£67,031.92 is a frightening number indeed....

Treadingonplaymobil

Week 38: Day 3

Some days I feel like I'm totally on top of everything I have to do. Other days I look at my list (anything carried over from yesterday, plus stuff actually scheduled for the day, plus any emergency last minute stuff that needs to be done) and I'm like :eek: :eek: :eek: HOW did I end up with so many things to do? Today is one of those days. 35 things to do, and I'm fairly sure that the number of hours it would take to do them all is more hours than the number before I am going to be back in bed again. Mega-efficient day needed.

I spent a couple of hours on Sunday writing down weekly/monthly business goals, so I've transferred November's to my bullet journal and I'm ready to get cracking with them. They are things like 'increase following on X social media platform by 10% each week' (very early days with one social media platform so this is feasible) and minimum revenue goals for each of my income streams - I am trying to slowly increase the revenue from areas of the business that are independent of other people's whims and decisions, which will lead to eventually being less reliant on the work that comes in from other people/companies. At the moment my contract/reliant on other people's decisions work is the vast vast majority of my income, and after the recent work stress, I've realised that's quite vulnerable - I have basically had to morally compromise a fair bit to keep a reliable income coming in, which leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Obviously work is always to some extent reliant on others, but I want to spread my bets a little more, so if one income collapses, it isn't a total killer.

Overall spend for this month looks like coming in at £3,091, which is almost a grand lower than our monthly average in the early months post-LBM. Yes, we didn't put anything into savings this month, but equally we quite often haven't managed that and have still spent more like £3,800. I'll do a round up of successes and failures later.

To do today
1. info to mortgage broker.
2. do a quick tidy of the DCs' room (more thorough one to follow, but I need to just make a start rather than waiting until I have time to totally blitz it).
3. make flapjacks for snacks (ran out before next batch cooking day on the weekend - bad maths!)
4. make pasties for picnic dinner after swimming tonight (more bad maths!).
5. make ghee.
6. more knitting.
7. stew the last of the apples from my mum - this has been such a money saver, we haven't bought apples for about two months, which at a good couple of quid a week for the amount we eat isn't to be sniffed at!.
8. research a first aid course - someone had a fairly nasty injury in front of me the other day and although I was able to help, it was a salutary reminder that DH and I don't have great first aid knowledge, and one day it might be us or the DCs who need that help. There are quite often cheap courses running at the local family centre, so we are going to take turns to do the next two they have running.
9. think of some quick/cheap halloween activities to do with the DCs this evening after swimming for a little treat - they aren't that keen on trick or treating (and neither am I). Maybe apple bobbing or something. Ideas welcome!
10. order proving baskets for bread - I have been meaning to do this for about six months, but I never write it on my list. Today it is on the list! I make bread about twice a week, I feel I have earned the right to proving baskets.

To do this week
1. declutter and tidy DCs' bedroom.
2. declutter and tidy our bedroom. made a start
3. Plan November's budget. Done.
4. Plan November working time/business goals etc. Done.

To do this month
1. keep the total spend for the month below £3,500. Now we're on the last day I can fairly confidently say we have done it for £3,091.
2. work a sensible number of hours, even if it means slower progress on the work and debt front. September was rubbish. This is going well so far, with the odd hiccup.
3. make any homemade Christmas gifts. I think things like candles and knitting will have to carry over into November. Where did this month go?

Suffolk_lass

It would be worth a look to see if you have a local community defibrillator. We run regular free First Aid Courses that are related to the core life-saving techniques associated with that, to ensure our local community has plenty of people with the confidence to use it - DH, DS and I all did ours and then used the standard FA manual to top up our knowledge

helsbell

I've been watching your overall spend projection go up and down all month. At one point you were showing over £3,400. Well done on bringing it in at under £3,100. It was only a couple of months ago that you felt getting under £3,500 would be a miracle and here you are, smashing it 2 months in a row. Well done!

Treadingonplaymobil

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

It would be worth a look to see if you have a local community defibrillator. We run regular free First Aid Courses that are related to the core life-saving techniques associated with that, to ensure our local community has plenty of people with the confidence to use it - DH, DS and I all did ours and then used the standard FA manual to top up our knowledge

I'll look into that, thank you.

armchairexpert

Proving baskets! Another thing I have never even heard of until now. I proof in a bread tin, though (my bread is serviceable old white bread, not yummy sourdough, because my family are bread heathens) so can't justify one. They are very pretty, though.

Under £3100! Well done you.

db2016

just a note on the "stock images" for your work..

there may be a local photography group, or students who could be approached for some help.

i'm usually VERY against the press / media using images or approaching photogs by paying them by giving a simple "credit" at the bottom of the image or page, as sometimes the images are hard to take and require skill etc and a simple thanks or attribution doesnt pay the bills! BUT having said that, if your willing to put a line or link to an upcoming photogs website on yours or their name next to it, it benefits you and them, and also the linking to other sites is great for SEO for you!!

I have a lot of stock images (in a semi-niche area too), on old film that i bought all the rights to etc, slowly scanning them in / digitising and know the market and business well, biggest sale came through this month of £1800 to a certain cartoon mouse based company, for a book cover. (it is usually little and often though).
and have been doing some website work for the guy i bought them off and am promised more images as payment, which sounds silly to most, because they aren't immediately worth cash but in long run they will hopefully pay for themselves many times what a web designer being paid in cash would receive

its something people don't think of, given they think everything online is free and up for grabs! but its worth considering for anyone, "do i have any intellectual property, that could be monetised?"

images, text (theres a saying that everyone HAS a book in them, aka they could write one).. you dont say what your work is exactly, but could you leverage any of it like i say? your website content etc.. could make a bit alongside the website actual obvious sales.

happy to offer any more info via PM to you or anyone else reading that thinks may help

Treadingonplaymobil

Week 38: Day 4

Woohoo, a new month! And get this: MY BUDGET BALANCES. We are glossing over Christmas here, I only have the normal monthly amount saved for it, because having paid the MBNA off there is no question that some Christmas spends will go on the partnership CC.
BUT I actually have enough in my account to cover all our usual expenses for the month, including all savings pots. And I haven't even included child benefit in that (which will come in around the middle of the month) which means I actually have a bit of wiggle room/some actual money to put towards Christmas instead off CCing it all. This is the first time this has happened without needing to pre-budget the child benefit/borrow from the business account/wonder how the big red number in YNAB is going to turn green all by itself. I am feeling mega pleased. I know that Christmas will ruin all of the beautiful numbers, but whatever. If I can make it balance every month then by next Christmas I won't have that problem. :beer: :j :T

quick recap of last month
As I said, I brought in last month's budget at under £3,100. It didn't include money to savings pots, because the money wasn't there, but I'm still pleased with this. Wins included:
- Cancelling Audible subscription - only £7.99 a month, but a complete luxury that we can do without now we have library audiobooks.
- £333.35 on food. Big drop from the days of £500+ food shops. We were away for a couple of days, but otherwise this was a perfectly normal month. Cutting the extra shops has been key to this, as our basic shop (largely vegetarian, all cooked from scratch) isn't expensive at all.
- £201 on family entertainment (not including savings for national trust etc) - this still isn't coming within the £150 budgeted, but we have frequently spent £400 in this category, so the fact it is reducing is good. I will say that I have noticed we haven't done much this month, so I'm not sure how sustainable this is. A good percentage (at least 40%) is still going on cafes, meals out etc, which I think we can reduce a bit though.
- £53 on children's clothes - normally I am waaaay over the £60 budget here. I actually ordered a bunch of clothes that DC3 'needed', and when the first order came (H&M) I decided to see if I could live without the other order (Sainsburys) so just left it at the shop (they refund if you don't pick up by a certain date and I knew if I picked it up either she or I would love it and we would keep it) and have realised she didn't 'need' any of those clothes right now in reality. The only thing from that £60 order that she really needs is a pack of leggings (around a tenner) which I will get at some stage. The older two need new warm trousers for winter and at least one will need a winter coat this month, so it won't be so good, but at least I'm making progress.

Debt total
DH has paid the MBNA card off entirely (woop!). I still can't login to Barclaycard to check exact balance, but our debt is (give or take a tenner) at....
£54,629.55
The total on 8th October was £55,186.16, so even with all the spend on the Partnership card last month, we've still reduced the debt over October.

Back to today
Goodness, that's a lot of typing for pre-6am. Today is a bit of a nightmare - there is a gas leak at the DCs' school so it's closed today while they 'assess' (fingers crossed it isn't closed for longer!). I have a client, making this the first time ever that DH and I have both had work on a day when a DC hasn't been able to go to school, but luckily DH has managed to work from home, so he will do childcare for the couple of hours I am with my client, then I will take over and he will work into the evening to make up the time. If it's closed tomorrow he'll have to use up his annual leave though, as I have another client, which is annoying. After that I don't have any bookings though, so can take over.

To do today
1. info to mortgage broker - must do this before 9am.
2. stew the apples that i didn't get round to yesterday.
3. order proving baskets (I also didn't get round to this).
4. anything else from my slight list of doom that I have time for!

To do this week
1. declutter and tidy DCs' bedroom.
2. declutter and tidy our bedroom. made a start
3. Plan November's budget. Done.
4. Plan November working time/business goals etc. Done.

To do this month
1. Keep the total spend at the budgeted level - it's high on YNAB this month (£3,842) as it includes the £470 paid off the MBNA card and all our savings pots are actually budgeted.
2. Keep a tight record of Christmas spends so I can ensure it sticks to budget as far as possible.
3. Keep beavering away at my business goals.
4. Make some candles - we've run out! And I know one person really wants another one for Christmas, so will add it to her hyacinth.

Honeysucklelou2

Well done TOPM! The food reduction from the beginning of your diary to now is admirable and fantastic news that the MBNA card is cleared. Keep going you're doing well!

System

All going the right way , well done.

helsbell

What an amazing post! It must feel great to be making progress in spite of all the curve balls.

How much is the budget for Christmas now? I can't remember what you decided in the end.