Balancing not just the budget

RosaBernicia

Sunday shuffle on time today... because I was getting a bit antsy about whether I'm still on track, and because I'm procrastinating about doing other things :rotfl:

Slow progress - budgeted for next month and it is a bit better than before. I'm basically over budget still by the cost of the mattress, although there's been some DIY stuff spending as well. I'm not going to stress about the DIY stuff costs as I am really pleased I've been brave enough to try it, and of course it is so much cheaper than getting someone else in, and I'm also really loving the changes. That should calm down after the next month or so. Van costs depend on the final garage bill but the estimate is already covered in YNAB.

So just going to try and keep mad spends to a minimum and keep plodding back towards even keel


Rosa xx

doingitanyway

RosaBernicia wrote: »

So just going to try and keep mad spends to a minimum and keep plodding back towards even keel

and that is the summary for my September too

RosaBernicia

I'm checking in to keep myself on track, because it's needed... all is good but I am still running about a month's disposable income ahead of myself, and will have no chance to pay it off in either September or October as I will be going away both months. The money is there in the buffer fund, so I'm just borrowing from myself, but I'm aware I'm not quite as sorted as I'd like to be. I am hoping to get myself back on an even keel by November/ December, and also to have the house in better shape by then so that I can buy the furniture I want in December/ January. That's about the last thing I need for the house, so I can then hopefully get the garden sorted this spring.

I've spent a mad amount of money this month on fitness stuff, so that at least won't be repeated, and have also been buying stuff for DIY which similarly won't need to be bought again. I do have some work related stuff which will need to be paid for but it's not clear when.

I'm feeling much clearer about things now... things that were ideas are now beginning to turn into actual plans. That's the good news... the bad news is that now things start to cost money! So I am trying to keep myself on track and to avoid silly spending that is poor value in joy/ money terms. I've just finally rounded up all my receipts and filed them which has enabled me to dig out about £25 of stuff to return, and I've signed up for a Shopn5can thing which seems to pay quite hefty points per month. I have a stack of things for 3bay which I should get on to but need to shift other things out of that room first.

So hopefully I can use all that I've learned from having to scrimp on everything, to scrimp on the things that should be scrimped on and spend on the things I really want


Rosa xx

RosaBernicia

1. Get organised
2. Don't wait
3. Be flexible

I am both proud of and cross with myself today.

I've spent the day DIYing, which is good because it's stuff I didn't know I could do and want to learn for the future (my plans are likely to reduce my income and increase my time, so it will be much simpler if I can do as much as possible myself and only pay for pros when I need to). And I do really like the results so that will make me smile every time I use the room.

The bad news is that the reason I'm here this weekend is I am not escaping in the camper van. A combination of stuff - cat sitter fail, car in garage with likely resulting costs, friend mixing up planned dates and just not having made very definite plans in the first place means I am not going to make it to my favourite part of the world this summer, only next month. I'm sooo fed up about it. I was so looking forward to this summer and put so much into finding the van and getting things set up but I guess I somehow forgot that summer is a short term thing and as things have got pushed back and back, it's slipped through my fingers. Not saying I haven't had a good time, but I certainly haven't made the most of it and I'm kinda wishing with hindsight that I had just left the van thing for this year and gone up in the car. So I'm just hoping that the universe had something in mind and will bring me decent weather when I do get away. I'll also hopefully have long weekends away, as I'm still taking the leave, just won't get where I'd planned as soon .

:money:wise, everything is still about the same and probably a bit better this month due to the cancelled trip . It doesn't feel like much consolation tbh. I guess it's all part of finding out where your joy is and making that your priority. Lesson hopefully learned...


Rosa xx

kerri_gt

Perhaps the universe is giving you the opportunity to see your fav part of the country in a new season? Don't get me wrong, I do entirely understand how frustrating these things are, we have lost summer #2 thanks to landscaping sagas, and although now more or less done, when everyone was out having BBQs during the heatwave, we (like last year) had a dusty building site.
I'm slowly learning this would appear to be the way of things and no matter how upsetting and frustrating, spending time being cross about it doesn't get the time back already lost.

Well done on the diy x

RosaBernicia

Thanks Kerri, I hope so. I had only made those plans to begin with because the universe seemed to have dropped things in my lap so I don't know what it's up to going into reverse, hopefully as you say it will all pan out

RosaBernicia

Slightly belated shuffle... :money:wise all looking about the same.

This week I have been mostly doing decluttering, DIY and reading . The main room I was working on is almost finished and I'm SO pleased with it. I've also done a few other things that have been waiting for months and feel a whole lot better for it. I think I am almost there with decluttering - I know where all my stuff is, it's in pretty much the right places, and I'm just finalising what needs to stay and to go.

It's a really nice feeling now that having the house fully sorted is in sight. Almost like healing it from all the little brokennesses left by the dodgy tenant :mad: . I've even got definite plans for the garden in spring


Rosa

beanielou

So pleased to read this Rosa

RosaBernicia

Oh, and just to add some small :money: things...

• Signed up for ClearScore - that's the third credit ref agency so I can now check my report with all three
• Emailed Waitro5e when I couldn't find the code for the last discounted delivery shop - got it, so saved £20
• Called and cancelled the travel insurance that popped up on auto-renew, as won't need it for a while
• Used another ShopNScan voucher to halve the cost of something for the newly done room
• Read through my re-mortgage offer from the current provider, checked the best buys on the MSE tool, and called a broker to try and get something slightly better. Am reassured to find that despite the van loan, I should be eligible for the best buy options. Also, should be able to get it down past another 5% banding. So, so grateful for MSE guides :heartpuls:money::heartpuls as it helped me to realise that the current offer was based on the current amount and misses that 5% barrier that will be sorted by the time the current rate expires - a cost of about £40 a month.
• Explored the back garden and realised there may be a cheaper solution to the garden works than I thought

RosaBernicia

beanielou wrote: »

So pleased to read this Rosa

Thanks Beanie

I was so grumpy at the beginning of the week but slowly realised that I'm getting there and although the house stuff looked like an almighty, monstrous, undoable scary thing I have got there bit by bit. It's my little haven and both of us deserve to be looked after, whether I live here forever or not.

Rosa xx