Cheery's buttling diary: tea in one hand, plant pot in the other, running shoes on

Cheery_Daff
Cheery_Daff Posts: 15,683 Forumite
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in Debt free diaries
<sneaks in hoping nobody will notice>

Hi all :wave:

Goodness me, it's been ever such a long time since I've been here! :o It seems I disappeared without a trace almost two whole years ago, and then life got in the way, and you know what it's like when you've been gone for so long, it's quite hard to come back... :o

In fact, it's been so long since I went that maybe nobody even remembers I was here in the first place :eek: If you feel the need to delve into my history the latest (not-very-up-to-date) version is here, and the one before that is here.

Anyway, I'm back again now and if I disappear again I promise I shall leave a note explaining myself :D

I've decided to come back for two reasons:

(1) I'm not in debt, but I'm also not-quite-as-much-in-control-as-I'd-like :rotfl: I've FINALLY combined finances with Mr Daffs (after 8 years) and there's lots of messing around related to that to be done

(2) I've just spent a cheery couple of hours reading back through my old diaries (how very sad :o ) and remembering JUST HOW CHEERFUL it was in the old days of hanging round here :j

I confess I'm a tiny bit daunted about coming back - one of the reasons I vanished was because I was spending FAR too much time on the internet and I'm wary of doing that again... :o But for now I've decided there's plenty of other things to worry about without bothering my little head about that one :rotfl:

Ooh, I should probably explain the 'buttling' in my title :D It's a word I invented (although I suspect other people have invented it before me). It's kind of what butlers do, you see - they buttle - make tea and open doors and tidy up, and generally buttle around getting on with little things :D

And while I don't intend to put on a suit and act like Jeeves any time soon (although actually come to think of it, he was a valet, not a butler), i LOVE using the word and spend much of every day buttling around doing all kinds of cheerful activities :D

Suppose I'd best do something like talking about money now... :rotfl:
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Comments

  • Cheery_Daff
    Cheery_Daff Posts: 15,683 Forumite
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    :rotfl: my ancient signature is still there, oh dear! :rotfl:

    So I'll waffle on about money, before I forget why I'm here and start waffling about all manner of other stuff instead :p

    Current situation - work
    When I was last here I'd been working full time for a year - I did that for another year then decided I'd had enough and dropped down to four days a week. It was the BEST thing I ever did and I ADORE having Fridays off :jI only lost about £300 a month in wages and I fill my Fridays with all manner of visiting, tea drinking, cake eating, running, voluntary work and cheerfulness :j

    A few months ago my fixed term contract ran out and they made me permanent :T So I am now 'stuck' in a job that I love, with cheerful people and a decent wage. Can't complain really! :p

    I still commute to another city two days a week though, and work the other two days at home.

    Money
    Patchwork fund is still in existence :jIt got built up to about £6000, then I spent £2000 on a new flute :eek: When I dropped down to four days I stopped adding to it, and slowly it got picked away at... I stopped worrying too much once they made me permanent (it was meant to fund me when my contract ended, after all) and it's now down to about £2600 :o

    HOWEVER - just this month I have FINALLY got round to merging finances with Mr Cheery :o It's only taken us 8 years... :rotfl:We actually have a joint account and everything, which I've never done before, all very scary :eek:

    I did cash envelopes for a while, then I didn't, and now things have got so out of hand that I just fritter in dribs and drabs and the last couple of months have had to transfer money from the patchwork fund to stop myself going overdrawn :eek: This really is NOT NECESSARY!!

    I am custodian of our joint finances now, including savings, and I need to do it responsibly! :p Hence why I'm back here :rotfl:

    Other stuff
    Er, not really sure what other stuff to tell you about! I'm doing lots of running, which is cheerful :D My focuses (foci?!) for the year are running and gardening - I'm trying to keep track of everything I grow and how much I would have spent if I'd bought it in the shops :D We'll see how long that lasts - I am not known for my green fingers... :rotfl:

    Er, I think that's probably it for now! Very much looking forward to being back and pottering about with you all again :j
  • Cheery_Daff
    Cheery_Daff Posts: 15,683 Forumite
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    Oh!! I know what I forgot - a BUDGET!!! :o:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

    I do have one, honest, a shiny new joint one and everything! :D

    Monthly direct debits
    £150 gas and electric :eek:
    £35 BT
    £25 internet
    £50 water
    £116 council tax
    £140 mortgage
    £60 mobiles
    £7 web provider thingy
    £12 national insurance
    £20 union
    £3 wildlife trust

    TOTAL = £618

    Other monthly spends
    £120 food
    £30 treats
    £200 my spends
    £200 Mr Cheery spends
    £200 work travel
    £50 diesel

    TOTAL = £800

    Savings
    £80 Car (MOT, RAC, insurance, tax)
    £40 annual bills (TV licence, house insurance)
    £100 house repairs
    £100 holidays
    £100 weekends away
    £50 long term savings

    TOTAL = 470

    Overall total = £1888

    That's our minimum income between us - Mr Cheery's income is quite variable so anything extra will go into long term savings (or house repairs, if anything is in imminent danger of falling off :rotfl:)

    Currently don't have anything in any of those pots except the long term savings, and I'm not even sure how much is in there as it's spread over three different bank accounts :o Can you see why I needed to come back here?! :o:rotfl:

    I've probably waffled enough to myself, but I'm going to use this little diary for a few things:

    (1) keep track of what I'm spending, can't be faffed with a paper spending diary any more!
    (2) keep track of the merge of all the bank accounts, and what I need to do to change direct debits over. Hopefully all completed by the end of Feb!
    (3) keep my head a little bit more focused on money than it has been of late... :o

    And now I should probably get off the internet before I end up here all day, like in the old days!! :eek::eek:

    (thanks for having me back :D ) xxx
  • rtandon27
    rtandon27 Posts: 4,529 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post Photogenic First Anniversary
    Welcome Back!!!!!:j:j:j

    XOX
    RT
    4 YEARS 10 MONTHS DEBT FREE!!! (24 OCT 2016)
    (With heartfelt thanks to those who have gone before us & their indubitable generosity.)
    ...and now I have a mortgage! (23 AUG 2021)
    17 YEARS 4 MONTHS LEFT OF 20 YEARS
  • maddiemay
    maddiemay Posts: 4,983 Forumite
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    :hello: I was a silent lurker on your old diary, good to see you back again. I cannot play a note on any instrument and I don't run, but enjoyed reading of your expolits. Garden and cake and tea do appeal very much to me though:D Love the idea of buttling, my word is pootling, sort of bumbling around doing a bit of this or a bit of that as the mood takes me - the greatest joy of having done my 45 years with nose to grindstone and now being able to totally please myself:j

    P.S. I appreciate how lucky I was to have just slipped through the net so to speak before the retirement age was changed, not so great for all you younger ones.:(
    The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time. (Abraham Lincoln)
  • Buffythedebtslayer
    Buffythedebtslayer Posts: 18,921 Forumite
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    I remember you:) from a challenge or maybe your diary? Patchwork fund, I remember that:) Lovely idea


    welcome back SO good you aren't in debt :)


    Love Buffy xx
    Nevertheless she persisted.
  • Karmacat
    Karmacat Posts: 39,460 Forumite
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    Found your new diary! And its right there right away, something I really missed - your multicoloured posts!

    From the shrieky face, I think you've guessed thats a lot to pay for gas and elec :rotfl: the water's probably quite high too though, Cheery ... there's only one of me, but I pay £12 a month, with a water meter ... assume you use more than me and you might still save £15-£20 a month :D

    The prospect of all that tea and cake to come is brilliant :j
    2023: the year I get to buy a car
  • Pippilongstocking
    Pippilongstocking Posts: 16,336 Forumite
    YAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYYAYAYYAYYAYYAYYAY

    You're back :)

    Welcome back to the dark side :)

    Hugs and snugs!

    Off to catch up.
    Total debt 26/4/18 <£1925 we were getting there. :beer:
    Total debt as of 28/4/19 £7867.38:eek:
    minus 112.06 = £7755.32:money:
    :money:Sleeves up folks.:money:
  • Cheery_Daff
    Cheery_Daff Posts: 15,683 Forumite
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    Hello you lovely lot, and thank you SO much for a lovely welcome :):)

    Maddiemay I potter too :D Such a lovely word :):) (as for retirement - I refuse to think about it for at least another 20 years unless I am in a position to actually retire before then) :p

    Buffy, I do feel a bit of a fraud in here without being in debt :o but I was before, honest, and I don't want to be again, so I'm counting this as debt avoidance :D

    :wave: rtandon, lovely to see you :)

    Yep KC, tis indeed a lot to pay :eek: Possibly understandable though - it's a 100% green tariff, so a bit more expensive than otherwise, the boiler is absolutely ancient and not awfully efficient (but no point replacing til it actually dies). Also we both work at home a lot of the time, and often keep fairly different hours, so the heating is often on from morning til 2 or 3am :eek:

    Still, rest assured that I will indeed be investigating and reducing all those bills! :j (although priority is to merge all the accounts, don't want to get ahead of myself!) :rotfl:

    Oh it *is* good to be back and hanging around with you all!! :j:j
  • Cheery_Daff
    Cheery_Daff Posts: 15,683 Forumite
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    Oh and Pippi! You sneaked in there too! :j :j

    How very cheerful :D
  • Greying_Pilgrim
    Greying_Pilgrim Posts: 5,413 Forumite
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    YAY!! Cheery's back :j

    Lovely to *see* you Cheery - looking forward to tea, cake, sewing, crafts, WI and general cheerfulness :D

    Greying
    Pounds for Panes £2,590/£10,000 - start date Dec 2023

    Coins for Camping (April) -  £2/£15  (Camping TTD - £60/90)
     
    Grocery spend April £120.73/215
    Non-food household spend April £25.94/25
    Bulk Fund April 0/£10

    Charity Blankets completed 1/24
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