Peonie's journey to smart money management

Peonie

Brrrr, it's cold here tonight.

We recently got a British Gas remote electricity readers and on most days we do really well. The information booklet said a working couple use 10 kW of electricity per day, well on average we have only used 5 kW. We only hit 10 kW if we have a massive wash day and the dryer gets switched on. Our usage will probably go up when the kitchen is finished and when the colder weather hits, but until then I'm going to bask in my eco-ness.

I have managed to convince DH not to do some demolition work this weekend. He's not stopped in weeks and I think he needs to have a weekend relaxing after everything he's been through. Plus our builder is going on holiday next week for 10 days so we'd only end up for living in more of a mess for longer than we need to.

Lois_E wrote: »

Your new sig looks great, especially that £11000 extra deposit. You have totally smashed your target of £2000! :T

Thanks, once we saw the HSBC mortgage rate it was pretty much a no-brainer to add the extra money to the deposit.

Lois_E wrote: »

I'm well impressed with £0 on fuel for your car. :A I am trying to cycle more, but am only just beginning to get going with it, and suspect my resolutions won't last long once (a) term starts and I have much less time and (b) the weather gets nasty.

Walking to the station has really helped to lower my fuel use, this month I spent £45 on fuel but I hope I will not need to visit a forecourt again until October or November. When the weather gets nasty I'm going to seriously consider using my bike so the journey will be quicker, plus a shiny new bike shed has been built at my station and all it now needs is my cr*ppy old bike.

Peonie

How is everyone?

We went away for another weekend break, had a great time catching up with friends and found time to go on a lovely walk in Henley-On-Thames. We stayed in the bargainous Travelodge, and I can happily say they were clean and our room was quiet. We did not bother with the £7.99 breakfast as it seemed a tad expensive, so we bought chocolate muffins and a carton of orange juice for breakfast from Mr Ts. They had basic tea and coffee, but we took some teas and nice coffee with us. We took snacks for the journey there and back so we did not have to stop at any expensive service stations.

I need to renew my annual travel pass and to keep the monthly balance on the right side of zero this month the cost is going on my 0% credit card, plus I'll get Mr T club card points. Today I paid an additional £50 off the credit card balance (£75 this month) and an outstanding balance of £105 (I think).

Next I need to send a copy of my wedding certificate to Mr T credit card so I can transfer all of those lovely points to our joint points account.

The Quidco payment for my parents anniversary tracked, but the payment has not yet left my account.

I will update my signature soon.

Peonie

Peonie wrote: »

I need to renew my annual travel pass and to keep the monthly balance on the right side of zero this month the cost is going on my 0% credit card, plus I'll get Mr T club card points.
My travel pass should have been purchased in this last week but as I forget the CC pin :doh: I bought a weekly pass and will buy my annual pass next week.

Today I paid an additional £50 off the credit card balance (£75 this month) and an outstanding balance of £105 (I think).
My balance is now £80, but an extra £573 charged to the CC next week.

Next I need to send a copy of my wedding certificate to Mr T credit card so I can transfer all of those lovely points to our joint points account.
I wrote the letter, attached the wedding certificate, added the stamp etc, put it in the letters out tray at work and left work for the day. I got to the station and remembered I had forgot to tell them my account number :doh: I managed to get the letter out of the post before it was posted.

I will update my signature soon.
Still not updated. DH has a current account with our mortgage provider and can see the balance whenever he's logged in, but he's not checked yet and I am trying not to nag.

Do you want the good or bad news first?

Good news - my monthly saver matures in October with my last payment at the end of this month, meaning I will have access to £3000 + interest.

Bad news - we're pretty certain we need to spend it on the house. In the next couple of months we need to pay tradesmen, buy a hob, extractor fan, a radiator for the master bedroom and bathroom, at the moment there's not a radiator in either room, we need insulation for the attic, the attic needs boarding out, the kitchen and garage needs new windows, we need 2 new doors between the kitchen and garage, plus a skip and other materials.

Unfortunately the money will not go into the ISA so I am unlikely to hit my ISA target this financial year. Had the money gone into the ISA I would have achieved 62% of my target, it will drop to 6%.

But in some other good needs, DH has been doing some extra work so we'll have a little extra money coming in this month.

gratefulforhelp_2

Try not to worry too much, when you first move there is sooo much that needs doing. It will settle down.

SeriouslySeekingtoSave

Yes hon don't beat yourself up about it, it's due to your foresight in setting up the savings account that you will have that money there in cash ready to pay for what's needed.

Peonie

Thanks ladies, I appreciate your comments. I suppose I was a bit down in the dumps and was focussing on what I want and not what I have.

I have shared my current savings situation on another diary but have not on here before, so here it is - we have just shy of £12,000 in savings, £9,000 is for a rainy day and as you know, the remaining £3,000 will be used to fund home improvements. I still want to increase what we have in the pot to at least £12,000, maybe more...

Today my lovely husband phoned and asked if I wanted a lift from the station as it was raining, he's the best. I really need to pick up a pair of waterproof walking trainers for the wet weather. I tried a pair on at the weekend and they were discounted to £29, an absolute bargain in comparison to the £70+ for other trainers. I shall try them on again tomorrow, and I may just have a little trip to H&M.

Lixi_2

Peonie wrote: »

Thanks OM, I wrote sustainably to remind myself to live life and not to get obsessed with paying off the mortgage, I don't want to wish the next 20 years of my life away by only focussing on the next payday.

So true - I need to remind myself to do this. Sometimes I let my mortgage get on top of me and only feel like I am doing well on a payday when I transfer funds around and see an instant difference! Not to say that I am perfect, but sometimes it is all too easy to wish your life away on payday at a time. Time just passes so quickly and it is important to try to enjoy every day

Peonie

Hi Lixi, thanks for stopping by. I will look forward to following your MF journey, you have an impressive MF target.

I think it is time for an update, in the last couple of weeks we have:

• Purchased a pair of waterproof walking trainers for £28 (including P&P), normally £65, for walking to the station in the cold British autumn, winter and spring.
• Purchased this dress in cream for £12.99, I think it could be quite versatile and could be dressed up or down but am not sure exactly how, suggestions on a postcard please.
• Purchased my annual rail card, it came in about £100 cheaper than I expected and as it is a big purchase I paid for it with my Mr T credit card.
• Had my hair cut, I have reduced the frequency of appointments from every 6 weeks to every 8 weeks to save a few pennies.
• Bought 2 compost bins for £28 (incl. P&P) for the garden. Our makeshift composter (a cardboard box) has seriously deteriorated in the last few months.
• Did a massive food shop and spent £140 at Mr Ts, this included £37 for a king sized duvet (we've only had 1 duvet for a year or more) and £10 for long life batteries. The shop should last us weeks.
• DH took up the garage floor, we need to order a skip for next weekend.
• Asked for a quote from a plumber we have used before.
• Met up with friends and some of DH aunts and uncles, and met one of his cousins for the first time.
• DH got paid for the extra work he did. :T
• Decided not to merge my & DH Mr T clubcard points as we will get more coupons having 2 separate accounts.
• On the very cold nights rather than switching on the central heating system we closed all the doors and used an electric heater to warm the living room.
• Continued to transfer £1000 in and out of my Halifax account to get the £5 reward. Each month the £5 is transferred into my ISA account.

I have updated my signature to reflect our September mortgage payment (finally got DH to check the account) and as the money from my monthly saver will no longer go into the ISA, it is now:
Mortgage at its highest: July 2011 at £154,000.
Mortgage now: 1 September 2011 at £152,567.
Mortgage free date: originally July 2036, now June 2036.
MFW no 214: overpayment £700 plus £11,000 extra deposit, target £2,000, target achieved.
Annual ISA saving challenge: saved £315, target £5,340, achieved 6%.

Lixi_2

Peonie wrote: »

Hi Lixi, thanks for stopping by. I will look forward to following your MF journey, you have an impressive MF target.

Thanks hun (tell me about it on the target!!). We are doing well (Mr L buys in to it a lot more too I think) and I feel a lot more focused now (I think I have used that "f" word quite a lot over the last few days, but it is true :rotfl:


Purchased this dress in cream for £12.99, I think it could be quite versatile and could be dressed up or down but am not sure exactly how, suggestions on a postcard please.

I love that and am tempted by it myself. You could team it with spangly bangles, tights and knee high boots for a night out or make it more boho/summery with a pretty neck scarf etc for day wear.

On the very cold nights rather than switching on the central heating system we closed all the doors and used an electric heater to warm the living room.

I had the electric fire on for 10 minutes the other night. Definitely holding out for mid-October on the heating front, but it is getting so much colder and we live in an old house so I might go on to heating earlier in October (i.e. next weekend!). We will see!

Lx

Peonie

I love that and am tempted by it myself. You could team it with spangly bangles, tights and knee high boots for a night out or make it more boho/summery with a pretty neck scarf etc for day wear.

They also have it in black which would be great for work. I've not tried it on with dark tights but I think they would show through as the dress is not lined, so I need to buy a slip for underneath.

Great ideas, I had not thought about wearing it with a scarf. It would work well with a statement necklace.