DD's accountability thread

DD265

It has been an extremely rough week work wise - still in the thick of it but last night (having worked late) and today I've just needed to take a break. I did have my appraisal this week though and hopefully come pay reviews in April there will be good news.

House wise, because of work I've not done much but we did go to IKEA last night. Managed to get a set of drawers (matching an existing set) in the bargain corner, saving £18 and the hassle of building them. Also got all the bits to set up the new storage in the utility room. We haven't gotten the wardrobe; still need to decide exactly what we're going to do about that. We were given a house warming gift of £100, so that went towards the shop.

Today, we explored our nearest town and it's full of charity shops! I got a couple of books on decorating and DIY - sometimes I don't know where to start on the internet. We also went to B&M and spotted a mirror for the downstairs loo which also has a shelf - same price as the one I was going to get from B&Q so the shelf is a bonus as the sink in there is very small.

I was very disappointed not to have any pegs today! There's an extendable clothes line in the garden though I think I might prefer a rotary dryer - have asked for feedback on the oldstyle board.

Currently researching hanging baskets; don't know what we'll do with the gardens yet but feel like doing a little bit, and we've got two brackets so might as well use them.

beanielou

Clothes line all the way

DD265

That was the gist of the feedback on my other thread - we're gonna give the retractable line a go. I'm sure I can get 2 loads on it which is plenty as I'm quite good at keeping on top of the washing.

We had a bit of an explore this morning. First went back to IKEA - had been playing with wardrobe ideas and wanted to see them in person. I think we've worked it out. Maybe. Then we went to M&S Food (I'd topped up our card when there was a 10% discount) and there was an Iceland, so we got some bits in there too. On to Dunelm, but didn't buy anything there, then home via Sainsburys.

Had my mother down for lunch, she left late afternoon, then we've put new panel blinds up over the conservatory/lounge sliding doors, using the old fittings. Much better than the curtains, but I'm not sure what the answer is long term. For now though it's practical and looks good!

I'm intending to do some work later; it's not ideal but I feel that it's a case of needs must. I think it's going to be difficult to get started tonight, having had a couple of evenings where I haven't done anything. We still need to eat, and there are a few things I want to catch up on first...

beanielou

Mine goes between conservatory & garage & I have two lengths.
Works well.
Especially for sheets & duvet covers.

DD265

You know when you think you might have a slightly skint period coming up, and either an inanimate object - like a car - or a critter - like a cat - hears you and seemingly decides to make things worse?

£260 for a new door motor in the car during the week. It was the passenger front door, which stopped unlocking with the central locking and was a real pain for OH. I didn't have enough in the car maintenance fund to cover it! Luckily the cat didn't need the vet in the end, and was back to normal/had stopped limping by the following day.

I've got a lot of expected bills coming up too. Some, like car tax, I've been able to budget for monthly, but the MOT I haven't given I've just wiped out the car fund. I think it shows the importance of building these pots up, but of course every £1 I put into one of these pots is £1 less getting paid off the credit cards.

We'll need to see how things go in terms of bills for the new house. Originally I wanted to pay £1000 a month into the joint account but already that doesn't look like it'll work; that's £350 more than I'd normally pay in a month. I'm going to start at £800, and go from there. The other £200 is going in the credit card pot but I'll wait until the end of the month to actually make that overpayment, just in case.

Not feeling quite as good about finances as I have been recently, but I know it's because of the uncertainty around these unknown bills.

DD265

I ended up making a £600 MBNA payment this month - with the £100 Barclaycard payment on top, that makes £700. I decided that I need to get ahead of it, and if we have to cut back on the food bills a little or can't do everything we want to in the house right away than so be it. I still don't have any Barclaycard offers, plus that isn't the route I wanted to go down but it does mean paying it off at quite a fast pace.

It appears that taking on the mortgage has hit my affordability pretty hard, so I can no longer assume that I'll just get credit if I need it. Doesn't help that I'm not on the electoral roll at the new house yet either (not for lack of trying!), and I guess the fact that we've only been in a month so far. Additionally the MBNA balance is significantly lower now than it shows in my credit report. At some point I'll go through the reports and get them back up to scratch, but for now there are things I'd rather be doing.

We spent a bit on the garden at the weekend after MIL gave us some pansies; couple of pots, three plants, soil, trowel, gardening gloves... and a dragon. It all adds up to a very small amount of colour in an otherwise very dull garden, and it makes me smile so I consider it money well spent. I would still like a little table and chair set so we can sit out, but as the weather has turned it's not quite so desirable to sit outside. I'm going to keep an eye on FB/eBay.

Inside the house, we're at the awkward end of unpacking; I think when people say 'we've been here 5 years and not finished unpacking' they're referring to these kinds of boxes. I'm aiming to try and do a box a day until it's finished - I suspect I'll end up getting rid of a reasonable amount given I've lived without it for a month.

Not sure what to do about a gym right now. The one I'd been looking at moved - it's now more awkward and will take longer to get to (could've walked/run it previously). I think it's still the best contender and I do need to do something because I can't afford to kit out our garage. Whilst I could just run, I want to keep up with the weights and it's the combination that works for me. If I wanted to do classes there would be a bit more choice, and it also depends whether OH is joining with me or he's not going to bother. Will go look around the top choice and see - they might not have what I want anyway.

DD265

March flew by - and took a lot of money with it. We definitely spent more than was wise, including committing to a new front door. Was required, but not planned for this year. Deposit paid and balance is due before fitting in September; I was smart enough to give us some time to save up, at least.

My affordability on my credit reports has dropped further (and the scores along with it) which is a bit concerning, but I'm feeling it in the budget, too, so I'm inclined to agree with them! I think the mortgage is obviously a large part of it, plus the change in address will count as a negative, the lack of being on the electoral roll (I'm trying to sort it!) and the MBNA balances are significantly higher on my credit reports than they are in online banking.

There's not loads of wriggle room in the budget though. It's not dire, and actually the budget would be comfortable if not for the credit cards. I did a lot of overtime in February which netted me £215 (feels a bit low for what it took out of me, but not to be sniffed at) and March went the same way. The hours can either pay as overtime or count towards bonus, so it's a case of doing the maths to see which gives me more. I think I have potential to do the same in April so I shall make the most of it, but on working days only as I still need to feel like I've got a life!

We will be spending some money on the house/garden this month. We're going to acquire what we need to clean the conservatory/decking/patio, then we have a week off at Easter where we'll look to get all that done. In the house, I have a couple of little artistic projects which will hopefully make me feel like I've got something 'new' and help me curb the spending. Once I'm back on track, I'll be fine, just got to get there.

The emergency fund has hit £1000, which feels good. The focus is now on the door to get that out of the way (£630 to go), then back to the credit cards. I am really feeling the pressure, so my plan is:

1. Out of hours working - it'll either get me bonuses or pay overtime
2. Selling the contents of our garage now we're settled
3. Back on the no spend day wagon - aiming for 18 in April

DD265

It's ages since I've posted.. I kept starting to write but never finishing, for some reason. Hoping to get back into the habit!

It has been a long month. Spending has definitely calmed down but it hasn't been a cheap month and I'm not on track for my no spend days (but I'm also not recording them).

Highs: my car passed it's MOT with no advisories, I have cut back on 'silly spends' like lunches etc, car tax went out but I'd saved up for it and had the money set aside (less £5 - it went up!)

Lows: lots to spend on. Only managed a £400 credit card payment so far; I'm going to see if I can do a budget shuffle.

The overtime in March counted towards our bonus scheme and I smashed it. I am hoping to come out with over £500 extra, but between HRMC and SLC I tend to feel a bit shafted when I get my payslip so we'll see. I've done even more overtime in April so that will increase my salary at the end of May. I think the overtime is going to come to an end soon; I don't know how much longer I can keep it up. We have next week off though so maybe the break will take care of my motivation.

We're planning to potter around the house and garden. Unfortunately this does mean some shopping but we're trying to be smart about it. We need a strimmer and to deal with the dandilions on the lawns (more dandilion than grass at the moment!) and we need some step ladders to be able to clean the conservatory. Both of these are things we'll use again and again though so whilst we can't go mad, we'll buy reasonable quality.

Fun times!

Chrystal

The easiest, and quickest, way to deal with dandelions - or any other weeds - on the lawn is 'Weed and Feed' it also kills moss. B&M sell it at around £4 I think.

DD265

Thanks Chrystal, we'll give that a go!

We used a broad leaf weed killer on the front - and the dandilions are wilting - and totally dug up the back. Got a tonne of topsoil coming and then will turf it; OH couldn't stand to look at it any longer. It was good exercise (I did virtually all the digging) and surely has counterbalanced the easter egg I've eaten.

We've also cleaned the conservatory outside; just with water, but we're going to need to make a few passes to do it properly. We wanted to take advantage of the weather to do things in the garden. I finally got my hanging baskets up and they look just how I wanted, so I am really pleased. I bought the baskets in February and waited for them to arrive from China, then painted them black and finally planted them with ivy which just needs to fill out a bit.

It's been an expensive-ish endeavour, but things like the step ladders will last us for years and will get used for all sorts so in the grand scheme of things it's a small amount. The bigger stuff - extending the patio, replacing the decking - will have to wait until we have the funds.

I bought a new pair of work jeans (< £30 for Levis brand new, but coming from the US so hoping customs don't sting me!) and a couple of tops. As I'm in the head office 4 days a week now I feel I need to be a bit smarter than just a t-shirt, though it's OK when I'm wearing jumpers. And both pairs of my work jeans are wearing out at the thighs. In fact, a lot of my jeans are.. I think I need to focus on some weight loss as it's gone by the by.

On that trend, I did get an olympic weightlifting bar from Facebook - £30; would've been £200+ new. Unfortunately I couldn't find the weight plates second hand so at the best prices I could get, they cost me £90 for 30kg which is enough to be going on with. I want to find a gym mat too - going to scour the second hand sites in a few minutes! This stuff is all going in the garage. I'll be seeing the personal trainer monthly (£30 a time) to get a 'programme' for that month. It's not really cheaper than a gym membership but much more convenient and effective for me. We've got fantastic off road running around here too, so if I just stop eating rubbish I'll be slim in no time. :rotfl:

I have almost finished another mini-project - a key holder for the kitchen - except I have misplaced the hooks I bought for it. Hoping to turn them up this evening. As well as that, I've got the last cushion to finish knitting. Both of those are jobs for this week as we've got the full week off. We're going to see End Game (can't wait!) but otherwise the time is being spent sorting the house/garden. I think the garden might have to be put on hold unless we get some breaks in the weather we're due!