All the small things...

FlacosFloozie

So, its the end of of January. Time to update the mini goals
Save £500 £547.42 saved
Run 5k without stopping managed just over 6k. 5k time was 39 minutes
Clear out my wardrobe Two bags to charity shop.
Clear out the study so I can get into it Done and maintained
Meet up with friends at least once Went out to pub for a friends birthday last night.
Submit the first two course modules Did some work on one, neither complete
Drink more water Managing most days and think I feel better for it
Eat fewer takeaways Three this month- could be worse
Get a haircut Nope- have the money but hairdressers scare me

FlacosFloozie

So this was a spendy weekend. Had dinner out with Mr F but did use a restaurant where I'll get cashback. We then went out to the pub for a friends birthday so money spent on drinks and taxi but I did stick mainly to lemonade so it could have been worse.
Shopping done for the next few days today. Petrol topped up and YNAB updated. We managed to get a bit under budget this month and hoping next month should be less spendy.

FlacosFloozie

February mini goals
Save £700 (no CT this month so possible)
Run 5k in under 37 minutes
Run 8k total
Wear something that isn't jeans and a jumper once a week
Get a haircut
Do my nails twice
Meet up with friends twice
Message at least 4 people (one a week)
Finish 2 assignments and draft of 3rd
Course registration sent off
Keep grocery budget under £280
Update diary at least weekly

FlacosFloozie

It's been ages since I posted here . The last few months have been difficult. Mr F has been struggling badly with depression, mum has been ill, work has been hectic, I've had episodes of compassion fatigue and just haven't felt up to posting.
On the plus side I have been plodding away with the savings. I suspect I could have done better if I'd been truly focused but the total has climed steadily up. I'm now only about £40 off having saved what I had in debt when I joined MSE and that seems pretty cool .
I'm hoping we're turing a corner. Mr F is feeling better and starting to look at jobs (a big step forward). Mum is doing better, there are issues for the long term but Dad and I have had some frank chats and we have plans in place to manage the future, things could have been a lot worse. I'm settling into the job and starting to get my head straight and try to look after myself a bit again.
If I add Mr Fs savings we're up to around 17.5k. My parents have offered us a very generous 50k towards a house so we're meeting a mortgage broker this week. Once we get a dip sorted then we can start house hunting properly .

AlexLK

Glad to hear the news re. the house and also that your husband is now feeling well enough to begin looking at jobs.

Sorry to hear about your mother and other stresses though.

katep23

Hi FF, good to hear from you. Sorry things have been tough but well done on the savings in spite of everything.

Hope things settle down and good luck with the DIP and house hunting!

FlacosFloozie

Thanks guys, good to hear from you both. Its been a tough six months or do but we're coming through it now.

I guess I should probably post a bit about the impact of Brexit. I voted remain. I think there are pros and cons on each side but I believed we would be better off as a country long term in the EU. I'll admit to being pretty shocked and upset when the vote went the other way but we are where we are and need to make the best of it.

I'm lucky to be in a secure job but I think it's going to make Mr Fs job hunting harder. Every job he's had in the past has had elements of EU funding and the industires he's experienced in could be hit hard. I'm very unlikely to be made redundant but suspect pay rises will be minimal for the next 2 years. The good news is that I got a 2k pay rise this month .

Interest rates seem to be on everyone's mind. I think it's possible that they'll drop short term but long term they're going to have to rise- the only question is how much and when. So, I think we're going to look at a 5 year fix. I'm hoping we can negotiate a bit extra off the price of the house to offset the extra cost of the first couple of years. We'll be aming to overpay and build equity in those 5 years, how much will depend on the wider picture.

I guess we're furtunate to be in a relatively secure position at the moment. I hope it works out well but I'm scared a lot of folks are going to suffer for this decision .

FlacosFloozie

So, nearly 6 months since I last posted. What can I say? I guess I've been a bit useless at life lately . 2016 has been a tough year and my metal health hasn't been great. I've been plugging away at things but not acheived nearly what I could have. However, good stuff is starting to happen

Mr F has a new job, starting next month :j. I'm so proud of him and hoping that he likes it.
We've also bought a house... well, most of a house. We went for a new build in the end. There was so little coming on to the market here, we just didn't want to wait another year. We have enough deposit we shouldn't end up in negative equity straight away. We managed a 75% LTV so are taking a five year fix at 2.14% over 21 years. Of course, on this board, we'll be hoping to clear it a bit quicker .

Kittenkirst

Fab news on getting your new home!
Sorry to hear that this year has been tough, sounds like you are focussing on the positives and putting your best foot forward- good luck for 2017

snozberry

ooohh a shiny new house