Pavlovs_dog starting as she means to go on...

Zeddy

We had a similar issue with HSBC and debated exactly the same thoughts as you - in the end we went for the just up the DD payment and to be honest, it's worked for us, as it made us pay the amount over. We also always seem to live to what we've got as well, so we just adjusted - I often forget that our payment includes an overpayment as I'm so used to seeing the one DD come out.

pavlovs_dog

Zeddy wrote: »

We had a similar issue with HSBC and debated exactly the same thoughts as you - in the end we went for the just up the DD payment and to be honest, it's worked for us, as it made us pay the amount over. We also always seem to live to what we've got as well, so we just adjusted - I often forget that our payment includes an overpayment as I'm so used to seeing the one DD come out.

that's fine with our regular £50 OPs, but that then begs the question what to do with the ad hoc ones? (which i'm hoping will be frequent)

hsbc online banking isnt without it's flaws. They re-jigged their front screen recently which put savings into a different sub menu. I'd forgotten all about it until just now... discovered a nice sum which i'd forgotten all about. Our savings pot is suddenly looking marginally healthier! we are now 2 months from hitting 5 months worth of our bottom line in savings, should hit 6 months worth in about 6 months time.

pavlovs_dog

phoned the mortgage company yesterday and managed to get a sort code and account number to OP via BACs. Have since made our first OP of £130.

it's horrifying to know that despite several payments of over £700 our balance currently remains over £131k

pavlovs_dog

cannot believe we are half way through the month already :eek:

the new school term has been nothing less than manic. It was lovely to spend the one week of the Christmas break that I wasn't on the year 8 ski course doing absolutely !!!!!! all, but it meant i really found myself up the proverbial creek during the first week back at school. So last week i put my nose firmly to the grindstone and can now just about see the woods for the trees. Still have a million and one jobs to do, but thats parr for the course with teaching.

Was offered a new role this week which I accepted. It doesn't come with any extra points or money, but it's a nice job (famous last words) which offers a solid step on the ladder towards head of department if i decide to follow that route (it appeals more than going pastoral). It will mean a fair whack of work later in the year, so I need to keep chipping away at getting organised. I have discovered that post it notes are the way forward. I put my daily to do list on one, it goes in my planner and I cross things off as I accomplish them. I have managed to find time to do much more during the school day using this method over the past week. I always have worked best under pressure, it's amazing what you can pull out of the bag when you're under the kosh!


in mortgage related news, making the OP has fired OH's interest in my pet project (he's supportive of the idea but i'm the one who makes it work financially). He seemed very excited by the idea of getting the mortgage to £100k (or there abouts) by the time we come to re-mortgage in June 2015. It sounds like a looong way off but there's a lot of mortgage reducing to be done if we are to get there. I know it's a marathon not a sprint but it's so frustrating OPing when the payment is a total drop in the ocean compared to the balance. Keep telling myself that we're fortunate to be a) financially able and b) savvy enough to be OPing so early into the life of our mortgage but it doesn't feel like much comfort right now.

ho hum - 12 days til payday and our next OP

pavlovs_dog

This week in PD Towers...

Continuing to work like a woman possessed on the school to do list. It's reports time again (groan) and we are trialling a new system which is making them feel even more arduous than usual. Feel proud of myself for sticking with the resolution of being more organised about my school work. I definitely feel much less stressed thanks to my daily to do post it! News has just broken of the cuts that are coming our way - considering we are in the most underfunded county in Wales it's hard to believe that there's any fat left to trim. Apparently redundancy packages will be offered to the over 55s, which has swayed my Head of Department's interest. I'm being offered opportunities in school which are designed to train me up to take his place. Not sure if I feel ready to start think about heading a department just yet, I was counting on getting at least another year or two of plain old normal classroom teaching under my belt first. There's another member of our department who can't decide whether to retire this year or next. She is currently full time, but her replacement won't be. Nothing like a bit of uncertainty to get people feeling uneasy. It's a good job I'm quite laid back!

on the financial front, the grocery challenge is all over the place this month. I've discovered that I cannot afford to be too busy to do a weekly shop because the alternative is that OH, trying to be helpful, does top up shops which show little consideration for my budget :eek: February will be a new start on getting that under control. Likewise for the petrol budget - crikey has petrol crept up in price! Must send of application form to add OH as a second card holder on my CC for household spends.

In the past few weeks I have had not one but two rebates on tax, proving that I had been on the wrong tax code. I had one repayment through BACS and yesterday a cheque turned up. I'm reluctant to cash the cheque as I'm now fairly confident that they have repaid me too much :doh: OH says just cash it, but I don't want the aggro and the unforcasted dip in wages if they decide to take a whack of it back.

as far the staying on top of the cleaning resolution, well the less said about that the better however I have relatives coming down weekend after next to attempt a family re-union (did I mention that i work as a UN peacekeeper ?) so that should shift me into action.

only 3 days til payday and my next OP :j

SeriouslySeekingtoSave

Zeddy wrote: »

I've just read through your diary and it's great reading. I like how you've moved into a new house and haven't felt the need to splash out buying all the furniture/accessorise straight away, we're about to move house and I really want to do the same, but it's so hard!

Bet I can beat that Five months in an I am still sleep on a mattress on the floor of my living room (the frame is proping up the walls) and I have the grand total of one chair. Currently covered in cat hair and paint as it's doing duty as my stepladder and the cat sleeps on it when I'm not standing on it.

I told myself that I won't set up shop until I get the rooms how I want them and I'm sticking to that! I'm sure 99% of people would be horrified at the thought of 'camping' but I'm happy as a pig in a poke!

Great to see your goals and I totally approve of 'moving goalposts'. Things change and so do we need to. Onwards and Downwards!

_party_

pavlovs_dog

SeriouslySeekingtoSave wrote: »

. I told myself that I won't set up shop until I get the rooms how I want them and I'm sticking to that! I'm sure 99% of people would be horrified at the thought of 'camping' but I'm happy as a pig in a poke!

have you got much of a renovation project on your hands?

cha97michelle

You just made me remember i used to write each job i had to do on a post it note which then went on the appropriate page in my plan a day diary. It was very therapeutic to screw it up after the job was done.


Seriously seeking - you are a bit of a nutter in a nice way. I can understand where you are coming from though. It still sounds so much nicer than your last place, and if you are happy, who cares. You'd like my old kitchen and bathroom pictures on my old diary. We lived with them for nearly 7 years and walked around with blinkers on. :rotfl:

originalmiscellany

Reports never end do they? I have a batch to do this week, not looking forward to them, we get them tomorrow, have to be done by Monday. Fun weekend ahead

I think it'd be an interesting career move to consider HOD. I got mine 2 years ago, and apart from the pay increasing hugely, I love the extra responsibility and challenge, although wading through reports and what not certainly isn't what I'd consider a joy. We get paid on the last day of the month, so not until Monday for us, but then hopefully a decent overpayment can occur.

Keep up the good work PD

pavlovs_dog

i love how many teachers are on this sub-board. We should rename it the 'I teach therefore I overpay' board I have a year 7 form so won't have to do the form tutor comments for a good few months yet, they aren't due for a while.

I've written two reports and am already bored/losing the will to live. I have 60 odd of the bloody things to write by Friday :eek: