A little home to call my own

JAMIEDODGER

Thanks guys for all your thoughtful replies:)

wishing - I too use YNAB and love it. Also love the reports and looking back to see all the changes I have made and how they have impacted my finances:)

beanie - I am rather pleased to hit that milestone!

daisy - it is an amazing feeling isnt it:)

linz - 10% here I come:T

Another work day crossed off the list and another day nearer my holiday:T But for tonight I am browsing more houses and looking at interior ideas...you can never start too early right? :rotfl:

JAMIEDODGER

Yay a day off:D:beer:

I never thought this weekend would finish, then I agreed to do it all again next weekend :rotfl::cool:

A few TT's over the weekend and some interest that has come in this morning for ISA so I have adjusted signature with new totals:j

House fund: £2662.37

That is the final amount for the house fund for March, as there is no more to send across and no more interest due. It is now the boring part of the month where nothing much happens. I will still be adding my daily TT's and some bank interest and cashback due which will get transferred to the travel fund as it hits the account:T

I have been playing around with the figures and it takes roughly three and a half months to reach each 5% milestone. Obviously this will decrease slowly over time as the more I pay in the more I will be getting in interest each month:T

The timeline to reach the £50k is less than six years, the compound interest calculator says around 4 years and 7 months, but I want to save for renovations and any associated buying costs plus any moving costs on top of this. I am hoping that by the time I am ready to buy I will have around £66k:j_party_

Obviously at the same time as saving for a house, and travel, I am also putting money away for my retirement in my SIPP. My target for my pension pot is £250k. This will give me a fairly humble income in retirement (and until my state pension kicks in) but I don't have expensive tastes and it will be plenty for me. I am aware that this will take quite a long time to save for, but once the house is bought I can redirect all my savings to that instead. Plainly these are quite large targets, but you have to think big. Aim for the stars I say...

Anyway, plans for today. Rest. Not much else. A bit of pottering around the house and catching up on laundry etc.

Have a lovely day all x

Edited to say: I have decided to include my Retirement Fund in my signature. In for a penny and all that...

JAMIEDODGER

80p TT and £10 bank bonus added to the travel fund this morning:)

Decided to pop over to see my sister yesterday morning as she was off work. Stayed a couple of hours and had a nice chat, went and put petrol in the van, then cracked on with some housework.

Plans today include batch cooking and paperwork.

Got more hours work booked in yesterday, so I am now off today, tomorrow and thursday, then back to work for 7 days on :eek: then I will be on holiday for 17 days starting Good Friday:T:beer:

I've had a look at my expenses so far for this month and for the fourth month in a row I will come under my £400 budget for groceries:D We have plenty of food in to last the month, I will need to buy bread and milk, but that should be about it:j

Money left to spend for March...cash for DS1 birthday and also for a takeaway for his birthday meal (he hasn't decided yet what he wants). There are a few small direct debits to come out of account, but the money is in there to cover them. Other than that I will try to keep purse firmly shut until April:cool:

April will be another pricey month, with a few birthdays including mine, my trip to London and MOT/Service due on the van, plus I need new tyres! However, Feb/Mar/Apr are my most expensive months of the year excluding December, so hopefully I should be able to reign in the budget after then and spending will be much less going forward.

This year looks to be a good one:D

beanielou

This year looks to be a good one indeed.

JAMIEDODGER

A small TT this morning. Have adjusted signature. Tax relief on last months pension contribution should hit my SIPP tomorrow which is also nice to get:)

Yesterday was quite a productive day:) Cooked a fish pie for dinner which went down very well with DS2 who really likes fish. Also made DS1 fav in the slow cooker, beef stew, so plenty of leftovers for the next few days. Will probably make a chilli today and leftovers will get frozen in portions for me for work nights. I also cleaned the cooker and did a bit of paperwork.

Spent a couple of hours helping DD with her final presentation for her project for science fair at school. She needed loads of stuff printing out and I helped her glue it all down. It is currently taking up the whole dining table covered with all the cups out of my cupboard holding the glued stuff down. I will be happy to get it out of my house this morning:D

DS2 also updated me on his plans for moving out sometime during August. They (him and two friends) have found a place to rent from one of the boys relatives, and it will already be furnished, plus no hefty deposit to pay:T He is going to start looking for a full time job in that area in July.

Some days it feels like they are all growing up way too fast:( It's a strange feeling, I am sad for me (a bit - not too much), but excited for them and what the future holds:)

Todays plans are:

Pop into town and collect DS1 parcel from post office
Make Chilli
Finish paperwork

Small list today. I hope to get all that done this morning so I can chill out the rest of today...bracing myself for working seven days on the trot from Friday:)

Have a great day all x

beanielou

Exciting times ahead for your DS2.
I still miss my DS most days :rotfl:

JAMIEDODGER

Beanie - Yes I shall miss him a lot when he goes. Its not the first time one has left home though. DS1 left for a few years but came back last year. I am looking forward to having my time though once they have all gone so it won't be all sadness:) Lots of travel in my future:D

JAMIEDODGER

Another small TT for me this morning and my tax relief is in so I have adjusted travel fund and retirement fund figures in signature.

I know I have a really long way to go as all my 'funds' are under 10% of what I need, but they are all increasing, if somewhat slowly!

Waiting for cashback from Quidco which should be in on 24th. It's £75 so a big boost for the travel fund when it hits my account:T

DD got 9/11 for her science fair project, and has gone through to the next 'round':) This will be the last year she needs to take part as year 10 and 11 don't do it.

Cleaned out all my kitchen cupboards yesterday, the re-organised them. Found loads of food I forgot I had, will be working it all into the menu plan over the next few weeks or so.

Final day off for me then the long slog until my holiday. Going to be as lazy as possible:D

JAMIEDODGER

A few TT's over the last few days. I have withdrawn my £75 from Quidco and as soon as it hits the bank I will transfer it into the holiday fund.

The last few days of the month are always boring money wise, nothing much to do, just waiting for the last direct debits to go from the account plus a TT a day but not much else.

My last 12 hr shift today before my day off tomorrow. Losing that hour sleep due to the clocks going forward is not helping my tiredness. However, before I know it, it will be 8pm tonight and I will be off home again.

Plans for this week:

Monday - off
Tuesday - half day shift
Wednesday - off (DS1 birthday)
Thursday - half day shift
Friday - start of my holiday:T

The next few days will go by quite fast I am sure.

Food is still lasting and I think I will make it to the end of the month for most things, exception will probably be a couple of loaves plus a carton of milk. I am just at £340 now for the month, so after the delivery saver fee has come out and I've picked up the few items I need, I am hoping that I come in at around £350. Yet another month under £400. If I carry on like this for the rest of the year, I will have made some substantial savings:)

Better go get ready for work x

newgirly

Great food spends again there JD well done, I wish I was as successful this month with mine