The impossible dream

savingholmes

The camper van sounds one of the safest holidays to have - if you can minimise use of any 'welfare' facilities. Great that you have your EF. YNAB didn't work for me either - I forecast better with excel which is important for me.

Moneyfordreams

I'm all for a pen and paper.. and a few separate accounts that I can hide money from myself

savingholmes

I have to hide £ from myself too LOL

Tahlullah.H

I think we all do this.  Sometimes, it's the only way we can squirrel money away for a rainy day.

Tahlullah.H

Paid the mortgage today.  All good.  Hoping that I can continue as in previous months and make the extra £250 over and above the regular amount paid.

Ebay seems to be going ok.  Bits are leaving regularly.  Especially like the fact that the courier picks the parcels up from my home, avoiding the need to go out to the post office, and it's cheaper.

Trawling through all my stuff to see what else I can let go with no loss. Ebay is like a full time job, but soul destroying.

The positive, I was able to sell the 2 old laptops I had lying around,  Not a lot, but better than sitting here getting dusty.

Started prolific Academy, but it is very slow. That or I just never see any surveys to complete.  Oh well, just keep trying I guess.

Every little helps.

savingholmes

Well done on ebay. Are you using H3rm3s or someone else as the courier? I am thinking of starting to sell stuff too.

Tahlullah.H

Hi Savings.  Yes, using H3rm3s.  Ebay have a deal on at the moment that they will collect the parcel from you at home so you don't have to take it to a drop off point.  Plus, it is still cheaper than the PO.  The delivery driver gets paid for every parcel collected as well as delivered.  As I have a thing about helping to keep the economy moving, I see this as a win win.  The driver gets paid for work and I get to move things on I no longer need, and the money the delivery driver and I get goes back into the local economy, keeping local shops open.

Managed to make my over and above £250 payment to the mortgage, so all is good.  Not trying to stretch myself, just making sure I can survive, considering the cost of staying at home is so expensive.
Made £10 on Prolific Academy, so very happy with this after only 5 days.
Still trying to switch electricity supplier but there is a problem with my meter number.  If I don't want to go to the Ombudsman, I may have to stay with this supplier.  Trying a second supplier to see if they can get past the meter number problem.  I guess it depends on if they want your business.
Visa bill is coming down really slowly.  If I was really on the ball, I would be focusing on this to pay it off quickly and save the interest payments, but it isn't bothering me as I am aware and budgeting for it and not spending on the card for any other reason than fuel for the car.
The car loan is doing fine as well.  I always round the payment, so pay a bit more than the requested amount.  It won't make much difference to the loan period, but at least I know that I am overpaying and every little helps.
My pension is definitely going the right way, no longer losing money but not making lots either.
The emergency savings pot is climbing ever so slowly, because I am only adding to it sporadically.  I need to be making payments out to debts first and foremost.  I know my debts will disappear at some point in the future, but until then, I will continue to collect spare change/money for the EF.

Had one of those 'what if I won the lottery' moment yesterday.  Decided on all the things I would do with the money.  Pointless exercise as I don't do the lottery.  It is still good to dream though.

Tahlullah.H

I decided to read back over my diary from the beginning of the year.  It is always a revelation to see where you were, what your dreams and aspirations were at that point in time, and to see where you are now.

6 months ago, I was planning on road trips in the camper.  So, Covid scuppered that one for me and millions of people.

I had a plan of what I was going to do in February –

to have 10 NSDs
to sell 3 things on eBay
to continue to overpay £200 on mortgage
to continue to pay £100 off the visa debt
to continue to make the car loan payment
to go on holiday as planned without using the visa
to settle into the new job

Well, the NSD’s happen automatically due to Covid.

Selling stuff on eBay regularly until I run out of stuff to sell

Currently overpaying £250 on the mortgage

Still paying £100 off the visa

Still making the car loan payments with a bit of rounding.  Perhaps I should round and add?

Going on holiday is a pipe dream at the moment.  Lets see what September brings, which should be my next holiday abroad in the camper.

Settled into the new job.

 I started lockdown and working from home on 28 March.  Still, here I am in June still working from home.  I foolishly thought it would be a month.  Currently, it’s more likely than not to continue into September, so I should be thankful that I currently have a job.

 I said I was going to sell the old fish tank on eBay when they got an upgrade.  I did that today.  It only took me 4 months to get round to it!

Have decided to do the 1p per day savings challenge.  A bit odd to start mid point through the year.  Attempting to see if I can catch up.  If not, will see how far I get and will do it properly next year.

 Today, I contacted the Pension people, so they can organise and get ready for me to claim my pension from age 55.  This will make a big difference to me.  It will provide me the money to pay my car loan – there isn’t a lot in the pot, but I can see a clear use for it which will make my life more comfortable now.  Plus, I will get a lump sum which will go towards paying down the mortgage, so I can meet my target of only owing £45k next March.

 All of these things mean that I can slowly move towards having long holidays in the campervan, as I will have more money.  To be fair, it just puts me back on the salary I was on before I changed jobs, so it’s a blessing in disguise.  And I would rather have the money now to enjoy it, than wait until I am too ill to travel.  2 more months to go to Stage 2 of world domination!

TallGirl

You are doing great keep going you’ll get there. Nice when a plan comes together and despite your move you’re back in the position you were before. Good on EBay too I hate the posting part and currently having hassle with receiving from Hermes but it’s an idea. 

greent

I've been shifting the odd thing recently on t'bay, too - mainly also using H3rm3s (drop off point is on the sch run, so I tend to do that), although have posted the odd item with RM, using free stamps from when I did the RM surveys before. Makes a small bit of money here and there - and shifts things out