Chica's gonna get a house! (hopefully)...

ChicaBonita

Hi anyone that's reading,

I hope this is the right place to put this diary, as I don't have any debt...but I do have goals.

My BF and I are hoping to be in a position early next year where we can purchase a place of our own. We live in an expensive area of the world (TOWIE land, but we won't mention that...) and we're both still living with our parents, which in our mid-to-late twenties isn't ideal. So the plan is to have £15,000 each by this time next year (if not earlier, a girl can dream...)

I went to Uni, did a four year degree with one year abroad, and after deciding not to go into Law (my main degree subject), I struggled to find a job that fitted my skillset. I had no work experience to speak of, so after my degree got a couple of McJobs (which I didn't hate, just the shift work and the rubbish pay), a job in the city, and finally a job working locally to me. I've finally got a salary that feels representative of what I do, and I feel in a good financial positition to get to where I want to be.

I'm not horrific with my money, but I'm also not perfect...I have a habit of denying myself something that I really need, to then buy something I don't quite so need, all because it was *cheaper*. Or I get trigger happy on my laptop when I've had a vodka on a Friday

Either way, I thought detailing it somewhere that wasn't in my head, or spouting it to my boyfriend and colleagues (who, let's be honest, don't want to know the intimiate detailings of my budget!) and I've read so many diaries on here that I've been inspired.

My hobbies

• Yoga
• Workouts with weights
• Running (I am training to a half-marathon in June)
• Writing
• Most importantly - reading. I get through between 3-5 books a week

Oh, does my cat count as my hobby? He's not technically mine, but he's my baby and I love him I spend more money on his treats than anything else!!


I hope to be back later to detail the financials, but for now, adios!



(And thanks for reading)

HelleBelle

Good luck ChicaBonita! I've subscribed

ChicaBonita

Thank you HelleBelle! I'm hoping this diary will give me even more motivation

So so far I have a total of £5,211.29 out of the target £15,000. I am putting away £400 out of my salary, and I could probably put more but I like to put some away for holidays and other fun stuff. I have a Help to Buy ISA with Halifax, and £200 of this £400 goes by DD into the account so I can get my government bonus of £50

Over the past month I've been selling on ebay, to limited success. This is partly to make money, but also as a way of decluttering the space I have in my mum's house so I don't have SO much to take when we do eventually move out. This money can be put towards the house fund.

I also use Swagbucks, and have been quite lucky to win a £10 amaz0n voucher, and accumulate enough points for some more. I have a bit of an addition to that site..

I've been listening to some podcasts on minimalism over the past week or so, and it's made me realise just how overwhelmed I feel by STUFF. I don't even have that much, but I noticed that when I go away and take only what I need, I feel so much happier and lighter. Does anyone else experience this? I think it's a sign that I need to declutter, sell stuff that people will buy, and use up everything before repurchasing (I love makeup and beauty stuff!).
I also buy too many books on kindle, but I get through them fast so I don't think that counts....

ChicaBonita

Also, what are people's thoughts on student debt - does it really count? Should I be looking at repaying it faster than just my salary contribution? I'm not really in a position to do that now, but wondered if people are doing that.

clippy_girl

Hello!

Re student debt, if it's a student loan check the website for the rate of interest. Mine is 1.5% I think which is way lower than my mortgage so I am not bothered opabout overpaying it. Once I have paid off my cards I am going to overpay my mortgage.

If yours is the same rate as mine I would personally not overpay and save it instead as you can get 5 or 6% in a regular saver or tsb current account. Best to throw as much as you can down as a deposit as your mortgage rate will be higher than 1.5%.

Good luck

ChicaBonita

clippy_girl wrote: »

Hello!

Re student debt, if it's a student loan check the website for the rate of interest. Mine is 1.5% I think which is way lower than my mortgage so I am not bothered opabout overpaying it. Once I have paid off my cards I am going to overpay my mortgage.

If yours is the same rate as mine I would personally not overpay and save it instead as you can get 5 or 6% in a regular saver or tsb current account. Best to throw as much as you can down as a deposit as your mortgage rate will be higher than 1.5%.

Good luck

Thanks clippy_girl!
I've just checked and I think mine is the same interest rate.

I think the way it's going it'll be cancelled before I get the chance to repay it all back anyway....:rotfl:

ChicaBonita

payday seems such a long way away I get paid on the last working day of the month, and with it being after a Bank Holiday this year, it feels like money is dripping through my fingers and payday will never come!!

ChicaBonita

I will properly fill this out later, but as a placeholder the things I want to track are....
Declutter-
Sales
Giveaways
Throwaways/useups
Miles run
Books read
Surveys done
Money spent

I will also do a SOA for my own benefit. Although I track my incomings and outgoings in a spreadsheet, I think having it in a different format might make me see things with a fresh pair of eyes!

ChicaBonita

So yesterday's roundup....
Money spent - 74p at the PO (ebay package)
£4.30 on ebay for a dress for work (I feel I've been lazy lately and want to make more of an effort dressing at work, but this requires changing my wardrobe slightly..)
£5 for boxericse with the bf (we do this at a local school every Wednesday, we both had very stressful days at work yesterday so every punch was a great tension relief!)
£21.65 at Tesc0 - some of this was not essential (although I think after yesterday's work performance the wine was definitely essential) but I got myself some post-exercise dinner, some cat treats (told you I spend a lot on that bl00dy cat!) and some reduced bits that can be used for work lunches and/or dinners. I like to have a stockpile so always head for the reduced non-fresh items.
Total - £31.69 - just a casual Wednesday spend:eek:
Paypal has informed me that I can withdraw some money from my first ebay sale earlier this month, but the account attached to my paypal I haven't used in some time. So I'll either have to add my current account (although last time I tried to do that it wanted to call me to confirm, but the mobile number on my paypal is also old, and yet I can't update it!?!?!) or go into town and get my old account reactivated (yawn). Although I do have about £40 in that account from when I used to use it, so maybe that would be worthwhile. Then that can also be added to my deposit fund

Thank the work Gods that it is the last working day of this week (for me anyway). Just need to tell myself I can get through this one, and then it's 4 blissful days.

StrugglingYouth

Im in the same position as you. Saving for a house! My current ISA is at 0.5% with Halifax so I will be swapping to the 4% one you have very soon! Actually I might even do it today!

Good luck on your saving! I would recommend a sealed tin to put 50pences, £1 and £2 coins in. I did it for the last two years. The total amounts saved are in my signature!

Have subscribed!

ChicaBonita

StrugglingYouth wrote: »

Im in the same position as you. Saving for a house! My current ISA is at 0.5% with Halifax so I will be swapping to the 4% one you have very soon! Actually I might even do it today!

Good luck on your saving! I would recommend a sealed tin to put 50pences, £1 and £2 coins in. I did it for the last two years. The total amounts saved are in my signature!

Have subscribed!

Thanks so much for subscribing!

That's great, I went through Martin's Help to Buy ISA helpsheet and Halifax were definitely the top of the bunch My bf will be starting one in April, unfortunately he already had an isa that he'd paid into this tax year, so he has had to wait.

I have a pot where I put £1 and £2 coins, but as I never have any change (I typically pay by card as I find it easier then to track my money) I rarely put any in but I will make more of an effort to do so, and including 50p's as well would definitely help!

I don't know about you, but I'm excited but oh so nervous saving for a deposit - we know we can afford a place right now once we have the savings, but I'm worried the prices will leapfrog us by the time we get enough money together! The prices near me are ridiculous for a first place (we're looking at two-bed flats).