Risen from the ashes ...

rising_from_the_ashes

Left handed crochet course tomorrow :j:j:j

Seems like ages since I booked it (beginning April) and the month's gone on forever!

Wanted to learn for years so really hoping I can do it (will report back!) - and, best of all, I had to pay at the time of booking so a free day IYKWIM!:o

Suffolk_lass

Hi Rising,

If you copy this SOA into your spreadsheet you know where you are for budgetting - the only change I would make is to break down your council tax. I'm guessing you pay by instalments so replace the total of £94 with £7.85 if it is over 12 months, or £9.40 if you pay over 10 (I do, and it is always a lovely surprise in Feb and March when the extra bit is left!).

Also - is that cat insurance per month? :eek:

I would be using a spreadsheet to record your pots - I either insert comments and use that to keep a record of how the costs change, or I colour the cells as the payments go out and just change them back when we get paid

HTH
All the best
SL

rising_from_the_ashes

Thanks SL:)

Council Tax is sadly £94 every month - have thought about changing it back to 10 months (really fancy a couple of free months) but can't afford the extra just now.

Cats insurance yup ...... I moved them onto a much better policy (and more expensive) this year really as my old provider insists on a 20% of total cost (on top of excess) once the cat gets to 6 :mad: - which isn't old for a cat believe me!

I worked out that if I had a £1k claim, it would cost £280 (which is a fair bit) and it would only cost £65 (excess) with this new policy.

However ...... it's around £6 more than the old policy so a bit undecided if it's worth it or not - I'll have a look around again at renewal time (Dec).


Surplus figure this is a bit off atm as I'm trying to put money aside so I can pay the various insurances in full at renewal time - eg current car ins is £23.50/month but I'm also putting away another £20 to (hopefully) have enough by renewal time. Added up over all my insurance policies (I seem to have quite a lot of these:o) - the surplus is just about wiped out:eek:
So ... this year is a bit tough but it should be easier next year - and hoping to save a bit by paying in full rather than by monthly installments:T

Spreadsheets I really like the idea of colouring things in the pots :T - these def need some work after my total disaster at keeping track this month!:o


Will be off to have a "play" with these shortly - it's funny how things change - if anyone said to me a couple of years ago, I'd keep track of every penny spent & have spreadsheets for spends & pots to budget, I'd have :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I am DETERMINED that I'll beat the demons of overspending and the cycle of debt / paying it back / running it up / debt / paying it back / running it up / debt ....... this time!:)

rising_from_the_ashes

OK so things not too rosy just now ..... however, a few things now paid for the year (which always throws the monthly amounts off a bit) so all is not lost ..... yet!

I'm a couple of days early but a) am going on my crochet course today :j - already paid for :j so won't need money and b) don't need any groceries this weekend! (that doesn't happen often & will be very hard to stay out the sm!)



COMMENTS

Groceries
mmmm struggling with this - the overspend isn't actually as bad as it looks (;) honest) as I'm now trying to have a "stock up" month in Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct so they have bigger budgets (and the other months have been reduced accordingly).
Will this work? Oh I do hope so!:o I do now have all toiletries stocked for 3 months, many staples for up to 6 months and things like wm stuff etc for the rest of the year ....... so .....
Landline - This is a mess atm ..... switched to a new provider & took an advance line rental option (£129) but it went a bit errrr wrong & am now back with my original provider so ..... refund of £129 due
I will be moving to a new supplier in May (also got an advance payment discount) so this will show as overspent for the rest of the year.
Overall budget reduced from £265 to £220 (part moved to mobile)
Mobile - increased from £120 to £150 to help with new contract (saving from landline)
Broadband - increased from £140 to £160 (new provider that didn't happen!) but then decreased to £110 as offered 1/2 price for 12 months to stay with current provider :j(savings moved to fuel)
Gas & Elec - decreased by £80 (moved to fuel)
House insurance - due May so this will be showing an overspend soon too!
Fuel - increased: £50 from broadband & £80 from G&E = £130 but still struggling with this

rising_from_the_ashes

Ok - do still need to do the weekly roiund-down but

Positives for the day!

It's sunny
Crochet course today :j (have I mentioned that at all:rotfl:)
Don't need any groceries so will be staying out the sm!:)
Found a chicken in the freezer last night (had totally forgotten about it:o) so roast for dinner:j & can then do "the rubber thing" with it which should feed me for most of next week!:T

Suffolk_lass

Hi Rising - have a lovely day on the crochet course! I had a lovely day at the factory outlets place that is roughly mid-way between my friend and I, yesterday. We both bought work clothes for summer (we have to look reasonably smart as we are both relatively senior managers), but she bought stuff for a newly pregnant niece and I bought an early birthday pressie for our DS (leaving his teens next month and planning to leave home too) - it's a small Le Creuset omelette pan that was still expensive but less then 2/3 the full price and will last him a lifetime. I also replaced my no-longer good enough oven mits with new ones. I feel really pleased and hopefully it has satisfied my (psychological) need to spend that I have been carrying for a week or three.

Your spreadsheet extract looks really good - I think the only things I would do are to show the total year to date difference between planned and actual - and a way of showing when the annual payments have been made so you can see why year to date looks higher than the average total would be (it helps allay the "OMG I've spent too much" moments).

I have two young cats but have always had two cats over the last 20-25 years and we have never had pet insurance. It's different if you have a cat with an on-going treatment condition but we haven't had that in the last five years and usually it is annual jabs and occasional things - even having the rotten teeth of the last rescue cat removed (they were terrible and causing pain and poison) it was cheaper than insurance over her time with us.

For me this would be an area to consider physically putting the equivalent monthly premium into another (online savings) account so I can access it but it's reserved. I use an 1NG account and put all the average payment bits in it each month with any surplus and then draw down when the bill comes in.

It doesn't mean my way is right, it's just another way to think about things.

Also maybe look at combining buildings and contents insurance to get a better deal?

Have a lovely day

SL

rising_from_the_ashes

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

I think the only things I would do are to show the total year to date difference between planned and actual - and a way of showing when the annual payments have been made so you can see why year to date looks higher than the average total would be (it helps allay the "OMG I've spent too much" moments).

:rotfl:very familiar with the OMG! moments!

Will have a play around with it - I've thought in the past that having the difference between planned & actual spend would be good but terrified I muck the whole thing up!:o

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

It's different if you have a cat with an on-going treatment condition but we haven't had that in the last five years and usually it is annual jabs and occasional things - even having the rotten teeth of the last rescue cat removed (they were terrible and causing pain and poison) it was cheaper than insurance over her time with us.

This is a big, ongoing debate I have with myself ..... my last cat (sadly now departed) developed kidney problems at a young age and required life-long treatment - I was very lucky to have him for nearly 9 years after he was diagnosed and he led a happy and comfortable life but the cost of treatment ran into £2k - £3k per year ......

There is no way I could've afforded that and knowing how much he enjoyed life, and how happy he was - I just couldn't forgive myself if they needed treatment and I couldn't afford it.

I did "self insure" for the dog tho' (also now sadly departed) as the cost of his insurance was £50 + / month :eek: and that was around 7 years ago - he needed the odd spot of treatment (upset tums etc - he was a bucket;)) and arthritis medication for the last couple of years but this only worked out at £15/month so .......

Difficult one ..... I also think cats are more likely to get themselves into trouble IYKWIM (fights, cars etc).

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

Also maybe look at combining buildings and contents insurance to get a better deal?

Renewal just through and works out at £20 for both (was £15 last year:eek:) but have just been quoted £435 by another provider :eek: which is just ridiculous.... will be hunting around!

ETA really appreciate your input .... thanks!:T


Sounds like you had a lovely day yesterday :T sometimes we just need to get out and about and a wee treat here & there is good & keeps us (me anyway) focused and on track.

rising_from_the_ashes

Crochet course was fab :j I now know how to do it but ..... need lots of practice!:)

I was unfortunately tempted by the crafts shop underneath the workshop rooms on the way out but I've already started to knit a scarf in really amazing wool ..... should look something like this when finished (diff colours):



I did buy 4 balls of it so hoping I can knit a few of these for presents for friends :j

rising_from_the_ashes

So ..... what do you think?

Would you be happy if you got one as a pressie?

Honest answers please:)

silvasava

Just having a little 'surf' round the Forums Rising - your scarf looks totally gorgeous!! I would LOVE one as a pressie. Keep practising with the crochet tho - its really easy once you get into the swing & you never have to worry about dropped stitches.

BTW - Did you knit that in 4 hours???