Holey Moley!

South_coast

Hi KP, I don't think your utility use will go up much from being at home more. The days are longer now so you won't have the lights on, and unless you're going to run the washing machine every day I don't think it will make much difference. I think dropping the CC payments to £75 is a great shout if it means the payoff date ties in with the end date. I wouldn't rush to work out what to do, just take a few weeks to observe what your expenses actually are and make a decision once you've got a better handle on the figures. Just my thoughts!

Moneyfordreams

Just thought I'd say Hi, 
I wouldn't rush into anything and let decisions choose you the £75 seems like a good plan. Do you pay your council tax over 10 or 12 months. That can alter decisions as you may have those months free next year. But the biggie is your investing. If you can afford it, you shouldn't have to worry about other finances. I do feel safer with a smaller number as I am in secure employment. We have been paying into OH share scheme so actually that number is much larger and gives me a lot of comfort.   

killerpeaty

Hi both! Thank you for your input, I have decided to put the CC payment down to £70 as I double checked my calculations and £70 should cover it. It took a while to work out how to change it on the website, I've never done it before! I have three credit cards, one that is cash back and what I use it for everything and is paid off in full every month. I have the 0% CC with my white goods on it. The last one is just for emergencies and has not been used for about 7 years, I'm surprised it hasn't been closed but it hasn't!

I pay over 10 months currently MFD, not sure if I want to change it currently as the break coincides with my car insurance and car tax. It's just nice to have the expenditure smoothing effect. Although I should probably think of this situation more... This is all hard work! Looking back into my spreadsheet for 2019, I did for the first three months of ownership increase my cash by about £200-300 so as long as I stop going to dangerous shops (see below) I should be able to keep investing. Hopefully.

In other news, I got the demand for my car insurance but nearly £10 paid in cashback (unrelated). Ouch.

I must say, middle of the isle is dangerous. I resisted all but a set of storage boxes that I want to use in my kitchen for £8. The plan is to pop my tins and staple foodstuffs into them then use the boxes to slide them in and out to aid my access to them. It's all experiments to see what works for my hands to be honest, they aren't strong or very nimble.

I hope all is having a happy Easter, even if indoors. My SIL (who is religious) said that she joined in with the Vatican midnight mass, that makes me happy that she was able to do this. I, however, feel sick because I can't be trusted around chocolate...

greent

Hi kp - I'd say putting the CC down to £70/ mth sounds sensible if it still fully repays it in the IF period - just gives you that little bit more flexibility   Have your work looked at furloughing anyone instead of reducing everyone's hours? - could mean some get 80% to do no work but the others who are working can be working full time and be paid FT money - I thought Martin did a piece advocating that (although could be mistaken - am sure my brain is turning into mush!)

killerpeaty

Hi Greent, the CC payment reduction doesn't kick in until next month so the £70 will definitely cover the balance in time. 

Work is in a bit of predicament with the furlough limits, a large proportion of the workforce is paid well over £37.5k. Additionally, with the furlough agreement as it is, means that we have to not work for 3 weeks minimum which causes a bit issue with workflow. Personally, it would not affect me very much as I'm on £38k so there wouldn't be much difference between the furlough limit and 80% of my salary. 

Actually I'm having a bit of problem at work, my manager is angry at me. I told her that I need more work and she had a hissy fit to my colleagues about how it's not her job to manage my work load. She's my manager, in charge of workflow.    Honestly, I feel like she's making life intentionally hard because she resents that I have been ill for a few months. She knows I have a chronic condition, but doesn't believe me when I mention that I dislocated again because I'm not in a sling or on crutches. If I did that everytime I dislocated something then I would never be out of them! I suppose, really it's more my vanity and desire to look normal that pushes me to accept the pain over people asking about it.

Just checked my credit card, I have spent very little on things like food and other items. I purchased a wilko mirror, it fell apart within about 2 hours so fingers crossed, wilko will sort it as I'm very disappointed.

Anyway, I should stop procrastinating, I barely did any work yesterday so I need to catch up!

killerpeaty

Oh dear, I might have been a bit rash. I may have purchased a sofa... There is a furniture warehouse that obtains furniture from fancy furniture shops when they want to get rid of them, sometimes they are a return, sometimes if it's just last season's stuff. Well, this one is a vivid red sofa bed from a high end department store which is the style I want and I love the colour. I thought I wouldn't be able to get a nice red sofa. I sent the link to a friend and she hates the thought of a coloured sofa, good thing it's not for her! So it cost £750 + £50 delivery, I know it's a lot and not what I intended to spend.... Oh god what have I done?!

My mum has said that she'll front the money and I can pay her back, I'm blessed to have a wonderful family honestly.

I've been arranging my kitchen and unpacking items that I have been buying for years. I'm so thankful for past me, she bought things that are much higher quality than I would be buying now. Plus, she had great taste. I have a drinks cupboard almost totally set up, my teas, mugs and squashes are all neatly set up. I need to dig out my glasses and pop them in as well. I drink almost exclusively tea, so the lemonade sitting in my fridge is probably going to sit there for a long time ha.

The flat is starting to feel more like my own. But not 100% yet, it's strange.

On another note, looking at my investments today, there appears to have been a bit of a rally recently. No idea why or if it will hang around, it just took me by surprise. 

On yet another note, I've been watching so much rubbish on the TV. I'm pretty sure I'm an expert on property flipping now (Homes under the hammer), a tattoo artist (just tattoo of us) and a chef (great british banquet).

longway2go

I have read your whole diary over the last few days and just wanted to say what great progress you are making. I'm really pleased it's beginning to feel like home. Keep going. I'm going to bookmark your diary. 

Moneyfordreams

Its great to make a space feel like home. Enjoy your sofa... colour pops are great. my pale grey ones look grubby, whereas the vintage gold impulse buy fab  

killerpeaty

Hi guys!
@longway2go Thank you! Sometimes I feel like I complain too much on here. I promise I'm not usually as complainy as I have been since January, usually I like to think I'm quite upbeat. Do you have a diary?

@Moneyfordreams I'm sorry your grey sofa isn't ageing well. I don't remember if you mentioned on your diary whether it was a fancy buy or not, but my mum had her fancy buy sofa recovered a few years back and it's beautiful. Maybe you could do the same?

The sofa is wonderful! It's a gorgeous deep red, it is very comfortable and it can fit three people on it despite being a two seater (allegedly). I also managed to do the sofa bed functionality by myself, this isn't something I expected as my arms might be strong enough for something, my hands usually aren't. But I managed it without too much of an issue, it has a proper little mattress in it, about a third of the depth of a normal mattress. I laid on it, just to see how it was and it's surprisingly comfortable, better than expected. I also tested how good drinking tea and eating biscuits would be on it. Very successful testing.

The only problem I have with the sofa (which is such a non issue) is that it matches too closely with one of my cushions.

Another outcome of the sofa is that for the first time I have appreciated how big the living room is. Before, I just had a picnic table in it so it just looked like space. It's hard to tell how big a space is without anything for reference.

So, I have paid road tax and council tax in the last couple of days. Pleased to see that my council tax is about £25 less a month this period, due to the short period last fiscal year.

Also cleaned the cupboard under the sink. I have avoided it until now. It was AWFUL. Grease and mould all over the cupboard, it made me remember how gross the kitchen used to be before all of that cleaning. There was also items left by the old tenants, which included items I've never heard of and a tin of gas for a camping stove! I don't know how to get rid of any of it safely so it's now in the garage until shut down is over.

This reminds me, I still need to sort the garage out.

Payday will be soon, I'm anxious to see what it will be, fingers crossed this lower salary will only be around for a couple of months. The work has not dropped as much as expected, in fact people are sorting their accounts out months earlier than they usually do in some cases. Shut down boredom has some advantages.

I am pondering a decision. Since I got the flat, I have been buying these magazines about decor and furniture for about £2 each, once or twice a month. I share them with my mum and sister, we all chat about what we like about them and the ideas that we might use. So it might be worth getting a subscription and cut the yearly cost, or I could just stop buying them and save the total amount.

South_coast

How about you, your Mum and your sister all having a subscription each? That way you get 3 magazines every month. Subscriptions do tend to work out masses cheaper and there are usually really good deals in the run-up to Christmas too (not that that's imminent 😂!)