Eager Elephant's Effective Everyday Excursion ...

reality_check

You are a real life angel EE...you do so much for everyone, I am sure they all appreciate it, even though I'm sure doesn't always feel like it. Glad relative has made a bit of progress xxx

Eager_Elephant

Crikey - half a month has gone since I last posted. Will be back with update but thought I would post my April results from the NST I ran:

Aim – will aim for 16. - 16 achieved

Plan – redid our budgets on 1st Mar but have just rejigged the bills budget. Our rent has reduced by £4.11pm and our council tax went up by £3pm!! – budget all fine for the next few months (or until another bill goes up)

Rest – need to definitely do this. Today was not a day to rest as I have been rushing about. – have managed to make time for myself. I count digging and tidying my allotment as relaxation and I did loads of that.

Invite – need to arrange some meet ups. Seeing my work colleague next week, she is feeling much more normal since her op. – met my work colleague for coffee and cake, she is back at work now but we have been talking about taking a day off once a month to go for coffee and cake. Also met up with my best friend.

Love – last weekend I planted loads of bulbs that we got reduced last year in our hedge border so next year they are going to look super fab. Need to finish clearing weeds and plant the rest. Need to also sort the garden out, DH needs to get mowing as the grass is very long. Plus have the allotment to keep on top of – more flower beds are being dug so will get these planted up as well. – haven’t finished the hedge border as been doing work on field and allotment. DH has mowed the lawn – well about 10 times so far this month!! Have been digging more beds on the allotment and have started to dig over the beds we have in the garden. Have also planned what I will be growing and DH will get the seedlings started this week.

mummytogirls

You have been busy in April EE!!! Definitely more rest needed though xx

Eager_Elephant

Well the update never came did it?
I had a fab time away for a girls weekend and then when I got back it has all been a bit negative and I realise that DH and I have made so many mistakes with our finances and we should be in a better position than we are.

A house with 3 acres is up for sale locally for £375k which doesn't seem that much for what you get but we wouldn't even come close to being able to get a mortgage for that amount. maybe if we had started on the housing market years ago we would be in a better position now.
Its not even like we have savings or anything, I know we have 2 children and of course the animals but I feel at 36 I should have something to show for the age I am.

I don't think it helped that I hadn't updated YNAB since 5/5 and the finances were all over the show. I have had a headache for 2 days and its not my dehydration one so can only assume it is stress.

So today I have brought YNAB up to date and feel more under control.

Back in May on the Turtles challenge I said I would pay an extra £100pm to my debt but I then opened a monthly saver instead and to make that worthwhile I feel I should put in at least £100pm so that leaves me paying £5pm to a £7k debt.

I need to have another look at my budget - I might post it up for scrutiny as never done it before.

Eager_Elephant

Turtle results for May:

Garden – will be spending loads of time in the garden getting it ready for all the vegetables we want to grow. Need to get DH to plant the seeds in the next few days. DH did not plant the seeds so while he was out one day I planted them myself and they are all coming up lovely, some have even been moved outside

2017 Goals:
Brought the house we live in under Right To Buy – on hold until DH’s job is made permanent. Checked contract and DH is only on 3mth probation so he will speak to his boss and check if he passed (assume he did otherwise he should have left surely!)
Cleared at least £3000 of debt. - £872.64 of my own debt cleared so far. – paying a small amount off each month.
Socialise more – not yet but now the weather is warming up we can have BBQ’s – Went to my friends tea party but haven’t socialised as a family yet.
Make a decent income from our smallholding. – still prepping for this. Will definitely have pigs this year but they are for us and not really to sell. – still prepping the field for this, Turkey pen should be finished in the next week.

Stretch target – unfortunately all my spare money will be spent this month as I have a weekend away with the girls. I am going to set up a s/o for £100 to one of my debts so it comes out without me having to think about it. If I do that from 1/6 then I will ‘only’ need to find £600 by Dec to have cleared £3k. – Well I set up a monthly saver instead so £100 will divert there instead. At least after a year I get my interest so could then pay that off the debt. In the mean time I need to rejig my budget which is tight and try to increase my debt payments even if its only another £5 per month.

NSD’s – will aim for 16 – Managed 15 in the end.

Savings – s/o’s come out on the 1st. – All came out as usual

Savvy_sewing

Every little helps.
My money is not as great at the moment either. I am actually £3,000 worse off than in January and today I have had a letter from housing adjusting my DD as they said my Housing Benefits have changed? First I heard!
So I need to find £51 more rent by the 15th, and my income dropped two weeks ago by £26.53p a week! Erm my accounts no longer balance.
So I will have to look seriously at mine too!!!

armchairexpert

Lovely to hear from you again on your own diary, EE! Sorry the relationship stuff has gone negative again. It sounds like the RTB scheme might work out well, though, and once you've got that place in your own name it'll really help the motivation I think. Not that you're not motivated now, but owning a place is a huge psychological boost.

Sun_Addict

You're taking steps towards your goals and being proactive in making them happen

crazy_cat_lady

Just a bit of an understanding hug :grouphug:
I always thought I'd be rich and successful by the time I was 30. I'm 40, with my gorgeous kids, my own home and a job I love - but not the luxurious life I thought I would have. I love what I do have but there are days I feel like crying because I don't even have double glazing at home etc.
You're doing brilliantly - don't give up.

parsniphead

Eager_Elephant wrote: »

Well the update never came did it?
I had a fab time away for a girls weekend and then when I got back it has all been a bit negative and I realise that DH and I have made so many mistakes with our finances and we should be in a better position than we are.

A house with 3 acres is up for sale locally for £375k which doesn't seem that much for what you get but we wouldn't even come close to being able to get a mortgage for that amount. maybe if we had started on the housing market years ago we would be in a better position now.
Its not even like we have savings or anything, I know we have 2 children and of course the animals but I feel at 36 I should have something to show for the age I am.

I don't think it helped that I hadn't updated YNAB since 5/5 and the finances were all over the show. I have had a headache for 2 days and its not my dehydration one so can only assume it is stress.

So today I have brought YNAB up to date and feel more under control.

Back in May on the Turtles challenge I said I would pay an extra £100pm to my debt but I then opened a monthly saver instead and to make that worthwhile I feel I should put in at least £100pm so that leaves me paying £5pm to a £7k debt.

I need to have another look at my budget - I might post it up for scrutiny as never done it before.

I know what you mean eager elephant. I feel the same at 46. But we have what we do and can aim for other things still cant we.

The land and house sounds gorgeous. Dont give up on your dreams.