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

Treadingonplaymobil

mfmaybe wrote: »

Just been catching up. A few random thoughts from me, in no particular order:

I mentioned a contingency budget for your build in an earlier post. Don't think you replied (apologies if I missed it) but do please factor this in before you commit to the project. We are about to build our own home, which I've been researching for years, and it's the number one piece of advice I see in magazines, books, seminars etc! I have a friend who is a director of a housebuilding company and even they factor in 2-3%, but he recommends at least 10% for a self build project. You should consider this a real cost, until proven otherwise; so you need to know where it's coming from.

Do you pay yourself your salary at the start of the month? Just thinking that most "employees" get paid at the end of a month. In some ways it makes no difference as a true "employer" would have to pay you regardless of the other surprise bills they had, but perhaps it would make it easier to see whether you were truly covering costs each month?

Online shopping - I've started doing this (we now live a long way from our nearest Sainsbugs) and they have £1 delivery slots if you plan it right. However I've found you do need to write a shopping list first . If I do end up at the dreaded Te$co I use the scan and shop which is actually great for controlling spend. I wish all supermarkets did it.

Beauty products. I'm another who baulked at the cost. Have you tried Steam Cream? Comes in a tin, made in UK as far as I'm aware and is cheap as chips from Amaz0n. I would also strongly advocate vouchers for presents to put towards your beauty spends.

Planning. That is very frustrating. We had to make some compromises with our plans too, but one thing that kept me going was reading that many of the best designs end up coming from compromises. The truth is, our house will look and work better than our original submission. Hopefully this ends up being the case for you too.

I'm sure I had some other thoughts but I do want to say how well you are doing. I found it refreshing to see what you had posted about food - ie it should cost what it costs, and it should always be ethical and that poor quality, poor welfare stuff just shouldn't be sold. I feel this way too but I'm always worried that it is easy to say this from a position of "privilege". You have articulated it way better than I could have, and it felt very real, too. You have a huge debt mountain still to climb but I'm truly in awe of you sticking to your principles.

Oh and I've also made a switch to a shampoo bar - for some reason I had procrastinated, but your posts encouraged me. For anyone hesitant, it works exactly like a bottle of shampoo, I have long, coloured hair, and you would have no idea I've changed products. I also think they seem pretty cheap in comparison to many brands.

Must go and cook tea, but thanks again for your honest and articulate posting

Edit - I remembered the other two things. If you end up with no car, how will this effect your own client facing business? The second thing was the garden - do you grow any veg at all, you said you have a big garden? Currently all I have is some rocket and salad leaves in pots, but this alone reduces my plastic use quite alarmingly. We have also found a friend who has a huge productive veg garden and gluts are coming our way . Keep your ear to the ground for this - maybe you could trade home baking for fresh fruit or veg, for example?

Thanks for all your thoughts :beer:

1) Contingency budget - the entire build is going to be borrowed money, and we have the ability to borrow our contingency, so as far as it goes, we have a contingency. The reduced cost of the build with the smaller dormer will increase our wiggle room here.

2) Salary - yes, I pay myself. I had a big budget rejig a couple of months ago and now pay myself £700pm after tax.

3) Online food shopping - yes, I am such a convert! I am much more inclined to wiggle the menu plan when I can see the final cost laid out in black and white.

4) Beauty - steam cream makes me break out in major acne, annoyingly, but good idea re vouchers.

Yay on the shampoo bar, so lovely to have persuaded someone else to make the leap! All you need is the vinegar rinse and you'll be a proper hippy like me :rotfl: .

Treadingonplaymobil

Honeysucklelou2 wrote: »

Best of luck with that list...I had one with about 20 points on this week and got about 8 done. Enjoy the time away with your mum and the camping trip.

I will probably get about 8 done too. I know I'm setting myself up for disappointment, but it's a good motivator not to sit down for too long at any stage in the day!

Suffolk_lass

If you are building a list of sites to browse when you are further down the line, do check out Zev Bianchi - an Australian Industrial Designer who makes flat-store chairs, folding staircases, and innovative lighting designs (and loads of other things) - you can find videos of some of his stuff on facepage and youpipe.


I'm just catching up on your diary now we have internet again on our hols. Your £422 overpayment is a bit like my light-bulb dimmer switch. I did something similar a couple of years ago and managed to go with the flow. It proved to me that I could manage on less than I always insisted I needed. Every now and then now, I have a store-cupboard and freezer month when I really pare back my grocery spending and it also ensures all my supplies get turned around without stock-piling.


I am sorry to hear the planners baulked at your plans. I am sitting here wondering what your architect thinks he is doing. When we put in, our architect first went to the Local Authority and sat down with them in pre-planning to check what was, and what was not acceptable to them, ahead of drawing up detailed plans and submitting them (at my expense). I am having a !!!!!! moment over here...

Treadingonplaymobil

I have to round up yesterday's epic list before I can think about today!

Yesterday's list (with last week's list stuff left on too)
1. DH to phone next handful of builders on the shortlist. We are going to re-engage with two today now we have a clearer idea on how we're moving forwards.
2. Create full list of all the 'extra' jobs that we want done alongside the extension before the first builder visits on Thursday.
3. Check in with the people servicing my Kenwood Chef whether it's ready/needs open heart surgery. DH is picking it up today.
4. Order DCs' uniform. I will actually do this one day instead of just moving it onto the next week's list .
5. DH research new 0% deal for the one expiring in September.
6. Invite the other guest to DC1's party so we can book the campsite.
7. Make a start on tax return.
8. Menu plan for coming weekend/next week and update shopping delivery.
9. Get a stock of social media posts ready for when we're away over the rest of the summer.
10. Get some website content up.
11. Write packing list.
12. Pack for the next fortnight :eek: :eek: :eek:
13. Finish contract work for the next fortnight. Done for the next week, will do the following week's worth of work at my mum's this week before camping.
14. Pack orders for smaller business. Will do this morning before we leave.
15. Get as much laundry done as possible in the rain - urgh to drying on airers again. Will have to take some dirty laundry to my mum's. As long as it's all clean before we go camping that's ok.
16. make reusable wraps to take camping (in place of clingfilm).
17. Order waterproofs for DC1.
18. Life coaching update for last week.
19. Patch my shorts (refuse to buy a new pair at this stage in the summer!). Will take repair stuff to my mum's.
20. Refill our camping candles (for the tealight chandelier - we have little glass containers).
21. Clear emails.
22. Make big batch of curry to eat for lunch/freeze.
23. Chase architect for updated plans.
24. Update my smaller business to reflect the fact I won't be able to pack orders for a fortnight (I usually offer a small discount for the inconvenience of not posting for a while, but leave my shop open).
25. Make flapjacks and freeze (will take frozen to my mum's for camping snacks).
26. Spend 15 minutes doing a mad clean in each of the following rooms:
(a) DCs' room
(b) Our room
(c) Hallway and stairs
(d) Kitchen
(e) Sitting room
(f) Dining room
(g) Utility room and back toilet
(h) Bathroom

Treadingonplaymobil

Week 79: Day 1

Another Monday, another new week!

We are having a lovely school holidays so far. The DCs are so much easier now that DC3 is that bit older and can manage days out etc without needing naps/a pushchair, and we can push bedtime a bit later if we're out doing something.

THE SPENDING THOUGH. Not so much specifically because of the holidays (although that is bad too), but everyone seems to have shot up 3", needed various things and generally be costing me money! I have bought so much. Three pairs of shoes for DC3 (school shoes and trainers for PE, everyday shoes - all a size bigger than previous shoes), wellies for DC1 and 2, waterproof trousers for DC1, new swimwear all round, acres of new uniform, activity books for the summer, diesel driving around to visit people, it just goes on and on and on. I am clinging onto the fact that I can slightly rebalance things when the child benefit comes in next week, but some pots are going to be overspent by the end of the month whatever I do. Apart from balancing out the £422 crazy overpayment I am not juggling pots though, but leaving the balances negative in YNAB and seeing how they settle down over the next month or two - this will help me see whether the pots are actually working on average, or whether they are too low.

I am feeling reasonably proud of having talked DH down from (a) a new camping stove (ours is absolutely terrible, but it's been terrible all year and we've survived so far, so I think we can make it through one last trip and replace it when the holiday pots have recovered a bit) and (b) a new school coat for DC3 because hers looks pretty scruffy (although it functions perfectly well - we made the mistake of buying a light colour for DC2 and now it's handed down it's definitely a bit rubbish looking). She can have a new one in October when there is hopefully some flex in the clothing budget pot again.


To do this week
1. Finish next week's contract work.
2. Pack orders for smaller business before I go away.
3. Patch my shorts.
4. Phone the architect to follow up yesterday's email.
5. Menu plan/food shopping/any cooking needed before we go camping on Friday.
6. Start work on a revised budget for September using current SOA (need to increase pot for tutor, and add in a couple of other bits).
7. Start compiling a list of things for DC1's birthday so I can give ideas when people ask, to avoid an influx of junk.
8. DH to phone 3 more builders and arrange meetings for after holidays (when we should have revised plans set in stone).
9. Confirm balance transfer has gone through from Barclaycard.
10. Book car in for MOT in early Septmber (eek!).

August money goals:
- £15.04/31 August rounding down pot. Um. I might not add to this much more this month after the accidental £422 overpayment .
- £3,657.20/£5,000 2018 debt repayment goal.
- £382/£932 extension pre-build costs predicted shortfall.
- £214/864 income needed for September :eek: :eek: :eek: .

remote_control

Re point 7 - Can you ask for activity books? I don't think we've ever bought any for our children as they tend to get them for birthday and Christmas and then I hide them for rainy/slow days, car journeys, long waits etc. Would he want any clothes to help reduce clothing spend for the next year?

Treadingonplaymobil

Week 79: Day 3

Phew, managed to actually go 24 hours without spending any money yesterday! Feels like an actual achievement after recent days/weeks.

I'm working today (which is actually why we're at my mum's - so she can do childcare), and will earn about £300 for today's work after expenses, which will be very welcome when it gets paid at the end of the month. I should have another day's work at this rate right at the end of the month, and enquiries have started to trickle in for September onwards. DH has also been doing lots of 1-2 hour overtime chunks in the evenings over the past week or two as well as a couple of Saturdays this holiday, which will be nice when it gets paid- some this month and some next. So September shouldn't be too horrendous, despite the challenges of this month.

I've also been working on a revised budget for September onwards, which will include a couple of wiggles:
(a) I'm going to stop taking my clothes budget as a percentage of income, but instead have upped my salary slightly and will give myself a flat budget. It's pathetically small at the moment (£60 for everything), but my plan, once work picks up a bit in the autumn, is to have only a month or two on that very low budget while I build up a bit of a buffer in my business account, then to increase my salary slightly further and make it a little larger. I am finding having no buffer very unrelaxing.
(b) I also need to budget more for the tutor, so I need to increase that from £20pm to £78pm.
(c) I want to start saving for school holidays, maybe a tenner a month, so an extra £40 for easter and £80 for summer - those always seem to be the really tricky two.
(d) I want to start saving maybe £5pm towards annual insurances for next year so we can start working towards paying life/car/building and contents etc annually if it's cheaper. I had hoped to be able to start it this autumn, but unless DH's overtime is significantly more than I'm expecting I don't think that's realistic.

I think I can manage all of that without too much sacrifice elsewhere, based on my initial play with Stoozing, but I'll do it properly at some point and post it here for comments.

To do this week
1. Finish next week's contract work.
2. Pack orders for smaller business before I go away.
3. Patch my shorts.
4. Phone the architect to follow up yesterday's email.
5. Menu plan/food shopping/any cooking needed before we go camping on Friday. Menu plan and shopping list done, just need to go food shopping tomorrow morning.
6. Start work on a revised budget for September using current SOA (need to increase pot for tutor, and add in a couple of other bits).
7. Start compiling a list of things for DC1's birthday so I can give ideas when people ask, to avoid an influx of junk.
8. DH to phone 3 more builders and arrange meetings for after holidays (when we should have revised plans set in stone).
9. Confirm balance transfer has gone through from Barclaycard.
10. Book car in for MOT in early Septmber (eek!).

August money goals:
- £15.04/31 August rounding down pot. Um. I might not add to this much more this month after the accidental £422 overpayment .
- £3,657.20/£5,000 2018 debt repayment goal.
- £382/£932 extension pre-build costs predicted shortfall.
- £214/864 income needed for September :eek: :eek: :eek: .

Moreplease

So inspired to get our butts into gear reading your diary. You!!!8217;re doing a great job TOPM.
I don!!!8217;t understand the rounding down pot though - how does that work? X

Treadingonplaymobil

Week 79: Day 3

Probably won't be around much for the next 10 days or so, so thought I'd take the opportunity for a quick update now (while the DC are asleep!). Off camping with friends this morning, then switching campsites on Monday and having a week with my parents. Fingers crossed the weather holds at a semi-reasonable level.

No word yet on Santander card for the balance transfer, will get DH to phone them on the drive to the campsite this morning. He has booked the car in for its MOT on the 3rd, which will be the big decider for us regarding being carless or not.

The horrifying spending continues, but only on food and diesel. The budget hasn't got away from me quite as epically as it did in June, but it's definitely not under tight control this month. DH will get a decent chunk of overtime at the end of the month, and a little more paid at the end of September, which will help, but I've deliberately not worked out what it is, as I know that as soon as I think 'oh, we're ok for money really' I'll start spending even more. I'm nothing if not predictable! I know it's more than £100, but I'm not sure how much more as I haven't really been there to see what time he's been finishing work over the last few weeks.

I'm trying to keep things vaguely sensible on the food spending, but it's so hard to judge for camping I find - I have made bolognese sauce for camping tonight to avoid a massive meat spend for a barbecue, and baked a load of snacks and treats to avoid buying them, as well as making pasties, humous and a couple of other things for lunches. I suspect we have over- rathe than under-catered, as always, but hopefully not with anything perishable, so we can at least take the whole lot on to the next camping trip on Monday!

Right, need to go and do grown-up-Tetris - also known as packing the car for camping.

To do this week
1. Finish next week's contract work.
2. Pack orders for smaller business before I go away.
3. Patch my shorts. This never happened. Holey shorts it is then.
4. Phone the architect to follow up yesterday's email.
5. Menu plan/food shopping/any cooking needed before we go camping on Friday.
6. Start work on a revised budget for September using current SOA (need to increase pot for tutor, and add in a couple of other bits).
7. Start compiling a list of things for DC1's birthday so I can give ideas when people ask, to avoid an influx of junk.
8. DH to phone 3 more builders and arrange meetings for after holidays (when we should have revised plans set in stone).
9. Confirm balance transfer has gone through from Barclaycard. DH phoning today.
10. Book car in for MOT in early Septmber (eek!).

August money goals:
- £15.04/31 August rounding down pot. Um. I might not add to this much more this month after the accidental £422 overpayment .
- £3,657.20/£5,000 2018 debt repayment goal.
- £382/£932 extension pre-build costs predicted shortfall.
- £214/864 income needed for September :eek: :eek: :eek: .

Treadingonplaymobil

This is the new budget we are considering, if anyone wants to cast a critical eye over it. A couple of comments in pink. Most things are unchanged from the current budget, but I've noted the updates.

Proposed new budget

Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 2
Number of children in household......... 3
Number of cars owned.................... 1

Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 2892.88
Partners monthly income after tax....... 800 I always put myself as the partner here! Inferiority issues, clearly :rotfl:
Benefits................................ 192
Other income............................ 0
Total monthly income.................... 3884.88

Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 708
Secured/HP loan repayments.............. 0
Rent.................................... 0
Management charge (leasehold property).. 0
Council tax............................. 147
Electricity............................. 80 This isn't really enough, it's what our DD is at but will leave us short by the end of next winter if it's another cold one and goes on for ages. Could do with being £90, and is for gas and electricity.
Gas..................................... 0
Oil..................................... 0
Water rates............................. 75
Telephone (land line)................... 18.99 covers internet too.
Mobile phone............................ 70.94 my income above includes £25 from my business account towards my mobile bill
TV Licence.............................. 12.37
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 0
Internet Services....................... 0
Groceries etc. ......................... 460
Household/bulk supplies................. 40 (things like bulk buying laundry powder etc)
Petrol/diesel........................... 240
Road tax................................ 16.62
Car Insurance........................... 32.74
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 95
Car parking............................. 0
Other travel............................ 57
Childcare/nursery....................... 0
Other child related expenses............ 0
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 5
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 0
Buildings insurance..................... 31.84 building and contents
Contents insurance...................... 0
Life assurance ......................... 16.26
Haircuts................................ 28
Entertainment........................... 150
Holiday................................. 90
Emergency fund.......................... 50
cubs.................................... 30
swimming................................ 34
netflix................................. 5.99
icloud storage.......................... 2.49
My kitty................................. 60
DH kitty................................. 60 (I have upped DH's to match mine, not that he cares whether it does)
children's clothes...................... 110
school trips/activities................. 10
pocket money............................ 10
annual insurances....................... 5 this is new, I would like to get into paying some things annually.
school holiday kitty.................... 10 Also new.
music lessons........................... 15 Not sure whether DC2 will continue these.
birthdays............................... 110
ynab.................................... 3
extension............................... 460
tutor................................... 78 This has increased to cover the full cost. We are not starting until late September but means we will have spare money for any supplies needed
christmas............................... 100
national trust.......................... 10
house stuff............................. 25
house maintenance....................... 30
Total monthly expenses.................. 3593.24


Assets
Cash.................................... 1000 held in premium bonds
House value (Gross)..................... 225000
Shares and bonds........................ 0
Car(s).................................. 500
Other assets............................ 0
Total Assets............................ 226500


Secured & HP Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Mortgage...................... 191712...(708)......2.25
Total secured & HP debts...... 191712....-.........-

Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
virgin.........................2698......28........0
barclaycard....................9550.22...230.......0
mummy..........................19970.....30........0
Total unsecured debts..........32218.22..288.......-


Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 3,884.88
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 3,593.24
Available for debt repayments........... 291.64
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 288
Amount left after debt repayments....... 3.64

Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 226,500
Total HP & Secured debt................. -191,712
Total Unsecured debt.................... -32,218.22
Net Assets.............................. 2,569.78

Created using the SOA calculator at https://www.stoozing.com.
Reproduced on Moneysavingexpert with permission, using other browser.