I want to be a MFW........ LP's Diary

twinklie

It's a pain when that happens isn't it. We had a similar problem for a while...drove me NUTS! Hope your starting to feel batter hon.

LilacPixie

Thank Twinklie. It is a pain but \i am sure we will get through it, we just need to focus.

earthgirl

Hi LP,

Just adding my get well wishes. I'm just trying to avoid it until september, when I'm sure I'll get it on return to school . Anyway you are doing so well to get all this stuff done when you are feeling so tired!

LilacPixie

I am feeling 200% beter than I did 10 days ago which is a bonus. I have sold some bits on ebay and made a few ££ so I am happy about that. Feel a bit sad because alot of the stuff is my youngest's baby clothes andshe is growing so so fast. We probably will have a 2rd child but not for another 4-5 years so there is no point in keeping stuff on the off chance we have another Girl. Not to mention we NEED to move before then so we are on a major decluttering mission.

My website is coming together nicely but I need better photographs for it, Hoping for a nice sunny day over the weekend so I can take advantage of some natural light. I really really need to boost online sales and therefor my income.

Queen-Bee_2

LilacPixie wrote: »

I am feeling 200% beter than I did 10 days ago which is a bonus.

Just dropped by to see how you're doing - pleased to hear you're feeling so much better. It's hard to stay motivated when you're feeling lousy so well done to you for keeping on the website and ebaying!

LilacPixie

Sorry I have been MIA. Work has been manic, worse than normal not sure why to be honest maybe I am just noticing it more because I was on Maternity leave last year. Spending this month has been variable. My oldest has a birthday in a few weeks and we are having a party at home for her. seemed a more cost effective idea at the time but its all adding up.

Website has been put to one side until I/we can finish decluttering this house. Why do kids grow so quickly?? I have a mountain of clothes to go to a charity shop because they have grown out of them

LilacPixie

OMG I have not updated this since September. :eek::eek:
Well not a huge amount has happened TBH I have been Christmas shopping since July so haven't felt that much of a dent in my finances.

Decluttering mission is still on the go as well as operation STP (Sell This Place) so I am busy making plans to get the small incidental jobs that cost very little but are offputting for a potential buyer done. Thinking of getting place valued come easter and hopefully moving on by summer. It may be wishful thinking.

I have been a bit neglectful of my survey sites and my mystery shopping so no money availible for OP plus DH has been a little free and loose with spending on things.Not enough to cause debt just enough to mean no cash availible for overpayments. our 2nd car is also being a bit of a pain and is starting to cost money so we need to consider replacing that sooner rather than later depending on the next 6 or so months.

I will be using December to look at our SOA and income. Look at our savings pattern and make some decisions. The way we seem to work is wages we pay bills/live on plus save 10% and then we put child benefit into the emergency account and let that build up for the incidental things like broken washing machines, emergancy car repairs etc but I am sure there is a better way of doing this.

LilacPixie

Right I have been suitably shamed but Weezl and the stunning amount she has paid off her mortgage in such a short period of time so its time to look at outgoings. Two things I will be concentrating on. Utilities and food/groceries.

Utilities. In the year to 20th October 2009 we were averaging 20KWh electricity and 16.8KWh gas a day. I find that to be shocking. We have a 2 bed flat admittedly it is old but windows are good so I can see no reason for out usage to be so much. It has been costing us £87 a month or 1044 a year but i have switched to a new provider who claims to be £140 a year cheaper This is a great saving but we need to reduce our usage as well.

Food.groceries. I seem to be averageing between 400 and 450 per month. This is way way too much as last winter we were down at around £220-250 a month.


As well as mortgage we have quite a heftly amount of debt. The majority is on either a low LOB card or student debt but there is a small amount on higher APR card that i am activly attacking each month.

In June 2010 my mortgage fixed rate of 5.99% ends and I revert to SVR with is 2% above 6 month LIBOR. If the LIBOR stays low then it would then make better sense to attack the low LOB card at 4.9%

Future plans - we need to sell and take on a larger house/mortgage. To do that we must be financially secure and the less debt we take over be it mortgage or unsecured debt the better I will feel.

I used to post over on DFW but to be honest where as i do want to be debt and mortgage free I am not struggling to manage my minimum commitments just need focus to get things cleared as soon as possible and i think the ultimate goal of being mortgage free helps with that.

I have £1600 in our emergency fund earning a pitiful amount of interest. I am considering throwing it all at our higher APR debt and hoping nothing breakes down.

We are also making this place good for selling hopefully come summer. It will be interesting to see what the valuation is because if we do not have enough equity to cover a deposit for a new home then we will have to stay here for a while yet.

FrankieM

Hi,
I read through your diary yesterday, after seeing you on weezls thread. Just wanted to encourage you.
we too have some debt, a managable loan and a 0% cc and then the mortgage and we are also looking to sell and need to 'finish' the house to get the best price. Though I'm happy to rent for a bit rather than buy again...
Anyway, just wanted to say good luck!

weezl74

LilacPixie wrote: »

Utilities. In the year to 20th October 2009 we were averaging 20KWh electricity and 16.8KWh gas a day. I find that to be shocking. We have a 2 bed flat admittedly it is old but windows are good so I can see no reason for out usage to be so much. It has been costing us £87 a month or 1044 a year but i have switched to a new provider who claims to be £140 a year cheaper This is a great saving but we need to reduce our usage as well.

Hi LP

How about a couple of days of recording your home energy log? Suggest you start with just electricity, take a meter reading at the start of the day, and log what you are spending the electicity on. I found this on wise geek hope it's helpful:

"The two most energy-consuming home appliances are the refrigerator and the clothes dryer. The refrigerator is always on although it consumes the most energyenergy. Though energy costs and types vary by location and type of dryer, the typical clothes dryer averages $85.00 US Dollars (USD) annually to operate. when the compressor cycles on to maintain the proper temperatures. Clothes dryers do not remain on, but when they are in use they consume a lot of
Other high-energy usage household appliances include ovens, microwaves, water heaters, automatic dishwashers and stove tops. Generally, the home appliances that are used to create heat (or in the refrigerator’s case remove heat) use the most energy. Smaller home appliances including coffee pots, toasters, and fans consume less energy overall, but the actual usage of any appliance depends greatly on its frequency of use.
You can reduce the energy usage of home appliances by using them wisely and by replacing older, out of date models with newer, energy efficient models. Because heating and cooling is a huge source of energy consumption, replacing an inefficient furnace or air conditioning unit will save the most energy and money. When purchasing new home appliances, you can compare their energy efficiency by checking the yellow tag that displays the appliance’s energy rating."


I'm sure you've done all the normal tips, but have you replaced all your lightbulbs with low energy ones?


Do you switch everything off at the wall as often as you can, rather than using standby or the machine's off switch?


Do you use the quickest, lowest temperature setting on your washing machine and completely fill it before running?


If you have a tumble dryer, can you use one of these instead?


I'll scratch my head for more things if I can think of them


Love Weezl x