£67,031.92 is a frightening number indeed....

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  • Suffolk_lass
    Suffolk_lass Posts: 9,345 Forumite
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    Treadingonplaymobil wrote: »

    We want a washing up bowl (the glamour), and so I went off to browse my usual haunts - nice scandi websites, John Lewis etc - and found various options around the £25 mark, felt very pleased with myself for not contemplating the designer £48 washing up bowl, sent a few links to DH. Then had a reality check and remembered I can pick one up in Wilkos or similar for about £3 next time I'm passing, and closed all the pretty websites. Honestly, it pained me not to buy a pretty washing up bowl, but it can be a reward one day in the future for saving money - seeing my boring plain ugly £3 washing up bowl every single day will be a good reminder that I need to cut my cloth appropriately and I can buy designer washing up bowls when I have the money for it

    ...or watching your £3 bargain getting greasy and slimy and is cheap enough to replace and mentally comparing that to the unnecessary expense of a designer one that was just going to get ruined (assuming you are going to use it and not hang it up to be admired). Job's a good-un
    Save £12k in 2024 - #2 target is £5000 only £798.34 so far
    OS Grocery Challenge 2024 31.1% spent or £932.98/£3,000 annual
    I also Reverse Meal Plan on that thread and grow much of our own premium price fruit and veg, joining in on the Grow your own thread
    My Debt Free Diary Get a grip Woman
  • Treadingonplaymobil
    Treadingonplaymobil Posts: 1,895 Forumite
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    Suffolk_lass wrote: »
    We use a Gnu rail (actually 4 poles in a double ended frame on a rope-pulley) for hanging clothes on. It is brilliant for drying clothes - like this one http://www.clothesairerstore.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=22_29&products_id=97&zenid=6unjihb1253qd0uea06g853fl0 - I hang hangers on it and it sits above the boiler so it gets ambient heat from that. 10 minutes in the Tumble Dryer on to a hanger and dry overnight. - An old-fashioned but effective tool with no electricity.

    I have been offline for a couple of days - boy does your diary shift!

    I just wanted to add a well done :T for moving that MBNA balance to the 0% Barclaycard. And to suggest another thought for using your space differently.

    You mention the children's room is huge. Could that be divided in such a way that you and your husband have the bigger part and your daughter has the smaller part? - giving your current bedroom to the two boys. You can then consider a much smaller option if the boys sharing becomes an issue in the future (room divider for example). I am guessing they have the upstairs dormer at the moment. You might want an additional dormer so the split room works better, obviously you know the layout and I don't. This also means you have a couple of years to plan for this as your eldest is only nine. Having his sister share is more likely to be an issue when he starts senior school I think.
    Yes, I think if we're going to split the room we'll have to get a rear dormer window - there is currently no window at the back of the house upstairs. A the moment we are all upstairs, and both bedrooms have a dormer window at the front of the house. Good idea about splitting the big room like that though so we get a bigger room - it's definitely another one to throw into the mix!
    warby68 wrote: »
    I'm most impressed by the washing up bowl victory, seriously :)

    You 'live and breathe' a certain lifestyle aspiration and are finding it very difficult to switch that off. If I sent pics of washing up bowls to my husband at work he'd think I'd gone off my rocker lol. I know you're telling it as a funny story, but its a really telling one as well that with all you have to juggle, that sneaks in and steals quite a considerable amount of time and thought.

    But you got there in the end so this might be a small but very significant victory :):)
    You mean there are people out there who don't spend half an hour researching washing up bowls when they need one? I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you. :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
    enthusiasticsaver wrote: »
    Small victories is what makes the difference and glad the nagging in your head won over the washing up bowl.

    When you are debt free that is the time for luxuries but I would never pay £48 for a washing up bowl anyway. I went into my local John Lewis to pick up 2 new toilet brushes, they were £40 each :eek: so went next door to B and M and picked them up for £3 each and we don't have debt. I have a psychological block I think on refusing to pay what I consider to be unreasonable prices regardless of what shop they come from.

    Wonderful that the extra on minimums will make such a difference to your DFD.
    The nagging voice in my head is slowly piping up, intermittently. Not always successfully, but the more I listen, hopefully the louder it will get.
    Trying to figure out a whole new life. Trying to figure out a whole new budget.
    Divorcing, unclear on final debt total right now, but focusing on building a financial buffer zone.
  • Treadingonplaymobil
    Treadingonplaymobil Posts: 1,895 Forumite
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    Yay, just got a good work enquiry. Assuming it comes off (looks like it's going to, but it's one where I won't be paid until the day, so I never take those for granted until they arrive) it will be a couple of hundred quid for a few hours work, just before the end of the month. That will help repair the poor business account cushion a bit!
    Trying to figure out a whole new life. Trying to figure out a whole new budget.
    Divorcing, unclear on final debt total right now, but focusing on building a financial buffer zone.
  • Silver_Queen
    Silver_Queen Posts: 824 Forumite
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    Ok, I just saw the expensive washing up bowl and I never knew that a washing up bowl would be on the list of luxuries I'd quite like when I was a billionaire, but it's on there now :rotfl:

    It is a nice and pleasant-to-look-at design, but...washing up bowls get so gross, I definitely agree with Suffolk Lass, I don't think it'd be worth it!
    Debt Totals July 2019::
    [STRIKE]£350 Natwest Credit Card [/STRIKE]/ ]Now £0 (paid off and closed 04/2017) £15,500 postgrad loan from parents/ Now £7,000 £5,000 sister loan/ Now £0[STRIKE]£500 train ticket loan from parents [/STRIKE]/ Now £0 (paid off 16/02/18)[STRIKE]£2,000 Overdraft[/STRIKE] Now £0 (paid off 09/03/18) £1,967.83 Barclays 0% card Now £0     Total £7,000
  • Treadingonplaymobil
    Treadingonplaymobil Posts: 1,895 Forumite
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    Silver_Queen wrote: »
    Ok, I just saw the expensive washing up bowl and I never knew that a washing up bowl would be on the list of luxuries I'd quite like when I was a billionaire, but it's on there now :rotfl:

    It is a nice and pleasant-to-look-at design, but...washing up bowls get so gross, I definitely agree with Suffolk Lass, I don't think it'd be worth it!
    Not worth it?! :eek: Wash your mouth out! :rotfl:

    Over the coming weeks, months and years, you guys are going to get some serious entertainment if I start confessing all the expensive things I previously would have bought and (hopefully) now decide not to.
    Trying to figure out a whole new life. Trying to figure out a whole new budget.
    Divorcing, unclear on final debt total right now, but focusing on building a financial buffer zone.
  • LMG1305
    LMG1305 Posts: 179 Forumite
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    Silver_Queen wrote: »
    Ok, I just saw the expensive washing up bowl and I never knew that a washing up bowl would be on the list of luxuries I'd quite like when I was a billionaire, but it's on there now :rotfl:

    It is a nice and pleasant-to-look-at design, but...washing up bowls get so gross, I definitely agree with Suffolk Lass, I don't think it'd be worth it!

    Just stumbled across this diary & have to ask, if you were a billionaire, would you really be washing your own dishes lol x
  • System
    System Posts: 178,094 Community Admin
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    TOPM your diary is definitely one of my favourites . I love my washing up bowl , mine came from Lakeland . About £4 , and it has pink on it which is why I bought it.

    Really pleased for you on your 0% card and earlier DFD . Well done
  • Wysiwyg49
    Wysiwyg49 Posts: 210 Forumite
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    edited 7 June 2017 at 6:11PM
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    Treadingonplaymobil wrote: »
    Well, this weekly budgeting thing is a revelation. Normally at this point in the month I'd be thinking "it's fine, we've still got £60 in the entertainment kitty, loads of money' and happily spending it. Instead I'm thinking 'HOLY COW, we've spent well over our week's kitty already, now we only have £22 a week for the remaining 3 weeks of the month.' (Lots of transactions from the weekend before my genius idea to change it to weekly kitties). It's really putting into stark relief how overspending at the beginning of the month on the entertainment kitty (and the food budget, same thing applying here) is leading to overall massive overspends, as it's just not possible to spend absolutely nothing once that initial £125 or so is gone.

    Yes, this is exactly my problem too! The week after payday I'm sure I subconsciously think YAHOO and spend more - then try to eke out too little for the rest of the weeks...which might be why I went wrong with YNAB first time around. I'll try weekly amounts!

    Also, if you budget week by week, but do shopping mainly at weekends, I would try to look ahead to the next month with 5 weekends in it and try to build up a reserve in advance if possible. Otherwise that can catch you out too (speaking from bitter experience here :() (Edited: just zoomed in on your YNAB screenshot and see you have got a fifth week already - brilliant.)
    GC Feb 2019 (to 10th) £397.07/£300
  • biglass
    biglass Posts: 128 Forumite
    edited 7 June 2017 at 7:42PM
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    Hi there- poking my nose in! Why don't you get a velux window in instead of a dormer?You will save an absolute fortune,won't need an architect or planning,just a roofer, and they let in loads of light. Have a think- don't dismiss it immediately . That ,along with a simple partition wall,some plastering and paint and a bit of electric work, and you're done! :D
  • Treadingonplaymobil
    Treadingonplaymobil Posts: 1,895 Forumite
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    biglass wrote: »
    Hi there- poking my nose in! Why don't you get a velux window in instead of a dormer?You will save an absolute fortune,won't need an architect or planning,just a roofer, and they let in loads of light. Have a think- don't dismiss it immediately . That ,along with a simple partition wall,some plastering and paint and a bit of electric work, and you're done! :D
    We've considered it several times, as an interim measure. It's not the ideal option, but if it gets us an extra year or two to save up for doing a decent job on the extension, we'd do it. It's definitely one of the options on the table!
    Trying to figure out a whole new life. Trying to figure out a whole new budget.
    Divorcing, unclear on final debt total right now, but focusing on building a financial buffer zone.
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