Breaking Through, Travelling On

elantan

Kc really really loving your diary at the moment... Was wondering if you were in my head at one point

The new plans sound ideal, I am going through a very similar thought process with a few things... Ed has got us thinking ... In a good way of course

Remember though you are only looking for about £3 a year or so for your pension due to £7,500 roughly for the state pension, so think about iSA's after that as you will be tax free on withdrawal that way

edinburgher

get rid of the French apartment. What would be the financial implications at various stages? Much investigation needed.

Might I suggest doing the research and then try modelling your cashflow for the next 10-15 years to see where you break even/what the picture looks like after you break even?

- I have shares that aren't in an ISA! Sell them, and put the money into an ISA, for heaven's sake!

A wee article on 'bed and ISA', slightly long in the tooth, but still largely correct from what I can see.

Read up on income 'floors'?

Karmacat

Morning! I'll have to work out what you said there, El, about finding a way to be tax free after all, with the ISAs. That sounds good <plotting world domination here >

Though, there's going to be a gap between how long I can keep working, and when I get the state pension ... between having had enough of this work, and lack of physical energy cos of viruses and whatnot, its going to be a bit tricky filling that in.

Back soon!

Karmacat

Edinburgher, I was in a mad dash earlier, thanks for posting! I've just opened those linkies, I'll have a look now.

If I'd done things like cashflow modelling, I'm sure I wouldn't have bought the apartment ... **shakes self** worse things happen at sea.

Right. Cuppa tea, read at least one of the linkies, then go get my mother's day card and post it immediately.

Karmacat

Bed and ISA - absolutely! Though I might not buy the same shares back - Santander, after all, and SSE :o:o I'll have a look at ... I can't even remember the names of the companies that provide share analysis without my notes, except iii, they've always stuck in my head for some reason.

Income floors - just read the article, though haven't yet followed up the ramifications. But I'll adopt for now the numbers he's using for his probably-mythical relative who he's assisting:

• £12,000 – required minimum income floor (after tax).
• £10,000 – the tax-free personal allowance 2014-15.
• £12,500 – the gross income my strategy needs to deliver to account for tax.

Because no matter what else I do, I need to send lots of money over to France *this* year, to make the mortgage and bill payments.

And I'll now be able to know almost exactly what I earned in 2013-14, as most of the work next week is predictable, and thats the end of the tax year.

Talk about empowering :T

Karmacat

Morning! I'm off to Egyptology soon, but just catching up with myself now:

- posted Mother's Day card - should have been on the lookout earlier! Planning always makes anything cheaper!

- came back and did almost an hour in the garden, it was almost dark by the time I'd finished, but I'm ready for planting on Sunday - been getting rid of tufts and straggly bits of grass, arranging a border between the bed and the grass, and choosing which and where.

- sorted out a list of storecupboard recipes I'm prepared to cook - I don't do "dishes", as such, for savoury - I fry an onion and chuck whatever I've got on top of it, courtesy of my mother's wartime level of cookery :rotfl: and I've no wish to change that now. But treats during the day are necessary - a flapjack, an apple crumble, whatever - as well as learning to use foraged foods and stuff I'm growing, using it appropriately. I'll do a quick list in the next post.

- transferred a lump sum from my savings account to my cheque account, ready to send off to my pension provider today.

Thats it! Into the shower, and off with me. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend :j

Karmacat

If anyone can think of other **essentials**, feel free to post, please. [STRIKE]These are in no order right now, but I might edit and rejig later on [/STRIKE] I've rejigged - sweet recipes, savoury carb recipes, savoury recipes, and a couple of special protein dishes

I need them to be easy, and quick, and provide variety - I only currently cook 4 - 5 of these, so this is a learning curve

And there's lots of sweet dishes because its the treats that really cost the money. A handful of dried fruit simply doesn't do it, if its the *only* treat

Sweet Recipes
twink's hobnobs
ripe banana cake
general crumble mix
Christmas mincemeat
buttercream
lemon meringue pie (not the base)
rum balls - easy recipe book
fairy cakes
jam
sandwich cake
boston brownie in microwave recipe book
shortbread
custard
quince butter
marmalade
curd
choc pudding in slow cooker book

Savoury carb recipes
cheese straws
potato cakes
bannocks
sourdough bread
crumpets

Savoury recipes
pesto
spring rolls
coleslaw
peanut butter recipe that Greying mentioned
hummus/falafel
salsa
chili sauce
salad dressing my business partner does
chutney
stuffing
scotch pancakes
sweet and sour sauce
mint jelly.

Special protein recipes
nut roast
paneer

Jeez, this is ambitious :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Karmacat

Morning!

I started collecting my tax dark recipes :rotfl:

Then got out into the garden in the afternoon - and after subsisting in pots for literally years my blueberry bushes now have the most luxurious accommodation possible :rotfl:much bigger hole than the pot has been dug, remaining soil loosened and mixed with ericaceous compost, pot planted, filled up with more proper compost, and previous garden soil and new landscaping mulch over the whole lot :j Only two of them, but that was enough, I tell you :eek:

Today, I've been watching the trading, but the market was very oddly shaped, really flat, means that indicators don't really give signals, so nothing doing, grrr. And my to-do list:
- make room for the Ocado 25% off delivery at midday.
- post pension cheque, after ensuring money has arrived in my cheque account.
- clean the public parts of the house, I've got paid work 4pm - 8pm today.
- prepare for London trip tomorrow - I'm off to see the Cheapside Hoard with my sister :j it closes later this month. No time for tax-dark cookery today but at least there are some choccy treats at cheapo rates in the delivery thats coming today - that'll do until I get my act together :rotfl:

Speaking of which, I need to allocate a day to do the weekly tax dark cookery for treats. Cooking isn't natural for me :rotfl: so I need an appointment. I *have* washed the inside of my new halogen cooker finally so its ready to go.

Thursday. Thats the day. Twinks hobnobs, since I've cooked them before in the horrible old oven, will be the first to grace my new halogen :j

DedicatedDFW

Hey KC

Tax dark :think: I am confused tis easily done!

Hmmm potato cakes - i really must find a recipe and make some

Well done on the gardening :T - i got some done this weekend but not the hour due to mothers day visiting. In some ways its not too bad out there - as i have made progress this last couple of years. But the big jobs need doing (new paving etc.) but its more trying to tame the weeds at the moment. I think that will be a big summer job for me - i intend to do all the jobs i can do myself in order to save the money

I will get on board with the stocks and shares and MB in the summer - in the meantime it is good 'hearing' you and Ed chat about it

mizmir

Not even going to try to "catch up" but checking in to say hi and sorry for being AWOL!