Young And Dumb

Mx_Emmin

An update of two halves today. One funny "how far I've come" moment, and one COVID anxiety. ~*~ I've been using YNAB for over a year, but it could be another year before I break the cycle **as YNAB defines it** I.e. actively budgeting a month ahead However, I would point out that I have over a month of E-Fund, so if I suddenly lost my job, I do have the next month covered... I'm already feeling the mental/emotional benefits of being a month ahead even if I don't quite do it how YNAB does it! Yet. I had a moment where I was I like "Oh, did I get paid very early?... No, that's just where my bank account is at these days." I don't think I'm going to get bored of those moments. Or of the underlying feeling of relief that I've got, that if I do lose my job (not that I'm particularly at risk right now) then I'm ok for a couple of months. ~*~ I'm struggling to sleep a bit since the American attempted coup last week. I found out about it just before I was meant to go to bed (timezones) and it was challenging to sleep that night, or any night since. It wouldnt have affected anything if I had found out in the morning, when it was all over. I check the news nearly every morning, and I'm not in America so it wouldn't have immediately affected me. Obviously the larger global picture would have been/is affected but that doesn't affect my life today or tomorrow. But how am I meant to sleep when everyone is dying? How am I meant to sleep when so much is happening? Theres just so much happening all the time lately. I feel like the worlds spinning too fast and if I relax and let go I'll go flying. Metaphorically. So yeah I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed and lost right now. And I try to sleep but I just lie in bed feeling like everything is happening and I need to hang onto the Earth.

Sarahwithlove

I can't wait to get to point that I'm a month ahead in ynab. Congrats it's a good place to be. 

Mx_Emmin

Welp. Got paid this morning, divorce fund has officially met its goal. Time to try message The Ex. Wish me luck.
I've also decided to up my pension contributions by 1%. It was almost more, until I realised it was showing me the monthly figure, not the annual figure. It might be a bit tight, but they're also talking about giving us a 2% annual raise in March, so hopefully it all evens out. I can always change it back if it's an issue. 
There are a few things I've been waiting for payday to buy - some wool to make a baby blanket for a colleague, some they/them face masks, and cutlery set for work lunches, and some more of that fancy tea. I'm inbetween crochet projects, waiting for that wool to arrive, and I hardly know what to do with myself in the evenings! Maybe I should start working out on the nights I'm too mentally tired to study. Maybe that would help me sleep.... 
~*~
I also put together this little table, although I haven't decided what to do with the data yet:

Obviously some of these goals and spends don't add up. I'm mildly impressed there was any month in 2020 I managed to spend £137 on social spends.... but then obviously I've had months and months of zero or near zero spending. My groceries is all over the board, and I took out all of the Brexit shops to try make the data cleaner, as I don't intend to keep doing those now Brexit has happened. (Similarly I took the binders out of the clothes category as those are rare events and separate savings goals.) It's hard to know if this data is actually useful or not.
I've moved the social spends category further down my budget app and changed the colour coded heart to discourage me from stealing funds from it so much. Hopefully things will get back to normal, and I'll need to use that money for actually socialising again. At some point. Before 2022. 
~*~
I did technically hit my goal to start buying Microsoft Office, but I took money out of it again to fund a different goal. I keep going back and forth on whether I even want office anyway, I'm frustrated that it's so hard to do a one-time purchase of it now, that they've moved to a subscription model. 
With Christmas money, I hit my goal to get my degree certificate reissued earlier than expected, though I need to check if I included shipping in that goal. Something to investigate over the next few days. I also need to get to the GP and let them know I changed my middle name. 
~*~
I never know how to end these. I just run out of things to say. 
Keep calm and carry on - Mx_Emmin

Sarahwithlove

That's problem it's so easy to move money around. Do you have goals set up on YNAB? I hate seeing them turn orange and that can often be enough to discourage me from stealing from another pot. Or I hide them once then goal is met to stop me spending it. Might be worth having a play with it to make it best work for you. 

Mx_Emmin

Sarahwithlove said:

That's problem it's so easy to move money around. Do you have goals set up on YNAB? I hate seeing them turn orange and that can often be enough to discourage me from stealing from another pot. Or I hide them once then goal is met to stop me spending it. Might be worth having a play with it to make it best work for you. 

I have goals set up, but because I spend from that category for legitimate reasons too I'm used to it turning orange over the course of the month
I didnt think of actually hiding the category though 🤔🤔 just moving it further down so I had to scroll to get to it 
Its become a "monthly" expense, not a "weekly" one

Sarahwithlove

Mx_Emmin said:

Sarahwithlove said:

That's problem it's so easy to move money around. Do you have goals set up on YNAB? I hate seeing them turn orange and that can often be enough to discourage me from stealing from another pot. Or I hide them once then goal is met to stop me spending it. Might be worth having a play with it to make it best work for you. 

I have goals set up, but because I spend from that category for legitimate reasons too I'm used to it turning orange over the course of the month
I didnt think of actually hiding the category though 🤔🤔 just moving it further down so I had to scroll to get to it 
Its become a "monthly" expense, not a "weekly" one

If you have the goal as needed for spending it shouldn't change orange when you spend. Might be worth having a look at it.
Hiding works OK as long as you remember to unhide it when doing the budget for the next month. 

Mx_Emmin

On the way into work today:
I've had 3 or 4 responses to job applications that have all gone "you look good, except we need someone closer to completing thier Diploma" so I think I started job searching too soon. I think I need to spend less time job searching and more time studying. Which sucks, because I don't like my job anymore.
 
**immediately goes into work to find two internal FPM vacancies** The Lord Is Testing Me

Sarahwithlove

At least you have had responses though and you know what needs doing to get you the role. 

Mx_Emmin

Sarahwithlove said:

At least you have had responses though and you know what needs doing to get you the role. 

True!

Sarahwithlove said:

If you have the goal as needed for spending it shouldn't change orange when you spend. Might be worth having a look at it.
Hiding works OK as long as you remember to unhide it when doing the budget for the next month. 

The needed for spending goal doesn't work so well for me, I think because I'm not a month ahead yet. It doesn't like being refilled mid-month. Hopefully I'll get a month ahead soon!

Sarahwithlove

Do you not get all your money at start of month then? Just do what works for you tbh.