DD's accountability thread

DD265

Pay day today - I love pay day. Savings are up to £857.23 - I have another £150 set aside to move across (£50 of that being a standing order) but I'm being a little cautious and will wait until later in the month. I did move the extra £50 left from July's salary in the end when I realised I wasn't spending any more money yesterday.

I told OH that he needs to help me with the holiday costs (so far I paid for the seats on both sets of flights, airport parking for November, both sets of travel insurance and I've budgeted for the cat sitter!) and Mom said she'd pay for my eyelashes being done tomorrow which I'm currently covering out of my budget. Still need to book the taxi to get us home from the airport this month; should be £50.

I've paid the normal £100 off the MBNA card but they aren't taking the direct debit this month. It's taken a bit of figuring out how the cards work in nYNAB but I think I'm there now. I'm quite happy with the new app and can see me sticking with it - luckily the trial dates mean I don't have to pay for it until October because September is looking a bit tight if I do everything I want to do.

I am currently debating whether to move some off budget accounts into my budget, and vice versa. For example I have a couple of gift cards that we aren't going to top up so they could be 'tracking' accounts. But my savings and PayPal accounts should possibly be counted as part of the budget. Apparently you can't make a copy of your budget in nYNAB, so I need to decide whether it's worth the hassle. Yeah I could migrate in my YNAB4 budget again but... I'm wondering if I can export from nYNAB, import that into YNAB4, then migrate a new budget... Something to play with this weekend!

Oh I got access to my premium bonds - all £20. I'll probably withdraw it. Was hoping for a few hundred but that's £20 that I didn't have before I guess. :rotfl: I did sell something on FB yesterday though so that's good, posted it today. Also returned the extra bikini tops; one fit and instead of the normal two bottoms I buy I just bought one pair. That was paid with PayPal pay after delivery, so the refund should reduce the payment owed before it gets requested from my account.

The cat food will be available to collect tomorrow afternoon so I'm going to drag OH with me to see if we can get him a couple of light t-shirts. I threw one out recently as it had a hole in it and he has complained that his others are too thick. I did look in TK Maxx today but instead came out with some socks for him, a jumper for me, and a jumper and skirt that I will return tomorrow.

I think it's going to be a bits and pieces type of weekend; I need to do some serious list making!

DD265

I guess today has been a little spendy. Had my lashes done this morning, then we had fish and chips for lunch - we share a single portion meal deal so it doesn't work out too badly for my purse or my waistline! I sold a horse rug for £60 plus postage, so dropped that off at the parcel shop. Then we went into Next to look for some t-shirts for OH - nothing - but found a couple in DW Sports. Signed up for (yet another) loyalty card and saved £8; he paid though! Then went to TK Maxx to return the jumper/skirt, ended up with OH getting another t-shirt and some boxers so no refund for me and OH ended up putting a little towards the exchange. I hate seeing him in scruffy boxers though and I know I'm the only person that sees them but it really bothers me once the elastic starts stretching.

I sold one of our wedding items a while back but it's not been picked up yet - that should be tomorrow - so at £40 that means £100 made this weekend which feels like a good start to the month, plus a few people owe me some money which is the better part of another £100, then whatever OH is contributing towards the holiday(s).

I need to spend a bit more time looking at the goals in nYNAB. Today I have a lot showing orange (goal not reached) as opposed to green, because it wants me to budget in September having set a monthly target. BUT I get paid on the last working day of the month and that orange is going to bug me for 29 days. I need to find a way around it. :rotfl:

DD265

The wedding item has been picked up so that's £40 in. I doubt it'll hit my bank account as I've no opportunity to pay it in before we go on holiday, but spends that would go on my card, like sun tan cream for example, will just come out of the cash instead.

I spent some time cursing Zoopla's website earlier. I don't find it intuitive or user friendly at all and it's not as though I'm inept when it comes to computer software! I much prefer RightMove to search, but obviously we'd rather not miss the perfect property. We probably need to use OnTheMarket too but I'll deal with that another time.

The cat food order has been inexplicably delayed and I've no idea when it'll turn up. I bought some cat food from Tesco instead so they won't run out whilst we're away; need to update the instructions for the cat sitter. Spent ages trying to find something that felt half decent compared to the Animonda Carny that we usually buy, ended up with Whiskas Casserole; it won't kill them to have it for a week. I'm going to give my mother my driving license so she can pick up the cat food order for us if it does turn up.

Recently I've noticed a shift in my spending habits. There was a gorgeous Emporio Armani mens jumper in TK Maxx yesterday; reduced to £41. RRP over £400. I don't necessarily have expensive taste and I'll happily buy second hand, but I do like good quality items made from good materials that fit well and this was all of those. It was the kind of thing I'd normally buy OH on a whim or keep aside as a Christmas present. I told myself that it'd get squashed in a drawer, he already has some nice jumpers and he wouldn't get much use out of it because he prefers a hoodie, and I didn't buy it. Old me would be shocked. :rotfl:

I need to finish my packing for the holiday. We're going on hand luggage only so it's a bit of a squeeze. I often feel like I should a different outfit for each evening, but will rotate between 3-4 maxi dresses. I'm not so bothered about during the day because if we're just by the pool I'll be in a bikini; I have two bikinis and one cover up, plus I've packed 4 t-shirts and two pairs of palazzo pants. I have a gorgeous maxi dress that I bought on eBay a year ago that I still haven't worn; it's too long for flats so I am not taking it this week to avoid packing heels.

DD265

We had a fab holiday - the scales at WeightWatchers confirmed it this evening! The additional spends were pretty low; I didn't spend any more than I already had in my purse as we didn't do any day trips and we hadn't taken any Euros out but had a few left over from previous hols.

I'm really getting on with nYNAB to the point where I intend to keep using it and ditch YNAB4. I've moved my Savings account to be on budget, and I'm pleased to say that there's £1000 in it. :beer: Currently I have it split equally into two categories; emergency fund and house deposit. It would be foolish of me to put it all to the house deposit really.

On Tuesday somebody's car rolled into mine when we were doing the food shopping. I've had a quote to repair it for £610, and I'm waiting for the third party insurer to confirm whether they'll pay or they want to write the car off; unfortunately it is low value due to age and mileage. I think the thing that annoys me most is that this is going to see a nice hike in my premiums come October! The damage could be repaired DIY however so maybe I can pocket the cash and not feel so bad...

I agreed an approach with the personal trainer where I pay every four sessions (as opposed to each block of 10 currently) and the fifth comes out of the 'free 10'. This will make cash flow much more regular and therefore easier to budget for both of us. I keep track using a dedicated account in YNAB. I also need to start running again outside of his sessions (much easier now it's cooled down!) as it's been over 3 years since I weighed this much. :eek:

On the sales front nothing happened whilst I was away. I've got to focus on the convention now; it's a month away, so I'm about to make a list of the things I need to do and get. I could do with a couple of cash tins or money aprons (my sister is helping me on the stalls), price tags and possibly some 'rummage boxes' for the floor in front of the stall. I'll have some ponies clearly displayed and individually priced, then a number lined up in tight rows also individually priced, and then I planned to put others in the rummage boxes. We do have some boxes upstairs that might work but I need to check that they aren't too big.

DD265

I'm pleased to report that my car is not being written off. The money for the repair (at the quotation cost) will be in my account early next week. Then I just need to decide whether the repair will be a DIY job or I'll take it into the garage for his less-work option. I'm a perfectionist and if we DIY I'll constantly be looking for flaws, but it's a 13 year old car so economically.. Plus if we DIY it I can add £600 to my savings account which is quite an attractive proposition.

I spent time last night listing all my ponies for sale, and have now checked the values. I have a few queries and may need to adjust some based on their conditions but I feel like I've made a good start at least. I've ordered price tags and am getting a money tin/apron/cheap carrier bags/table cloths from Amazon, plus a counterfeit note pen for good measure.

I've also booked a trip to Champneys in December for Mom and I. I get 75% off through my private healthcare, and 25% off for non-members so we saved 50% basically and as we're only going for a Sunday night it works out to <£70 per person including three meals which I don't think is bad at all. We were talking about how she hadn't been on holiday this year and I felt bad so I suggested the spa trip; totally worth the expense to see her face light up. Treatments are extra (and expensive!) but personally I'm happy to laze around with a book or swim anyway!

Meeting up with some friends at a shopping centre tomorrow; I have £10 in my purse so was hoping not to spend more than that although I think we'll end up having lunch so we'll see. I'll avoid the temptation of doing any shopping; I don't need anything right now as I'm determined to slim down into my jeans.

DD265

Spent £15 on lunch, then left the shopping centre when the others went wandering to avoid temptation!

I have got base prices for virtually all the ponies and now just need to adjust them down based on condition. Obviously I can adjust them on the weekend itself but I'd rather minimise the hassle of doing that. When I totted up the full value it came to £3300 - I am sure I won't get that much for them, but it makes me confident that I can cover all my costs and car insurance and still have a couple of hundred to put into savings. I will be pricing some things low deliberately; those that are bulky or delicate or tricky to sell online. As much as I want the money, I don't want the hassle so I need to find a good balance.

I was playing around with car insurance quotes last night. Bit premature, as my renewal is 1st November, but I wanted to see what impact the claim had had and I'm not best pleased. I did check putting my OH as a named driver on the policy which I was considering anyway - he hasn't passed his test and isn't even having lessons right now but we agreed we'd look at it after the wedding - and that brings the price down.

What I found was:

1) just me, accident declared - £680
2) just me, no accident - £590
3) + OH, accident declared - £535 (current insurer)
4) + OH, no accident - £515

I've got a reminder in my diary to look at it in about a month (21 days before renewal) so we'll go from there. Obviously I'm upset that this accident is going to screw me over for the next 5 years but what can I do? I can't wind the clock back and park somewhere else!

DD265

Been checking out the details of my Lifetime ISA to work out whether we've got time to use it - and we do. We can get the maximum of £4k in there (with 1/2 coming from family) before the 6th October meaning we'd get a £1k bonus by early November. Just need to find the account details now so we can transfer the money across. This does mean that that £4k is committed to a house deposit, but we know we're going to buy one eventually! It doesn't wipe out our savings; I'm keeping £500 back and OH will have about £1k, but it'll take him longer to replace that money than it will me, so it makes sense to leave a bit more in his account for now. Plus we have the support from family so if things really go bottoms up we'll manage!

Buying a house really feels achievable now though quite honestly I haven't got a clue how the whole process works. Lots of reading coming up!

I got the money in for the car damage (£500 straight into savings, the rest has gone to other categories whilst I wait for people who owe me to pay up). My FIL spent a bit of time on it yesterday and the car looks much better, to the point where we may not even take the dents out. It needs a bit of colour (the worst scratches went through the lacquer) so I need to check the paint code and spend £15ish on a can of paint. That'll protect it over winter (I understand the colour layer and below are porous so it could rust if left) and I may or may not get it sorted properly come spring.

In other news, I am ill for the first time in what feels like forever. I have fought the run-down feeling a few times this year, but it caught up with me last week and I have a horrible head cold. I'm going through all our pain/cold relief tablets - must have a good sort out of all the first aid stuff. I have quite a practical nature when it comes to things like this (I think it stems from having a horse!) so we're typically well stocked but I haven't checked expiry dates in a while.

I'm going to book in to have the oven cleaned - it's a step towards being ready to move. Looking at £55 I believe for the oven, hob and extractor. I still need to paint the kitchen wall, and replace the strings on the blinds but I won't do that until we move the cats for fear of them chewing through again! There's also the laminate to put in the downstairs loo, and the primary motive for that now is so we can use the carpet we take up to patch a particularly badly cat-damaged bit.

DD265

One of my favourite sayings is 'if you're going to do something, do it properly', and it seems as though my body is listening because it's gone all out with this illness. I'm not quite sure whether I have a sinus infection needing antibiotics or the beginnings of the flu, so I've booked a doctors appointment for Thursday evening (earliest I could get) in case I keep getting worse. If it ends up looking like the flu I'll cancel. Unfortunately my company don't pay sick pay (plus we get an attendance bonus) and I really don't want a deduction on one of the pay slips I end up using for the mortgage application, so I'm doing my best to battle through it but I'm not very productive at the moment.

I'm still waiting for the price tags for the ponies to arrive, and the money apron, but everything else is here. On the plus side it means I don't feel obliged to start pricing up whilst I'm ill and just want to crash, although it does mean that I'll have less time to get them all done. I might need some boxes to put on the floor in front of the stall, but I'm hoping I can use a couple of plastic ones from our spare room.

We've booked our Christmas meal for 10 of us - need to go over and pay the deposit but can walk one evening. It's only £25 per head (excluding drinks) in total for a curry which I think is pretty good going on Christmas day. OH and I also got 4 chocolate tubs yesterday from Tesco; they're on 2 for £7 for Roses/Quality Street etc which is as cheap as I've seen them in years. We live nearest the curry house (assuming we haven't moved by then!) so said we're happy to host drinks after the meal.

The next few months are going to see some sizable one-off purchases. In October I'll have the YNAB subscription to pay (I believe that there's only an annual option) and car insurance. In November there'll be a week of cat sitting and I think my next car service will hit in November/December. Plus house buying costs at some point. I find myself being a bit reactive at the moment but my money is '15 days old' according to YNAB and I think I understand how to forward budget now, so hopefully I can start making progress on spreading the cost rather than having to constantly find money.

DD265

The oven was cleaned this morning, and I am kicking myself for putting it off for so long! It looks great and now I don't really want to use it. :rotfl: I did some batch cooking yesterday in anticipation of this; made some more soup (roasted tomato/red pepper last week, butternut squash/carrot/parsnip yesterday) and a big batch of stew, plus OH did a roast chicken. So every meal this week is a nice simple reheat, though we're also doing a coffee/cake morning at work on Thursday and I've said I'll bake something for that.

I feel like I've budgeted this month very tight but somehow made it work. This is in no small part due to the fact that I've been ill, and only had to fill my car up once. Plus pay day falls this Friday so technically the weekends' shop should come out of September, but it doesn't have to although the shop will be relatively small given the amount of food in the freezer.

Finally repaired my grey wool jumper earlier - they had a lot of Ralph Lauren in TK Maxx yesterday and when I found the same jumper at £50, it prompted me to get out the thread I'd bought a while ago. I think if anybody looked really closely they'd see that something wasn't quite right, but I'm quite pleased with the job and looking forward to wearing it again.

I have tracked down replacement pairs for my smart Ugg boots which are wearing out; I wear them for work in the ~9 months of the year where it's too cold for trainers. Looking at £100ish when the current season equivalents are £175. :eek: I paid £40 for mine barely used and can't justify that right now, though there was a time not so long ago when I wouldn't have cared. I'm going to take mine in to see if they can be re-heeled. My only concern is them coming back not as comfortable as they are now - I think it'll be a full sole replacement as it looks like all one piece. Will risk it for a biscuit though!

Already had payment through for some of the items I'm selling at the convention; a friend has bought them. I'm tempted to stick it straight into savings but I'm going to leave it in PayPal for now knowing that I might be paying my car insurance before the convention. I have assumed I'd pay the car insurance in full, but maybe I'm better off in the short term paying monthly, so I can put extra into my deposit fund...

Still need to transfer said deposit fund into the Lifetime ISA - in fact I'll find my Skipton details now!

beanielou

Just make sure car insurance dont charge you for paying monthly.