Eagerlearners journey to Terminate the mortgage

EagerLearner

the_cross_rabbit wrote: »

hi eagerlearner I've been reading but not left a comment , so your witterings (i think thats what you put) are not to the ether. Looks like you've been busy since you were last on. I know what you mean about the festival season and spending, it kind of over rides my need to Money save , but come to the conclusion life is for living and I don't want to scrimp on Christamas. Not that I go mad on presents but I love all things chrimassy especially food:rotfl:.
CRx

Thank you the cross rabbit, I just had a moment that's all, and am so glad you are here :T I agree with you food is my weakness at Christmas, so long as I have my yearly bottle of Soco + gingerale, some nice cheese and chocolate, I am fine plus some nice other foodie bits

I have done quite a bit, hoping to reign in for the rest of Nov too, will update in sep post...

EagerLearner

beanielou wrote: »

Also reading

Ah thanks Beanie :T it's lovely to have folks on the journey with me and writing helps my creative side too, so I am not just focused on work work and family stuff. It's like my Me Time for my better Future Me if that makes sense (and for our family).

EagerLearner

greent wrote: »

I'm also here

Hi greent lovely to have you here too :T

I am happy to report this week has been quiet work wise BUT I have used the time productively.

Want to reduce pension from 3 funds to 1, simplifies and streamlines cost, should be able to do this today. >>> Simplified to 2, I just can't seem to sell the one that's doing well even though it's to move to Vanguard. I have instead changed my monthly debit to be mostly into Vanguard.
- Ensure HSBC payout the £150 >>> Waiting on this one, need the gadget thing to turn up so I can transfer back my £1750, gives me hives it not sitting pretty in Santander :rotfl:
- Cashout anything on Quidco >>>> Just over £3 I think should show in my bank soon and will go to my funds in HL next month
- Accumulate more points on Consumer Pulse - need another £5 I think which might be doable >>> Hmm think I am at about £5, very slow this one
- Chase £30 voucher from a survey I did about working from home >>>> Nowt yet but hopeful by mid next week
- Research tablet costs ready for Black Friday and also scooter for little man >>> Looks like we will be able to get something for £90ish, want to get 8" as this will be a good size for him but as technically we're also getting this for hubby (sshhh) he's wanting an extra 2" - men eh :rotfl: I do agree with him that the £10 is negligible for a bigger tablet but feel by the timer we add a case it'll be too heavy for MiniEL...

Vaccum is amazing, I am not the kind of person that gets excited about cleaning. So this is transformative, literally. I did not realise I needed cordless in my life and it will change how clean the house is. I know Hetty secretly wants to murder me, she stares at me from the top landing threatening to proppell herself down to get me, so Facebook selling group it is. The Shark folds down and fits in a cupboard, amazing, no more tugging and battling :T

We are contemplating a trip to Italy for our anniversary next year, Easijet flights are cheap at the mo, so aside from Christmas this might be the final large thing that gets paid out for before the end of the year. We are super excited about it and to reduce costs might do AirB&B which we have not done.

On the bad news looks like little to invoice this week and no more students this year, so here's to hoping for Feb and March. That was a good buffer though for when work is quieter than i would like, so my insecurities start to kick in in low weeks Dec is mostly budgeted for at least in YNAB, just mortgage and council tax to cover which hubby wages will do. Then I still have next week and week after to invoice, fingers crossed work picks up but I know this is a quieter time. To offset this I am using the time productively, cleaning, batch cooking, life admin etc. Have also placed an advert for book-keeping, as this time of year is busy on that side, I just need a couple of new extra clients would help.

We have a super busy weekend planned and lots of spend on going out plus a party for MiniEL, babysitter too etc. I am hoping from next week costs will be Christmas only which I have budgeted for.

Hope everyone has a brilliant weekend planned :T

EagerLearner

Hi everyone,

Not a great deal to report today, plus it's been 'orrible weather too. Thankfully I had a bit more work in and am awaiting a client payment that is overdue, so will put that towards Tax and some Dec bills. By this point of the month I would usually hope to start to fund January, but with time off at Halloween and less work last week it may not be poss, fingers crossed.

Spoke to a potential one off new client this afternoon, all from signing up to an app called Helpfulpeeps, so maybe karma is in my favour this week.

Sold £55 worth on Facebook this weekend, so the cost of my new vaccum is lower ;-) Hetty has now left the building and I can sleep well ha. Have put this money towards grocery money in cash next Sat and so have been able to move the cash on YNAB to savings.

Progress:

- HSBC have paid wooooooo! £150 sitting pretty BUT I am waiting for the gadgety thing, can't move my £1750 or the £150 back until I have it in my hot little hand. Really hopeful for next couple days. I think I will then invest the £150 as the market is low I think at the mo.
- Cashout anything on Quidco >>>> £3.20 cashed out and in Paypal
- Accumulate more points on Consumer Pulse - need another £5 I think which might be doable >>> Am at £6.50 after today's survey
- Chase £30 voucher from a survey I did about working from home >>>> Nowt yet but hopeful next few days
- Research tablet costs ready for Black Friday and also scooter for little man >>>Bought a Wii in the end for £59 delivered which comes with extras and 2 games, he won't care it's 2nd hand and I can't wait to see his face ;-) He is now saving for a tablet himself and we will help him with this, plus he does special chores for extra cash too.

We had a lovely but spendy weekend due to birthdays, loved it but thankful for a quiet week. Have 3 more birthdays coming up, one of which will be going out and £££, but nice to be Out Out :rotfl:

Started restoring a little piano stool this weekend which I got for £15. Farrow & Ball paint is very expensive so I bought 2 little tester pots and reeeeeeeally hope it stretches :cool:. Contemplating then creating the top pillow for the storage seat on it, which will involve wadding, and some nice material. I am unrealistically hoping that the same blue F&B colour will magically appear when I am browsing shops for material

No spend day aside from MiniEL class which was already budgeted for from FB sales last weekend. Need bread tomorrow & bits for his playdate but can't imagine more than £5, so will use cash to avoid a bank transaction.

For the weekend have already eyeballed deals at Lidl on cheese so will stock up as the boys get through it like nothing else.

MiniEL parent meeting coming up, not looking forward to it as this teacher is so very different to his last, ultra strict...:o I think she is used to teaching older kids, and these are 7-8. I don't think of him as a unique snowflake or anything, he is very smart but has to cope with different teaching styles etc but I just don't want him losing interest because of her character and he loves school. Any advice for the meeting?

EagerLearner

Random question - how much do you spend on Christmas and for how many?

EagerLearner

Hi everyone,

Well it's that time of the month where tumbleweeds are happening and there's some breathing in... I do not want to have any overspill on any YNAB categories so trying my best.

Christmas is pretty much budgeted for but I suspect might need more funding, wondered what you all average?

Lots more DIY sorted, and chasing a £30 voucher I am due for a survey though have had no reply yet. Started a Resolva case which am also awaiting news on. Prob £4 away from a payout on Consumer Pulse so might not get that within 2018. Around £15 on Quidco which again will prob be veeeery slow.

Seems our average monthly spend is down from £2380 last year to £2264, which even allowing for business spend in 2017 and half of 2018 included, is not bad. We basically always need to keep under £2k spend to keep to our savings rates.

Very excited to start decorating and getting Christmassy this weekend onwards, hubby says no but MiniEL and I say yes... Polar Express and Home Alone, so many movies and MUST watch It's a Wonderful Life this year. I get the feeling I am the only person on the planet who has not seen it...

VDOT47

Hi EL,


As far as Christmas budget goes, we probably spend £100-150 on presents for DD (she gets stuff from grandparents etc too, so we don't feel the need to spend huge amounts as well), and perhaps £75-100 on Christmas food and drink.


We each then pay for our presents for each other and for our friends and our side of the family ie. I buy my parents and she buys for hers.


I try to keep to a total present budget of below £150-200.


Christmas films - current favourite with us is Arthur Christmas!

EagerLearner

Thanks VDOT47, somehow we spend around £500 all in inc food and drink, hoping this year to reduce that... MiniEL is getting a Wii which we got 2nd hand inc games, plus a scooter from Santa which we will get with vouchers and a few stocking fillers.
Between hubby and I prob £25 spent on eachother then £10 on something that MiniEL buys the other.
Hoping to keep food under £100 but alcohol ends up being costly, then there are family and friend gifts but we tend to get for kids only.
I used an app to track everything last year called Gift List I think, must start to fill it in before things get crazy.

greent

We spend around £80 - £100 on each of our children (4) - very occasionally they have a 'huge' gift, but then they contribute to the cost of it (eg: DS1 had a PS4 the other year) I try and aim for about £50 on each other - there's nothing we really need. Budgets from children to their siblings/ parents are usually £5 ish - max £10. Stocking presents (even for the 21yo in 2 weeks time ) come to about £10/ child - socks, a book, choc coins, something else to eat (more personalised to their individual tastes). shower gel/ bubble bath, something else small and personal (eg: lego mini fig packet for DS4)

Food and drink is not too bad - we always have loads of alcohol in (cos we never really drink the stuff!) so Xmas day prosecco & flavoured vodka already taken care of. Don't have any Ba1leys, though - so will need to get a bottle of that Food - probably only around an extra £50/75 spent - if that. Xmas dinner is, after all, just a really big Sunday roast I will get in a couple of treat-y desserts (but A1di, rather than MnS/Wa1tr0se) x

EagerLearner

Thanks GrentT, I think as we are using vouchers, likely MiniEL will be £75ish this year, so not too bad. Plus we have advised Santa buys less as you grow older. Tinge of sadness all round ;-) esp as we prob know next year he'll know who Santa really is... at what point do you have that conversation? I would hate for him to find out on the playground.

Good news:

- £5 off £40 shop from Lidl from their Xmas catalogue will come in handy
- Busier at work this week, much more positive plus some one off unexpected stuff inc a possible extra next week
- £7.50 of points in Consumer Pulse, painfully close now
- Got hubby a tax refund of over £700 woop - of course he overpaid tax so it is not really new money, we'd already paid it out, but good news nonetheless and will boost his morale.
- Hubby was awarded one day extra hol and a bonus in Nov pay, should know more tomorrow about what this translates to in total.
- MiniEL parent teacher night went well, some work on handwriting (he's a leftie) and not rushing to be first completing things without fully understanding them, I am happy with it though.
- Started funding January YNAB budget.

Sort of good news:

- A supermarket we use has finally gotten back to us about a 2 month old complaint (metal parts found in food). They were rubbish about communicating and in the end I had to raise a case via Resolva. They have now written a letter, mostly templated, headed No Prejudice, which says No Idea how It Happened and metal shards got into your food but here are 2 x £5 vouchers for your troubles.

Would you accept this?