Jumping aboard!

downsizer3

Not much to report. Bills are paid and looking OK for this month. Not that I can go mad of course but it hopefully won't end up a struggle like last month.
Debts coming down, savings going up - all good.
Bored though!!
Better go play with a spreadsheet. Oh yes - and check my lottery numbers!!

downsizer3

Saving an extra £10 here and there this month so far - hoping to drive those savings up as much as I can. My spreadsheet says £4906 but the time I leave work but I'd like to get it up to £6k. That's maybe too ambitious but you can only try can't you?
I'll leave my mortgage OPs as they are - its such a low rate and I need the emergency fund so I'll keep the status quo as it is until that pot is there.
I did buy myself a few work clothes this weekend - not been shopping for ages and found it quite overwhelming. The choice was enormous and you can go mad but I stuck to my budget and won't look too awful at work now!
Next I need to get the money together for the electrician so I'm ready for that bill once he's sorted out my few wiring issues ( the perils of moving - always something to do). No idea what that bill will be but I'll be ready! ( I hope)
Repainting my front door next - I can do that myself and I want it done whilst the weather is semi-decent. Chores, chores....;)

downsizer3

First big payment ( big to me anyway!) going into my savings account today - whoop whoop. An altogether better feeling than paying off debts! :j

downsizer3

Ouch. A forgotten cheque came off today making the rest of the month a bit tighter - but not critical. I've identified my next run of ebay items so can get to work on that.
Need to keep counting at the supermarket to stay on budget though!

Nothing else to report - ony that I have vowed that my new job when I leave here will not be full time. 4 days a week would suit (less would be lovely )- I just can't get everything done in the weekends and feel the balance of life is wrong. I'm happy to live in a wee house if it means I get more balance back. I can still overpay as my costs are low but the house extension will have to wait for a windfall day! Ho hum.

thriftylynny

Well done you,those savings are on the up & won't be long till you've hammered them tc op's, keep going girl ! Know exactly how you feel about working f/t , not even done it a year yet , its knackering me out & i just hate,hate,hate it Wouldn't be so gruelling if i was raking it in....not !! Over my fantastic 9 dayer now & whoopee i got a lovely sunny day off ....wash & iron mountain catchup...you know the score! I loved doing a 3 day wk ds,it was just enough, i'll have to be MF before i can contemplate that happening again tho, when i'm 65 then :eek:
You'll be pleased to know( very slowly!) i'm making small amounts every wk from my bits of tat ,was even up the scrapyard yesterday & came away with a nice £38 Given a mate 3x old mobiles to try make a bit on today! Hope your day's good today & keep thinking ..plans...!!

downsizer3

Hey - well done on getting money for tat!!
I'm about to embark on siphoning off DDs wooden trainset and trains - slowly ebaying them.....she doesn't play with it any more but will not be happy to see it go either so a gradual process I think is needed here!! I did explain that selling stuff means I can buy stuff but I guess money does grow on trees to a 5 year old!!
Are you putting the money into OPs or are you helping the cash flow thrifty?
I use selling money for treats (sometimes just to get by) - it doesn't go towards the mortgage - keep meaning to but just always seem to have another urgent use for it! At least my OPs are by direct debit every month so it happens regardless.
I keep going into my new online ISA to look at my (paltry) savings - nice feeling (although I'm a little sad for doing so.....)

thriftylynny

As i'm scared to commit to increasing my standing order on my mortgage i've set myself a target to save a chunk off it over a year,not a big chunk i hasten to add as i've nothing extra coming in over my basic salary now Would be really great to put away say £250 p/m but that means living on £80 p/w covering food for 3 of us & a bit of petrol for my car, very tight tho, but i have the willpower to attempt it for one yr maybe?? Have been feeling lately that i'm running out of time to do all this cos of my age,if i'd started all this 5 yrs ago & been financially savvy back then i'd be almost MF by now & could be slowing down a bit ! Its gona take me 2 yrs of a frugal no life to build up an emergency fund & another 4/5 yrs of the same after that before i'm MF by which time i'll be flippin' 60 yrs old & still working f/t!! :eek: It's on my mind all the time & seriously feel like cashing in early on an old CS pension i have ( would give me 8k lump sum plus around 3k p/y in 2 yrs time) if i did this it would mean losing 25% of its value tho ,but what price getting a bit of my life back?!! I do pay into my local govt pension but the forecast on that at retirement is pretty low ! Apologies for the long post DS & shouldn't ask but what would you do?

downsizer3

Its tempting to cash in the pension isn't it? Do you think if you held on for another year or so - would you get more back? I know you'll always loose 25% in cashing in but could you get a better rate then I wonder?
Personally - I'd hold off but keep the cashing in option as a lifeline ( I sometimes feel it spurs me on to know there's help there if I need it!) and try the frugal year. When you get to the end of that year you'll see how far you've come? And the pension is still there as a back-up so its not frugal forever IYSWIM - helps keep you going?
£80 pw is tight but achievable. I spend £30pw but have a big shop at the start of the month for the usuals ( loo roll etc) - but that doesn't include petrol. We eat pretty well on that but obviously DD doesn't eat a ton - its all batch cooking and making 6 meals from a chicken etc. And boy does that get dull!!
There has to be some let up to maintain sanity I recon - one splurge a month - a take-away or a night out. Otherwise whats it all about?
Why not try the frugal year - and get those spreadsheets out to spur you on - I look at mine daily ( so sad but when you're back to frugal ways by the 6th of the month you need help to get to payday!!)
Chin up - you're doing a fantastic job - hindsight is a wonderful thing - but at least we have seen the light (:A) and are tackling things - bad person that I am, I look on the DFW board sometimes to make myself feel better - some folks have a serious mountain to climb.
Hang in there luv - and get yourself a treat ( movie / bottle of cheap wine..........)

thriftylynny

Aah thanks DS for your nice post,was what what i needed to hear really & so yes decided to leave that little pension well alone & have a crack at seeing what another year of frugaldom brings & after that try to build up some sort of emergency fund , a lucky cash injection of a cple of thou would be very welcome right now tho, which i'm sadly not finding in back of that garage!!!
Hope you enjoyed a lovely sunny wknd up there,did you get front door painted or sit on a sunlounger reading a book with a spritzer?!!! I took your advice & actually treated myself to some cheapish but nice perfume & a new top in sale & didn't feel guilty..oh & a bottle of plonk aswell :beer:

downsizer3

Good Thrifty - you deserve a treat after all those long hours and garage clearing out. Glad you bought a proper treat - not a new mop or some such!!
Mixed fortunes for me. Not so much as one number on the lottery (bah :mad:), the bill for DDs tennis lessons came ( hoped that was next month - gulp) but £50 cheque coming from Virgin Money for being - well - rather lousy at being a bank TBH. They have redeemed themselves - but its been a long haul - they made a mistake with DDs savings account and its taken flamin' ages to get sorted - much ranting on my part!!
Painted my front door - and very nice it is too :A but that took up most of my weekend.
These DIY jobs could go on forever. 5 day working and single mumdom don't leave much time for these things - but next Mon is a holiday here so I'll tackle something else if the weather permits. Might repaint the shed........still have paint from first coat so its cheap and DD can help - so all are happy!! ( 5 year olds 'helping' can sometimes be more trouble than its worth - but the back of the shed and a paint brush may not be a problem!!)

Off to update spreadsheets with £50 bonus - will stick it straight into DDs account together with the £35 I saved for her this month :A ( I must not think of things to spend it on, I must not think of things to spend it on..........)