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greent's mfw journey

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  • Supporting charities via CAF or Gift Aid works well btw, we always feel we have saved quite a bit that way when we do the returns 
  • greent
    greent Posts: 10,787 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Yes, you are right about the saving on personal tax and national insurance for salary sacrifice. I believe you can also use it around the £50k threshold to continue to be entitled to claim Child Benefit, which is based on pay. Not sure what Dennis has done here yet. We have delayed building the new greenhouse though...

    Edit to add, Storm Dennis has lifted the cast iron register plate in the chimney above the aga - got a layer of sooty debris all over the top. Not sure it the arch will return to normal after the winds stop (still very windy here this morning) but even if it does, it is no longer fixed by mortar so that is really a much bigger job for the summer, even if we can make a temporary repair now
    DH is sadly/ nicely (depending upon how you look at it!!) too far over the 50-60k mark to keep CB - although I(we) will claim it for the next tax year to ensure I get full credit towards state pension, in case I don't pay enough NI and repay it. After that DS3 will be 12, so I won't get any benefit (rules changed, age dropped from 16 to 12, sadly)

    Doesn't sound good about your register plate :(  Definitely wise to delay building the greenhouse!! :)
    I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul
    Repaid mtge early (orig 11/25) 01/09 £124616 01/11 £89873 01/13 £52546 01/15 £12133 07/15 £NIL
    Net sales 2024: £20
  • greent
    greent Posts: 10,787 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Sorry to hear your sad news. Hope all the arrangements go well.
    money situation sounds good, well done 
    Supporting charities via CAF or Gift Aid works well btw, we always feel we have saved quite a bit that way when we do the returns 

    Thanks, brizzle - it all went well on Monday :)

    YEs - I like GAid on tax returns - between us we normally have quite a decent amount to put on there - although it's all going to be in DH's name now :)


    So the funeral was Monday - lovely to see lots of family, even in those circumstances. People seemed to like the coffin choice and loved the flowers I'd bought, too (went for lots of hand tied posies and loose flowers all piled up on top of the (flowery design) coffin - we placed them on at the end when saying 'bye' - was very effective and the flowers could be burned with her - most formal arrangements can't because of the wire/ plastic  with them. Plus she loved flowers and I chose lots of different ones, including lots of Spring ones in all sorts of colours :)

    Still need to finish probate forms..... a job for next week now, maybe.

    Flooding in Gloucestershire.... there's a low alert for only a couple of streets away and 'proper' flooding sadly only a couple of miles away - a rest centre has been set up in the city centre for those affected :(:(  Lots of closed roads. DH has been working from home this week as a result - his route to work was impossible Mon/ Tues and only possible via one road today but it seems silly to go there unnecessarily when that route would have got crazily busy.

    Pondering remortgaging the BTL and making it be a repayment mtge as opposed to the current IO that it is. No major rush, though. Plenty of other things on my to-do list ahead of that!! :)
    I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul
    Repaid mtge early (orig 11/25) 01/09 £124616 01/11 £89873 01/13 £52546 01/15 £12133 07/15 £NIL
    Net sales 2024: £20
  • greent
    greent Posts: 10,787 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Whoops - just lost a post!
    So half term has been a washout weather wise, but the boys have been (mostly) very good and have also done some tidying/ clearing in their bedrooms (not finished yet!) and a good amount of stuff has been sorted to leave - some binned/ recycled, some for CS, some for shoebox appeal and some for attempting to sell. DS2 (14) is still resisting making his bedroom more 'grown up', so we'll perhaps re-visit that in the Summer hols, ready for him to start Y10.

    Have opened a SIPP for both DH and myself and transferred our (small) NEST pensions in - so that's a job ticked off :) Have also sent company accounts stuff to accountant this week for final set of accounts and to close the business - any remaining funds will go into my SIPP as an employer contribution, thus reducing corp tax for the business :)  I am determined to get a handle on our retirement situation! :) 

    We were in the fortunate position this morning to still have around £600 in the current account, with only a week until payday, no bills go out and only food and fuel to pay for. I have therefore transferred £150 to the 'slush fund' and made a £15 OP to the mtge :) I may also pay my CC bill early (around £160, from memory) Should there still be anything unspent by Fri next week I may split it between hol fund/ slush fund/ OP. Not entirely sure why we have this amount left (I'd already transferred around 60% of the council tax usual pymt, so it's not just that!) but I'm not complaining!! (and the slush fund can always be raided if I've miscalculated anywhere) (Some of slush fund is earmarked for new d/w (when I find one I want) and new electrics and new kitchen ceiling..... still trying to find a plasterer - you wouldn't think it would be so hard!!)
    I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul
    Repaid mtge early (orig 11/25) 01/09 £124616 01/11 £89873 01/13 £52546 01/15 £12133 07/15 £NIL
    Net sales 2024: £20
  • Karmacat
    Karmacat Posts: 39,460 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I'm with you on thte fence, greent, mine is much more open than it should be right now (oops ...).  Seriously though, you've done so well sorting your nan's estate out - I hope you have a nice memento to remember her by as well.  And happy extra savings day!
    2023: the year I get to buy a car
  • Karmacat
    Karmacat Posts: 39,460 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I missed the birthday!  There are two March birthdays in my family, and I never remember which way round they are, I have a huge blind spot about it.  Happy Birthday for next week, greent!
    2023: the year I get to buy a car
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