Taking it slowly, but doing it well.

newgirly

Have a great bank holiday weekend wishing

wishingthemortgaheaway

Thank you NG, so far so good.
Early wake up call this morning due to hubby leaving to work a food festival, Pickle obviously woke up, so our day started.
In the end last night I went out to a cocktail bar with a friend. I haven't completely blown the budgets yet, but we are inching closer to it. Good job it's June in less than a week.
This morning we've been to a local park/Hall/pet's corner. The perfect place to have a nsd, but we haven't. Naughty drive through breakfast on the way- I didn't even drink enough last night to need it. Still a good one to add to the places to go for a nsd.

I'm now sat in the car, outside our house while Pickle naps. I am thinking of all the things I could be doing in the house, but don't want to risk the transfer as, if he wakes up, I will have a tired, grumpy boy and the chores still won't get done.

I 'made' £3 this morning when I emptied hubby's trouser pockets before doing the washing this morning. They are currently in my purse. I also got 2x£2 coins change from the pastry yesterday, so they've been put in the £2 pot - £12 in 5 months is not going to make me my fortune is it?
If I go anywhere near a bank this week I'll take the shrapnel in to put into the account as it will fractionally declutter and boost the pots for this month.

I think that's all from me now. I may be back later if some thing exciting happens...
Wish

mse May Goals

1) Mop Pot (Target total £241.72)
Interest added: £65.63/£65.63 :j
£400 capital reduction: £3.21/£129.26
Mfw 2018 target amount: 0/£15.11
Nice round number: 0/£31.72

2) 13 Step plan funding
-£125/£872* :mad::mad::mad:

2.5) 'Earn' shortfall on mop pot & money 'owed' to budget.
£31.33/£96.90 (Train delay cheque)

3) nsds
12/16

4) 1p a day challenge
11/32

5) use the debit card
11/20 (I think)

6) save the £2 coins (update monthly)
2x£2 shopping change

7) get in size 14 jeans (update monthly)

*This is the amount I need to add into the 13 step plan for each of the next 27 months in order to achieve the ultimate goal (this is on top of the £210 mop pot target)

wishingthemortgaheaway

Evening all, another lovely day today. And a nsd which is a bonus. Managed a 'shop from home' impromptu bbq this evening, which is quite impressive. The rest of the day has been church and playing with the Pickle. We've just had 1 rumble of thunder, and a bit of rain, but nothing like what I was expecting. No plans for
Tomorrow as yet. Hubby is at a food festival, so we could pop over and see him, but I don't think I can actually be bothered. I might find a park close by to take the Pickle scootering at.
Still, it's nearly the end of the month. I'm feeling very ynab poor at the moment.
Wish

mse May Goals

1) Mop Pot (Target total £241.72)
Interest added: £65.63/£65.63 :j
£400 capital reduction: £3.21/£129.26
Mfw 2018 target amount: 0/£15.11
Nice round number: 0/£31.72

2) 13 Step plan funding
-£125/£872* :mad::mad::mad:

2.5) 'Earn' shortfall on mop pot & money 'owed' to budget.
£31.33/£96.90 (Train delay cheque)

3) nsds
13/16

4) 1p a day challenge
11/32

5) use the debit card
11/20 (I think)

6) save the £2 coins (update monthly)
2x£2 shopping change

7) get in size 14 jeans (update monthly)

*This is the amount I need to add into the 13 step plan for each of the next 27 months in order to achieve the ultimate goal (this is on top of the £210 mop pot target)

wishingthemortgaheaway

Another one of those days where I sabotaged my nsd by 'treaty breakfast' never mind. Still within this month's budgeted amounts and pay day/end of the month is in sight.

Visited the wetlands centre today, thankfully we got there early and we are members as we got to skip the big queue and the queue just got worse.
Hubby home tonight until either Thursday night or Friday morning which will be nice. But I'm working Tuesday and Wednesday at least.

I need to get some motivation to get some chores done tonight so I'm not behind for the entire week.

Washing is up to date, which is good. Living room is tidy more to come this evening.

Wish

mse May Goals

1) Mop Pot (Target total £241.72)
Interest added: £65.63/£65.63 :j
£400 capital reduction: £3.63/£129.26
Mfw 2018 target amount: 0/£15.11
Nice round number: 0/£31.72

2) 13 Step plan funding
-£125/£872* :mad::mad::mad:

2.5) 'Earn' shortfall on mop pot & money 'owed' to budget.
£31.33/£96.90 (Train delay cheque)

3) nsds
13/16

4) 1p a day challenge
11/32

5) use the debit card
12/20 (I think)

6) save the £2 coins (update monthly)
2x£2 shopping change

7) get in size 14 jeans (update monthly)

*This is the amount I need to add into the 13 step plan for each of the next 27 months in order to achieve the ultimate goal (this is on top of the £210 mop pot target)

pinkypig

If I had a choice of meals out it would be breakfast everytime . Hope you all enjoyed it

wishingthemortgaheaway

i have decided that, for financial purposes, May ends tonight. And good bye and good riddance. I'm sure I say this every month, but I really do mean it this month.

Thanks to: a stupidly expensive car bill, hubby turning 40, Pickle turning 2 and my expenses not being approved in time to be paid, May is a financial write off.

The positives are: despite all the spending I'm still £20 up on where I was at the start of the month.
Expenses will be paid at some point in June so it's not lost money, it's just delayed. (My boss has been off work poorly so didn't authorise my expenses in time. I didn't know she was off work, I just assumed she was very busy which was why I hadn't heard from her)

In terms of spends, I won't bore you with details (for once) but all are well under budget except for groceries which went over by £10, not bad for a 5 week month and we catered for hubby's birthday weekend away. So, £200 is about the right amount.
Household goods has done brilliantly thanks to the fact I had the C0stc0 vouchers at the start of the month.

So... onto June.
Thanks to the shortfall in May's targets June's targets are slightly raised, but that's not really a concern as the rise is only due to the delayed expenses. Once they've been paid I'll be back on track so, at the moment:
Mop pot target will be £264.39
And 13 step plan £913.

Easy wins will be:
Expenses: £445 when paid
Supply money due on Friday: £110
'Bills increase' which is part of the monthly budgeted amounts: £100

This takes the 'real' targets down to:
£194 for the mop pot
£328 for the 13 step plan to mortgage freedom.

Unless something goes disastrously wrong, this should be ok.
There's nearly £30 already built into the budgeted mortgage payment, I did an additional day's work on Thursday and there's is at least 1.5 day's extra booked in for June already. (Plus 2 days that won't make the June deadline so will be paid in July) I also have a very long drive which will generate some expenses in excess of the fuel I'll put in the car.

The negatives of next month are a couple of extra days of childcare to pay for, one at the child minder's and 1 at one of the nurseries I work with. Both can be paid through tax free child care so the cost to me is reduced anyway and I've built up a bit of a buffer in the account, so I don't think I will actually have to pay over any more money. Will keep an eye on the account though, just to make sure.

Today has been another crazy work day, I swallowed some frogs and made some progress elsewhere too. Tomorrrow is another work day, although I'm hoping for just half a day really in order to do some chores at home.

Ignore my targets below... all up the swanny, I'll reset everything for Friday.

Wish

mse May Goals

1) Mop Pot (Target total £241.72)
Interest added: £65.63/£65.63 :j
£400 capital reduction: £72.10/£129.26
Mfw 2018 target amount: 0/£15.11
Nice round number: 0/£31.72

2) 13 Step plan funding
-£125/£872* :mad::mad::mad:

2.5) 'Earn' shortfall on mop pot & money 'owed' to budget.
£31.33/£96.90 disaster. No expenses

3) nsds
14/16

4) 1p a day challenge
11/32 need to calculate this

5) use the debit card
12/20 (I think)

6) save the £2 coins (update monthly)
2x£2 shopping change

7) get in size 14 jeans (update monthly)

*This is the amount I need to add into the 13 step plan for each of the next 27 months in order to achieve the ultimate goal (this is on top of the £210 mop pot target)

wishingthemortgaheaway

I am soooo tired, tomorrow requires some self care. I need to do some food shopping and a bit of work admin, but I think I will have a mooch round the shopping centre, I need some inserts for my 'insert brand here' ring bound diary, and they are an 'add on item' on Amazn, so that's no good really.

Today's spend has been £8 :eek: in a car park for brunch, alternative parking for such trip required in the future.
I also need to purchase the zoo tickets for Friday as it's cheaper if you buy online before visiting.

My expenses have hit my bank account, the finance department did a transfer for me. So finances are looking up already, I've also got my pay slip for the supply work I did last week. Usually ynab lets me post date the transaction, but it didn't today, so, ynab thinks I've got it already. Doesn't make much difference really as I'm in a fortunate position where I have a good cushion. And, it makes my targets look good already.

MSE June Targets

1) Mop pot: (will break down when mortgage interest is known)
£70.40/£264.39

2) 13 step plan
£585/£913

3) Nsds
0/16

4) debit card transactions
0/20

Silence101

Oh yes, I don't like the add on feature on amazon. I understand why they do it, but it's no good if you just want to buy that!

Hope you have lovely weather for the zoo. Last time we went it went from sunny to deluge to sunny again!

wishingthemortgaheaway

Well, today has definitely fallen into the category of self care.

I did a monster shop that was technically over half of June's grocery allowance. I had to stock up on lots of basics, pasta, rice etc and the Ald1 I went in had lots of half price meat joints so it would have been silly for me not to stock up. (Damage: £121)

Then I took the money for the cleaner this month out of the bank (£80) plus £100 which is technically my spending money for the entire month. From this I bought/paid for:
My car to be cleaned & valeted
Stocked up on diary inserts
Bought lunch & cake for hubby & I (did use a JL voucher though so 1 drink & cake free)
A cover for Pickle's water table
And a few other bits and bobs.
I now have £20 in my purse which will be more than enough soending money for the zoo tomorrow (I hope!) only planned spends are ice cream and we always buy Pickle a fridge magnet as a souvenir of the places we go.
In order not to completely sabotage the budgets, I've taken today's spends from the money I allocated to the 13 step plan, so I've got a bit further to go to my target now, but I'd rather not be left short so early in the month again.

From this I've learned that, once in a while I need to do a big grocery stock up, so need to plan that into the spending.
L E O N is overpriced rubbish for lunch (thanks Hubby for suggesting it) and sometimes you just have to cut your losses. This is the second financial blow out I've had this year, so need to work in reigning it in a bit, but I'm at peace with my decisions. Also, I always knew the 13 step plan was a big ask and highly likely inachieveable unless my income rose, but it doesn't mean I shouldn't try. Which I am. Just not today.

Looking forward to our zoo trip tomorrow (packed lunches just about made) hope we don't get too wet.

MSE June Targets

1) Mop pot: (will break down when mortgage interest is known)
£70.40/£264.39

2) 13 step plan
£400/£913

3) Nsds
0/16

4) debit card transactions
0/20

wishingthemortgaheaway

Evening all,

A really lovely and reasonable (in terms of money) day at the zoo today. Today I spent less than £10 on ice cream and a fridge magnet souven, the friends we went with treated Pickle and I to tea out as I drove.

Mortgage interest has been added, so I've calculated my mop pot targets and, between my work expenses and the 'over budget' of the 1st of the month bills pots means the first mini target has been met, and I get to colour in another brick on the countdown house, so that's 21% of the mortgage paid (since the count down started) plus an additional 8% in the off set (13 step plan) pot. I'm still just about on track to be mortgage neutral in July 2020, but I'm rapidly losing the buffer I had at the start of this journey so it's going to get more tricky from now on.

This evening I need to do something with the house, but I'm very tired, according to a friends phone we walked about 12k around the zoo, Pickle must have walked about half of that and the heat was reallly high. We are well overdue thunder storms here in the north west, I hope they come overnight to freshen things up.

Hope everyone is safe and had a good friday.
Wish.

MSE June Targets

1) Mop pot: (£264.39)
1) Interest added £64.88/£64.88 :j
2) Nice round number £45.86/£81.15
3) £400 capital reduction 0/68.11
4) MFW2018 target 0/£50.25


2) 13 step plan
£400/£913

3) Nsds
0/16

4) debit card transactions
4/20 having read the ts&cs of the 'use your debit card 20times for £5 cashback, its when the transaction shows up in your bank, not when it's spent/pending, so these are 'hangovers' from May.

5) 1p a day challenge
7/30