Cheery's buttling diary: tea in one hand, plant pot in the other, running shoes on

starnac

Banana cake yes. Milkshakes as well. Get them chopped and in the freezer and you won't need to buy another banana this side of Easter x

Cheery_Daff

That's the plan starnac! :j :j :j

To celebrate i'm going out for lunch :rotfl:

Been lopping down part of the lilac. exhausted now and all hot and bothered!

Cheery_Daff

Ok, today's madcap scheme... What would happen if I went down to working 3 days a week?!

After a bit of fiddling, worked out I'd lose £320 a month... And on the whole I'd have to still travel 2 days a week, so wouldn't save anything on travel. Hmm...

However, it's a decent wage and on 3 days a week I'd still get reasonable money, just wouldn't be able to save as much and we might have to cut back on holidays a bit...

Hmm...

I'm thinking about it now because I'm just in the process of putting in a funding bid that will pay my wages for 18 months (from next April). This is the ideal time to shout out if I want to drop hours - I'd just spread the project over a little bit longer...

Hmm... putting thinking cap on and might be back tomorrow with some proper sums... (or might have forgotten all about it by tomorrow) :rotfl: :rotfl:

Karmacat

You do 4 days right now, Cheery, is that right? How would you aim to spend that time? Its great to have the opportunity to think about it and have the very real possibility of putting it into effect, whatever you decide will have you living more consciously, as you say.

Cheery_Daff

I do indeed do 4 days at the minute KC After lengthy discussion with Mr Cheery last night I'm going to stick with that for the time being. Remembered that we'd already had this conversation several months ago and decided the same thing :rotfl:

I have a longer term plan which involves working nearer home and it's wise now to build up a cushion!

So this next year is all about getting act together and budgeting - properly this time

I'd like to aim to save £5000 in 2015 :eek: so £417 a month :eek: Been fiddling with budget and reckon we can do it on current income - but I need to stop buying food at train stations :rotfl: Off to investigate budgeting options and set up an ISA

Karmacat

Ooh, its good to have a proper plan! Yes, you can't buy food at train station prices *and* save that sort of money - but you can if you buy ahead I'm depending on you to list the wheezes you find out about

Cheery_Daff

I'll mostly be copying other people's wheezes KC :rotfl:

Done well today - been at a Christmas fair, got in free :money: (because we were providing the entertainment), and then asked at the honey stall about buying beeswax and he only had a bit left so gave it to me for FREE :j :money: Chuffed - it's just enough to have another go at my soap making (although it's been done in a little beehive shaped mould and it's almost a shame to melt it!)

Went out for an autumnal stomp through the mud and leaves, and on the way back got some reduced coconut fromage frais (8 for £1) and reduced cereal bars (12 for £1.50) so that should see me through work snacks for a little while :j :money:

Cheery_Daff

Evening chums :hello:

I am forcing to pop in here to confess three things, so I might as well get them over and done with and then we can go back to being cheerfully frivolous again

(1) I have been experimenting with the trial version of You Need A Budget (YNAB). Not entirely sure why this needs a confession, but I feel like it does because if I progress beyond the trial version I will have to pay for it, which feels a bit wrong, especially hanging round in here HOWEVER, I've been using it for a week and I'm fairly sure it's saved me the fee already in cakes I haven't bought :eek: :rotfl:

(2) It's taken me quite a while to figure out what some of the terms in the software mean I feel like I should automatically understand uncleared transactions and reconciling budgets with bank accounts, but somehow my little brain is having to work very hard :rotfl: It *does* make sense, but it's taking me a few days to get it into my skull :rotfl:

(3) Mr Cheery bought me some grapes earlier - and was so shocked at the cost he actually COUNTED THEM to work out how much each individual grape cost :eek: 7.5p!! :eek: :eek: Shan't be buying those again for a while - not while I've still got 60 frozen bananas in the freezer!! :money: :rotfl:

So there we have it. Other than that, not much to confess! Since playing around with this new budgetting business I've not spent a single penny on cakes, chocolate bars, unnecessary taxis, cups of tea at train stations, or indeed anything unplanned at all! :eek:

Quite shocking for me :rotfl:

Just off to finally set up that ISA I went on about last week...

Cheery_Daff

Right, ISA application sent and £4000 put aside to start us off :j Even if we don't add anything to it we'll have £56 in a year's time - not to be sniffed at! :money: :j :j

Karmacat

Oh my! Then YNAB is worth it! mizmir uses it, I know, and some others ...

I didn't realise grapes cost that much each **faints** I hope you enjoyed them!

ETA - just seen about the ISA - well done! £56 kicking around is good news