A Ditherer's Diary (again)

Naomim

Nothing much to report today. The new HSBC card is showing the balance I've transferred but the credit cards are also still showing the balances so an inflated debt showing on my Snoop app. I don't like it 😕 

I also need to transfer some money to our commuting account. When we went back to the office I opened a starling account and transfer £250 a month. MrM uses the physical card and I have a digital card in my phone. As we were away on payday I didn't transfer but I do need to do this still. At least it won't need to be the full amount. 

Checking Snoop daily is now part if my routine, making sure bills come out as expected. 

Whilst I was away from here, I also joined my company's share scheme. I only added 2% of my salary. It has a minimum of 3 years but we get shares at a 15% discount. 

No PB wins this month. Last year was quite a good year and I won about £225, but this year I've only had one small £25 win.

I've got an upset stomach today. I had it yesterday but felt OK this morning. Went into work as I had training to attend but ended up leaving at lunchtime. I've spent all afternoon in bed and about to ask MrM for tea and toast. 

Naomim

KajiKita said:

Naomim said:

Just did some sums whilst looking at my money shuffle spreadsheet.

From Nov 2019 to now we have cleared £17k from credit cards and £5k overdraft. £22k. Roughly £300 a month. Imagine if I could have been overpaying my mortgage and building up savings... 

It's lovely to see you posting again  

Hindsight is a harsh judge! The main thing is that you caught it when you did and you won't let it happen again
Actually, when I read your first post I was impressed that you now have a £6K EF - I don't think you had that the last time you posted here, plus buying car and living etc. 

I'm so glad you are able to use your inheritance for something so lovely (on my bucket list too ) and that you and Mr M are in a good place together - the latter again not where you were when posting before.

I think if you read back a bit of where you started your journey here you would realise how far you've come.

KK

I did start reading back last night. It's true what you said. This is the first time I've come back and not increased our debt and continued on the paying down journey. I truly believe Nov 2019 really was my "proper" LBM 💡

Cherryfudge

I hope you're better soon. It's miserable feeling like that. Good news on all those financial things though (apart from the delay in the other credit cards getting up to date, but that should sort). It really does look as though it's all headed in the right direction!

Naomim

@Cherryfudge thanks. Still a bit of a wobbly tummy. But financially, yes. We are making slow and steady progress which makes me happy. 

Naomim

Money shuffle now completed. £4.6k moved from MBNA to Virgin. It's only for a year and has a whopping 5% fee but better than nothing.  Virgin take 1% payment and the DD is already set up higher so I'll leave it at that and throw overpayments at it as and when I can.

I also remembered two of our four mortgage products fixed rate deals are expiring in October so I need to have a look at what interest rates are available. I've had a quick look and for the two we are currently paying £485.20 a month on super low rates of 1.69% It seems the best with our current provider so far is 5 year fixed at 4.04% meaning approx £80 a month extra.  I'll see if the interest rates drop at all in August and review it in September.

Naomim

We have a wedding reception to go to in a few weeks that I just remembered about. I started looking on Vinted for dresses. Picked three I liked and asked MrM's opinion.

Chose one and said "lovely that's a tenner" MrM asked me why I was buying a 2nd hand dress and why didn't I go shopping for a new one? I pointed out that it's probably a one time wear, so I may as well buy one someone has worn once and selling instead of spending £50+ on a new one. I'd rather the money stayed in my pocket! 

In non financial news, poor doggo got pooped on by a bird this morning in the garden. Obviously using pup as target practice. 😂

Stomach seems better today. Was a bit tender still so I've been careful with food still. I have a pack of Percy Pigs I'm wanting to get stuck into but having to control myself! 

I_Love_comps

Glad to see you are back posting @Naomin.

Naomim

@I_Love_comps Thank you!

So firstly financial news:

MrM and I have been deliberating about ordering a garden office. I am wfh three days a week and MrM only one, however we have two small desks that are essentially in our front room and I hate it.  Mainly because I hate open plan living (I may have mentioned that 😂) I vehemently dislike sitting on the sofa of an evening and seeing two desks and monitors staring at me.  We don't have any spare rooms and no sight of 20yo ever being able to move out and give up his bedroom. We've been sorting the garden out and even have some plants now after the dog ate what small offerings we previously had when she was a puppy. I kid you not, she even ate a small rose bush, thorns and all! 

I have been researching as I want more than a glorified shed I am going to freeze in all winter. I have found a lovely one, the company looks good and have great reviews in more than one place but it's about £3,700. It's nordic timber and the price includes and upgrade to the thickest wood they supply 28mm, thicker roofing and has UPVC doors and windows. We have had two quotes for electrics. One at £600 for a spur that would run from our electricity supply we already have outside or one for £1200 which would run from the fuse box in our hallway. They have said we could go for the £600 if we aren't planning on using heaters but if we need to heat it as well as have the laptops etc then would need the full electrics. But, I'm not sure if we will need to heat it. We plan on getting it fully insulated and it's only going to be 8' x 6' so a small area and I'm wondering if the computers might warm it up anyway in a small space, alongside being thick nordic wood and insulated?

So cost of office and electrics (expensive ones as I also feel this would be a safer option) would be £5,000 and we still need a quote on the insulation but at the moment, this would leave us £1,500 in savings which although I know is a lot, it makes me uneasy being so low. MrM is pushing me to order it as they already can't deliver until October as they make them to order.  

I know it's only my unease that's making me hold back as it's taken a long time to save the money up. MrM is also talking about going on holiday abroad next year but I have told him that that's probably not going to happen. It's one or the other.

In sad news, my best friends brother passed away last night. I have only had about three hours of terrible sleep as I couldn't get them off my mind. I've known them since I was 11. We were at school together and I was sl***ing her off on the bus home not knowing her big brother was sitting behind me.  He was only 53 and to make matters worse, on a family holiday in Montreal .  He was diagnosed with a rare type of leukemia during lockdown and was in remission but contracted sepsis on holiday and had been in ICU since Tuesday.  It's so sad and not fair when people pass too young. 

Cherryfudge

That is so sad about your friend's brother. I hope the fact of his death being abroad doesn't make things even worse, though it's good he was able to go on holiday.

I think you have more or less made up your mind about the new office! I totally get that you don't want to spend your evenings staring at desks and monitors. Depending on where in the country you are, though, it may be worth paying the extra to heat it. With good insulation the cost of running that heating may be reduced a lot, but there will be cold or windy or damp days when you will feel it if you can't heat it. I don't have experience of how it would feel, though, so perhaps ask on one of the boards that deals with these things.