Moving forward and upwards

savingwannabe

I think you might need to get checked over by a dr. It sounds like you have a stressful time to deal with with the crap so maybe you could google mindfulness on you tube and see if it helps? It's supposed to relieve stress and make us feel better. I should do it too. If you are certain not to use it sell the voucher. I hope you feel better soon and have a good day tomorrow. 

MovingForwards

@savingwannabe nothing will help at the moment as the guy lives in the area I work, therefore he is always around.

Just have to try and get through the next few months, fight off a breakdown / depression etc then I can fall to pieces.

For now I just have to lock myself away at home / work.

Skint_yet_Again

Oh MF have just seen this, what an awful thing you must be going through that is no way to have to live. Please do try and get some support maybe from your GP or maybe there is a support group. So sorry there is nothing I can do or say to help x

On the Amazon voucher maybe you could get something for your cat 😊

MovingForwards

@Skint_yet_Again thank you

My cat has everything, and more, than she needs. She's a proper little diva since we moved up here! My OH spoils her rotten, panders to her every whim and always buys her something when he goes shopping.

She doesn't try it on with me

MovingForwards

Weekend update!

My boss is off for nearly a month, so it's down to me to run the building. Guess it's time to show what I can do and let my inner manager side out. 

Been looking into the shower stool / chair things and will have to get one ordered. Came so close to asking my OH if he would help me in the shower yesterday, which didn't do my confidence much good. Really starting to dislike shower-over-the-bath showers! Well, I actually dislike this flat, the neighbours and the area, which I don't think is helping.

Huge design failure having the bedrooms by the communal stairs, but I suppose when it was built it was done based on people back then, the community way of life, not the selfish I'm ok jack type now.

(I think I've moaned about the layout before)

There's a lovely blue sky today and my cat is sunbathing on the back of my sofa. The joys of cat life, eat, sleep, poo, sleep, fuss, sleep.....

Anyhow, it's about 7 weeks until I move and I'm focusing on that; I been focused on that since December and the time has gone at a good pace.

I'm still casually looking at furniture etc, but have decided not to buy anything, will stick with what I have, get a bit more money in the bank and then slowly do one room at a time.

I've still got my survey points, will cash them in soon and see about getting a couple of large tubs of trade white. 

Paying my broker this month, he has been worth every penny; shame I don't think my solicitor is! That's a post for another time.

Moved another £5 to my MSAs, just over £1335 to save up. Will have that together over this and next payday.

Will slip a little into my other pots later this week.

Vanguard have opened up their low-cost SIPP, so I can start that in the new tax year. I've rebudgeted, I can afford to put £100 pm into it and still put a decent amount into my various savings pots.

My wheelbearing is holding up, so I can hang on a bit before I get my car into the garage, it's possible I'm just being paranoid and it's only wheel road noise as the side roads I use are dreadful; more patches than roads.

£20 to last until payday, 5 days til payday.

savingwannabe

Hurrah seven weeks till you move and you will be busy before that doing work without the boss. Hang in there and dont let anyone upset you. I hope you feel better soon. 

Im going to be nosy and ask some questions. I don't have a broker or anything my money is just in the bank. Im scared of investing. What made you invest in the stock market? I always think it is too risky? Do you feel you have done well? I barely make any interest on my miserable savings.
I have money for this week as I need to go to hospital but I am going to spend as little as poss.  I can't believe how much I am saving now when in the old days I was almost withdrawn. This NSM works.

MovingForwards

savingwannabe said:

Hurrah seven weeks till you move and you will be busy before that doing work without the boss. Hang in there and dont let anyone upset you. I hope you feel better soon. 

Im going to be nosy and ask some questions. I don't have a broker or anything my money is just in the bank. Im scared of investing. What made you invest in the stock market? I always think it is too risky? Do you feel you have done well? I barely make any interest on my miserable savings.

TL:DR - I don't feel comfortable with S&S.

My perfect plan is savings pots, the retirement pot would get locked away each year in a fixed rate bond for 5 years and I would start a new retirement pot.


Long version:

I don't have a broker for my savings, it's my mortgage broker I'm paying this month.

My S&S ISA is just a small pot, basically money I could afford to waste on chocolate and crisps hence the small £2.50 transfers I do and the £10pm when I get my wages. Most I've ever had in it was under £600 and I disliked seeing it fluctuate and drop by £10. So now I don't check it as often as I used to, but my heart still sinks when it drops a quid or two and I've just under £100 in it!

I just have a quick look at how things have performed previously, if it's more down than up my money doesn't go anywhere near it. If it's up/down like a yo yo then I think about it. If it's up, up, up, down, up, down, up, up then I take a chance.

I do feel it's risky, I don't feel 100% comfortable with a SIPP, but I'm at a loss as to how to get a decent retirement pot and keep up with inflation. I've seen £3.5k pension pot grow to £5.5k, another has grown to £4.5k, my two small ones don't have a chance and I don't get a feel for either of the companies so don't want to use them to pay into as a private pension.

Didn't like the AVC guide from work, so ruled that out.

I kinda hoped I wouldn't have anyone question it as it does make me want to run away from it, as you can probably tell by how much I flap like a fish out of water! Also, by putting it off until another month it gives me time to find a way of savings I am comfortable with (the idea of losing £100k that's taken 24 years to save just before retiring isn't something I want to think about!).

Technically, I don't need a SIPP, just cash savings, the SIPP means the government give me a rebate and it's boosts the SIPP. 

Because I've stripped my outgoings right down, the state pension plus all my employer pension pots will be enough for me to have a better retirement than I have a working life.

I know the interest on savings isn't great, but they have been good enough for help me get my deposit together. I would prefer to carry on that way and I probably will due to being concerned about S&S! 

With my savings I have used fixed rate bonds, gone with compounding interest, so I can see my savings grow each month. It's a case of getting the money together in the first place then locking it away. They are not high interest rates, but enough for me. If it's retirement pots then I can lock them away for 5 years at a time.

I have a regular savings account, it's about to reach the maximum amount for the 1.50 APR, but it will continue to pay me 1.50 on everything up to the max, then .20 on everything over that. I won't turn down over £12.00 a month interest.

I've my H2B ISA which pays 2.50 APR, so that's quite a tidy amount each month for putting in £200. Think I get about £5pm interest on what I've got in it.

My ISA is only .20 APR, which is under £1pm interest.

The H2B ISA and ISA will go when I move, I can get better rates with my other bank. My broker said to not open any more financial products before I complete.

I always try and pick a savings account that has monthly interest, is over 1.20% and keeps doing a new version.

If I forget the SIPP idea, I will stay with my 1.50 APR account, get that built up again with the money I won't be putting in a SIPP.

I will be a bank account interest chasing tart again, as that does work for me 

My brother has a Coventry saver account, which pays quite well. He also has the same regular saver as me.

MovingForwards

Urgh Monday.

Think it's a virus or something I have.

I'm dragging my left side around, which can be normal for me, as it hurts a lot. Obviously done too much typing as my left arm / elbow / wrist / fingers hurt like a mofo (I've previously had a diagnosis for that and usually take it slow and easy to not annoy it) my lower left is suspected sciatica. I never do things by half

To add to everything else my IBS has flared up, shouldn't have had gamon last night, too much salt.

Need a full body transplant  

If only today was a day when I'm only in my office and not have to get round the building and deal with people! 

Got to put in for a leaving gift, will use some of the money in my purse.

Nice to know I'm trusted with money and the financial side of things here, possibly because I've been open about my past or just because I've shown I am responsible with money, or just because there is no reason.

Breakfast is oats, banana and milk blended together, lunch is beef slices on crackers and my snack is a banana.

Gosh, I have such an exciting life!

savingholmes

Sorry everything seems to have flared up at once. Hopefully when you are in your new place thing will settle down. 

On the SIPP - hopefully if you can lock it away for 5-10 years or more - the good years should outweigh the bad. We invested £1200 into a pension years and years ago - and without putting any more in - its now worth £6K. Companies wouldn't use stock markets for pensions if they were forever going down. While we have seen some pension statements from DH's employer where he lost money in the year despite putting money in - according to the pension provider if you average out the gains and losses - he's had 10% annual growth over the last 10 years. 

MovingForwards

Hi SH, I'm hoping it's just the stress of everything eg work, that thing, buying and having a solicitor who vanishes, the weather etc.

Thanks for explaining about the SIPP, it would be locked away for 24 years if I move again, possibly 16 if I look to retire early and don't move again.

The plan is to put £100pm away to start with and my two small pensions, them increase it each year, until I can drop £500pm in (remortgage to a normal lender), then possibly £750pm after clearing the mortgage.

Logic tells me it will balance itself out, just fear takes over at times!