A Ditherer's Diary (again)

Naomim

Hi @bamgbost 👋

Thanks for joining me.  Ynab is an app and a website based platform.  It has a 34day free trial to get two paydays on theoretically. I'm lucky I have received the first year free as classed as a student so I have set up a monthly pot in my Monzo account to save £7 a month ready for next year.  I think the paid subscription depends on balance.  I'm not sure 34 days is enough to see if ynab would really work and would have preferred it to have been two full months but the spreadsheet way obviously wasn't working so I had to do something. 

From memory my DFD date is Aug 2024 but this is kept on a spreadsheet 😁.  To be honest I'm not focussing on it too much, just paying the debt off and plodding along. 

Your signature looks like you're doing really well too.👍

Naomim 

Naomim

Just popping on to say I'm still here!  I've been so manic with work what with joining the new team and migrating data to a new system that I have hardly had time to blink. I'm behind on updating my bank accounts and everything!  Hoping to find some time this weekend for a proper catch-up on everything.

Hope everyone is keeping well and looking forward to lockdown easing.

Naomim

Naomim

Afternoon,

I hope you all had a nice Easter 🐣 I enjoyed some downtime not doing much, met a friend in the park for a dog walk yesterday but that was about it!  I had a lovely chat with two elderly Aunts (my Mum's cousins) I have who are both 94! One is in Somerset and the other in Bognor Regis, both living independently although shielding has taken it's toll. One mixed me up with my Mum and was talking about being them both evacuated during the war.

Finally have a bit of time to update. I've spent the morning updating my YNAB and bank account. I seem to be in a bit of a pickle there as I think I budgeted for the next month (being April) too early, I think it's all sorted now but has certainly taken some concentration!

In the money front, another of our mortgage products (we have four 🤦‍♀️ see many earlier posts about cowboy builders) had it's fixed rate due to end so I have reduced the interest rate and saved us £20 a month.  Also had the statement on the sofa payments and only 6 months left to go.

The dog has been poorly again with his heart so had to spend a fortune on medicine for him. I need to see if any of this is covered though his insurance company.  I'm also waiting for the vet bill to come in.  

I've also become a bit obsessed with gardening.  We don't have much of a garden but I want to make it look as nice as I can.  I went to B&Q but wasn't really impressed with what they had. I want to dig a border in my front garden and have been looking at websites and making lists of plants I'd like to have.  Although I have no idea what direction my garden is or what type of soil I have! 😂 I've joined a couple of FB groups for novice gardeners and getting so much information and advice on there and also from the MSE forums about my weed covered front garden.  Who knows by the time I retire I might have a beautiful lawn and a mature garden. 

Hope every one is keeping well and looking forward to warmer weather and activities opening up again.

Naomim

Naomim

Yesterday my FiL and son started digging out the border, however my boy hit the Virgin cable and we lost internet 🤦‍♀️. We've managed to get an engineer out for Monday as they dont have to enter the house. 

Financially I think its going to be a very tight month so I really need to keep on the ball. I think it stems from getting a bonus.  It's like my brain just tells me I have extra money so I spend. I had planned on the new plants and gardening bits I wanted to come out of the bonus so need to look on my ynab at money spent in B&Q and transfer it over.

The plan for today is to get my house tidy. Thank God we're in lockdown still as I'd be ashamed if anyone turned up! 

Hope you all have a lovely weekend. 

Naomim 

Naomim

Afternoon all,

Work has been manic this week. I feel like I'm ploughing through treacle. 

I've had a letter from Barclaycard that they are reducing my credit limit to £300 over my balance.  Whilst this isn't a problem as I'm not spending on it, I guess it will make my credit utilisation look much higher.

The vets bill has come in at £343 so need to contact them and see if I can put a claim in to the insurance. 

Also need to renew MrM 's driving licence before he gets a £1000 fine, but his passport has also expired so I need to fund out what he can use as ID.

Hoping to get some more gardening done this weekend,  widen the border MrM senior dug, cut the grass and plant some bulbs. I'm holding off buying any plants for the border until we stop having frosty mornings. I'm just making lists of what I think I'd like.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. 

Naomim 

WinterWarrior

Don’t forget that wider borders can mean more future weeding! I’m not a fan of weeding! 

I hope the sun stays out for you. 

Naomim

The one they dug is probably about 10cm wide so I think it needs to be a bit more!

Went to B&Q again today, looking at plants and adding to my list of wants.

Naomim

I wrote a very long post the other day on my phone and 3/4 of the way through it just wouldn't let me type anymore. Not sure if it's my old phone or if my post was too long, which has probably saved any readers some time you wouldn't get back 🤣

No gardening done this weekend but I did manage to blitz 11yo's room and get the units that have sat on my upstairs landing for too long back into her room. I dropped a bin liner full of clothes off to MiL to put out with her charity bag, gave a few bits of lego, games and books to one of my neighbours for her granddaughters and have a few bits left to go to the charity shop.

I also updated my ynab. We were back in the overdraft. This seems to be my nemesis and I know it stands to reason we are spending more than we have budgeted, I just can't really see where.  I need to spend some more time scrutinising it but after spending a day working on figures and spreadsheets, I just can't be bothered to look at more.  I'm thinking I really need to get MrM his own bank account for personal spending and then work out what to do with the smaller purchases we make that don't necessarily come under our usual budgeted things and add some more budget categories.

We have booked a few days at Alton Towers in August - staying in a travelodge locally but this has been paid for out of the bonus money MrM and I received. We're not having a holiday so this is the closest it gets! 

On a positive note, I have had my first covid vaccination so I'm a happy bunny about that.

Hope everyone is keeping safe and well.

Naomim
 

WinterWarrior

Separate bank accounts for personal spends is such a good idea. We would bicker like mad deciding who was responsible for going into the od 😬 Yes, we are like very old children 🤣
It’s very frustrating typing out and losing a post, we’ve all done it...sigh!
I tried the trial on YNAB but couldn’t get on with it, so made myself a spreadsheet with sheets for each thing and that works better for me.
Alton Towers will be such fun and staying over is so much better than a long drive back after a full day.
im glad your vaccination went well. I have my 2nd booked for in a few weeks, I’ll be glad to get them both done. All I had was a slightly sore arm from the first.
Have a great Tuesday!

Naomim

@WinterWarrior We haven't bickered as I suspect it's probably me causing the od somehow....but I think a personal account would be better for him.

I was also lucky and only had a sore arm for a couple of days. Can't wait for number two. Booked for 5th July. However MrM taking great pleasure from saying how old I am as he falls into the next category so hasn't been invited yet.  I'd rather be older and have it done! 😁

I got YNAB free for a year as a "mature student" so it's worth me trying to make it work. I just think I need more budget categories as I think some most of the overdraft is bits and pieces I pick up in the superstores. I don't really go anywhere else atm!

We're having two days at AT and a third morning in the waterpark.  We're also bringing the 15yo's best friend.  The plan is first day, drive up in the morning, takes about 3-4 hours. Have the afternoon in the park. MrM will go with the boys and I will stick with the 11yo as she doesn't do any big rides.  Next day the boys have the day to themselves through the park to do everything they want, and MrM will be with me and 11yo and then last morning all go to the splashpark for a few hours, have lunch and drive home.  Luckily my friend has agreed to dog sit. Otherwise he'd be with the in-laws. They aren't dog people and whilst they would have him, they wouldn't be happy about him being upstairs, he snores VERY LOUDLY and they wouldn't want him in the bedroom which is where he sleeps at home. To be honest they and he would probably have a bit of a miserable time. This way my friend can stay in our house (she lives on her own in a tiny studio flat), she loves him and he'll stay settled and happy. She just needs earplugs for the night! 🤣

Work has been busy but lovely as my team are in the NL and they have had two days off for bank holidays. I've been powering though the hundreds of unread emails and cracking on. The company has also announced no office return until at least September.  My office is in central London and they have also announced new offices also in Central London that are still being built. I can't see them getting shiny new bigger offices and not expecting people to come back. I'm kind of hoping that as I am in a unique position being the only UK based member of a team that are in the Netherlands that I won't have to go in everyday.  

Enough rambling, off to do some proper work (hang out the washing - call it a coffee break)

Naomim