Balancing not just the budget

vasseur

- very annoyed it's cost me a whole £4 in interest :rotfl: ( < zeal of a convert )

I got annoyed yesterday that I'd undercharged someone 2p postage on an eb@y item...........:cool:

Today's lesson 1: if you're going to run a tracking system, do the tracking at the time not a mad dash to catch up!

Today's lesson 2: no, you can't just 'keep a rough track of it in your head'. I can't, anyway :rotfl: That's why I have a YNAB to rescue me :A

Exactly...even my notebook system falls down if I don't write everything down as I spend it. I always underestimate in my head what I've paid out

MuffinTops

I think there may be something in the air Rosa, as I'm also feeling like I went bonkers and am now back in the land of the frugal and calm minded!

I'm going to have to balance YNAB soon! I'm not looking forward to that either! I hope you manage to find the wiley £9odd.

RosaBernicia

Well I've found part of it, I'd entered a cash transaction that shouldn't have been in there so the difference is currently down to £3.63. At least it's in the right direction, as I think I've spent it but the bank say no :rotfl:

I've already gone through it twice for double entries and have gone right back to last month so goodness knows what's up with it. At least everything else balances though.

I realised the reason I looked to be overspent for May was because I'd allocated £200 towards college fees as well as £260 to clear the train ticket on the CC. That was perhaps a bit ambitious - so I'll clear the CC, but just make a small payment on the college fees. They will be put on 0% anyhow and as I'm desperate for a holiday in June, I think I'll use May and June money for that and clear the fees in July and August. It's not 'old' debt, so doesn't feel too much like cheating. (And on a related happy note, next month I will be sub £2.5K on the 'car loan' from my parents, and that will be paid off faster once I get the college fees out of the way.)

Have a plan :T


Rosa xx

kerri_gt

Just make sure you keep on track Rosa, don't want you falling back into bad habits (meant as kindly concern, not a lecture) you've come so far in your journey xx

MuffinTops

Holidays are definitely needed. It's good you've worked out where your overspend is on the college fees. It sounds like you have it all planned well.

I guess, like me, we need to stay organised and aware, don't we? I'm doing that again now too but you're further forward than me.

RosaBernicia

Yes, definitely need to keep tracking things. I'd like to say until I get good habits established but I think safer to assume I'll just have to stick with it indefinitely!

The holiday won't be an expensive one - probably doable for about £250 in itself but will also cost nearly that in cat boarding. You wouldn't believe how long it is since I had one and I really want a full week away, to help get perspective on work and life and all sorts of things. So I think it will be OK to push the college fees back by a month (that's all it amounts to).

kerri_gt

Ouch. How many cats are you boarding Rosa? It's two isn't it? Would they share a kennel as there's usually reduced rates for that? Have you looked at Petpals or something similar where someone comes in to feed them while youre aware? We did that when we had our other cat as well as we didn't know if he'd ever been in a cattery before or how he'd cope so it was less disturbing for him. Also it means your property isn't empty 24/7 when you're away.

RosaBernicia

kerri_gt wrote: »

Ouch. How many cats are you boarding Rosa? It's two isn't it? Would they share a kennel as there's usually reduced rates for that? Have you looked at Petpals or something similar where someone comes in to feed them while youre aware? We did that when we had our other cat as well as we didn't know if he'd ever been in a cattery before or how he'd cope so it was less disturbing for him. Also it means your property isn't empty 24/7 when you're away.

Yes, it's two - the place I took them last September was fine and that's £14 a day for both. By the time I allow a day either side for travel etc it will be about 9 days, so I suppose £150 rather than £250. Unfortunately the friends nearby who wouldn't mind feeding and fussing them won't deal with the litter tray even if paid :rotfl: (this probably explains why they don't have pets or children of their own), and it would cost nearly as much to have someone come in. Plus little cat would hide from someone new and I'd worry they wouldn't see if anything did happen to her, and I'm not really comfortable with strangers in the house when I'm not there.

I shall just have to get on and move somewhere with an extra bedroom so that one of my less squeamish friends can come and stay while I'm away but in the meantime the extra cost goes on the holiday budget.

I've just been speaking to the friend I'll be going with and we have all sorts of plans :j


Rosa xx

RosaBernicia

Payslip has arrived on time for once... and although the cost of living (hah - hardly) rise hasn't come through yet, I do have more money than I was expecting by over £100. Having double checked it all, it turns out this is because of a change to my pension arrangements (and therefore much too boring to describe in any further detail). So that feels like rather nice timing - it does mean there will be less money going into my pension (which is one of the few sensible financial decisions I made in my 20s), but on the other hand there is now money freed up to use in other ways, and now that I'm getting sorted it will still be used well. A few more months for holiday and college fees, then it will be onto the mortgage fund




Rosa xx

RosaBernicia

Well 'tis technically done - made the transfer this morning and cleared the interview train ticket costs off the CC, so I am now Debt Free :T

Briefly, that is :rotfl:

The overspend (partly Great Spring Clean related) and that train ticket have taken up my spare money from April's paycheque, and I know that May's won't stretch to both a holiday (even one as cheap as I am planning) and my college fees (which are still awaiting exact confirmation but will need to be paid immediately). So one or the other will need to go on the 0% card and be cleared ASAP. I am hoping that I might be able to get them gone with June's paycheque but if not it should be July at the latest. At which point I am hoping I will be properly DF and able to declare myself so


Rosa xx