Building The Burrow!

Pearla*Merle

Rightio - money, future budgets/plans, and then a revisit of The List.

I still haven't got half a clue what's gone on with money during moving/emergency clothes buying for new job. It's slowly righting itself now but I have a few more things to get sorted (council tax, family loan - had to borrow some pennies to help facilitate move) and then I'll know exactly where I am. So what I'm going to do is reset my savings total which has got sucked into new flat deposit/emergency stuff (woe, woe) and start afresh. Oh yes, and I paid off the leftover monies on my 0% card (majority had been transferred). In a few weeks I should have a better grasp on things and I should be able to replenish my funds (hopefully with a rather large chunk of money if current plans around the family loan work out).

So plan of action for money:

• sort out council tax/make sure addresses changed on important stuff ie. vote registration
• cancel former 0% card, and look around for new one (and/or cashback card)
• investigate ISAs and current accounts - again.
• put aside a chunk of money every month to pay off other 0% card when that ends

My budget is pretty much staying the same as I'm working and bringing in roughly the same amount of money as before. Any bonus funds will go into a mix of savings and daytrips/holidays (I want to take advantage of living down here so with some frugal living I can happily service both).

I think I've gone through this before, but for my own clarity of mind: budget (per week) looks rather like this...

£5 into Toiletries
£5 into Clothes
£5 into Birthdays & Christmas
£20 into Travel & Holidays
£2 into Stationary Fund*
£5 into Kitty Fund**
£10 into Fun & Games***
£40 into Freedom Fund****


* I'm going to start writing more letters in effort to keep up with friends! Seems like a small price to pay?!
** This will probably get swallowed by savings but I oh-so-desperately want a kitten cat, and this at least keeps the dream alive.
*** AKA have an abundance mindset - I'm going to make myself have treats: whether it's a trip somewhere, a visit to a teashop, or buying myself a cheap book. A life is for living fund.
**** Freedom Fund is deposit/BTL deposit, basically MFW-type actions for financial freedom.

Any leftover funds get rolled over into the next week, and if I spend over the amount I have allocated I make a note of it (ie. Toiletries -£20) and every week the new funds chip away at the current total, so I'm roughly keeping to the budget. I'm taking a note of where all the funds stand at the end of each week in my spending diary and will review things every few months to make sure I'm not going wildly off track with anything.

Bills, by the way, come out at the start of the month and are already accounted for, so the above is for left over money. I've only just started using this detailed budget again so it may need some tweaking depending on how certain things fare (especially toiletries/clothes as I'm not entirely sure what I need or don't need for those at the moment). I'm playing catch up after a few months of no income, everything seems to have decided to run out or unravel at the same time so I'm in the midst of replacing things, but trying to do so mindfully.

As far as future plans go... I can't see how we could buy something down here anytime soon (everything's twice our original budget :rotfl:), so that will need some thinking about. A BTL adventure with a partner in crime may still be the best way forward at the moment, I'm going to do some chatting about that with people over the next week and see what possibilities there are for the future. In the mean time: save, save, save.

I think The List needs another post...

Habibiboo

:wave:

Hi P*M

Glad you're safe and well (and well done on being a whole stone lighter)! I'm about to return to a yeast free diet (which is also largely sugar-free) so hopefully I'll be joining you on the lighter side of life before Christmas!

Also glad you've got a job ... excellent result and three days a week sounds perfect to allow you to get on with your other projects! Any progress there? Totally understandable if there isn't, you've been a tad busy after all

Anyhoo, pleased the nightmare of getting the flat sorted is just about over, although fingers crossed for the boiler ... would it be pertinent to ask the managing co for it to be serviced before the autumn chills really set in?

Very pleased you had a great time at the concert and excellent news on your upcoming trip. To be honest, with friends, sometimes it happens like that ... you end up in an "it was nice knowing you" situation. And sometimes, it takes major change of the domestic life, health or work kind to make you realise who your friends are. It's sad, but at least you have plenty of other friends and social opportunities with work etc, so it's all good from here ((hug for if you're feeling a bit sad about it though)).

OK, catch up again soon. Keep well x

Pearla*Merle

Ok, here's what remains of a general To Do List, along with some additions...

Purple = done

• Dust off one poll & get back into the habit
• Update store cupboard inventory
• Meal plan for October
• Sort out spare room into workable space
• Create a timetable for self-employed work deadlines
• Find out if we can get rid of the junk that was left in this flat
• Set up payments for water/internet bills
• Dye hair (again - it's a bit patchy, oops)
• Make a list of pressie ideas for Mr M's Christmas (purchase Oct/Nov)
• Sew Mr M's torn trousers & fix others that've unravelled.
• Find exercise DVDs
• Music Magpie CDs/DVDs once I've found the box they're in
• Add recently found events/info on off-peak trains etc to our Things To See & Do spreadsheet
• Finish off thank you cards/letters/packages to friends
• Look into travel insurance for November
• Find laptop cable omg. (Found half of it...)

apple_muncher

:j:j:j You're back!!!:j:j:j

And have lost a stone :T:T:T (it's not lurking in a box is it?)

And have a job :T:T:T

And have a plan in place :T:T:T


Well done PM :D:D

greent

Yeay for weight loss and job!! (and that house move has worked out ok in the end!):j:j


x

newgirly

Hi pearla just got up to date with your diary, well done on losing weight, it sounds like it's been a very stressful move though

kansaskitty

Hi Pearla,

Just read the first and last pages of your diary, I think I've missed quite a lot but congrats on your progress, money deets and future budget/plans all sound stellar! Will be subscribing!

Pearla*Merle

Whoops! Went AWOL again.... I'm blaming all the visitors we've had, colds suffered and muchos overtime at work of late. I've lost a few more pounds - but gained lots of £££s, so go me!

I can make bonus monies at work (might have said this??), I'm on for £200+ this month already, woo hoo! I'll try & keep track of this every month, I'm hoping any extra money will all get tucked up into savings.

I'll try & get back in tomorrow & catch up properly. Nothing much else to report though, haven't been spending much and have kept the usual stuff ticking over - batch cooking, scraping dregs out of toothpaste tubes, keeping the spending diary & budgets updated...

Hope everyone's doing ok xx

XSpender

Well done on the gaining and losing of pounds .

newgirly

Great news pearla, bonuses sound fab!