Giving every £ a job

SueP19

It took me a bit to get to grips with it lol I'm used to bookkeeping packages too 
After 6 years I'm only just starting to use it as you should 🤦‍♀️

Blackcats

@SueP19 - that makes me feel better about my YNAB failure.  I do get the emails and read all the good tips they contain. I see from your signature you are back to tilly tidying.  I have a savings pot with the grandiose title of Accumulation of Marginal Gains (idea pinched from another poster).  It includes tilly tidies, cash back money, equivalent of money off coupons etc.  Sometimes I put in what it would have cost to buy a coffee if I've resisted the lure of a coffee shop.  I've currently got nearly £900 in the pot. 

I was aiming for a No spends day today BUT instead I bought all my birthday cards for the year and wrapping paper following @Sun_Addict's mention of Whistlefish.  It feels like a good spend though as it helps with this year's aim of simplifying life and saving time and it was great value for money with the multi buy deal and money off code.

I was lucky on olio last night and amongst other things I got some fresh ginger, chilies, spring onions and natural yoghurt which combined perfectly with some store cupboard curry spices to make a marinade for chicken (sourced from freezer).  It made a lovely meal with some salad and freezer sourced flatbreads.  Enough ginger to make fresh ginger tea tomorrow too.

savingholmes

You are doing well with marginal gains

SueP19

YNAB dont feel a failure, I'm an accountant and it really takes some getting your head round. We all grow up budgeting by forecasting what we think we will earn and then falsely expecting to have £x left whoopie, to then go from that to £0 left as you have allocated the small bit you have rather than the huge amount you think you will have is horrifying. For the last 6 years I've used it as a tracker, always spent then covered it by wamming so I started watching the YouTube chnnel and it really helped to get it into my head what I was supposed to do rather than try to make it fit my old budgeting style.

I never really stopped Tilly Tidying lol I just drifted away from here, bad move.
I invented it, here, I started the Tilly movement, my claim to fame, was totally gobsmacked when I saw it was still going.
£900 is awesome, go you 

savingholmes

I tried ynab and hated it. I much prefer spreadsheets. I need to forecast for at least a year - but actually do longer than that - as it helps me see how frittering now while I seem to have money can have big consequences at a later point in the year when annual bills are due etc.

SueP19

savingholmes said:

I tried ynab and hated it. I much prefer spreadsheets. I need to forecast for at least a year - but actually do longer than that - as it helps me see how frittering now while I seem to have money can have big consequences at a later point in the year when annual bills are due etc.

I love a good spreadsheet, in fact my old diary was Spreadsheet Diva lolol

I think it's a case of what works for you 👍

Sarahwithlove

I find with pen and paper I get distracted by new notepads etc and I like that a spreadsheet can be updated and changed easier. But think it's about what works best for you. I did like YNAB when I had it and was good for stopping you stealing money from other pots. But I just generally don't let myself now instead. 

SueP19

Sarahwithlove said:

I find with pen and paper I get distracted by new notepads etc 

Stationary p*rn ❤️

[Deleted User]

Wow black cats you do so well and I am so very inspired by your cooking also! 

Blackcats

thanks @savingholmes, @SueP19 and @sarahwithlove - interesting how we use different methods to achieve the same goals.  I love stationery too - always have.  I remember as a child the thrill of getting a shorthand notebook from the local post office/sweet shop and getting a packet of felt tip pens at Christmas.  I thought working in that shop when I grew up would be bliss, I could do the counting of notes and postal orders using a rubber thimble thingy, vigorously date stamp paperwork and have unlimited access to notebooks and sweets.  

Thank you @[Deleted User] - you are very kind but I'm definitely still work in progress.

so this week has had some wins and some losses ...
first the defeats - I have moaned a lot on this diary about my council tax bill and after checking my neighbour's banding on line I am definitely an outlier.  So I submitted a request to review the banding which is very difficult as it requires evidence of house prices from 1991 which is before on line records.  I did my best using right move to compare size of accommodation and there are a cluster of similar type, age and design all of which are 1 band lower than me.  Anyway my application was rejected because I couldn't provide valuations from 1991 and apparently right move floor plan measurements aren't measured in the same way as the valuation office measure.  There is no right of appeal.  Grrrr but at least I tried.  Still cross though.

the other not so good issue is that my tax is all over the place and I'm being taxed as though I'm working full time and drawing my pension.  I know this will resolve itself but it makes my monthly budgeting go very skew whiff and now I'm not going to be a month ahead until it's resolved.  And breathe ... it will be ok.

the win is that Mr BC is clearly on a roll with our maximising unearned income strategy as he produced a £100 Mr T  voucher this week.  To cut a long story short we changed our car a couple of months ago and I was very chuffed to use a Black Friday deal to get 1% cash back on my chase card (added up to quite a lot on a big purchase).  Mr BC had noticed a promotion to get a £100 voucher when buying a car from this dealership.  He has tenaciously followed this up and now we have the voucher.  We don't shop at that shop but they do stock the luxury cat food demanded by THE black cat so we will stock up with that and other items for the humans that aren't stocked in Lidl .

anyway all is well.  It's Friday I've got a glass of pink Prosecco and I'm watching an episode of Insoector Morse 😊