The mindful MFW: A healthy, happy journey to a mortgage free life!

Secret_Saving_Squirrel

Sounds like an amazing trip but very hard work too, lots of packing and unpacking! Hope you get a good sleep tonight. Thank goodness for the extra hour.

museumworker

We travelled quite light (hand luggage only) so packing wasn't too much of a headache.

In not great news I have a very bad stomach so resting up with some herbal teas today and planning to do very little but stay in bed.

museumworker

TOTAL ACTUAL INCOME: £3,771.79
TOTAL ACTUAL OUTGOINGS: £3,946.69 (estimated £4607.05)
PLUS £575 costs carried forward to next month
TOTAL ACTUAL OVERSPEND: £174.90 (estimated £1,246.15)


INCOME

Income: £3359.40 (estimated £3,360.90)
£1350 salary
£1640 OH salary after mortgage payment
[STRIKE]£192.90[/STRIKE] £192.40 child benefit
£150 child maintenance
[STRIKE]£28[/STRIKE] £27 expenses

Additional Income: £135 (estimated £340)
[STRIKE]£100[/STRIKE] £20 nursery refund
[STRIKE]£100?[/STRIKE] £0 Energy refund - Ended up costing extra fiver, but due £15 or so off next bill
[STRIKE]£20[/STRIKE] eB@y Not yet received
[STRIKE]£60[/STRIKE] £105 refund coats Mr S

ADDITIONAL INCOME £297.39
£30.02 refund Am@zon Prime for transferring to student account
£36 JL refund for hair dryer
£17.77 consumer refunds from Shopm!um/GJ
** not counted as already deducted from clothing costs** £20 refund from check0utsmart (used to pay towards DD2s nursery bag)
£34.54 sling sale after postage costs
£159.06 transferred from mortgage OP pot to current (not counted in OH’s salary above)


OUTGOINGS

Fixed monthly: £1498.82 (£1127.95 forecast)
**£623.15 Mortgage (set aside)**
£137 council tax
[STRIKE]£38[/STRIKE] £12.49 Broadband / telephone (bit of a mess this one)
[STRIKE]£35[/STRIKE] £35.76 mobiles x 3 contracts **Need to check these
[STRIKE]£72[/STRIKE] £81.86 utilities [unexpected overcharge from previous provider]
£27.37 water
£22.61 Life insurance me/OH
£12.37 TV licence
[STRIKE]£10[/STRIKE] £8.10 DD1 travelcard [actually spent to cover the times I forgot my own travelcard!)
[STRIKE]£180[/STRIKE] £188 DD1 music school
[STRIKE]£270[/STRIKE] £258 DS childcare
[STRIKE]£152?[/STRIKE] £543.86 DD2 childcare (after childcare vouchers), includes deposit
£144 cleaner
£20.60 DS swimming lessons
£7 window cleaner

Exceptional £0 (£550 forecast)
[STRIKE]£550 DD2 deposit new nursery - another guesstimate as not given exact figure[/STRIKE] included in figure above
**£439 home insurance - money set aside**
**PLUS car insurance renewal, £466, money set aside**

Discretionary costs: £969.35 (£929.10 forecast)
[STRIKE]£250[/STRIKE] £289.95 groceries inc my lunches (plus one week before YNAB - maybe £380 excluding £37 refunds? This includes special meal for DD1 birthday, saving £50 on day out)
[STRIKE]£20[/STRIKE] £30 OH lunches
[STRIKE]£20[/STRIKE] £0 DD1 lunches
[STRIKE]£8.60[/STRIKE] £17.98 prescription charge / medical
[STRIKE]£45[/STRIKE] petrol [£18 spent] £0
[STRIKE]£20[/STRIKE] £0 travel insurance extension (not needed!)
£10 DD1 pocket money - reduced for 8 more months
[STRIKE]£5[/STRIKE] £1.40 monthly magazine for DS
[STRIKE]£40 Amazon top ups (to earn £10 in vouchers)[/STRIKE] £64.60 spent instead on discounted JL vouchers
[£30 violin bow DD1 - carried over to next month]
[STRIKE]£30[/STRIKE] £42 shoes DD2
[STRIKE]£10[/STRIKE] £208.41 clothes :eek: by far the largest overspend. £100ish to return, even still! Will look at this in more detail in another post.
£25 PE trainers DD1
[£15 dress pick up- carried over to next month]
[STRIKE]£30[/STRIKE] £13haircut
[STRIKE]£30[/STRIKE] £12.82 family meal out for bday (rest from Mr T vouchers near expiry) [used vouchers won instead]
[STRIKE]£50 bday party outing DD1[/STRIKE] £0 - additional grocery costs for special dinner at home instead
[STRIKE]£60[/STRIKE] £90 bday meal - me /OH
[STRIKE]£40 night out[/STRIKE] £0
[STRIKE]£10 day out 1 ticket [£5 reclaim][/STRIKE] didn't go £0
[STRIKE]£15 day out 2 ticket [£7.50 reclaim][/STRIKE] got in free due to asbestos! £0
[STRIKE]£10[/STRIKE] £0 Sat playgroup didn't go
[STRIKE]£20 coffee/ice cream[/STRIKE] £9 spent on family days out instead
[£30 birthday money for 2x relatives - carried over, need to chase for bank details]
[STRIKE]£8[/STRIKE] £0 greetings cards included in gifts below
[STRIKE]£50[/STRIKE] £36.15 gifts (can I make/buy with vouchers?
[STRIKE]£50[/STRIKE] £28.99 Christmas fund - books for DC
[STRIKE]£10[/STRIKE] £0 charity sponsor donation

Holiday costs £1467.88 (forecast £2,000 / £1,500 exc Finland)
includes accom, car hire, spending money, food.
[£500 Finland flights (from 2018 travel budget) - cost carried forward]

UNBUDGETED EXPENSES £11.64
£0.34 for using bank card on Ryanair. Why the heck did they charge me in Euros??
£10.80 on pizza voucher for date night in Nov
50p threads tin from charity shop

** Deleted
£24 babysitting fees - doing a swap instead

museumworker

Well the last few hours have been an eye opener. Updated YNAB with all accounts apart from the Hal!fax CC we used abroad as OH has the log in details for that. Then compared estimated Oct budget to actual costs on YNAB which I started using at the beginning of October. There is about a weeks discrepancy between that and when got paid but nothing too much happening that week, having checked it looks as if I was trying to use up September's budget to cover one off costs.

Good news from October:

• our overspend was less than forecast
• our income was higher than expected
• we underspent in numerous categories particularly family days out, petrol, childcare, travel insurance extension, DD1 lunches and gifts
• we started using YNAB and started checking accounts nearly daily
• we picked up a £466 overcharge immediately as a result of the checking :T
• both credit cards we used have been paid off in full already

Not so good news from October:

• we overspent in more than one category, including groceries, OH lunches and clothing
• the overspending in one category alone -clothing - almost wiped out all of the savings made elsewhere :eek:

This realisation that overspending in one area can almost wipe out all the hard work that we put into the month has left me feeling a bit shocked and sad. I'll talk about clothing more in a bit but just wanted to record these thoughts and feelings.

themadvix

The important thing is, you're aware of it now! And I'm sure you'll get it sorted.

Glad you had a good holiday - it sounds exhausting to me, manoeuvring three children around three places in an exotic place!

museumworker

Thanks Vix, a much more positive way of looking at it.
I find my kids exhausting if I stay at home and do nothing so at least this way I've seen a little more of the world

Still feeling dreadful, had one piece of plain toast this afternoon but that has kickstarted pains in stomach again so not sure if I'll even be able to make it to work tomorrow

wishingthemortgaheaway

Boo to feeling poorly, but don't go to work if you're not well.

pinkypig

Great to have you back MW:). Your lists are so thorough, they're amazing. Sorry you're feeling pants and hope your recovery is speedy xx

Secret_Saving_Squirrel

Wow, that is very impressive record keeping! My spending diary is in an exercise book! That degree of planning is really helpful for identifying over spends. I do hope you feel better tomorrow. Xx:j

themadvix

Hope you're feeling better today and if not, that you've not gone into work!