Getting back on track for 2013 and beyond

brizzledfw

Yay..go you!!! Brilliant news

kerri_dfw

Well I told the OH last night and he was completely fine with me using the money to be debt free He said some savings is better than none and we had a lovely drink together in the pub, I also had a sundae Today I have ordered the curtains for the living room from the joint account, and OH will pay the money he owes for them back into there. We've decided this is a much better way of doing things than owing each other money as we end up on the back foot, which I really don't like.

I've just ordered myself a really nice pair of knee-high boots from Cl4rks, with 20% off plus cashback They were £140 in the shop :eek: I've also ordered some jumpers, leggings and a couple of tops. Most of these will go back to the shop, but I thought I'd spend some money updating my wardrobe. I'm about to be a Mum yet I'm still dressing like a teenager in jeans and hoody. Not bad for lounging around the house, but I've been going out like it. OH owes me £270 for hypnobirthing and our sofa still so I'll pay myself back for the clothes & boots with that. I'll also take what I don't want back to the shops on Thursday when I go to Cardiff I did remember to look for codes and cashback though, winner.


Right, so now I have a savings target. I need to save £4600 first to pay back what I've spent on my debt.

amber03

Yep i'm doing the same as you over the inheritance money, hopefully by this time next year I will have saved up the £5000, that used to pay off my debt.

I still walk around in hoodies and jeans, do sometimes where a skirt but have to close my ears to the comments and laughing coming from my family.(all males in my family).x

kerri_dfw

Aw amber they're meanies for doing that.

Well I've felt a little lost today, the great thing is that I don't want to spend any money I simply have everything I could possibly want except for our very own house. It's the weirdest feeling in the world, although I would quite like to go to the shop for cake and I can do it in the black now!!!


I've just reduced my BC credit limit down to £100, this will be my monthly spending money and I will pay it off in full each month. I've set it at a limit that I want to keep even when I'm on maternity pay. £25 a week to waste on indulging myself. It also stops me from buying overly expensive items as I won't have the money to do so.


I've just setup a regular saver on my HS8C account for £250 per month. This will reduce when I'm on maternity pay, although I am hoping to stick money into my Ll0yds account so that I can carry on drip-feeding into this account. My ll0yds pays 1.7% I think, or something like that and if I can stick £3k into it then I get 3%.


I appear to have £13.03 credit on my VC...not entirely sure how that has worked so I'm going to have to call them to have that returned and close the account. I also need to call Cap1 and close that account...must charge my phone first.


The clothes I've ordered have all pretty much got to go back as being too big. I've got a lovely pair of boots though, a lovely warm light blue jumper, and 3 pairs of leggings. Two of the leggings are quirky one has neon blue/green skeleton legs on the side and another has leather look front. They look fab with my boots and the jumper. I have ordered some more jumpers/long-sleeve tops that should arrive in the correct size in the next few days and I'm waiting on 2 jumpers from M1ss S3lfridge. That'll be my yummy mummy winter wardrobe complete then Hoping the OH likes the new look.


I've just thrown another £200 into P2P lending that's a total of £450 invested in P2P now. I think I will invest £100 per month maximum as that's only 10% of what I plan to save each month. Saving is predicted at £1000 per month until my maternity pay reduces.


It's all very exciting this money-lark isn't it!? Right, off to find myself some sticky buns mmm.

ETA: Cap1 account closed VC - I need to wait until the statement comes out on the 26th.

kerri_dfw

Well my sister is an ungrateful little so-in-so and incredibly rude! I can't remember whether I wrote on here that I'd bought her two growing kits for her birthday. The first contained 6 different types of herbs and the second contained 6 different types of peppers & chilli's. I had checked with my Dad whether he thought it was a good idea and he thought it was a great idea as it would save my sister from having to buy fresh herbs. All she would have to do is put them on her window sill. I phoned my Mum for a chat last night and was told my sister would like to return the gift and get a voucher for H0bbycr4ft instead. OH is really unimpressed and says we'll have the gift returned and she won't get anything. I've never heard of someone returning a gift to someone before and then demanding what they would prefer, completely rude! OH is going to grow the kits on our window sill instead, Mum is apparently bringing them up with her next week when she comes to stay overnight on Wednesday before her photography boards in Bath on Thursday.

Anyway, enough moaning! I've had time to sit and work out all my finances and they are super duper healthy. We're halfway through the month now and I've got over £200 allocated to "spending money", which I shall half each week and shove into savings. I've got a spreadsheet on the go that tells me where I've invested my money, the dates when I should expect a return on any P2P lending, and the interest rates so I know where money needs to be moved around. I'm aiming for 5% saved towards house fund asap, although that's £1800 so might not make it this month but I can dream.


I've just called up the bank as I had 11 flex saver accounts open with them, plus an additional joint one. I've asked them to close down 10 of these so I can manage my accounts without scrolling. The £250 has gone into the regular saver and is starting to earn me interest, and I've just researched the terms of my bonus saver and found if I don't take anything out of that I get 0.75%...that's a bit rubbish tbh, but I get 0.25% if I do make withdrawals. I get a better rate on my Ll0yds current account than that!


So, I have a plan my OH is always saying I love a plan. It will mostly work from payday, but there's no harm in starting to think about it now is there? This is how finances will be broken down:


£1000 - bills
£100 - towards P2P lending
£250 - regular saver
£250 - personal spends (to be deposited into flex saver, then each Monday allocated to bank a/c as a weekly budget)
£350 - Ll0yds a/c
£x - Ll0yds a/c (this is an arbitary amount of anything that is leftover in the bonus saver and flex saver from the previous month)
£175 - bonus saver
£175 - flex saver


The flex saver is my emergency fund and it allows me an additional £35 a week should I need it. The bonus saver is an emergency emergency fund, for when the SHTF I should hopefully be able to save £1000 each month using this method until my Mat pay decreases sometime in Feb/Mar. So I should have at least £4k I can save between now and then, that'll be a lovely amount


However, we do know how I love to dream big...and why shouldn't we dream big? So I'm just crossing my fingers and toes that I can do this all ok I really would love to have £5k saved before mat pay lowers as that's over 10% of my house fund sorted, although £6k would be preferable but I think it's unachievable given the timescales.


OH and I have spoken and we're going to stick £300 from the joint account into our joint savings account to tide us over when my pay drops. This will mean I can put £300pcm into the joint account when SMP kicks in, so I'll still be able to save £250ish each month towards the house fund which is fab as that's what my regular saver is setup for. So that'll be a lovely £3k saved in there. If I can keep Ll0yds above £3k then I get 3% on that account.


So...that's the great masterpiece plan I'm going to order pizza and sort this dining room out so OH can order furniture when he gets back from the pub tonight. That was the deal and I'm going to stick to it as his cheque has cleared whoop whoop whoop.

kerri_dfw

Aw I love my OH, he came in drunk last night and said "right how much do you need for the furniture?" then proceeded to transfer the money. Then he got really confused as to why I wouldn't immediately go and order the furniture and instead wanted to wait so I could measure the dining room properly. Good job I did as the table I wanted would have been too big!!! We've gone for the slightly smaller one instead which will be perfect. It's all going to arrive on the 19th November and I'm really excited. It would have arrived sooner but he's said I could order the headboard for our bed which I couldn't afford when I ordered my bed previously. It all cost a stonking amount of money, although I've spent the same on the bits for the house as him now, but I got £40 cashback and it'll last generations well certainly our entire lives anyway. Yeeeeee

OH has had a letter back from the DCA regarding his f&f and I can see through the envelope that they've rejected his offer. It was only 15% which was probably too low, so we'll fire another letter back at them for 25% (after checking what they actually want, can't read it through the envelope grr), plus ask them to send him copies of the CCA to spook them a little If they don't have that then they can't take him to court anyway.


Really need to check his credit report. I've checked mine and I can't get a mortgage until after August 2017 as I have a default recorded until then That still fits into our 3 year plan though, well almost. I know we're going for a larger deposit to cover ourselves anyway, but would be nice to have our own place before August 2017 ideally.


Currently waiting for the hospital to call me re: growth scan as fundal measurement was 25.5cm so MW wants a scan to double check baby. Still not sure what I think of her as she seems to talk to me like I'm a child, when in fact I'm 27 goddam!


Right, best go do something useful.

kerri_dfw

Well all was well she's head down which is why I'm feeling my ribs being tickled by her feet and growing nicely. The sonographer remembered me too!

Have just received the rest of the clothes I've ordered and the lovely jumper I've been anxiously awaiting is too big I am now a size 4 in most shops even though I haven't changed size! I now need to find something else to order as well as the jumper or I'll have to pay for postage hrumph! Even collecting from store costs £2 which, quite frankly, is a rip-off!


Have tilly-tidied my current account to increase my savings a teeny bit. Still waiting for the £150 worth of clothes I took back yesterday to show on my account, I have no idea why it takes them so long. I have sent T0pSh0p a complaint regarding their vanity sizing and asked them to return my £6 postage. We shall see where I get with that though, they might say no. I'm quite annoyed though, the lovely jumper I ordered from M1ss S3lfridge is too big I can't find anything else I want to order to take me to the £50 for free postage which is more than annoying.


Eagerly awaiting the curtains turning up so our living room can be complete. We have friends coming to stay tonight which will be nice, but I have to go to the SM to get things for them to eat. We're thinking stir-fry for tonight and bits for a fry up in the morning. I've looked up how to make homemade hash browns and found a yummy recipe for parsnip ones mmm.


OH booked the spa weekend last night, he asked for "as much luxury as possible". If he doesn't propose I will cry, I really will, and I'll probably just have to propose to him at the motorway services on the way back only to be rejected at 36w pregnant and told he's not ready yet *sob*. I am therefore not mentioning anything to do with weddings between now and then in the hope that he is planning on asking me...he'd be really silly not to as we'll never spend that much on a holiday ever again. We're both having massages on the Saturday, then OH is having an indian head massage and I'm having a leg/foot thing on the Sunday, heaven

amber03

Sounds like you will have a relaxing time at the spa,just enjoy but must admit I can't stand people touching my feet.

Last week I became a grandma to a beautiful little girl, two weeks late but she finally arrived healthy now enjoying lots of cuddles.

Lets know if theres any proposal, fingers crossed.x

kerri_dfw

Congratulations on becoming a grandma Amber, enjoy the cuddles as I've heard they grow so quick! Can't really believe myself where the past 7 months have gone, we'll have our little one soon enough.

Well the curtains arrived and they look fab friends came on Friday night and on Saturday we all went geo-caching which was nice, cheap fun as we donned waterproofs and trainers heading out the door. We walked for miles and hours around the local area, all the way out to Warmley and Siston!!! I overdid it really and suffered for it the whole of yesterday. Thankfully our friends had to get back Saturday afternoon so I was able to go for a nap before spending time with OH watching tv in the evening.


Yesterday we went to the shops, OH needed a new pair of shoes and I took back the top that didn't fit. Whilst in Cl4rkes I saw another lovely pair of boots that OH said he would buy me, decided to make the most of him having some money for once and accepted. However, we were very MSE about it and ordered them when we got home with 6.5% cashback and 20% off OH also ordered a pair of boots when we got home saving him 20% and the cashback too. They're due to arrive on Friday and then that's it for shopping. Well almost, OH bought himself a pair of trousers, a drill, some drill bits, curtain tie-back hoop thingys, and has put the hoop thingys on the wall in the living room Living room is now finished other than the bookshelves that are due in 9-11 weeks time. I've ordered myself another couple of jumpers which will arrive on Friday, not sure if they'll look right or not but if not they can go back, and I'm waiting for the jumper I really like to come back in stock in my size so I can order that.


We're going to the baby show on Sunday THEN it's no more shopping. Phew!


Have moved some more money into my savings and one of the p2p loans has paid the first installment. Only 10p capital plus 27p interest, but it all adds up. Have updated signature, spreadsheets and moved things into different savings accounts to keep track. Also, had a few fleabay sales this weekend and have moved £25 across from Ppal into savings.

brizzledfw

Wow wee..just catching up!!! What epic posts:D

Your sister is a complete &rse. Have no time for "mood hoovers" (as my DD2 calls them..she seems to remember some bits from her whole school assemblies ) . Take the kits back and keep them yourself (or I will buy them off you! )

Love the treats like the weekend...dont stress re your OH..he'll do it when he's good and ready..although like you say, sometimes you have to make the move! I did the asking in the end on the Leap Year..bizarrely traditional in a way..quite unlike me normally! I got an 'of course' if I remember correctly.. as if there was absolutely no reason not to!:D

Your financial health and spends sound great. Remember its is about being thoughtful with your spends and thats precisely what youre doing! Go you!:T

Hope you're doing OK..can't be many more weeks before you are off on ML..lord its miserable here and more rain on the way I hear Hope the scan is OK too.