The Travelling Fund; £10,000 in 10 months!!!

madhatter90

Just found our diary there and read through from the beginning. Very inspiring goals! I just came home from travelling Australia and I'm saving up to go to Canada later this year - although I'm saving a much less scary £1500! Will keep up with yours x

NinjaSavingKat

Hello Madhatter... what did you think of Oz? My friend is in Canada at the moment and likes it so much she is staying another year hopefully! She might meet me in Thailand for Christmas though - not sure she is used to the cold winter they had there Christmas just gone! Glad to have you along for the ride!

NinjaSavingKat

I have just found out that the London Based Oyster cards are not used in the area I am moving to - I will have to pay every time I use the bus over and beyond my £233 for the trains. NOT HAPPY!!!

All the more reason to get a push bike asap! Grr!

NinjaSavingKat

Good Morning Diary Hunters...


My payslip has been published today! I am £202.82 down on what I was expecting! :mad: However that was always going running to a guestimation so I have made provisions for this.

I have a break down on my computer at home of the "ideal month" but this doesn't include motorbike break down / moving vans and push bikes...:rotfl: so I have changed my lovely spreadsheet here at work and figured out the following...

:j:j:jAt least £1300 can go to the "Travel Savings Fund". :j:j :j

I also have about £87 in my paypal account which I would like to leave there - an outstanding £23 awaiting payment and 5 more items (currently only totaling £15.32 with up to two days left ) - which (FINGERS CROSSED) I will allow to accumulate and will hopefully pay my first flight to Bangkok with this.(Total = £125.32)

When I did the Tran-Sib I wanted a new camera and took to eBay to raise the funds - it worked out that I sold £350 worth of tat within a few months and happily handed it over so I am doing that again. I like buying new with old! :T:T:T

March will be what I call "naked" - meaning I will get no overtime payments. For those of you who are not away I work normal days Mon-Fri but am able to pick up overtime with another area of my office and Sunday are paid at double time with Saturdays at time and a half.

I used to work Saturday's from 2300-0700 then have what they call a quick turn around and be back in work from 1500-2300 meaning I was served 15 hours at double time and only 1 at time and a half. Now that they are reducing how much OT is available without the desire of folks wanting it - I have to "bid" and cross my fingers.

I have one shift next Sunday with another 3 pending. It scares me a little but I can still put away £1000 a month without overtime something I would NEVER have thought possible this time last year! So at least I am not there any more...

Anyway - that's what's worrying me! No OT and the epic walk/cycle to my new train station. The travelcard bought this morning was £239 instead of £199. But as I didn't cancel my gym membership soon enough I am paying for that aswell this month..:mad:

My phone bill was £62 this month! :mad::mad::mad: However my contract is up on Monday and I will be going to all unlimited Virgin sim only for £15 a month. Phew! I just need to dodge the annoying calls I am getting from every phone company going!

So apart from vexing about whether I should get my new trainers (£103) that will come travelling with me (wear them in and everything) and whether to get the new rucksack I am fine and dandy....

Still waiting for Australia to send my citizenship Certificate and to be honest I think that paypal money might be the best option to pay for my Oz passport instead - £139. Genius! Almost forgot about that! lol!

I am off to eat my porridge. You needed to know that didn't you.

apple_muncher

As I read about you eating porridge, the tablet crashed and rebooted!

Grrrrr to your payslip + lack of OT. But does it give you time to physically recover from the journey to and from work? I can't imagine you sitting at home polishing your nails, but maybe polishing Hercules instead!? Maybe the ridiculous amount of walking you will have to do will build up your endurance for being on the road for 5 years...?

Congratulations on still being able to pay £1000 to savings. That's impressive! When you were debt-busting, was it like trying to rid yourself of a millstone? And that was enough motivation to keep going. Now that you're saving, is the motivation like filling up Santa's sack ie it's all going towards a good thing? I don't think I've expressed that too well - hope you catch my drift!

NinjaSavingKat

Applemuncher - I know what you are trying to say! The OT issue might balance out a little and so far I have been able to pay for both passports without using that saved £1k which was my initial plan (to pay for odds and sods seperatly) - so perhaps it will all work out.

There was more need for the OT last year when I was debt busting. OT was the only way I would/could pay off my debts in the time frame I gave myself. Now, with being able to put £1000 away without OT I feel blessed.

There is a reason for everything and perhaps the desire to earn more money AND be a minimalist has to be learned through the selling of my own personal items - relying on myself?

I am a little worried about my shifts when I have to walk home for an hour at 2000 and get back up at 0430 to walk to the station again. I might try and rearrange my "middle shifts" and push them up as late as possible. For me an early starts at 0700-0730...

However there is only on way to find out! Yes, the endurance side of things is a very good observation - never thought of that!:T

So - my citisenship certificate is shown below... WHOOOP! It arrived on Thursday. After an unexpected sell on eBay and repaying two bidders who didn't read the "pick up only" listing I now have £164 in my account - enough to pay my £139 passport and have £25 left over to continue my aim to pay for my flight with eBay sales...:T:T:T



But I move house tomorrow and I am about to sort out my food cupboards but I also feel like having a nap... But I won't.. :o:o

apple_muncher

Hi kat, I'm glad you understand my bletherings!

What about a scooter to get you to the station? Not the sort with an engine, but one you push yourself along with your foot. They do kiddie ones that fold up. If there was a grown-up version, you could carry it on the train?

The citizenship certificate is awesome!

killerpeaty

Found you again.

You've been busy Kat, I'm sorry you've had a nasty surprise in your payslip, maybe some of your pay will roll on to next month?

Like Apple (love your name by the way), massive congrats from me about the 1.3k savings, that's my entire pay! :rotfl:

Have a look at cash back sites for your phone/sim, you might be able to get some money back. Also, the people at the phone centres have the ability to give you discounts, it might be worth a try.

Out of curiousity, have you looked at how much interest you've generated yet? Last month I got over £9 for one of my accounts! Just in one month! It's so exciting!

luckystarr

Hi Kat

Can't believe i have only just found this !! ... i am so excited for you .. i look forward to reading your posts :j

You are very inspiring and are keeping me determined to save as much as i can as with OH to achieve our dreams

Keep going Kat you are doing amazing :T

Buffythedebtslayer

Hope the house move went well:)


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