely big kitchen, with an island and dishwasher so plenty of room to cook (and bung everything in the washer for cleaning ) and i seem to have gotten into the rhythm of meal planning for the month, doing a supermarket shop for all the odd's and sods i may not have at the beginning....then going to Aldi weekly for all my fresh items (fruit/veg/milk/cheese etc).....It seems to be working well so far apart from last nights slip up
Hope the weather stays nice for this weekend anyhow - or i will have one grumpy husband when he returns Sunday evening!
JHH x
Blessings & Good Stuff
The Not So Good
Ramblings
JHH
Blessings & Good Stuff
The Not So Good
(In my defense, if indeed there is one, dearest mum bought me a le Creuset casserole dish for a birthday present this year - i it! So i started looking at buying the pan set, which are veryyyy expensive .....anyhow as part of my relaxing afternoon yesterday i had a quick nosey to a localish antique shop and obviously it was fate wanting me to buy them....as they had 4 x pans (the volcanic colour i wanted) for Ј69!! )
The Not So Good
Blessings & Good Stuff
I need to try and plan tomorrow/Thu some sort of menu for the next couple of weeks - DH is fab but has limited culinary skills
I cooked HM lasagne earlier this week, which we had again for lunch today - plan to freeze the last few portions.
Friday is all about cleaninga and batch cooking, chilli, curry, stew and freezing- so hopefully we won't starve whilst i'm incapacitated
Failing all else though there is always cheese or beans on toast
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