Light the fire...

woodfired

Ok, a little year end summary of where we are versus where we hoped to be. Things have changed hugely owing to the fact that we are planning to move in the hopefully not-too-distant future. We have still done ok having looked back at where we hoped to be.
Then:
Savings: Target = £20 000
Currently stand at £6400. We are owed a further £7000 from one of our businesses.
This leaves a further £6600 to find, assuming that we can take the cash owed out of the business (relies on the order book remaining full!) We also have to pay the remaining £2000 of the tax bill.
Now:
Around the £61K mark. However, not as amazing as it first sounds. We released £30k from one business and Mum and Dad kindly gave us £10K. These sums aside I suppose we exceeded our target by £1000! And the other business still owes us £5k of that 7. Not bad at all.

Then:
Mortgage: Target = £115 000
Slightly aspirational target this one! Current balance £124 300 (ish - waiting for interest to be applied). Our regular overpayment should leave a balance of £117 055, according to the calculators, so another £2000 to find (although only 11 months left of the year in which to do it!)
Now:
Mortgage this morning £107 439 so smashed this target and paid off sub account 2 in the process! Really pleased with this - I had forgotten that this was a target and I'm amazed we did so well on this. :j:j

Currently the SVR on our mortgage is slowing progress massively, we are paying over £400 monthly in interest but as we hope to complete in the next few weeks on the new house we are just having to live with it.
I'm not planning on making any plans for 2020 until we have moved and know what the bills look like etc. We also have lots of renovation plans for the new place so OPs may not feature at all for the first couple of years.

Happy new year all.x

woodfired

A nice little new year boost to the coffers this morning, 5 x £25 prizes in the premium bonds draw for Jan. Total winnings since depositing majority of money in Sept stand at £175. Somewhere close to the interest we would have earned in a standard savings account. We currently have £40 000 in there.

In less positive news, last night I discovered a member of staff has been stealing from us. This is the second person in 18 months and is once again a long standing member of staff who I really liked. She has been very clever about it and it was very hard to spot. I need to have a difficult conversation with her when she arrives for her shift on Sunday.

yogavibes

amazing progress on savings on OP in 2019 - well done!

good luck with speaking to your staff member

lucielle

OOH that's horrible. Hope you get the out come you want
L

savingholmes

Great financial figures, especially with the gift too. Sorry to hear about the thieving staff member.

Fortune_Smiles

How awful Woodfired. I'm sure you'll handle things professionally but a horrid situation.

Fortune x

woodfired

Thank you lovely folks for your messages. It is a horrible situation and I'm not looking forward to the conversation this afternoon.

And I am really pleased with our progress, thank you. I continue to be amazed by how bits here and there add up so much over time.

We have had a quiet weekend, I've done some food shopping and a meal plan for the week ahead. Getting back into more restrained eating patterns feels nice after the Christmas excesses. I have managed to maintain my fitness over Christmas through lots of walking, a bit of running and some swimming. Usually at this point in the year I'm really unfit and then I delay getting back into it as I know it will hurt! Hopefully this time around i'll keep going with my exercise right through winter.

Today's meals will be fruit for breakfast, couscous salad for lunch with a boiled egg and a bit of chicken then dinner is mexican beans & veg with a bit of spicy rice, salad and a torilla wrap. I also need to make a cowboy pie (like cottage pie but with paprika and beans) ready for dinners tomorrow and Tuesday.
Kid's uniform is all washed and ready to go tomorrow but I need to lay it out and get the PE kits ready. Back to school really does signal the end of Christmas.

the_cross_rabbit

good luck with the difficult conversation
CRx

woodfired

Thanks CR, went as well as could be expected, I actually felt quite sorry for her and have agreed not to disclose to other staff the reasons for her leaving. She claimed financial difficulty but I don't believe a word, she has just bought a brand new RR Evoque, hardly the actions of a desperate person. At least it is behind us now and we can move on.

This year is not going too well so far. We have had lots of bad news; my Uncle is really poorly with an agressive brain tumour that was diagnosed just before Christmas, a family friend committed suicide this week, these issues at work and the house sale is looking a bit precarious due to the leasehold status. Leasehold (999 year lease) is really common round here and nobody bats an eyelid but apparently in the south (where buyers are from) it can be much more of an issue due to short leases etc. Buyers solicitors are kicking up a stink and I just hope buyers ignore them! Only time will tell.

Our problems are so insignificant compared to my Uncle and the friend and both of their families but it all adds up to a bit of a miserable time.

Here's hoping the new decade bucks up. I'm fed up of it already.

woodfired

Afternoon all.

The end of the first week back is finally here. Its been a busy one for us and I haven't been sleeping too well so its felt fairly tough.

We have relaxed today with a nice walk around the valley and lunch in a local pub which was a lovely treat.

Yesterday I finally banked my TSB refund cheque and NS&I paid my winnings into the bank today. However, I did treat myself to some new cushions and a clock to replace the broken one in the lounge in Dunelm so a small spend there. I don't do it often though.

Staff situation is sorted at work, new staff have started this week and seem nice. Lets hope it continues.

Finally, meal plan is going ok, last night was chicken chasseur, using up some chicken and old mushrooms/carrots from the bottom of the fridge. Leftovers for dinner tonight so no cooking required. Tomorrow will be something with mince, chilli or spag bol perhaps?

Tomorrow's plans include a really good tidy and clean of the house, you can tell we have been busy & tired and the place is ready for a good sort out. I'd like to make a start sorting through DD's bedroom too, I had a go at the office last week and would like to work from the top down. We have no moving date yet but have been told the buyers are working towards the 24th (!!!), fingers crossed it all goes smoothly from now on.

Happy Friday. WF.x