My savings diary

[Deleted User] · 5 November 2011 at 10:11AM

Well not posted in a while because things were not moving in the right direct...started new job which is great but because of getting paid monthly in arrears and pay day cut off days and a few HR errors and taking an unpaid holiday in between the two jobs, and other things I have basically been living off my savings for the last two months, and needless to say they have taken a hit.

Current long-term goal: £30,435

Goal by Xmas: £1,435...which is doeable (I think!)

The saving plan will be speeding up a bit now (at least for now), as although my new job contract is only for 6 months it's more money, and I will just have to keep my eye out for new jobs (hopefully permenant/longer term), but won't start looking until the new year now I think.

PalmerUK · 7 November 2011 at 11:32AM

Keep up the good work, its great to see how you've laid it all out, nice job.

[Deleted User] · 12 November 2011 at 7:49PM

Well, I've transfered what was in my paypal account over to my savings, got some expenses paid back (and now lodged in the bank), and a friend who owed me a few quid has also repaid me....so moving closer to my target, and I still have two pay days until my Xmas target!

Current long term goal £30,000

Xmas goal: £1,000

Once I've reached my target, which won't be until the Xmas pay comes in (will be spending a bit over the festive season when with family and friends, and I still have a birthday and a few Xmas presents to get sorted before Dec) I'll work on my next "mini" target...think I'll make it an April target to coincide with my work contract expiring (although I'm hearing that this might be extended by a few months!!), and the date when I can transfer more into my cash ISA...just need to work out a good goal (something realistic, but also that I'll need to work at to achieve!

)

ada1988 · 21 November 2011 at 10:04AM

I used to do that,but now I do really don't like doing so,it make me like one who care money more then everything.

[Deleted User] · 1 December 2011 at 9:57AM

ada1988 wrote: »

I used to do that,but now I do really don't like doing so,it make me like one who care money more then everything.

Different methods work for different people!

I have struck a nice balance between saving and spending!

[Deleted User] · 1 December 2011 at 10:00AM

Just a quick update from me!

Long term savings goal: £29,000

Xmas goal: £0

New "April goal": £2,500

I'll post a new SOA in the New Year with my current income and expenditure - and get Xmas out of the way first!

I don't think I'll be saving anything for the rest of Dec, got a lot planned (that'll probably cost a fair bit), and then need to put some spending money away for my Feb holiday! Yay!

D9

[Deleted User] · 21 December 2011 at 9:42AM

Well, a payday update, but this time only a small one as the rest of Dec and NYE is going to be expensive and it's a 5 1/2 week month - so the cash will have to go further. But I will transfer more over as the month goes on.

Long term goal: £28,550

"April target": £2,050

amazplusfeed · 30 December 2011 at 1:21PM

Maybe I'll follow all the advice above. I'm a crazy money spender. I want to save money for my life.

Thank you.

[Deleted User] · 1 January 2012 at 11:06PM

Well I survived Xmas and NY without dipping in to the savings - and with pennies to spare:

Long term savings goal: £27,700

"April target": £1,200

Also, January aim is to sell a few things on e-bay/amazon/gumtree - the aim is £200

[Deleted User] · 15 January 2012 at 4:56PM

This is my new SOA now that I have my new salary finally sorted out - looks like I will be able to save more [at least until the job contract ends in March]

Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet

Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 2
Number of cars owned.........................1 [my OH pays and runs this, so I don’t contribute]

Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 1618.82 [all my income after tax]
Partners monthly income after tax.... 625 [partners contribution to monthly bills]
Total monthly income...................... 2243.82

Monthly Expense Details
Rent.................................... ...550
Council tax............................. 173 [we pay over 10 months and are happy with this]
Electricity and gas................... 47 [we do compare all companies every 6 months]
Water rates............................. 35 [this has just gone down and we’ve received a rebate from the water company – still need to work harder on getting this down further though]
Telephone (& internet)............ 25 [the cheapest we could find]
Mobile phone............................ 2.5 [I’ve moved to PAYG as I wasn’t using the mins/texts in the package, I top up £5 every second month or so]
TV Licence.............................. 12.12
Groceries etc. ......................... 200 [includes all meals, pet food, and any other household products, usually don’t spend this much, and usually have either a take away or meal out together with the leftover once a month]
Clothing................................ 10 [very rare, usually only in the sales and for birthdays/Xmas]
Other travel............................ 15 [this is the bus to work if I’m running late or the weather’s really bad, I actually prefer to walk when I can]
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 15
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 50 [we’re self insuring, also covers worming tablets once a month, and their boarding when we’re away]
Contents insurance...................... 15 [we usually pay this once a year as it works out cheaper –includes accidental damage to the LL property]
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 25 [I buy them as and when I see things]
Haircuts................................ 15
Petrol....................................30 [my contribution to the running of the car, primarily used for OH getting to/from work, so OH covers all other expenses]
Entertainment........................... 5 [Love film subscription, which we use]
Holiday................................. 25 [mostly for visiting family, none of them live nearby]
Discretionary........................... 200 [this is how much I have budgeted for my own spends, cinema, dinners out, visiting friends, any treats etc, I mostly don’t spend this much, and what doesn’t get spend goes into savings]
Gym..................................... 25 [I do use it, but can cancel with one months notice if/when I want]
Total monthly expenses.................. 1459.62

Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income............................... 2,243.82
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 1,459.62
Amount left ................................................. 784.2 [£300 goes into a regular savings account, the rest goes into instant access until I can transfer it to the ISA in April]

My savings diary

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