It's time to start digging up those Squirrelled Nuts!!!!

LHW99

Thanks Sea_Shell. An interesting breakdown as well as interesting comments generated. Happy 2024 to all.

Sea_Shell

FIREDreamer said:

Sea_Shell said:

savingmore said:

Tx for this update.  Our groceries are same and we eat well.  The one expense I can’t match is your bills.  With council tax, electricity/gas, water rates, building &content ins. Ours is around £430 then internet and tv licence, net flix on top comes to £480.  How do you do bills for 321 if you don’t mind me asking, or are some of those in your household expenses?  We have big standard 3 bed semi. 

Over the last year the split of the £3862 is...
Water - £278 (metered)
CT - £2115 (Band D)
Gas/Elec - £1032  (with credit balance refunded, but excludes Gov rebates of 3 x 67 for Jan, Feb, March, and we were on a "cheap" fix last winter)
TV lic - £159
BB - £278 (standard, not fibre)

4 bed Detached - Midlands
Home insurance in with Household exp.
TV subs under Hol/Entertainment

West Midlands? I always thought you were in the South West by the sea due to low outgoings and your user name. You couldn’t live further from the sea if you tried. 😂😂😂

East.   Yep, the sea is far away in almost every direction ☹️

SouthCoastBoy

FIREDreamer said:

Sea_Shell said:

savingmore said:

Tx for this update.  Our groceries are same and we eat well.  The one expense I can’t match is your bills.  With council tax, electricity/gas, water rates, building &content ins. Ours is around £430 then internet and tv licence, net flix on top comes to £480.  How do you do bills for 321 if you don’t mind me asking, or are some of those in your household expenses?  We have big standard 3 bed semi. 

Over the last year the split of the £3862 is...
Water - £278 (metered)
CT - £2115 (Band D)
Gas/Elec - £1032  (with credit balance refunded, but excludes Gov rebates of 3 x 67 for Jan, Feb, March, and we were on a "cheap" fix last winter)
TV lic - £159
BB - £278 (standard, not fibre)

4 bed Detached - Midlands
Home insurance in with Household exp.
TV subs under Hol/Entertainment

West Midlands? I always thought you were in the South West by the sea due to low outgoings and your user name. You couldn’t live further from the sea if you tried. 😂😂😂

I'm curious why living by the sea in the south west is assumed to have low outgoings?

Albermarle

SouthCoastBoy said:

FIREDreamer said:

Sea_Shell said:

savingmore said:

Tx for this update.  Our groceries are same and we eat well.  The one expense I can’t match is your bills.  With council tax, electricity/gas, water rates, building &content ins. Ours is around £430 then internet and tv licence, net flix on top comes to £480.  How do you do bills for 321 if you don’t mind me asking, or are some of those in your household expenses?  We have big standard 3 bed semi. 

Over the last year the split of the £3862 is...
Water - £278 (metered)
CT - £2115 (Band D)
Gas/Elec - £1032  (with credit balance refunded, but excludes Gov rebates of 3 x 67 for Jan, Feb, March, and we were on a "cheap" fix last winter)
TV lic - £159
BB - £278 (standard, not fibre)

4 bed Detached - Midlands
Home insurance in with Household exp.
TV subs under Hol/Entertainment

West Midlands? I always thought you were in the South West by the sea due to low outgoings and your user name. You couldn’t live further from the sea if you tried. 😂😂😂

I'm curious why living by the sea in the south west is assumed to have low outgoings?

Yes a lot cheaper in Dudley than Salcombe !

nonolerigolo

michaels said:

Albermarle said:

Sea_Shell said:

Bills	3861.67
Holidays/Ente	3434.29
Car Expenses	1107.91
Groceries	2768.58
Household	1227.21
Health/Beauty	1964.56
Clothes/Shoes	235.44
Fuel	522.77
Gifts/Cards	556.74
Bank/ISA Fees	278.06
Phones/Calls	103.53
	16060.76

As in the past the grocery bill is the one thing that stands out as being very low for two people. Especially with recent rampant food inflation. 

WE do about 400pm for 5 including 3 hungry teenagers so this does not sound unreasonable.  I shop, we would eat similar if DW shopped but easily spend twice as much.  One example, about to put in a sains click and collect order using a £18 voucher, a sains gift card bought at 20% off and hopefully 20% cash back.

How do you get 20% cash back or sainsbury gift cards with such a discount. It seems pretty impressive 

michaels

nonolerigolo said:

michaels said:

Albermarle said:

Sea_Shell said:

Bills	3861.67
Holidays/Ente	3434.29
Car Expenses	1107.91
Groceries	2768.58
Household	1227.21
Health/Beauty	1964.56
Clothes/Shoes	235.44
Fuel	522.77
Gifts/Cards	556.74
Bank/ISA Fees	278.06
Phones/Calls	103.53
	16060.76

As in the past the grocery bill is the one thing that stands out as being very low for two people. Especially with recent rampant food inflation. 

WE do about 400pm for 5 including 3 hungry teenagers so this does not sound unreasonable.  I shop, we would eat similar if DW shopped but easily spend twice as much.  One example, about to put in a sains click and collect order using a £18 voucher, a sains gift card bought at 20% off and hopefully 20% cash back.

How do you get 20% cash back or sainsbury gift cards with such a discount. It seems pretty impressive 

PM me for info

savingmore

Sea_Shell said:

savingmore said:

Tx for this update.  Our groceries are same and we eat well.  The one expense I can’t match is your bills.  With council tax, electricity/gas, water rates, building &content ins. Ours is around £430 then internet and tv licence, net flix on top comes to £480.  How do you do bills for 321 if you don’t mind me asking, or are some of those in your household expenses?  We have big standard 3 bed semi. 

Over the last year the split of the £3862 is...
Water - £278 (metered)
CT - £2115 (Band D)
Gas/Elec - £1032  (with credit balance refunded, but excludes Gov rebates of 3 x 67 for Jan, Feb, March, and we were on a "cheap" fix last winter)
TV lic - £159
BB - £278 (standard, not fibre)

4 bed Detached - Midlands
Home insurance in with Household exp.
TV subs under Hol/Entertainment

Oh thanks for this so useful.  We are in south west so water Soooo much more expensive and our gas and electricity is more too, although we are a band c…appreciate you sharing your actual figures, as we seem to be near everything else except for monthly bills.   I am trying to learn how to spend and not save, think it’s going to be a hard road.   

FIREDreamer

SouthCoastBoy said:

FIREDreamer said:

Sea_Shell said:

savingmore said:

Tx for this update.  Our groceries are same and we eat well.  The one expense I can’t match is your bills.  With council tax, electricity/gas, water rates, building &content ins. Ours is around £430 then internet and tv licence, net flix on top comes to £480.  How do you do bills for 321 if you don’t mind me asking, or are some of those in your household expenses?  We have big standard 3 bed semi. 

Over the last year the split of the £3862 is...
Water - £278 (metered)
CT - £2115 (Band D)
Gas/Elec - £1032  (with credit balance refunded, but excludes Gov rebates of 3 x 67 for Jan, Feb, March, and we were on a "cheap" fix last winter)
TV lic - £159
BB - £278 (standard, not fibre)

4 bed Detached - Midlands
Home insurance in with Household exp.
TV subs under Hol/Entertainment

West Midlands? I always thought you were in the South West by the sea due to low outgoings and your user name. You couldn’t live further from the sea if you tried. 😂😂😂

I'm curious why living by the sea in the south west is assumed to have low outgoings?

Just a poor guess, sorry!

Sea_Shell

FIREDreamer said:

Sea_Shell said:

Some flesh on the bones for you to pick over...

(Figures in brackets as at end December 2022)


£14,917 (£12,400) – Easy Access Cash 
£11,740  (£10,030) – Loanpad P2P ISA (60 day notice)
£61,583  (£22,808) – Various fixes, maturing at regular intervals. Ave rate 5.6%
£104,470 (£32,840) – DH's Drawdown pension pot (being drawn at £1150 pm) Includes some cash within total.
£215,347  (£197,500) – S&S ISAs
£210,450 (£295,640) – Untouched DC pension pots (mine, basically)

Total - £618,500


During the year, DH moved one of his DC pensions into his DD pot, and took the cash free lump sum, which is what's bolstered the fixed cash.  Most cash in my name as a non-earner.  So no worries [for a few years] about tax on interest.

Overall our asset allocation is now sitting at ~21% cash, 57% Equities and the rest in "other" (bonds and stuff within funds)

Have you worked out your rate of return over the year?

My pension made 4% pa but 68% of it was transferred to buy an annuity in October.

My ISA made 4% as well, added £20k in April, nothing withdrawn.

Totally different investments made the same returns. Global ETFs in SIPP, various investment trusts in my ISA.

No bonds ever, thank goodness!

By my maths, as a whole, it was 11.05% gross, and 8.25% net of spends.    

We had £571,350, we now have £618,500, having spent £16,000



As has been posted, every time I update my figures, again and again,  "ah, but inflation", don't forget!! 

bluenose1

I have just retired from work, actually officially employed until 2nd January 24 so not quite but using holidays. 

I am going to take over the shopping budget from my husband and try and do all our shopping in Aldi / Lidl and Home Bargains as we waste money going to local village co-op, tesco express etc. Plus going to reduce our Sky TV and BB, paying well over £100 per month.
Have enjoyed reading your figures as ever Sea Shell, thanks for posting.