Brand spanking new to money saving and to my MFW diary

Penny_pauper

Update, medical situation looks like it might not be as bleak as I first thought. Docs are putting me in the 50/50 category of developing kidney failure so there is a decent chance I might have no issues at all. It'll be a bit of a waiting game to see the type of results I get from blood work over the next few years.
Returned to work last week, after mat leave. work is ok but getting 2 wee ones out the door for 8 o'clock is a nightmare:eek:.
Still on for the challenge of clearing my mortgage. At the end of the mat leave we have £1350 left in savings, owe my mum £300, car has £3700 roughly left of the loan and need £170 to clear credit card. Will get paid on the 25th but it'll be reduced wages as I've not worked a full month. However did get a big rebate (£275)from the evil BT who kept taking money off me even though we were well in credit:D.
There will be no overpayment this month but rebate will go to my mum plus a bit more to clear what I owe her. Credit card will get cleared. £350 will go to car loan. Keeping £1000 for emergencies.
June, July and August overpayments will clear car loan (hopefully) and overpaying mortgage will begin in September if it all goes to plan
PP

Penny_pauper

Ah it has all gone a bit wrong. Currently the mortgage is standing at 133936. But on the plus side, my kidneys seem to be doing ok at the moment :j

Penny_pauper

Long time since I last posted. Current state of play
Car loan of 3400 paid off :j
Emergency savings/offset pot sitting at £1100
So currently debt free but savings have taken a kicking with car loan/ 2 mat leaves almost back to back and doing up dining room (it was a desperate situation, had to be done).
Next Target £7500 in emergency/offset pot by December:eek:
PP

Penny_pauper

Hi
Have made some changes in my life. I'm now part time so much more time to spend with my babies and less stress. However a lot less money coming in. But mortgage is up for renewal in June next year so aiming to drip feed the emergency savings pot (I know a dodgy decision) and over pay by £700 so that the mortgage will be about 120k rather than 130k by the time we re-mortgage. On the reduced wage this will be tight but I think achievable. Just off to try and get cheap cash back home insurance!
pp

Penny_pauper

Hmmm best laid plans and all that. Didn't quite work out that way. I fell off the money saving wagon spectacularly without very much to show for it. I seem to have spent the last year coasting and not buying anything huge but lots of little things. £10 for this, £30 for that, and all of a sudden there isn't much to show for it at the end of the month. I am very guilty of buying for the kids. Not in the way of giving them everything they ask for (my kids know not to ask for anything in the supermarket poor souls!) but it is more if they need boots, I will buy them boots but even though I know there is a cheaper shop further away, I'll buy the more expensive ones from the shop that is conveniently only five minutes away.
I have been frittering away cash due to feeling harried and under time pressure. I think this is partly due to being a mum of two wee people and collapsing on the sofa and being lazy after a hard day looking after wee ones/working/trying to keep the house ticking over. All difficulties faced and over come so well by so many other folk on here. Not that I'd ever class my kids as difficulties just exhausting!

But no more, there isn't the buffer of money that there once was so it is time to pick myself up and start again.
Quick inventory
1 Mortgage is sitting at £127,600 roughly. Have set up an automatic overpayment of £300 to the mortgage which for some reason Barclays can't apply until March 2015.
2 Aiming to have 15 no spend days per month starting in February. As of the 19th I have had 2 but had to spend £9.72 for an x-ray at the dentist today, I could potentially have another 6 this month so aiming for that in January.
3 Currently spending £88 roughly per week on food. Aiming to be consistent at £75 before incrementally shifting down towards my target of £50 per week. I have read in amazement some of the Old School threads of people feeding four on a lot less per week but think if I aim for that I will very quickly feel it is impossible and give up again.
4 Feel much better when we have some form of savings behind us, currently we have £1640 and no debt other than mortgage so target is £6000 by the end of the year. Think for my own good I need to automate £200 to go into savings part at the start of each month and top up with anything that hasn't been spent at the end of the month.
5 Write down everything I spend. On paper we should have £500 a month available for mortgage & savings but it seems to disappear with very little to show for it. Will see if having the money already out of the account will slow down my splurges


Think that is enough for now.
PP

Penny_pauper

Going to be totally honest about my spending this time. So far today in addition to the £10 already spent, I paid £64 for car parking for our holiday which isn't until July and a further £39 to get seats on the plane together. Personally think this is a ridiculous thing to have to pay for but unfortunately don't think the other passengers would be too chuffed if I let two wee people sit on their own on the plane!
Also managed to get car insurance people to knock off £125 from the premium for both cars. I say talked them into it, I told them I was leaving, left it a couple of days and then called them back today to see if they could better the £445 policy they were offering me and funnily enough they did drop it to £345 and then finally £320 after some 'oh I don't know, that is a very good offer but do you think you could lower it a bit more?' comments from me. It annoys me that they can't just give you a decent price first quote. So it would appear that I have basically spent all the savings I made from the car insurance today!
Night
PP

Penny_pauper

No spend day number 3.

Penny_pauper

So not a no spend day. Ho hum :whistle:
Planned plumber work and new radiator fitted £170 (was essential as had a wee one more or less sleeping in an ice box)
Needed to pick up a few essentials milk, cheese, bread and a cheap and cheerful cake for friends visiting this afternoon. £7.20 . Was a nice day (apart from some interesting behaviour from my very ahem, spirited, two year old).
tomorrow won't be a no spend day as have a night out with friends. Won't be drinking though.
off to read a few diaries for inspiration.
PP

Penny_pauper

Saturday out with friends, it was a good night and as I was driving so only £10 in soft drinks over the whole night.
Sunday £40.53 weekly shopping, many yellow stickered items for the freezer should make up the bulk of meals for next two week except fresh fruit veg milk etc next week.
Also my main down fall, spent £35 on kids clothes for new vests, pants, tights and jammies for two kids as they have either grown or worn out of their own stuff.
Off for an early night, even though I didn't drink, the late night with friends/early morning with kids not a good combo!
Happy Sunday
PP

Penny_pauper

Work is so stressful. People I work with now are lovely but the expectations of the amount of work that can be completed by one person when in previous years four people had full time posts to cover what is being asked of me currently is turning me prematurely grey but equally increasing my determination to get rid of the mortgage. NSD up date
26th yay a no spend day!
27th £2 on gymnastic class for daughter number 1
28th £2 on parking but can claim back as for work. £2.75 for roll and a drink for lunch that I didn't have time to eat
Won't make my 8 NSD challenge as am out for a rare meal with my other half without kids on Saturday. Aiming for 6 now.
Snowy evening here
PP