So July payday shuffle has been done and we're now at £248,000 after an OP of just over £150. Feeling really pleased with the progress that we're making and just counting down the days till we can get a better interest rate.
Savings are going well - we've now got enough to cover the balance on our trips to Wales and Florida so pleased about that and I started a new pot in my Monzo account last month to cover presents and random gift giving for people as the last 18 months I've been sending little care packages to people to let them know I'm thinking of them and it's something I want to continue going forwards, so into the budget it goes.
Really need to try and make up some money in the LISA this month; I may have been a little spendy to had to make so with the standard payments into it over the last couple of months. Trying to stick to my NSD's this month which should be relatively easy but then again with things opening up we might end up meeting with friends a bit more.
DH is starting to job hunt in a serious way and if he's successful with the couple of jobs he's already applied for, then it shouldn't affect our finances really. Both jobs are more money and would involve 1 day a week in London. As I'll be driving into the office one day a week myself, he can jump in with me to central London and then get the tube from there hopefully; my boss is flexible with the day I do so I can work around DH if I need to.
On the weight loss front, things are finally starting to move in the right direction; I think I've lost almost a stone in the last 2 months, which is pretty much most of the weight I've put on in the prior 16 months! Keeping up with the good habits (more water, more steps, bit of exercise) seems to be having an impact. These are all things that are a lifestyle change and sustainable rather than a quick fix.
Emergency Fund - £6,100 / £10,000 :: Total Mortgage OP - £3566.50
Not a lot to report on the money front - things are ticking along and I've been good on the NSD's, just need to count them up and update the signature!
Had a nice day out at RHS Wisley on Monday and spent the extra £16 to upgrade to an annual membership so I can go whenever I want and take a guest with me which doesn't always have to be DH 😆
Our friend's baby arrived on Sunday and must admit it's made me a little broody - he is absolutely adorable but I know that I don't want one with me permanently! Popped a card in the post to them today and might raid the present fund for some flowers when they've arrived home from the hospital.
Had a few prolific payments through which amounted to about £10 so will get that transferred over to the emergency pot and we're almost there with the initial target. It will cover about 3 months of expenses including the mortgage or 6 months without but still want to keep adding to it when we can.
We're heading back into the office from next week and there's lots of questions that they still haven't answered about where we're actually sitting etc. I'm planning on getting in relatively early as I'm driving into London but also I know that if I don't feel safe then I can just come home again, although it's just for one day so shouldn't be too bad. We'll just have to wait and see how sensible my colleagues are; I only spent a few weeks with them before the pandemic so 🤷♀️
Emergency Fund - £6,100 / £10,000 :: Total Mortgage OP - £3566.50
Had a very relaxed weekend because of the heat - I literally sat and read all day Saturday and Sunday in front of the fan while DH did a lot of DIY bits that he's had on his list for a while. Felt a little guilty about doing nothing but it was much needed really.
Trying to get on top of the clutter and managed to declutter a bunch of jumpers and hoodies this weekend and want to try and do a drawer or a cupboard a day so I can keep motivating myself to make progress. Today's target is one of the drawers under the spare bed and my cookbooks. I have a pretty big pile of things to donate already at the top of the stairs so I need to try and actually get the things out of the house also 😆
It's payday on Friday and looks like I'll have about an extra £350 to add to the LISA, so we'll be starting to make some more progress there finally. Have really reigned in the spending this month and only bought the things that I've budgeted for so hoping I can also continue this into next month.
Emergency Fund - £6,100 / £10,000 :: Total Mortgage OP - £3566.50
Payday shuffle completed for the most part and ended up sending £559 to the LISA, so I guess I didn't spend as much as I thought I did last month!
Also booked in all my parking for August. Yesterday was the first day back in the office since March last year and it wasn't too bad. We've moved to hot desking but had no desk booking system set up so I was expecting a bit of chaos, especially since there were no senior managers in, but it actually wasn't too bad. I got my old desk which was perfect as that part of the office is really well ventilated and I only had 2 other people around me. Only negative was that I forgot how loud it can be working with other people around and forgot my headphones so will definitely be packing those for next week. Also had a massive headache when I came home which I think was a little stress related and also down to not drinking enough - for some reason I find it harder to get up and get a drink in the office than when I'm at home. So had an early night and was asleep before DH came home at 9pm from cricket 😏
Think my only plans for the weekend are to declutter a few more things (namely clothes) and just chill out as the heat has really taken it out of me this week!
Emergency Fund - £6,100 / £10,000 :: Total Mortgage OP - £3566.50
Going out into the world is stressful now isn't it Ruby. I always feel exhausted even if I've only been on a little trip to the Post Office. I'm sure we'll get used to after a while but take it easy in the meantime.
Going out into the world is stressful now isn't it Ruby. I always feel exhausted even if I've only been on a little trip to the Post Office. I'm sure we'll get used to after a while but take it easy in the meantime.
Fortune x
Thanks Fortune, I wasn't the most sociable person before all of this so it's definitely going to take a lot of getting used to!
Emergency Fund - £6,100 / £10,000 :: Total Mortgage OP - £3566.50
Monday and a new week is here. Feeling pretty positive I must say, might be that the scales finally showed a bit of a drop after weeks of not moving, or the morning runs / walks are doing me some good, or that I just had a really nice coffee this morning!
Had a mixed weekend - Saturday was spent not doing a lot, watched some Olympics coverage, read some of my book and had a lovely afternoon nap. Yesterday we went and did the usual weekly food shop which DH is insisting on coming along to now; it was so much quicker without him 😆 I then started going through some more clothes and bits and ended up donating 145 items to charity which I was very pleased about, not sure the woman in BHF shop was as happy when I turned up with 6 large black sacks, but I did call ahead and ask if they would be willing to accept, so she couldn't complain too much! Have booked off Friday from work and that's when I'm going to tackle my actual wardrobe so that's all the hanging stuff, long sleeved tops, shoes and all the bottoms. I kind of want to aspire to a capsule wardrobe but I know that's not going to happen 😏 Will just be happier with less "stuff" right now.
On the home front we bought some new saucepans at the weekend as all of ours are bashed out of shape (don't ask me how!) so none of the lids fit anymore and the non-stick coating was starting to rub away because DH kept using metal utensils in them 🙄 Went for a set of stainless steel ones this time from M&S that had some really good reviews and should last us a while 🤞 and hid all the metal utensils so DH only has the wooden / plastic ones in reach when he's cooking. We also went and finally priced up the internal doors that we want and it should come to about £500 for all of them, plus paint and the hinges and stuff. Will be very happy once we get it done as then all the doors will match and we're going for one with a couple of glass panels for the living room so we can get a little more light into there and therefore don't need to have the lights on all the time!
Emergency Fund - £6,100 / £10,000 :: Total Mortgage OP - £3566.50
145 items!!! Amazing. I aspire to a capsule wardrobe, I've tried to follow a few plans. I also joined the Fashion on the Ration thread where you have so many 'coupons' to spend over the whole year. I stopped during the pandemic as I wasn't going anywhere and wasn't buying any clothes, and I also lost 10lbs so managed to get into (and wear out/throw out) some clothes. I think about 50 items is a capsule, so that's my target.
We've had some stainless steel stella pans for about 20 years or so now. I feel like we ought to buy some new ones but they are still going strong.
Healthy Eating: 2021 current 12st 7lb (3lb/11lb) Christmas Saver 2021#5: £291/£365 MFW 2021#29 OPs: £779.63/£4000 Declutter and decorate, read and learn; walk/exercise/stretch and health!
Thanks @SandyShores - I've always taken care of my clothes, regardless of where they came from and so I never really had a need to throw things away, I just wore them until I couldn't wear them anymore. The problem is I'd still buy more clothes because I liked the look of them so I ended up with LOTS of clothes. Now I'm realising that its probably time to move out the t-shirts I've had for 20 years (not even kidding, I had one that I remember my mum buying me when H&M opened in my home town, and that was definitely 20 years or more ago). I've also been losing weight and a few things I have are either too big now or just don't fit with my style anymore, so out they're going too. The real fun is going to be the actual wardrobe because I love a dress; my "uniform" for work is a dress and a cardigan so I have a rainbow of options in both and its a little overwhelming (hence leaving that till last on this journey). I might have to check out the fashion on a ration thread - I keep seeing the amazing things that people can do with 10 items of clothing and think that a 50 item capsule would be great. Maybe a bit too aspirational for me, I like options too much but am constantly inspired!
Glad to hear the stainless steel pans are holding up well - I wouldn't have replaced ours if the non-stick coating wasn't coming off as that makes me a little concerned health wise.
Emergency Fund - £6,100 / £10,000 :: Total Mortgage OP - £3566.50
Replies
Savings are going well - we've now got enough to cover the balance on our trips to Wales and Florida so pleased about that and I started a new pot in my Monzo account last month to cover presents and random gift giving for people as the last 18 months I've been sending little care packages to people to let them know I'm thinking of them and it's something I want to continue going forwards, so into the budget it goes.
Really need to try and make up some money in the LISA this month; I may have been a little spendy to had to make so with the standard payments into it over the last couple of months. Trying to stick to my NSD's this month which should be relatively easy but then again with things opening up we might end up meeting with friends a bit more.
DH is starting to job hunt in a serious way and if he's successful with the couple of jobs he's already applied for, then it shouldn't affect our finances really. Both jobs are more money and would involve 1 day a week in London. As I'll be driving into the office one day a week myself, he can jump in with me to central London and then get the tube from there hopefully; my boss is flexible with the day I do so I can work around DH if I need to.
On the weight loss front, things are finally starting to move in the right direction; I think I've lost almost a stone in the last 2 months, which is pretty much most of the weight I've put on in the prior 16 months! Keeping up with the good habits (more water, more steps, bit of exercise) seems to be having an impact. These are all things that are a lifestyle change and sustainable rather than a quick fix.
MFW (01/15) £56.592,54
Had a nice day out at RHS Wisley on Monday and spent the extra £16 to upgrade to an annual membership so I can go whenever I want and take a guest with me which doesn't always have to be DH 😆
Our friend's baby arrived on Sunday and must admit it's made me a little broody - he is absolutely adorable but I know that I don't want one with me permanently! Popped a card in the post to them today and might raid the present fund for some flowers when they've arrived home from the hospital.
Had a few prolific payments through which amounted to about £10 so will get that transferred over to the emergency pot and we're almost there with the initial target. It will cover about 3 months of expenses including the mortgage or 6 months without but still want to keep adding to it when we can.
We're heading back into the office from next week and there's lots of questions that they still haven't answered about where we're actually sitting etc. I'm planning on getting in relatively early as I'm driving into London but also I know that if I don't feel safe then I can just come home again, although it's just for one day so shouldn't be too bad. We'll just have to wait and see how sensible my colleagues are; I only spent a few weeks with them before the pandemic so 🤷♀️
Trying to get on top of the clutter and managed to declutter a bunch of jumpers and hoodies this weekend and want to try and do a drawer or a cupboard a day so I can keep motivating myself to make progress. Today's target is one of the drawers under the spare bed and my cookbooks. I have a pretty big pile of things to donate already at the top of the stairs so I need to try and actually get the things out of the house also 😆
It's payday on Friday and looks like I'll have about an extra £350 to add to the LISA, so we'll be starting to make some more progress there finally. Have really reigned in the spending this month and only bought the things that I've budgeted for so hoping I can also continue this into next month.
Also booked in all my parking for August. Yesterday was the first day back in the office since March last year and it wasn't too bad. We've moved to hot desking but had no desk booking system set up so I was expecting a bit of chaos, especially since there were no senior managers in, but it actually wasn't too bad. I got my old desk which was perfect as that part of the office is really well ventilated and I only had 2 other people around me. Only negative was that I forgot how loud it can be working with other people around and forgot my headphones so will definitely be packing those for next week. Also had a massive headache when I came home which I think was a little stress related and also down to not drinking enough - for some reason I find it harder to get up and get a drink in the office than when I'm at home. So had an early night and was asleep before DH came home at 9pm from cricket 😏
Think my only plans for the weekend are to declutter a few more things (namely clothes) and just chill out as the heat has really taken it out of me this week!
Fortune x
Tales from the Shire
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us - J R R Tolkein
Had a mixed weekend - Saturday was spent not doing a lot, watched some Olympics coverage, read some of my book and had a lovely afternoon nap. Yesterday we went and did the usual weekly food shop which DH is insisting on coming along to now; it was so much quicker without him 😆 I then started going through some more clothes and bits and ended up donating 145 items to charity which I was very pleased about, not sure the woman in BHF shop was as happy when I turned up with 6 large black sacks, but I did call ahead and ask if they would be willing to accept, so she couldn't complain too much! Have booked off Friday from work and that's when I'm going to tackle my actual wardrobe so that's all the hanging stuff, long sleeved tops, shoes and all the bottoms. I kind of want to aspire to a capsule wardrobe but I know that's not going to happen 😏 Will just be happier with less "stuff" right now.
On the home front we bought some new saucepans at the weekend as all of ours are bashed out of shape (don't ask me how!) so none of the lids fit anymore and the non-stick coating was starting to rub away because DH kept using metal utensils in them 🙄 Went for a set of stainless steel ones this time from M&S that had some really good reviews and should last us a while 🤞 and hid all the metal utensils so DH only has the wooden / plastic ones in reach when he's cooking. We also went and finally priced up the internal doors that we want and it should come to about £500 for all of them, plus paint and the hinges and stuff. Will be very happy once we get it done as then all the doors will match and we're going for one with a couple of glass panels for the living room so we can get a little more light into there and therefore don't need to have the lights on all the time!
We've had some stainless steel stella pans for about 20 years or so now. I feel like we ought to buy some new ones but they are still going strong.
Christmas Saver 2021#5: £291/£365
MFW 2021#29 OPs: £779.63/£4000
Declutter and decorate, read and learn; walk/exercise/stretch and health!
Glad to hear the stainless steel pans are holding up well - I wouldn't have replaced ours if the non-stick coating wasn't coming off as that makes me a little concerned health wise.