Giving every £ a job

Blackcats

Thanks SavingHolmes.  The PPI money is in my bank already.  I actually thought it might be a scam call when they rang to confirm details - although they knew all the details of the claim it had been such a long time since I heard anything that after the call I had a niggling doubt but obviously it was legitimate.  I shall wait til the weekend to allocate and move the money about.  I'm trustworthy enough not to touch it before then ..... That certainly hasn't always been the case, even a few years ago as soon as the money had cleared in my account it would have been breaking world speed records as it exited my coffers and landing in a retail till.

savingholmes

Well done on the discipline. I am still cultivating mine! I am still trying the give every £ a job technique but the last few months I have been very off my game - especially as I have only only been physically inside 3 shops since lockdown began which is quite limiting. 

Blackcats

SavingHolmes, you are doing very well with your debt busting, the total is really reducing so you must be doing something right 😇.  It's odd that I found it more motivating to pay off my debts than to save money.  Strangely seeing the totals come down with extra payments felt better than when I was first debt free and starting savings.   I've moved on a bit now.  I think that setting myself targets of £1000 savings chunks with 1% squares on a chart to colour in works for me.  

I need to check my bank balance but that can wait til tomorrow.  It's payday this week so I hope to have some leftover money to scoop up and move to savings.  

Blackcats

I've ordered some clothes from M and S - not sure if I'll like them when they arrive but they are easy to return.  It's hard to tell with on-line shopping but I've got no desire to go into the shops at the moment.  I have got a clothes savings pot now so I suppose for the first time i can genuinely afford to buy them.
I did go to m and s food today to buy some bits for elderly relative and I got a very nice "free" shopping bag as part of the new sparks card rewards.  I felt overly excited by a new shopping bag 😀.  

savingholmes

LOL at the new shopping bag. Good that you have found a way to incentivise yourself to save. My debt total is coming down but this year I've been quite 'distracted'.  Now revamping the kitchen by repainting the cabinets but still plan to buy some new elements on top.

Blackcats

Savingholmes - your kitchen plans sound great and actually v MSE and upcycling is a good thing.
A bit of a reflection on returning to "normal".  Throughout lockdown we've walked past a lovely country pub in the middle of nowhere which of course has been shut.  Well, yesterday, feeling all spontaneous and wanting to do something different, we went for our walk and stopped at the pub.  We sat outside and ordered a glass of wine, a pint of cider and a bag of crisps.  Well I nearly fell off the slightly soggy garden bench - £12 🙀.
We did enjoy ourselves, nice to chat and do some people watching but not something I need to do again anytime soon.  I have a very nice garden at home, my recently refurbed garden house that is furnished and decorated with my eclectic stuff rescued from storage in the garage and I could buy a very nice bottle of wine for £12.  I think it's so long since I've spent any money in pubs or restaurants that it made more of an impact on me, but I do think that lockdown has helped me find enjoyment at home where before I was spending lots of time and lots and lots of money going out.  

savingholmes

I agree Black Cats. I do miss pub meals but want to use them as a treat rather than norm

Blackcats

It was only £2 ......
my illustration of how I'm learning .....
so, last week I got to the "divide for neck" part of my Christmas knitting (I'm a slow knitter, so I allow myself plenty of time 👏).  I haven't used a stitch holder for years and after a search I couldn't find one.  First reaction?  Straight onto the A*azon site.  Well, who knew? There are so many to chose from.  I found a basic one for £2, but then I found a pack of 4, shiny, pretty colours, all different sizes.  I thought I'd like them, possibly even needed them, but realised that it was unlikely that I'd ever need 4 different coloured stitch holders and THEN, I remembered Foxgloves signature .... could I borrow one?  Of course, my elderly relative could open a shop with all their knitting supplies and that's what I've done!  I've borrowed one and I've successfully "divided for neck" and kept my purse shut. 😇

Blackcats

I've noticed that spending has crept up a little this month.  It's still much less than ore-lockdown but a couple of hundred extra £'s have crept in.  I bought some clothes and stocked up at Holla*d and Barr*tt and Bo*ts because I hadn't been to those shops since lockdown. I've also bought things for my relative and paid on my credit card and they've reimbursed me with cash, so I have a cash stash which I'm probably going to keep towards Christmas and use for the cash gifts I give to the younger relatives.  

I've had a few days off work and just enjoyed being at home (rather than working from home).  My plan is to take early retirement next year and strangely the closer it gets the more unreal it seems.  I think the numbers add up and I've changed my spending habits enough to make it work but now It feels surreal and like I can't possible finish work next year.  I've read on retirement boards that people fall into the trap of "just 6 more months, just 1 more year" etc etc.  I think I'll do the definitive figures and also add up my various savings pots.  Then perhaps I'll set a savings target to keep me motivated. I'm saving £100 a month into a "one month fund" which is exactly what it says - one month's worth of expenses to use before starting pension drawdown.  

Car insurance is due this month.  I have a savings pot for it but now I don't want to dip into it, so I'm thinking of trying to pay it from normal monthly income - I don't think I've quite got the hang of savings pots yet 🤔

Blackcats

I renewed my car insurance for £80 less than the renewal quote and I should get £35 cash back too.  I think paying the premium can come out of general expenses rather than the car pot.  I'll leave the car pot to grow for February next year when MOT and service is due. I've been toying with the idea of changing my car for a newer model, but this one is cheap to run £zero road tax, low insurance and reliable.  Even writing this down makes me ask myself why I'd want to change it yet 🤷‍♀️.

I'm a bit irritated that 2 parcels returned to m and s appear to have gone awol.  I have the return tracker but the number isn't recognised.  I spent 1/2 hour with a robot on a web chat and have emailed a photo of the return receipt so hopefully it will get resolved.  It's about £80 so I really want it back ASAP.