Pollyanna's Diary!

pollyanna24

Secret_Saving_Squirrel wrote: »

Well done, stick with it! I know it is not particularly attractive but I also have been unkindly pleased to see my ex fritter away the money he got from our joint home when we split. Like you, I have built for the future whilst he has bought flash cars. Only problem is that now the contrast between our lives has become more noticeable (it has been ten years). He has started to make nasty comments to our children about me. Sad.

Yep, it is hard when the exes seem to be living the high life while we are struggling to keep things going. But I'm looking at the long term plan and hopefully will be rolling in it in a few years, haha.

Had to buy some school uniform this morning for my girl who's starting nursery in 2 weeks' time. So that £50 has been touched, but I got a letter from Virgin Media saying I'm due £27.66 back from when I cancelled the service. Every little helps as Mr. T. says!

pollyanna24

Just had a thought about all my overpaying the mortgage. Me and my brother are planning of putting a lump sum on the mortgage when the fixed rate is up in April, but that will literally clean me out and I was planning on starting my savings again from there. I'm thinking that maybe I should keep an emergency fund, but how do I know how much I should keep?

And plus, and this is going to sound silly, but how important are pensions at my age (31)? I don't have one at all. Never had the option to get one at work and never got a private one anywhere. Think maybe I'm concentrating on the mortgage a little bit too much, but once it's gone, I was going to try and sort all the other stuff out. Is this what other people do?

VoucherMan

General advice seems to be keep about 6 months of savings, or at least enough to last 6 months

I'm no expert on pensions. I'm in a company scheme plus I plan to have a healthy amount of savings by the time I retire. I don't make any extra contributions though. I reckon that with my lifestyle I could easily manage on the state pension. The rest will be a bonus.

pollyanna24

VoucherMan wrote: »

General advice seems to be keep about 6 months of savings, or at least enough to last 6 months

I'm no expert on pensions. I'm in a company scheme plus I plan to have a healthy amount of savings by the time I retire. I don't make any extra contributions though. I reckon that with my lifestyle I could easily manage on the state pension. The rest will be a bonus.

Ho hum, 6 months eh? I've got a set amount that I'm saving up towards to put as a lump sum next April. Think I'll stick to that (as my brother is putting an equal sum on mortgage) and start saving after that. It's not like I can't use my overdraft for emergencies or good old mummy and daddy, eh? I know, not the most responsible of answers.

Think re pension I was hoping to have savings by the time I have to retire. I seem to be so focused on getting the mortgage paid off that I'm forgetting everything else. I mean I will still have quite a few years of working if my mortgage plan goes ok. Although if the girls want to go to uni.... eeek!

My budget is going okay at the moment. I haven't spent a penny since Friday and although I'm finding it hard going, think I've spent enough this month on nonsense, so gona try and keep to my August budget which has left me with £1.08 till Saturday. The only blip may be that I'm taking my 3yr old into London on Thursday to see a show and no doubt she will want McDs for lunch... well I suppose we have to eat something!

pollyanna24

Right, being super duper organised, I have already done all that I can on my September spreadsheets.

Any money to be paid to other people (i.e. my mum for minding sproglettes, tax credit debt, my share of overpayment on mortgage that me and my brother have agreed to for this month etc.) have been sent to where they need to go and if I still want to hit my target for where I want to be next April, I have the grand total of £242.21 to last me the month.

To me, this seems a lot of money and if I didn't have the sproglettes, would easily stick to it. This money is for things for them (I pay for any food that is specifically for them, but anything joint (bog roll, washing powder, milk etc.) comes out of the joint account, so I don't have to worry bout that.

But I can never stick to it. Should I break it down more, like

Petrol
Food for children
Alcohol
Cigarettes
Random stuff like a sandwich when I'm out etc.

How do other people do it?

Plus I've got £180 earmarked this month for car tax, not sure if I made that amount up or not. Until I get the form though, is there any way of knowing how much it should be? I have a Fiesta something or other 2002 plate.

Heffi1

Secret_Saving_Squirrel wrote: »

Well done, stick with it! I know it is not particularly attractive but I also have been unkindly pleased to see my ex fritter away the money he got from our joint home when we split. Like you, I have built for the future whilst he has bought flash cars. Only problem is that now the contrast between our lives has become more noticeable (it has been ten years). He has started to make nasty comments to our children about me. Sad.

I can never understand why some people do this, the children if left to their own devices will soon work out what their parents are like. I consciously made an effort not to slag off their dad when he left, he is their dad after all, and even though I didn't love him any more, they still did. I also secretly knew he would take every opportunity to put me down. My daughter sees him for exactly waht he is now, and it is so nice knowing I have not been the one to colour her judgment although I have nearly bit through my tongue on more than one occassion :rotfl:I am also secretly pleased to see he hasn't changed his ways, in fact he is in Egypt at the moment, and my daughter said, he probably paid for it via his credit card, so he hasn't changed his ways at all mum !!!! I may not have a lot, but in time when it is all gone I know I can then treat myself.

Heffi1

pollyanna24 wrote: »

Plus I've got £180 earmarked this month for car tax, not sure if I made that amount up or not. Until I get the form though, is there any way of knowing how much it should be? I have a Fiesta something or other 2002 plate.

I think it says how much on the tax disc, if you have a look near where they write the reg numbe (I think)

pollyanna24

Heffi1 wrote: »

I think it says how much on the tax disc, if you have a look near where they write the reg numbe (I think)

Coolios. I will have a look at this when I get in from work. The only thing is that it only has a 6 month disc on it and I'm planning on getting it for a year, and I wasn't sure if prices have gone up or not.

Heffi1

Hmm, not sure, but I would double up what it says to work out the full year, I hope that is right anyway

pollyanna24

Well, that's another overpayment done. Yay!