Get a grip woman!

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  • Karmacat
    Karmacat Posts: 39,460 Forumite
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    Wow! Brilliant, just brilliant, I love that :)
    2023: the year I get to buy a car
  • Suffolk_lass
    Suffolk_lass Posts: 9,345 Forumite
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    Time for a bit of an update! We have returned from a week in a rented house in the Scottish Highlands (it was great) and a few days at my Mum's, doing a few jobs at her house in Ayrshire. Yesterday we had to clean throughout (Son had been staying here, cat-sitting) and do a mountain of washing, and restock the fridge and freezer. I wouldn't have it any other way but I look forward to him learning how to wipe surfaces and clean toilets before he is 30 (I live in hope, he will be 25 next month!).

    The good things
    • I nudged Flow about the paperwork for our new tariff and they re-sent it. It is a non-published deal for people coming off their Connect 6 tariff which is actually better than the new customer deals on offer. I like that a lot (I have loyalty tendencies)
    • My Mum has completed her cardiac rehabilitation course. It is almost five months since her heart attack and emergency surgery and she continues to get stronger and is back driving her pals around and walking to and from Church
    • Everything in the garden is growing. I refer to the onions, potatoes and strawberries that we put in before going away, and the trees are full of blossom. Lots of weeds too but we won't talk about those!
    • I came off my 8-week low blood sugar diet but I did not go mad and I am less than 3 pounds heavier on my scales, after my holiday.

    I will get back to no carbs and low sugar after Easter weekend but I am eating a bit this weekend - I had a butcher's sausage roll for lunch yesterday, a small piece of bread with salad last night and a small Snickers in the evening so 3 cheats yesterday! I plan a hot cross bun with my coffee when I have finished this too!

    Less good things
    • Despite being short of funds this month (Husband's credit-card bill is almost a thousand on 22nd, and we will clear in full), I spend £30 extra in the SM yesterday (5 jars of my coffee-brand, on offer for £4 instead of £6.95 each) plus a bottle of Prosecco for £5 and three bottles of Aspall's PC Cider for £5 - and bought a humungous shoulder of lamb for £18 for Easter in the Butcher's. It will be lovely but very extravagant.
    • I had to use our bills account to pay for the shopping as we are down to about £65 in the running costs (living expenses) account. This means I will not be overpaying the mortgage this month for the second month running.
    • We plan to use my Husband's DC pension pot to pay down our mortgage and forgot to phone the fund-holder yesterday to enquire about taking the 25% tax-free lump sum this year. I want to understand if this freezes the residual pot or constrains us in any way and I wanted to check with HMRC regarding how to declare this on his SA tax return.
    • Having been away for almost a fortnight I have done very little account-tidying and so our savings are down this month too.
    • I don't want to go back to work on Tuesday. This sounds flippant but I am just not enjoying work at the moment and that is really important to make the time pass with value. I need to look at moving job. Seriously look, rather than talk about it and just have an escape plan that I don't actually put into action.

    Time to have that coffee before I go and clean out my greenhouse :eek: and get some seeds planted for other vegetables. If the wind drops I shall weed the beds with gooseberry bushes in, but that might be tomorrow...:o
    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
  • Suffolk_lass
    Suffolk_lass Posts: 9,345 Forumite
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    edited 15 April 2017 at 9:08AM
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    April 17 mid-month update:

    Debts

    £[STRIKE]110,621[/STRIKE] £105,830 (£4,791 paid so far) - Mortgage
    [STRIKE]£3,476[/STRIKE] £3,076 (£400)- DH's car (payment on 22nd)
    [STRIKE]£8,755.54[/STRIKE] £7,561.62 (£1193.92) - Barclays Finance for double glazing

    Total [STRIKE]£122,852.54[/STRIKE] £116,467.62 - that is £6,384.92 so far



    £8448.27 (aiming for £10,000) Emergency fund today -£1551.73
    £12,226.24 S&S ISA with Fidelity International (original £10,000 4 years ago, no further capital added)
    £5,247.88 DH's S&S ISA with Charles Stanley Direct
    £3,113.08 2 year Bond with Skipton BS @ 4% Finishes in early 2018
    £10,947.52 7 year bond with Skipton BS - matures Oct 20
    [STRIKE]£38,630.43[/STRIKE] £40,138.88 Total actual cashable savings

    Shortfall -£76,328.74 (all debts)

    I have updated the shortfall to reflect the actual, against all our debts, rather than just the mortgage shortfall.

    We have had DH's DC Pension annual statement and it is almost £68,000. This is good growth (about £10k) in the last year. We are considering withdrawing the permissible 25% tax free lump sum to pay down the mortgage and reduce the interest we will pay in 2017 (we paid £1050 in 2016 despite a rate of 0.74%).

    It feels a bit disappointing this month so far, with most things paid and almost nothing left in our accounts except planned payments. I suppose it goes like that.
    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
  • Suffolk_lass
    Suffolk_lass Posts: 9,345 Forumite
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    Oh my. We had to buy a new lawnmower today.

    The good news is I took out a trial subscription to Which and we bought the top recommendation for £30 less than they said we could get it for.

    The bad news is that my credit card statement date is 16th so it will go in May.
    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
  • Suffolk_lass
    Suffolk_lass Posts: 9,345 Forumite
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    I lucked out re the CC statement. The lawnmower will be in the June bill so a bit of financial smoothing will be possible in May.

    This month's CC bill is just over £600 rather than £1100 (phew!) and will be cleared in full.

    I have just reviewed my statement and there are some extravagances in there...
    • £63 A new summer duvet and cover from my favourite Dep't Store - it was from the economy range and the old one has replaced the thick hot one at my Mum's house
    • £245.30 for two new waterproof jackets - both needed but did we need Berghaus?
    • £78.87 at the garden centre - my word it mounts up. This is an area of indulgent weakness for me. I must get a grip!
    Other than these I bought a few items of work clothes (used some of my birthday money) and bought flowers that will be reimbursed by others on our holiday, and some fuel (I was anxious not to go OD on the running costs account) - all of which I can forgive.

    I'm also back on the low-carb, low-sugar regime now, aiming for the next half-stone marker, hopefully by July. I must keep an eye on some of my wardrobe or I will pass through some clothes without wearing them. I intend getting shot of clothes that are two sizes too big from now on (my wardrobe has 6 sizes, not 5, as I originally feared). In my sane moments I can see where our money went.
    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
  • Bobarella
    Bobarella Posts: 10,824 Forumite
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    Great news, I love reading your big updates :)
    " Your vibe attracts your tribe":D

    Debt neutral :) 27/03/17 from £40k:eek: in the hole 2012.
    Roadkill 17 £56.58 2016-£62.28 2015- £84.20)
    RYSAW17 £1900 2016 £2,535.16 2015 £1027.20
  • Karmacat
    Karmacat Posts: 39,460 Forumite
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    No you didn't need Berghaus ... but you wanted them, and I know MrMoney Mustache would disagree, but since you can pay it off from income, and your spending diary has told you you're being a bit enthusiastic, why not? Quality will keep, it always does.

    I have to tell you ... if I bought plants worth £78 or so, I'd *never* plant them in time for them not to die :o good luck!
    2023: the year I get to buy a car
  • Suffolk_lass
    Suffolk_lass Posts: 9,345 Forumite
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    Karmacat wrote: »

    I have to tell you ... if I bought plants worth £78 or so, I'd *never* plant them in time for them not to die :o good luck!

    You know what? that sounds so much like me! We did buy all the plants for the pots and hanging baskets, plus lots of tomato compost (I like to grow at least five different tomatoes as they mature at different rates and I have two "window-box" like tubs that take 3 each so lots of compost).

    I tried to be stingy one year and ended up with blight - I forgot they were the same as the potato family and planted them outside the greenhouse instead of in fresh compost. Never again!

    I also indulged myself with a pot of sorrel - I have never succeeded with it so let's see how it goes
    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
  • Karmacat
    Karmacat Posts: 39,460 Forumite
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    Oooh sorrel! Mine has gone native, and as well as becoming two other plants in the border, has spread into the grass too (I may have let it go to seed ... twice).
    2023: the year I get to buy a car
  • Suffolk_lass
    Suffolk_lass Posts: 9,345 Forumite
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    Karmacat wrote: »
    Oooh sorrel! Mine has gone native, and as well as becoming two other plants in the border, has spread into the grass too (I may have let it go to seed ... twice).

    Ah now, for growing in the lawn we have lots of oregano. It seems to move around one particular area and gets cut, along with the grass!
    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
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