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  • boxofpaws
    boxofpaws Posts: 753
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    Since I last posted

    Good things:j
    • Loan settlement details are here, sitting signed in an envelope, waiting to be posted back. It's like a battle of wills of who will give in and walk to the post box. The husband NEVER posts anything. He's brilliant at writing 'not at this address' on envelopes, but ALWAYS leaves them on the hall unit for me to post
    • 1 bought lunch at work. - 85p
    • even fewer coffees at work (although largely because I've been wfh because of the weather)
    • £20 expenses profit for work from other office
    • Have done another weights workout - full workout
    • Have done week 2, run 1 of c25k
    • Still eating better - although this weather does make you eat more I think
    • Had a huge clear out of the garage. We gave away/took to the tip loads of stuff, the garage is tidy and I feel somehow cleansed. We need to do the same to the rest of the house but it was a great start.
    • Stocked up on low price cat food
    • Switched energy tariff without having to switch suppliers. This is good because switching suppliers can afffect your credit score. Here's a thing, Scottish Power don't offer you their best deal from their 'best deal checker'. The best deals are on price comparison websites. I rang them to ask for the deal I could see on here, and they said I could have it if I went through the link on here and not directly. So their best deals checker is nonsense and incredibly misleading. Should this be flagged to ofgen?
    • had a day out at the seaside last sat which was nice, not too spendy
    • maybe it's the weather but there has been NO temptation to spend, and we are ahead of our budget for once!

    Bad things:exclamati:exclamati
    • Husband has had NO overtime AGAIN this week.
    • Have run out of nice prosecco. First world problems, eh?

    Spends.
    Petrol - £32.03 (get this back in expenses though)
    Lidl -£33
    B&m - £10.77
    Pet food stock up £20
    Seaside -£4 parking, £25 fish and chips (includes MIL), £2 on 2p machines.

    Saintliness = 10/10. Really happy with £95 spends (excluding work fuel) for food and entertainment spends for a full week.
    Debt Jan 2017 = £42k
    May 2022 = £15k
  • redofromstart
    redofromstart Posts: 4,062
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    Hi boxofpaws I find the difference between most of them is just the smell. I have a shamefully large collection of samples and tubes from the cheap and cheerful through to top end how much?!? and still go back to the old favourites that work for me. I am 45 and am just starting to get a few lines so using some moisturiser is essential, but the top end ones don't make enough difference to justify the cost. If you have a big M&S with a beauty section they have sample tubes open for most things, and no salesperson stood over you like at the Boots counters. HTH

    ETA Loving that saintliness score :)
  • boxofpaws
    boxofpaws Posts: 753
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    Hi boxofpaws I find the difference between most of them is just the smell. I have a shamefully large collection of samples and tubes from the cheap and cheerful through to top end how much?!? and still go back to the old favourites that work for me. I am 45 and am just starting to get a few lines so using some moisturiser is essential, but the top end ones don't make enough difference to justify the cost. If you have a big M&S with a beauty section they have sample tubes open for most things, and no salesperson stood over you like at the Boots counters. HTH

    ETA Loving that saintliness score :)

    I think it's the smell that had me suckered!

    I will definitely try the m&s stuff then. I love m&s anyway but have never tried their skincare.
    Debt Jan 2017 = £42k
    May 2022 = £15k
  • boxofpaws
    boxofpaws Posts: 753
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    Good things since I posted this morning
    • I have found the nice wine in aldi and restocked. They haven't had it in my local aldi since December, so I've stocked up when I've seen it but I had my last bottle this week. One of my treats
    • Stocked up freezer and got fresh food for the next few days


    Bad things
    • I succumbed to panic buying
    • I spent £111 in aldi. £55 of that was wine stocking up, freezer stocking up (£15) and I treated myself to a new lunch box for work ( £8). But still
    • I may, MAY have got caught speeding. Came round a curve in the road and realised I was doing 68 in a 60, started to slow down, looked up to see a camera van. I had noticed my speed and started to slow down before I saw the van, so hopefully I won't get a ticket, but you never know. If I was caught, it's only because I deserve it. It's annoying because I don't speed in general, but managed to today.
    Debt Jan 2017 = £42k
    May 2022 = £15k
  • redofromstart
    redofromstart Posts: 4,062
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    Hope you are ok on the camera van. They may give you the awareness course option which is better than points.

    The big M&S here has a proper branded beauty section - Pixi, REN, Emma Hardie, l'occitane for example. I always make a detour to have a squirt of the REN rose stuff because I love the smell. Rarely a sales person about so you can test without the hard sell of the counters, and sometimes they have baskets of samples. Have to watch yourself with the unmissable bargain gift sets every so often if you are anything like me.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,077
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    Loving the wine stash, hope Somme food went in the basket as well.

    On the moisturiser, I have used for years Johnson's baby lotion in the winter . In the summer I go for a tinted one with SPF an Olay one works for me. I would like a cream that makes neck look less old , any ideas.?

    Keep warm Paws.
  • boxofpaws
    boxofpaws Posts: 753
    First Anniversary Photogenic Name Dropper First Post
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    Hope you are ok on the camera van. They may give you the awareness course option which is better than points.

    The big M&S here has a proper branded beauty section - Pixi, REN, Emma Hardie, l'occitane for example. I always make a detour to have a squirt of the REN rose stuff because I love the smell. Rarely a sales person about so you can test without the hard sell of the counters, and sometimes they have baskets of samples. Have to watch yourself with the unmissable bargain gift sets every so often if you are anything like me.

    I stopped spending money on toiletries and makeup years ago, my 2 exceptions are Molton brown - I have shower gel for special occasions and hand wash for the downstairs loo. Expensive but it makes me feel like we're not scrimping to have it. Part of The Plan. And the other exception is perfume. I like Chanel, cristalle eau verte and no 5. So I have made a pact with myself that if I use up ALL of my old perfumes, I am allowed more Chanel. But then and only then.
    Loving the wine stash, hope Somme food went in the basket as well.

    On the moisturiser, I have used for years Johnson's baby lotion in the winter . In the summer I go for a tinted one with SPF an Olay one works for me. I would like a cream that makes neck look less old , any ideas.?

    Keep warm Paws.

    My neck is horrid so I am not in a position to advise. I think it's going downhill faster than the rest of me. :eek:
    Debt Jan 2017 = £42k
    May 2022 = £15k
  • redofromstart
    redofromstart Posts: 4,062
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    I like Molton Brown too.

    Cumbria, my neck has started to bother me lately and I really want to try this one but I am not buying face cream this year.
  • boxofpaws
    boxofpaws Posts: 753
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    Good things
    • Husband has been offered another job, a slightly different area. It would be £4K extra a year but it would be nights and weekends, so I’m torn on what he should do. I have told him to do what he wants and not let the money be a consideration (I’m not sure if I mean it though):o
    • Still on top of my expenses. In fact, have submitted today’s expenses and am still on the train:D
    • Have resisted the urge to have a holiday in May in addition to the one in June
    • Have good grounds for some wage negotiation for my new job. I’ll let you know how I get on
    • I started folding my socks at the beginning of the year, and am still doing it now!***
    • Had another big clear out session, 2 wardrobes, 11 drawers, stuff binned, charity shop or freecycled, a huge amount
    • Full upper body working last night.
    • Am considering betterware as s side hustle. There’s no one round here and it’s a village full of pensioners. Anyone done tHis?

    ***am convinced this will somehow draw wealth into my life

    Bad things
    • Sky are putting their fees up by £3.
    • am about to have another fish and chips Tuesday because I’ll be back late (will claim back my half though)

    Spends
    £59.80 Sainsbury shop (arrives tomorrow)
    £14.50 birthday friend (card and some gloves)
    £tbc fish and chips (£8?)

    Saintliness 6/10 because of fish and chip frivolity
    Debt Jan 2017 = £42k
    May 2022 = £15k
  • savingholmes
    savingholmes Posts: 27,092
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    With the DH job - I personally wouldn't want my husband working nights and weekends and wouldn't see it as worth the money as it is very restrictive and he wouldn't be around for the children or if we could afford a weekend away it would be more complicated....

    Only you can decide as a couple though...
    Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality by mid 2030
    1) MFW Nov 21 £201,999 with 237 payments to go - now £184,341 Equity 26.26% (lower post move compensated by EF) plus spent £10K+ on home improvements/emergency repairs
    2) Mortgage neutral by June 2030 AVC £8.063/£127,466 AVC target 6.32%
    3) FI Age 60 annual income target £12,500/30,000 41.66%
    Achievements: CC free since April 22. 1 year EF from Jan 24 & dedicated pot for home improvements
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