The Ultimate Incentive to get debt free… again. Dinah & NIM go head to head!

Dinah93

Aye I know. It feels horribly sensible to stick at a job that bores me for the next 40 years just because it's a safe bet though! I read in Good Housekeeping today (I know, old before my time) that the average lady in her 50s has only £9000 in her pension fund, compared with £50,000 for the average man. I thought both these numbers were really low actually when I think I have over £15,000 in there already and I'm only in my mid 20s. I had to go back to the article to check I hadn't misread it and some 0s were missing! But then I thought about it more and if you have a private pension it would take a lot longer to build up without employer contributions, and most people don't start theirs until their 30s or 40s anyway.

poddle911

Pensions are a bit scary - those figures are really low! I thought it would be more like £500k for a man with a decent salary. I've only started mine in the last couple of years; my employer matches my contribution up to 6% so not too bad. There's got to be a balance between building up a sensible pension pot and doing something you love Dinah - how's the business going?

Dinah93

In one respect it's going well - I've gotten a very good quote for the website so that's in progress, first order will be delivered this week and first event we're doing bespoke wrappers for about 3 weeks later. However I feel like the first order has taken forever, and that's because the designer has ummed and ahhed and done sod all for 7 weeks, despite nagging, so I haven't got the 24 designs to do the first run - in fact I think at the moment I have about 9. So I'm considering doing a short course in graphic design to get an idea of how the software works, I have the ideas in my head and I know I could produce something I'd be happy with, but I don't know how to do it on computer. It does annoy me though when people just ignore emails or say 'it'll be done in a fortnight' and it's now 4x that - it's just unprofessional imho. I think everything just takes longer than I was hoping.

Hayfever is dire today, it's taken 4 hours to be able to blink without my eyes streaming. Going to have to go to the docs try to get something stronger.

poddle911

That would drive me mad too, but hopefully it's just teething problems and the next lot will be much smoother - really exciting though!

clearmydebts

I know it is probably a bad attitude but I would never stay in a job because it is a safe bet. Job staisfaction means way more to me and I think it is possible to build up a good pension pot and have the job you love. I was in that situation a few years ago and if it crops up again I will be snapping it up!

What did everyone think of THE WEDDING?

Dinah - the photo of you and your Mum you put on Facebook (think it was the Madness ones or the 50th) is really beautiful. Not sure if that is a recent one but I think whatever weight you are there really suits you

Dinah93

I won't either, but it's something to think about at the same time. I can't leave for something that would have us substantially worse off, but if my company has signs of good growth in the longer term then that's a gamble I would take.

Didn't watch it, saw a few mins, very safe choice of dress but suited her nonetheless.

Thank you, I was about half a stone heavier then than I am now - they were taken in November (as the snow clearly doesn't fit with this glorious April we've had). I still think I look chunky (and goulishly pale!)

Lara44

Riots kicked off in Kampala really badly on Friday, so I watched the wedding in the TV room, to the sound of gun shots ringing out across our area. Bit of a weird juxtaposition! I liked Kate's dress okay, but the skirt was very full. The neckline was lovely. I adored the bridesmaid's dress, so slinky and sexy if a little bit too tight? It was very boring to have everything white! Made me feel so excited about getting married in August, it's so soon.

Dinah that's great news about your business, sounds like you might need to change designer to someone more professional. Very exciting!! Such a good idea for a business.

I am like you CMD, on Memorygirl's thread someone posted 'follow your passion, not your pension' which I think is a great mantra. But maybe that's because I don't have a pension so not too scary for me to say that :rotfl: After the wedding OH and I are planning a trip the the financial advisor. Our money situation is a mess as OH's income is so unpredictable. We swing from a massive surplus to just getting by okay and I haven't a clue how to manage that into some longer term planning. Oh has also become a Ltd company so that also complicates things. The other problem is that an offset mortgage would be perfect for us, but we are shared ownership and there's a really restricted market in those mortgages. But the other half of our house would cost 190,000 and we deinitely can't afford to staircase up to that now. Also we are not sure whether to over pay our current quite small mortgage or save a deposit to buy the second half of the house. So we really need some professional advice.

Dinah93

Urgh. I do NOT want to go back to work! The thought of sitting at that desk with not enough to do and just watching the hours go by makes me want to run screaming in the opposite direction!

NIMs football night tomorrow so I plan to:
Write card and wrap present for friend with baby
Paint new shelves
Paint wooden pole
Make lunches for Wednesday
Tidy my desk

Should be do-able.

NIM has got a lot done on the house this weekend, I can almost see the end in sight. Sadly we can't quite reach that end until we can afford to get the floor and fence done, and there is always more month than money. Car tax due from this payday too

Birdie85

I know that feeling about having too much month Dinah! Stupid change of the pay structure has given us a 5 and a half week month with only 3 days extra pay to make up for it. We're skint already and we don't get paid until the 20th! :eek: I think my birthday on the 15th will be a quiet one!

Scary about the riots Lara, glad you're OK! Does that happen often?

I loved the wedding! I thought the dress was amazing; of course it was a 'safe' option, she's marrying the future king and billions of eyes are on her, she can hardly go down the aisle wearing Carrie's SATC dress, One would not approve! It was so Grace Kelly-esque with the lace and the neckline and I loved the full skirt and the long-but-not-too-long train.... sigh, I was begging OH to marry me again in church so I could wear a dress like that! She looked stunning and so happy and calm, I blinked back a few tears I have to admit (whilst I was sitting there wearing my tiara and eating chocolate crunch cake that I'd decorated with a crown for the occasion!) The only thing I wasn't mad on was the bouquet, a little too understated. Pippa looked fabulous, I think she's become something of an overnight sensation! Every man I've spoken to since Friday has said, 'Phwoar, that bridesmaid was a bit nice!' I think the white is a bit of a royal tradition for bridesmaids, it might have looked a bit busy if they were in distracting colours, especially against the Red Coats?

clearmydebts

Lara44 wrote: »

Riots kicked off in Kampala really badly on Friday, so I watched the wedding in the TV room, to the sound of gun shots ringing out across our area. Bit of a weird juxtaposition! I liked Kate's dress okay, but the skirt was very full. The neckline was lovely. I adored the bridesmaid's dress, so slinky and sexy if a little bit too tight? It was very boring to have everything white! Made me feel so excited about getting married in August, it's so soon.

Dinah that's great news about your business, sounds like you might need to change designer to someone more professional. Very exciting!! Such a good idea for a business.

I am like you CMD, on Memorygirl's thread someone posted 'follow your passion, not your pension' which I think is a great mantra. But maybe that's because I don't have a pension so not too scary for me to say that :rotfl: After the wedding OH and I are planning a trip the the financial advisor. Our money situation is a mess as OH's income is so unpredictable. We swing from a massive surplus to just getting by okay and I haven't a clue how to manage that into some longer term planning. Oh has also become a Ltd company so that also complicates things. The other problem is that an offset mortgage would be perfect for us, but we are shared ownership and there's a really restricted market in those mortgages. But the other half of our house would cost 190,000 and we deinitely can't afford to staircase up to that now. Also we are not sure whether to over pay our current quite small mortgage or save a deposit to buy the second half of the house. So we really need some professional advice.

Hope your okay and not too shook by the riots Lara. How long left do you have in Kampala and how is it going in general? Happy belated birthday and what did you do for it?

I like that mantra and agree with it fully. Life is too short to be stuck in a horrible job. I would never advise someone to quit a job willy-nilly but there is nothing wrong with pursuing your dream, as long as it is done sensibly!