📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Moving forward and upwards

1349350352354355528

Comments

  • MovingForwards
    MovingForwards Posts: 17,149 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Seventh Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    Thank you DIA, it definitely brings so much pleasure and for very little cost.

    Feels like we covered thousands of miles today.
    - went to PaH and I've discovered I have a reaction to hay.
    - had a great chat with the girls and they'll take all my surplus plants, donating some to their neighbours too.
    - went to McD and had fries and a raspberry ripple frappe, TomBo had a latte, cost £6.
    - popped to T, got fruit, veg and gf.
    - filled the car up £48 at £1.729.
    - grabbed black cherry ice cream and vanilla, plus a few other bits; they called us regular customers today 🤭

    Where there's no prices, it's because TomBo paid, he's trying to make 'my' money stretch so I don't temp in-between roles.

    Got home and had a chocolate coffee and meds.

    Did some weeding and watered the garden, I've my feet up, waiting to be fed 😃

    We're having a D.H-rry weekend 🤫
    Mortgage started 2020, aiming to clear 31/12/2029.
  • MovingForwards
    MovingForwards Posts: 17,149 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Seventh Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    May financial update, rounded down:

    Savings £6247
    Float £40
    Car everything £631
    Petrol / course £410

    Outstanding mortgage £59,166

    CC £0

    At the end of this month I'll be enrolling on a module, therefore the petrol / course budget will drop. I've enough to pay for this module, the exam fee and a tank of petrol when I start my new role. I'll have to get squirreling away money for the next module and exam fee.

    The car everything pot will also drop as I'm booking the MOT / repairs in for the day after I finish my current role. I also have my car insurance due next month.

    I've £198 budgeted for the rest of this month; some food, petrol, bank fee and nibble box. 

    I have left next month's budget in my account as I didn't think it was worth moving in / out of savings. I'll do the same with the money from TomBo.

    There's no financial plans until I start my new role, I'm just going to keep everything ticking over 😃
    Mortgage started 2020, aiming to clear 31/12/2029.
  • savingholmes
    savingholmes Posts: 28,973 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Great savings.

    Garden by sounds good.

    Glad you like your new neighbours
    Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality in 2030
    1) MFW Nov 21 £202K now £174.8K Equity 32.77%
    2) £2.6K Net savings after CCs 6/7/25
    3) Mortgage neutral by 06/30 (AVC £24.3K + Lump Sums DB £4.6K + (25% of SIPP 1.2K) = 30.1/£127.5K target 23.6% 29/7/25
    4) FI Age 60 income target £16.5/30K 55.1%
    5) SIPP £4.8K updated 29/7/25
  • MovingForwards
    MovingForwards Posts: 17,149 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Seventh Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    Thanks SH, feels like life is coming together.

    I have managed to get nettles in my fingers, again, but have smothered them in sudo.

    I'm feeling rather relaxed, always good for a weekend and we've watched the 2nd film, will be watching the next one in a bit.

    We had courgettes fried with garlic and herbs, served on a bed of spaghetti and topped with parmesan and fresh basil. Pudding was black cherry ice cream 😋
    Mortgage started 2020, aiming to clear 31/12/2029.
  • savingholmes
    savingholmes Posts: 28,973 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Ouch to the nettles.

    Ice cream sound delicious
    Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality in 2030
    1) MFW Nov 21 £202K now £174.8K Equity 32.77%
    2) £2.6K Net savings after CCs 6/7/25
    3) Mortgage neutral by 06/30 (AVC £24.3K + Lump Sums DB £4.6K + (25% of SIPP 1.2K) = 30.1/£127.5K target 23.6% 29/7/25
    4) FI Age 60 income target £16.5/30K 55.1%
    5) SIPP £4.8K updated 29/7/25
  • Skint_yet_Again
    Skint_yet_Again Posts: 8,450 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Hung up my suit! Mortgage-free Glee!
    Another ouchy to nettles from me. Do you not have any dock
    leaves growing nearby to counteract the stings?  Have you ever tried nettle soup? 
    0% credit card £1360 & 0% Car Loan £7500 ~ paid in full JAN 2020 = NOW DEBT FREE 🤗
    House sale OCT 2022 = NOW MORTGAGE FREE 🤗
    House purchase completed FEB 2023 🥳🍾 Left work. 🤗

    Retired at 55 & now living off the equity £10k a year (until pensions start at 60 & 67).

    Previous Savings diary https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5597938/get-a-grip/p1

    Living off savings diary
    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6429003/escape-to-the-country-living-off-savings/p1
  • MovingForwards
    MovingForwards Posts: 17,149 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Seventh Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    Thanks SH and Skinty

    I've plenty of docks, but it made no difference. I ended up getting a plaster, treating it like a wax strip and got most of them out. Applied sudo and put plasters everywhere 🤭

    Can't bring myself to try tea, soup, bread or anything else with nettles, just seems so wrong! 

    We are going to a local pop up market in a bit. Some of the stalls I want to look at are bakery, handmade chocolate, honey, Indian tiffin, cheese, chutney and Spanish snacks. Anything I buy will come from my food budget for this month as I've £142 earmarked for food.

    I'll do a bit more weeding, with gloves, sow more root veg seeds, plant more sprouting spuds and water the garden. 

    My r3al f00ds order is being delivered tomorrow, I need to see if there's a similar shop in my county.

    Having a mocha and then I'll get ready 😃
    Mortgage started 2020, aiming to clear 31/12/2029.
  • MovingForwards
    MovingForwards Posts: 17,149 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Seventh Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    An indulgent one at the market! Picked up hot sauces and tiffins, spent £48.50. TomBo got coffee and chocolates.
    After we went to T as he's been watching cooking progs and wants to do a lasagna but with aubergine; an Italian moussaka, hope it tastes like the Greek one I enjoy.

    We had the Punjab tiffin for lunch, channa masala (chick pea curry), onion bahji and cauli pakora. The latter two need to be eaten just after they're first cooked or not reheated in the oven, the former had way too much salt for me; I find that with most takeaways and ready meals.
    - We may try them one more time when we go to another pop up market, only we'll have whatever main and rice, forget the sides.

    I've found a healthy foods shop in my county and will pop in when I drop my car for repairs and MOT. Most of the things they sell loose and they appear to have a good range of items. 
    - must call the garage tomorrow.

    We'll be doing a bit of pottering outside in a bit, I'm mainly going out for the fresh air and sunshine 😃

    I definitely seem to come alive in the better weather!
    Mortgage started 2020, aiming to clear 31/12/2029.
  • savingholmes
    savingholmes Posts: 28,973 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    You do seem to have real variety in your food choices. I tend to stick to eating a much smaller range of food.
    Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality in 2030
    1) MFW Nov 21 £202K now £174.8K Equity 32.77%
    2) £2.6K Net savings after CCs 6/7/25
    3) Mortgage neutral by 06/30 (AVC £24.3K + Lump Sums DB £4.6K + (25% of SIPP 1.2K) = 30.1/£127.5K target 23.6% 29/7/25
    4) FI Age 60 income target £16.5/30K 55.1%
    5) SIPP £4.8K updated 29/7/25
  • MovingForwards
    MovingForwards Posts: 17,149 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Seventh Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    Thanks SH, if it was just me I'd be cooking curry, bean or lentil chilli and rice, spicy veg, falafel and salad, it's TomBo who is the adventurous eater.

    I'm contemplating returning to being a vegan, but that will have to wait until I'm in my new job. For now I have to stick with some shared dairy products, although I'm slowly moving away from those any way. It's a lot easier nowadays than when I was before, taste and texture has improved.

    We've spent a few hours in the garden. One church rented the property out and there was a fundraiser going on, some of the music was quite good and there was a Latin/ African, so wanted to dance when that was playing 😃 instead I did twirls instead of twists when stepping round corners in the garden.

    Did a lot more weeding than planned, loosened the soil round my onions and gave everything a good water; need a downpour to get deeper into the ground.

    Time for a warm shower to cool down and a pint of cold lemonade 😎
    Mortgage started 2020, aiming to clear 31/12/2029.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 351.3K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.2K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.7K Spending & Discounts
  • 244.2K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 599.3K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177.1K Life & Family
  • 257.7K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.2K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.