Starting over...

ladymay

Car is in the garage... failed it's MOT rather spectacularly and it's going to cost me £540 to get it fixed :eek::eek::eek: I have a courtesy car until Monday and have gone from a very roomy 407 to a Lupo - I feel like I'm driving a go-kart!

All caught up on finances, arranged my mail redirection starting from next week, submitted my latest assignment, tidied all my work stuff away. I've got a gig tonight so going to have a little siesta before gearing up for that, then a busy week ahead:

- Meeting the new entertainment company in London tomorrow - fingers crossed my back up is back on!
- one of my friends is over from Chicago so I'm heading for dinner with him afterwards
- few days for rehearsals because my new musical venture debuts NEXT WEEK (not nervous at all :rotfl:)
- wedding fair on Sunday in Somerset

On top of that, I have to sort out the new budget (hoping I can save more now I won't be paying rent for a while), find a storage unit, make sure all my solo and duo websites and social media pages are up-to-date, and start selling the Valentine show to the local nursing homes.

And then I have to move house. Simples!

ladymay

Morning all!

Last night was great - the hotel owner has aked me for my availability for the whole of next year with the idea of being in on a semi-regular basis :T

I think not having a full day off in over a month is starting to catch up with me - I'm suddenly exhausted... As naughty as it is, I'm really tempted to not go to the wedding fair this weekend just to have a day off before I have to start moving. Plus my new business cards and flyers haven't arrived in time :mad:

Enough self-defeating! Off to London to wow the new company and rehearse for the big event next weekend - wish me luck! xx

ladymay

Back in Devon making my plans for the week :beer:

Rehearsals went incredibly well - still a lot of work to do this week but I'm excited! The meeting with the new company was also very productive. They're definitely a little frustrated that I'm not just jumping straight back into the job full-time, but the boss I had my meeting with gets it. I'm going on their training course at the beginning of February.

In a bid to be more accountable for my spends, I'm going to start admitting my guilt on here - every penny, both essential and non-essential will be written up. Here's 2019's damage so far:

- £33.99 for mail redirection
- £2.20 on groceries
- £7.20 on parking (personal)
- £32.70 on dinner out

- £126.20 on rehearsal room, musicians etc
- £4.10 on parking (business)
- £31.76 on fuel

Not too shabby considering I've spent the past few days in London, although there are still a few spends to come out of the account tomorrow (which of course I will put on here).

Another bit of good news - my aunty is selling her house and has told me to use it as a storage unit until it's sold, saving me £86 a month :jI'm popping over on Tuesday to grab the keys to her place and my grandma's as well - plan is to get a bunch of admin stuff done and go to the land of blue and yellow dreams for storage tomorrow, sort and pack Tuesday, and move on Wednesday. That way I can head SE to see the boy and work for a couple of days.

Looking at the finances, I think the minimum I need to earn if I want to save the magical ten grand is £24,000. That includes tax, NI contributions that I need to catch up on, business investment, living costs and bits and pieces of fun. Difficult but doable.

Detailed plan for tomorrow is:
- !kea run
- Msg friend to meet up Tuesday evening
- Find template for calendar I can send to agents and bookers Already done
- Find costume for Valentine's show (I sold my old one because it was too big - it probably isn't anymore... :rotfl:)
- Call regular homes to get Val's show booked in
- Check that all 2018 payments have been made (pretty sure I'm owed some money)
- Chase up friend on banner design
- Update paper diary
- Catch up on finances and post here
- Look at buying external disc drive
- See the mothership and walk doggo
- Sort out volunteer shifts for the month
- Work on music for showcase
- Send work receipt to old company

Time for a brew and some N3tflix methinks! xx

ladymay

Detailed plan for tomorrow is:
- !kea run Done
- Msg friend to meet up Tuesday evening Done, awaiting response
- Find template for calendar I can send to agents and bookers Done
- Find costume for Valentine's show (I sold my old one because it was too big - it probably isn't anymore... ) Done
- Call regular homes to get Val's show booked in Done, two booked in, awaiting on others
- Check that all 2018 payments have been made (pretty sure I'm owed some money) I'm owed £120 :j, awaiting confirmation
- Chase up friend on banner design Done, awaiting response
- Update paper diary Done
- Catch up on finances and post here Sorting it now
- Look at buying external disc drive Asked to borrow one first
- See the mothership and walk doggo No done, she's feeling rubbish
- Sort out volunteer shifts for the month Done
- Work on music for showcase Done
- Send work receipt to old company Done

Super productive day! I was hoping to pick up the car today but it's still not ready, other than that my list is done!

Ok, so it's been a spendy day....
Catching up from the weekend:
- £41.20 on clothing (mostly essentials and the non-essential dress I bought is going back)
- £1.70 on a sandwich
- £20 on fuel
- £3.39 on groceries

and today, which will hit the account tomorrow:
- £1 groceries (this will be added to tonight, just run out of milk!)
- £15 fuel
- £3.80 breakfast out
- £3 housewarming gift for friend
- £17 on bits and bobs for home
- £29.60 packing materials
- £18.95 Costume
- £25 hen party deposit

A nice bonus - I've been paid a week early by my old company so £1081.30 has been shifted across to my savings / overflow account

My spreadsheets seem to be multiplying at the moment time to give YNAB a go methinks...

Plan for the evening is to start on the packing, get a bit of writing and planning done and relaxing with a hot choc and some Netfl!x

wishingthemortgaheaway

Sounds productive.
Ynab is fab, but do the classes to understand the philosophy behind it all. I think there is a specific class for self employed/variable income people.
It really did change my financial life.

ladymay

Wishing, I'm already obsessed!! I really love it and I think it'll really help me with accumulating my mortgage pot :j

Didn't manage to start the packing as I got on the YNAB trail, but I wasn't due to do that til tomorrow anyway.

Plan for tomorrow:

- Update finances
- Sign up to and get to grips with YNAB Already done

Packing is being sorted into the following:

- Pack bag for work Thurs - Tues
- Books - to read
- read but keeping
- to chuck or give away - I'm a huge book hoarder but some books that I've kept over the years I actively dislike (mostly stupid diet books :rotfl:)
Clothes - Inventory everything
- to sell / give away / chuck
- to put into storage
- to take with me to my grandma's
Kitchen - wrap and label (I'm keeping everything)
Misc - to chuck
- to sell
- to keep

I was given a lovely little doodle planner as a Christmas gift, so I'm going to start that before I head to bed with a book. Night all xx

ladymay

Still don't have the car back :mad::mad: the mechanic is waiting on the 'bush' (no idea what that is) so new plan for today is to move the stuff I'm bringing with me to my grandma's and stay there tonight - the rest will have to wait until I get my car back next week. I've also got to pick something up for Mum and walk doggo, then I'm off to a friend's for dinner this evening.

Only spend yesterday was £4.35 on groceries. Need to update YNAB.

ladymay

Busy day yesterday - I've still got to shift the rest of my stuff to be stored, but I'm pretty much moved into my grandma's. Slightly sore back and legs, must get fit again!

I think I've gotten to grips with YNAB. On top of helping me budget, It'll be handy when I do my tax returns because everything's so clear. Definitely need to budget in paying for it next month.

Spends yesterday - £482.75 on the car (not quite as :eek::eek::eek: as the mechanic or I feared) and £64.57 on fuel. Today should be a NSD as the diesel tank is full, I'm being cooked for and I'm taking a bottle of bubbly up with me to the boy!

Emails are all done, bit of social media scheduling and I'm hitting the road!

ladymay

Yesterday was a NSD :j YNAB is updated with cleared funds, had another work enquiry which I'm awaiting a reply for and life is motoring along.

Today will be slightly spendy - I need to buy a pair of shoes for work, along with a few small bits and bobs, and I'm out for both brunch and dinner. But it's all budgeted for and I'm looking forward to it!

Have a good day, everyone! Happy Friday! xx

ladymay

Blimey, what a week it's been! Had a lovely couple of days with the boy, traipsed up to Blackpool for the big industry event which went VERY well, submitted and passed the next module on my course, I've fully moved out of my old place and in with my grandma, and I'm catching up on all my admin and getting ready for the bulk of wedding season.

My duo partner and I are now involved in two theatre shows off the back of our showcase :j:j:j six dates booked in so far throughout the year but we're hoping for a national tour, which is crazy! We're so excited! Over the past week I've also booked in nine more gigs for 2019. It's all snowballing, which is fantastic, but I seriously need to look at my time management skills. I'm constantly chasing my tail and I'm currently the heaviest I've ever been - that needs to change!! I can't afford a new wardrobe! :rotfl:

Too many transactions to go over, but basically: fuel and business budgets are busted for the month already (but both necessary and covered by the lack of rent payment), groceries are way underbudget and everything else is pretty much where I expected.

A few expected spends today - I need to get a key cut, take Mum to the hospital for an MRI so will have to pay parking, and a bit of grocery shopping.

Happy Friday everyone!