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K&L's 2016 FTB deposit & round the world travel savings diary

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  • I am so glad we're not having a wedding. I am part of a group on facebook and there was one member this morning that was having an absolute wobbler about the fact that her place names for the dinner (which were kindly done as a gift by her friend.albeit not very well) were not to her liking. Like seriously. Do you not have anything better to do with your life. They are bits of fricking paper, nobody cares.

    What have weddings come to in the UK that means people have melt downs about such tiny and completely insignificant details. No wonder divorce rates are so high it that is their main focus rather than the love and union of two people. Honestly, I can't be doing with it.

    On a lighter note, I had an enjoyable cycle into work this morning while checking the safety of several building sites, was rather interesting! Should make about £25-30.

    I also got told by work that I can expect a slightly above interest pay rise and a bonus, which may be split between now and when I leave...to keep my focus... more details on that to follow.

    I've been chatting with my little sister who lives in New Zealand and it sounds like it roughly costs about the same there as it does here....which basically means we need to turbo save! Otherwise we run the risk of having to dip into our house deposit savings if we don't get jobs quickly enough.

    I've also been thinking that realistically, if we come back in 3 years and want to buy in the city then we will likely need to add a hefty amount to our deposit....but I also don't get how the average Joe brings up kids in the city here...it's so expensive £1k+ a month for daycare! Actually crazy prices.
    Save £12k in 2017 / Dec 2017 Travel Cash = £12,400 / £14,000 88.5%[/COLOR]

    House Deposit = £20,500 / £18,000:money:
  • savingwannabe
    savingwannabe Posts: 16,610
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    Glad you are focussing on having a fun wedding. You have your priorities right. Well done on pay rise. New Zealand sounds great. I didn't realise it was so expensive there though. blimey when I was at nursery it was free I don't know how parents cope. You will find a way though as you are smart.
    Aiming for a minimal spend 2022
  • Had such a lovely weekend in the sun! We went for a super long walk through the Kent countryside....it was a bit of an odd route as apparently my map skills are not as strong as I thought! We walked through some lovely orchards, through a nature reserve, over the M25 and via a garden centre for some luxury ice cream. OH's sister picked us up and we went to visit his Mum and stayed for a chinese. All in all a fantastic day, minus the sunburn!

    I'll be flying to compete at Worlds in Orlando in just under two weeks, I am quite nervous and finding it difficult to know what to expect as our coaches are keeping a lot of the details as secret to make for a big surprise next week. I am looking forward to the second half when OH and I will get to relax for a few days before flying back.

    I've treated myself to a couple of new clothes, and a new backpack mostly financed by mystery shopping. This Job Spotter app is my absolute favourite, it's a bit addictive to be honest! We're now just short of £22k saved in total, we're a bit short because the trip came out about £200 more expensive than I'd planned, luckily we'd put extra in last month so we're still on track for our round the world trip savings.

    I'll be getting a bonus from work of around £2k, of which I'll see around £1200 :mad: - this is going into the house deposit pot. Then my salary will increase by £1500 and all of this is going in my pension to try and make up for no contributions for at least 6 months next year while we're travelling. I've decided not to put this extra cash in our travel pot as there is a part of me that wants to ensure our financial future once we come back and I am confident that we can earn a bit more over the following 8 months to add a couple more weeks on the beach.
    Save £12k in 2017 / Dec 2017 Travel Cash = £12,400 / £14,000 88.5%[/COLOR]

    House Deposit = £20,500 / £18,000:money:
  • Your weekend "stroll" in Kent sounds lovely (apart from the sunburn) even if it was a little off the beaten track ;)


    Good luck with the competition and have a great time ! Well done on the bonus, even if it will be taxed you are so near your total well done !
    0% credit card £1360 & 0% Car Loan £7500 ~ paid in full JAN 2020 = NOW DEBT FREE 🤗
    House sale OCT 2022 = NOW MORTGAGE FREE 🤗
    House purchase completed FEB 2023 🥳🍾 Left work. 🤗

    Retired at 55 & now living off the equity £10k a year (until pensions start at 60 & 67).

    Previous Savings diary https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5597938/get-a-grip/p1

    Living off savings diary
    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6429003/escape-to-the-country-living-off-savings/p1
  • savingwannabe
    savingwannabe Posts: 16,610
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    Ooh how wonderful, glorious weather here and then Orlando. I know you will be competing but flippin heck it sounds great!!!!

    Don't worry about saving as you deserve to have a bit of a chillout as you are doing so well. OMG. OMG. Orlando.

    I love it when people travel as I always imagine what it will be like.

    I hope you are having a good day.
    Aiming for a minimal spend 2022
  • bobobski
    bobobski Posts: 771
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    Hi Hutchch, I've just read your diary start to latest post. Sounds like you've been through an awful lot but boy do you sound tough!!

    Well done for all the extra earnings. I tried to register for Roamler once but couldn't work out the invitation code thing - how does it work?

    Well done also for investing - I've always been too scared to make that leap but it sounds like you've done a lot of research and know what you're doing.

    I'm dead envious of your travel plans - again, I've always been too scared to do it but I know a few people who have traveled far and wide for long periods and they have such amazing stories. Traveling really broadens your mind too. And Orlando sounds amazing too - good luck!

    Re LISAs - general advice is they shouldn't replace a pension but are better than HtB ISAs for house deposit. Martin's guide on this is great.

    Big congrats on the pay rise and bonus!

    SW do you really have woolly knickers?? They sound AMAZING.
  • savingwannabe
    savingwannabe Posts: 16,610
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    No thank God I don't have woolly knickers. lol.:rotfl::rotfl:
    Aiming for a minimal spend 2022
  • Hutchch0920
    Hutchch0920 Posts: 291 Forumite
    Hello all! :wave:

    Thanks for the LISA info Bob, I'll take a look at the guide and figure out if I should switch the OH's HTB - he'll probably have it for at least another 2-3 years realistically. Where in the country are you based Bob? If you're not in my patch I'll happily refer you for Roamler.

    Just back from Orlando, I had such an awesome time. In the end the whole trip was so much more than I was expecting. I had been quite nervous about the team section but in the end I had a great time. Our team didn't do very well in the competition but for me it was more about the experience as only a handful of UK teams go each year our of the thousands that exist so it's quite a big achievement in what is likely to be my final year doing the sport....(although if I find a team in NZ I will be sorely tempted to join!)

    Over the first week we trained at a couple of different gyms, one of them was quite different from training at our home gym because it was huge, and it was also sweltering, at least 25 degrees if not hotter! As our reward we visited Universal Studios and Magic Kingdom. I enjoyed Universal but Magic Kingdom really wasn't for me...perhaps I'll enjoy it when I have kids.

    At the end of the week we watched the country team competitions. Team England walked away with Gold and Silver! A fantastic result and a really good vibe to go into our own competition with. On the Sunday we finally got to compete, in the end it wasn't any different from being at a UK competition for me, but I think others felt the pressure more. I was really pleased with my performance, I made myself proud and it was fantastic to have my fiance there supporting me. We didn't go through to day 2 but I was just happy to be there.

    In the final few days the OH and I got to hang out properly. We packed quite a lot in including visits to swim in the fresh water springs, to Cocoa Beach and to Animal Kingdom, which was superb.

    On the money front we ended up spending a little bit more than I had planned namely because we bought some accessories for the GoPro and my wedding ring! The ring was from an outlet mall in the pre-owned section - it just fit so much better than any of the new ones, at £140 for 14k white gold with .4 carats it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

    I got paid my bonus, I've put £1k in the house deposit taking that to £19k and the other £200 in the travel fund. I'll update more soon :-)
    Save £12k in 2017 / Dec 2017 Travel Cash = £12,400 / £14,000 88.5%[/COLOR]

    House Deposit = £20,500 / £18,000:money:
  • Hutchch0920
    Hutchch0920 Posts: 291 Forumite
    Woops long time no post. Not much to report really (...that seems a bit sad what have I been doing with my life?!) We've opened OH's LISA with £1 and will duly transfer in March. It was brought to my attention through the forum that because we'll be in NZ working we'll not be tax resident in the UK so essentially once the new tax year comes around we'll not be able to contribute any further funds to any of our ISAs which puts a bit of a spanner in the works.

    On Friday we went to a night market with our housemates to sample some food, we had some delicious churros and then I tucked into an amazing spicy Indian wrap...I really want to learn how to cook like that!

    We met with OH's family on Saturday in one of the local parks, played a bit of catch and then watched one of his nieces compete in an athletics tournament. OH cooked us steak for dinner as a treat. Despite all the food I've managed to lose a kilo in two weeks. I have my final cheer competition in a month and I'd like to look leaner, since it's likely to be my last one for a while, if not permanently.

    I spent some of the weekend planning our itinerary more in depth particularly checking prices on Air Asia to see how much transport would cost roughly. A plan is coming together! It will depend a lot on how much money we spend on a week to week basis, and for the more expensive activities we have budgeted separately, but it looks like we'll have about £13k in total, so could potentially travel for 5 months.
    Save £12k in 2017 / Dec 2017 Travel Cash = £12,400 / £14,000 88.5%[/COLOR]

    House Deposit = £20,500 / £18,000:money:
  • savingwannabe
    savingwannabe Posts: 16,610
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    I'm sorry you can't pay into an isa if you are travelling- are you sure about this?

    Well done on tasting the great food and also slimming down - although I don't think you need to.

    Am so envious of your travel plans it is really exciting all that travel wow. You will always have memories of this in your life, my overseas holidays are almost distant memories now but they really did change my life and open the doors of my mind!!!! (SW SIGHS BIGLY and reminisces about the good old days :beer:).
    Aiming for a minimal spend 2022
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