MoneyQueen’s MFW Journey and Daily Diary

Floxxie

Fantastic MQ (except for the illness)!

And especially well done on keeping on top of your expenditure which I am very rubbish at doing :rotfl:

MoneyQueen

Hi,

Thanks Floxxie and SMF2

Floxxie, just saw your signature. Well done on the £15 a day challenge...:T

I am really struggling with the £1000 in 100 days. Till now I have just saved/ earned £2.50 with a Shell Fuel Voucher. I have to complete this challenge to fund our tickets to India this year. It seems that DH's parents will be back in India by November so we would be going to India this year. Can't wait :cool:

On the financial front, August and September are going to be expensive months. Home Insurance/ Car Insurance/ Car Servicing/ MOT all have to be done soon..:eek:

MQ

Floxxie

Thanks MQ.

Just debating whether to sign up to the next one as I spend too long updating things rather than earning money :rotfl:

£1000 in 100 seems a lot but once you start it will soon be raised....

Mortgage_Reduction_Novice

Hey... just been catching up on the last few pages. Nice to see you're joining the MS brigade!!! Let me know if you need any tips, been doing it for years. Can you log on to Frontline yet? If so check out their 3 clients, the lists of store addresses are in each section. If you find one near you, email the team and then they'll contact you each time this shop is available.

Hope you're feeling better soon. While your fever is keeping you from moneymaking... it's also keeping you from moneyspending too! Overall neutral but I'm sure you'd rather not be under the weather just to be MSE!

misselvis

have just caught up with your thread and am really enjoying reading it and have been really inspired by your saving strategies. hope you are feeling better get loads of rest and drink loads of fluids

MoneyQueen

Hi Mortgage Reduction Novice and misselvis,

Thanks for the wishes and Good Luck with your challenges

Can't believe a full month has passed since I updated my diary
Again, I am providing an update for the full month

August has been an expensive month

1. Transferred £2100 to India. Have to transfer 3 grand more but GBP has gone down again in comparison to INR so will be waiting some more time
2. We booked our tickets for India. Going in first week of December and will be back just in time for Christmas. Have got a very gooddeal - £579 for two return tickets though we would have to fly on a weekday
3. Home insurance for next year is sorted - £189 - not bad as the renewal quote was £277
4. DH got his pending overtime for the previous month (But this will be counted in September's update)
5. Am spending less time on MSE now as housework had been suffering
6. Have started with MB again but not able to spend much time. Where has my motivation gone????????
7. Have decided that MS is not for me. Too much time spent for very little gain. Also DH is not really happy as most of the assignments have to be done alone. And all the burgers and pizzas were not really helping my waistline
8. Have received the last of the cashbacks from Quidco this month. Nothing pending there now :sad:
9. Went to Lush this month. I generally shop for the whole year in their January Sales but as DH has recently discovered my Lush Hand Cream, had to buy a replacement for him. Ended up spending £42:eek:. I may not need to go to Lush in the January Sales now. We will see :rolleyes:
10. DH had applied for the 9 month fee free balance transfer card. We will transfer the whole balance from his card for which the 0% rate ends in october to this new card. So we are spending all we can on that card at the moment and then will balance transfer at the end of the month.
11. We have paid the Council tax for the full year using the DH's Credit card
12. DH's Passport was about to expire so we have applied for a renewal now that we have to go to India
13. I will be 30 next month so DH has booked a Spa weekend for both of us in October :j:j:j:j:j:j:j
14. DH has got a good deal on a Dell Laptop on HUKD so he has ordered that just now (I will be counting that in update for September)
15. I had been hoping to have Savings equal Debt by the end of the year but don't think this will happen now as We may need to send another 12 grand to India in November. DH is buying his Dad's share in a plot of land they jointly owned.

And I have prepared the monthly update for August. Will post it in the next post

MoneyQueen

Update for August

Monthly Salaries = £4230.50

Mortgage

Balance = £99079.60
Interest Rate 1.29%
Monthly Payment £873.81
OP done in August £0

Savings (These are all Net Rates)

Reg Saver 4% Expires Feb 2010 Adding 25 per month = £2325
Reg Saver 4% Expires Feb 2010 Adding 25 per month = £2075
Reg Saver 4.8% Expires Mar 2010 Adding 25 per month = £825
Reg Saver 4.8% Expires Mar 2010 Adding 25 per month = £825
Reg Saver 5.6% Expires Nov 2009 Adding 500 per month = £5000
Reg Saver 5.6% Expires Nov 2009 Adding 500 per month = £4800
Reg Saver 6.4% Expires Nov 2009 Adding 250 per month = £2500
Reg Saver 6.4% Expires Nov 2009 Adding 250 per month = £2500
Reg Saver 6.4% Expires Oct 2009 Adding 250 per month = £2750
Reg Saver 6.4% Expires Dec 2009 Adding 250 per month = £2250
Reg Saver 5.8% Expires Nov 2009 adding 250 per month = £2500
Reg Saver 5.8% Expires Nov 2009 adding 250 per month = £2500
Reg Saver ISA 7% Expires April 2010 adding 300 per month = £1500
Reg Saver ISA 7% Expires April 2010 adding 300 per month = £1500
Fixed Savings 4.07% Expires Jan 2010 = £6000
Fixed Savings 3.72% Expires Jan 2010 = £8000
Fixed Savings 3.72% Expires Jan 2010 = £3200
Fixed Savings 4.08% Expires Jan 2010 = £5000
Fixed Savings 5.2% Expires Nov 2009 = £2939.61
Cash ISA Fixed 5.00% Expires July 2014 = £7218
Cash ISA Fixed 5.00% Expires July 2014 = £10589
Cash ISA Fixed 6% Expires Nov 2009 = £3655
Cash ISA Fixed 6% Expires Nov 2011 = £3644
Instant Access Savings Account 2.2% = £35.01
Instant Access Savings Account 2.2% = £35.01
Instant Access Savings Account = £1.03
Current Accounts + MB Float (This includes Moneybookers and Paypal) = £5884.74
Loose Change - £60.00
Euros - £195.98

Total Savings = £90307.38

Debts other than mortgage

Balance to be paid to a Credit Card in Jan 2010 (currently 0%) = £2622.40
Balance to be paid to a Credit Card in Oct 2009 (currently 0%) = £4415.19
Balance to be paid to a Credit Card in Jun 2010 (currently 0%) = £1480.48

Total Debts other than Mortgage = £8518.07

Mortgage + Debts – Savings = £17290.29

SOA for August

I will add the SOA at the end of the month

Monthly Household Income (after tax) = £4276.95 (£4230.50 Salaries + £46.45 Quidco Cashback)
Mobile -£19.57
Mortgage - £873.81
Transfer to Regular Savings Accounts - £3200
Council tax (Paid by 0% Credit Card) - £689.57
Telephone and Broadband - £20.05
Fuel (Paid by 0% Credit Card) - £61.76
Electricity/ Gas (Direct Debit) - £35
Food & Groceries + work Expenses - £100
Shopping + Misc (Paid by 0% Credit Card) - £910.80 (This includes flight tickets to India, some lush toiletries, home insurance, DH’s Passport Renewal Fee)
Credit Card Payment (0% Balance Transfer) - £25.00
Credit Card Payment (Purchases at 0% for 12 months) - £75.00
Credit Card Payment (Purchases at 0% for 12 months) - £46.00


Elecricity – 5 KWH/day
Gas – 7 KWH/day
Grocery Spend £100/£100

Will update my signature now

Queen-Bee_2

Hello MoneyQueen - great diary, just picked up on your use of a 0% card to pay one's Council Tax! I'll bear this in mind come next April... Very MSE. QB

MoneyQueen

Hi Queen-Bee,

Good to see you here. I read your diary at work today (in lunch time) and it is pretty impressive. Well Done!! You certainly are very organized and hard working.. And you are very regular in updating your diary. Keep up the good work!!

I have taken energy readings today. We are consuming 5 KWH/day of leccy and 7 KWH/ day of gas.

I checked the energy consumption graphs on Scottish Power website today and we are consuming less gas than the same time last year but more electricity. Can't think of any reason why that would be.

Now that mornings have been colder, DH would soon want to switch on heating for half an hour in the mornings.

I have decided to go through lots of MFW and DFW diaries this weekend for motivation and hopefully will try to be back on track.

DH has transferred balance to the new 9 month 0% card. We have till 11th October to do another without incurring any fee so have set a reminder in the work calender to do another before that.

Take care everyone

Queen-Bee_2

Hello MQ - thanks for the complements about my diary. I have spare time on my hands at the moment, and keeping it has become my latest hobby! :rotfl:

MoneyQueen wrote: »

I have decided to go through lots of MFW and DFW diaries this weekend for motivation and hopefully will try to be back on track.

I do this too, and have picked up some good tips - most of all perhaps, that the MF journey is a long (but ultimately rewarding) haul! I can't believe how much my finances have benefitted from some care and attention - or the tips I have picked up (Quidco and Topcashback for starters!!).

Even when I have more time and a 'proper' income again, I now have the knowledge to ensure that in future, every penny will be working that much harder for me!
QB