Build a new life in 3 yrs.

nextyeartina

How are you getting on with the driving? x

SmithfieldPartDeux

@nextyeartina.
Long story, after about 10 goes it had to be shelved as it was basically putting me in the poorhouse.
I have my exam for masters on 2nd May, so I figure on starting it after that, I have to re-sit theory again as two years, thinking a new test centre and an automatic for a fresh start. If I want to be out of the city, I need a car. I see £1000 emergency fund? You listen to Dave Ramsey too?

I've a few big bills coming up with house, deed transfer will be £250ish with fees and solicitor (approx), Valuation survey of Dad's old house £400 and full structural survey of new place £750! This should be between now and Aug/Sept.

It occurred to me last night that the journey to sorting ourselves out financially,really is much more of a life journey. Recently I've been binning/donating huge amounts of stuff and rather than having less I've found it really freeing and just easier to live with. Cooking at home and having a full freezer I've fund oddly reassuring and that If I keep to budget I have enough not to run short this month, see how that goes!

So as far as £50 week budget - chili con carne tonight,

need 2 tins tomatoes, balsamic (maybe) and some yoghurt. rest is cupboard, should do me from remaining £3.60. Should be some extra for Mondays dinner too.

Oddly this week, of £50, £17.50 was booze and flowers card for mum, With cooking extra and freezing I now have maybe 7 dinners in the freezer. My Best friends 40th next week, gah, so gonna be tough keeping under the £50, gonna cut it to £30 and try and budget £20 for that and not go too crazy.

SmithfieldPartDeux

Ok, so few days.

Housemate has gone mental on the oil 700 litres in 5 weeks, due to having it on 9 hrs a day! So more oil ordered £75 bill for end of month! Told him to cut the hours its on well down. We normally get 2 months out of 500-600! (its a big three story sash window house - rented lol) Thank god oil is cheap at the minute that amount would be £400 normally.

I have been asked to go do some work experience with a local building surveyor that specialises in listed buildings on Friday (related to my masters), downside was that I'll need safety boots £40 in screwfix later sorted. If I'm doing construction work on my own house later this year I'll need them and hopefully this will lead to more work experience too. So just gonna have to suck it up.

Today..

Danish £1
Biscuits 50p
Sandwich £1.95

Dinner - Freezer lasagne (exhausted so nice to have home cooked food out of the microwave and free as leftovers!)

So penny wise, pound foolish!

SmithfieldPartDeux

Really annoying week money wise but really positive in other ways.

I went out to do work experience with the surveyor on friday (in my shiney new £40 shoes lol).
He asked about me coming out to do more and felt that I had been of use, they seem very busy, I'm wondering if long term this could lead to a job. Great to be out doing the job rather than book work.

My best friends 40th on friday night, so no getting out of it, Managed to keep this to £35 spent. (GAH!) So that is £75 in unbudgeted spends this week!

I felt bloody dreadful all sat (such a waste of the weekend too!), but had freezer curry and oven chips (my gf brought some nans and coriander) and had coke from shop, so basically no spend day.

That leaves me with £190 left in account for the month after bills. Back to £50 a week. I might do a top up of freezer shop after meal planning next week, to cover rest of month. Still quite a bit there.

SmithfieldPartDeux

Got a huge amount of stuff there from tesco to be delivered tues, should top up the freezer until the end of month.

£43

SmithfieldPartDeux

Tesco delivery tonight,

£1 danish
£2.50 lunch
£2 dinner (2 cans of tomatos, coleslaw and milk) Will make a couple of days of Chili con carne.

£25 taxi ride in morning though, gah. (Job assessment day)

SmithfieldPartDeux

SO.

Gah, went to check my bank account to realise I have pretty much spent my wages.

That £25 taxi became a £44 quid round trip for the assessment day I stupidly spent £10 on a pump as well. I has one bottle of san miguel for St Patricks day and went cycling.

I have £30 left basically for the rest of month (9 days), if I go overlimit, that's £5 per day from HSBC.

Good news is, big tesco shop means food for dinners is looking good, bus travel is paid for too.

I'm gonna have to be more creative with lunches too, I'm doing work experience on Thursday so thats £6 rail trip.

This month has been a real roller coaster of getting back into budgeting, I really need to do a break down of where money has gone this month, thats been outside of spending budget. Certainly having to buy safety boots and the £44 taxi, means £85 extra and about £20 in rail fares. I really need to turn the screws on lunches and meal planning in general. next month. My food and lunch money is hitting over £300. £200 and thats an extra £100 per month.

SmithfieldPartDeux

I was just reading there that Mormons are supposed to store a years worth of food/water in even both of unemployment and ironically acts of god (earthquakes, droughts, hurricanes etc)

"We should avoid bondage by getting out of debt as soon as we can, pay as we go, and
live within our incomes. There is wisdom in having on hand a year’s supply of food, clothing,
fuel (if possible), and in being prepared to defend our families and our possessions and to take
care of ourselves. I believe a man should prepare for the worst while working for the best. "

I'm not a mormon (just interested in this idea), but in terms of goals I really like this idea. I have found having a big shop that covers two weeks of food really comforting oddly. I really like the idea going forward of maybe having a couple of months worth of basics (freezer not big enough for that much meat, but say, pasta, rice, canned tomato, beans etc and saving a enough to cover rent and bills for a few months would feel amazing that whatever happened, you have 2-3 months to get yourself sorted.

SmithfieldPartDeux

Caught the cold again from work folks! ARGH, so monday rolls round and feel grim, still will have to go in, feverish the heap! Weekend was a bit rubbish tbh as sat about the house feeling sorry for myself. I spent very little though .

I spent, on friday,

Eggs 70p
Midget gems 25p (everyday value tesco)
Diet coke 2 x 1.75 litres £3.
reduced loaf 30p

I had a pizza from tesco shop (1.87) that was jazzed up with some chorizo, onions and peppers out of the fridge friday night. Sat, I mad a curry omelette thing as cold was kicking in. Cumin, tumeric, garlic, onions, chili and peppers and some left over frozen fresh coriander from last saturdays curry (4 medium eggs). (from nigella express I think)

Later had 3 sausages and some salad as a sandwich and made jerk pork chops (freezer) by this stage felt meh and just eat one in a sandwich with salad.

Sunday, cheese and toast for breakfast, jerk pork chop and salad lunch, two bowls of curry from freezer (other half of container will be curry and oven chips tomorrow).

So basically due to freezer and tesco shop, I spent £4.25 all weekend. If i'm getting through the next nine days then the wallet is going to have to be nailed shut. Might do lasagne tues so can double up for the odd lunch and freezer dinner.

SmithfieldPartDeux

Ugh, shattered, cold is hammering me.

Work experience Thursday afternoon, which is great though.

I emailed estate agent to let her know what is happening with house, I'm also doing work experience for the same firm of surveyors that I want to do a condition survey. Maybe a bit of discount lol. It's an insane wreck and proper grand designs lunacy. What am I doing, the whole process is terrifying if I'm honest. lol Long term goal though is a house big enough for 20 years at a low amount. that I can pay it off very early.

Spends today.

£1.80 lunch.
Biscuits 40p (reduced)
Cheese £1 for lasagne
Mushrooms (£1) (also for lasagne)
Diet coke - £2.50

Dinner free leftover curry.

Spendy day, but that's coke and lasagne for 3-4 days, maybe a lunch or two as well.