Tag Archives: covid

Mortgage Milestone!

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Even though we’ve slowed down on the extra mortgage payments temporarily, we’re still making steady progress towards its payoff. We’ve just hit another mortgage milestone with this weeks payment –  the end of Year 25! 

Our new mortgage balance is now $54,345. 

Our next milestone goal is $44,439.

I have to admit not much is happening here with me at the moment other than a lot of work! I was planning to go into the office today, first time ever on a weekend,  but will work at home instead for the morning to try and catch up a bit. Then I’m meeting an old work friend for lunch. I’m really looking forward to catching up with her, we’ve worked together on and off in different workplaces for the last 16 years and we have a lot of fun together. 

We’ll use our government vouchers for our lunch so it won’t cost much. The NSW government gave each person $100 in vouchers – two $25 ones for dining in a cafe or restaurant and two $25 ones for visiting any tourist attraction, so museums, events, theme parks. I have until the end of June to use them so I need to plan a visit somewhere in the next few weeks.  It’s been a really good strategy to get people out spending again after Covid restrictions eased up, great for small businesses as everyone loves a freebie. 

Sharing the Dignity – Its in the Bag!

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 For the last few years I’ve made up bags for the It’s in the Bag collection each November for Share the Dignity, a charity that supplies feminine hygiene products to women domestic violence and homelessness charities. Each bag has basic hygiene products, soap, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, deodorant, pads, tampons and optional gifts as well.  There are teen bags and mother& baby bags also.  Its a great charity and I had thought I might volunteer for it when I retired.

Well this year I thought why wait till I retire? Stop putting everything off till later and start doing some of those things right now. So I signed up to help collect the bags, check them and deliver them to the charities.

I’m so glad that I did! 

Its been a wonderful week seeing the generosity of women helping women. The care and attention that has gone into these bags, the beautiful notes written, the hard work of the volunteers – faith in humanity restored!  

Right now I have my bags all sorted and ready to go to my charity, possibly later this week. Its been a busy, but very enjoyable week and I’m looking forward to the next event in April.

I made up three teen bags and one womens bag this year. I’ve decided next year I’m going to focus on mother & baby & teen bags as there is a real need for those. Heres my teen bags before packing getting some love from the cat.


DD and I both celebrated our birthdays this last week. We both had the day off work and went out for lunch. Its the first time since March that we have been anywhere other than work of grocery shopping and it felt wonderfully normal to be out having a meal!   The cafes & restaurants are still limited in how many people they can have inside so it was about half the usual number of seats but they have been allowed to put some tables outside so its good to see local businesses back in action.

Time for me to go to work, only two weeks left until holidays!

How time flies!

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 Its been a busy time since I last posted. 

We celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary a few days ago. How quickly the years have gone by! It seems like not so long ago we were busy moving into this house with our children 6 & 4 years old. Painting, planting, decorating and enjoying our young family. We’d built our home with a plan to stay here and grow old, and I guess thats exactly what we’re doing. There are a lot of happy memories here and many more to come in the years ahead.

However our house and really does need a ‘makeover’. Its a bit faded and worn and theres lots of work that needs to be done before we retire. At the moment we’re still going back and forth on what can wait a bit longer and what can’t. 

I’ve been busy decluttering and have six bags ready to go to the op-shop. I’m making slow progress in the sewing room and planning on getting rid of a desk in there which will free up a lot of room. 

Other than that I’ve been doing lots of planning for next year, doing calculations and trying to work out the best options financially. I might be working in a higher paying position at work next year, I should find out this week. It will be more money but also more responsibility but its only for 12 months if I get it.

I’m excited for the end of the year. Restrictions here are easing and borders have opened up between states. Our state has had no new community cases of Covid for 15 days now and you can feel people feeling relieved and more hopeful. At work we still have restrictions until the new year. I have only seen three clients in person since March as they were urgent issues, everyone else is still via phone or telehealth. In the new year the plan is to slowly return to normal so long as numbers stay down.

DD has been unwell and I spent three hours in emergency with her yesterday with asthma. There is dust and smoke in the air at times and very changeable weather so there has been an increase in ‘thunderstorm asthma’ here. A young boy came running in having a very bad asthma attack while we were waiting which was awful to see but the staff were fantastic as they always are here. We have a great local hospital. DD is much better today and will have a few days off. She a severe asthmatic but very well controlled and diligent about her medications which is good. 

So, thats a very quick catch-up lol!  

I’m thinking of my US readers with all the worries there. Sending you good thoughts and warm wishes for the Thanksgiving holiday, stay safe xx