Giving every £ a job

lucielle

I've got the M&S card and use the vouchers for a naughty food shop at Christmas
L

savingholmes

14 month countdown. I am currently on a 5 year + countdown to early retirement... 

ceremony

Good plan with the savings! It's getting harder and harder to find half-decent rates. My emergency fund is currently in an account that is only 0.15% if I remember right. I'm basically treating it as "well it's not in the main account so I can't accidentally spend it".

I'm 'diversifying' by sweeping odd change from Revolut into gold, haha.  I'm not sure if that's the best idea for more serious money if you need access to it though.

A reward card is a great idea! If you're spending that money anyway, may as well get something back for it. It's surprising how quickly cashback mounts up too.

Blackcats

I agree foxgloves it's nice to have savings and I was pleased when I did my stocktake, firstly to have savings at all and secondly that I'd locked in some savings rates earlier this year that now seem quite good.  It's just the N s & I  I need to action.  I'm going to keep my "pots" in there - they are relatively easy to access but not so easy that I'll dip into them.  In the old days if I ever had even the smallest amount of spare money then it got spent as quick as a quick thing from quick land.  I opened an ISA this year with them and I've done some research and have a plan to move that.
Hello ceremony, yes I still have to prevent accidental spending - out of sight, out of mind works best for me.  Mind you, when I think about the interest rates on my old credit cards and how much interest I've paid over the years 🤯. 

Thank you Lucielle and ceremony for the encouragement on the rewards credit card.  I started an application for marks and spensive but temporarily abandoned it when asked to upload a video of myself to verify my identity.  I'll need my make up on to do that 🤩.
I've enjoyed my weekend - just been paid so I've moved money around according to plan.  I'm overpaying my council tax this year, trying to pay as much as I can by end of December to get 3 months without council tax.  My council tax is astronomical so 3 month's worth will be a big boost to my end of year savings. 

foxgloves

Gosh, I've never heard of having to upload a video to verify a credit card application, Blackcats. How would providers of said cards know if the video is actually of you? Am I being dim here? It's not as if there is a national database of citizens' faces.
But the points are nice to collect. You'll enjoy those.
F x

Blackcats

I scuttled away from the application rather quickly but I think you have to hold your passport in the video.  I'll let you know as and when I manage to do it,  

Blackcats

Grey and very rainy here today.  I did go out for a walk at lunchtime - seemed like a good idea at the time - seemed like less of a good idea when I got drenched 🌨
just caught up on an episode of eat well for less.  They were a very nice couple who had fallen into bad habits because of caring responsibilities.  There were some nice recipes this week but the price savings on swops were incredible.  It's that law of aggregation of marginal gains rearing it's head again.  Supermarkets are such an easy place to spend money and we spend there so frequently mostly out of habit.  I've certainly been guilty of thinking "it's only an extra few pence here and there".  The couple on the show were going to save £50 a year on baked beans which they didn't even think had been swopped and over £200 on a wine swop.   

I used to buy a bunch of flowers every week - they are positioned just inside the door and immediately gave me a feel good moment.  I'd reason with myself that the bunch was only £4 or £5 and sometimes I believed I deserved to get the £10 bunch.  I don't do that anymore. I picked flowers from the garden this year and was lucky enough to be bought a couple of beautiful bunches of flowers which I really enjoyed.  So, that's probably £250 a year that I'm not spending just out of habit.  

PassElephant

Blackcats said:

Grey and very rainy here today.  I did go out for a walk at lunchtime - seemed like a good idea at the time - seemed like less of a good idea when I got drenched 🌨
just caught up on an episode of eat well for less.  They were a very nice couple who had fallen into bad habits because of caring responsibilities.  There were some nice recipes this week but the price savings on swops were incredible.  It's that law of aggregation of marginal gains rearing it's head again.  Supermarkets are such an easy place to spend money and we spend there so frequently mostly out of habit.  I've certainly been guilty of thinking "it's only an extra few pence here and there".  The couple on the show were going to save £50 a year on baked beans which they didn't even think had been swopped and over £200 on a wine swop.   

I used to buy a bunch of flowers every week - they are positioned just inside the door and immediately gave me a feel good moment.  I'd reason with myself that the bunch was only £4 or £5 and sometimes I believed I deserved to get the £10 bunch.  I don't do that anymore. I picked flowers from the garden this year and was lucky enough to be bought a couple of beautiful bunches of flowers which I really enjoyed.  So, that's probably £250 a year that I'm not spending just out of habit.  

I was thinking of flowers today and how much I have spent on them over the years.
I momentarily thought I missed buying them or having them, but it was a fleeting regret. 
I take cuttings now and grow flowers from them . It seems more ecologically friendly and it is rare that there isn't something beautiful that I have grown in the house or just outside.

savingholmes

You are doing really well. I tend to buy tulips and skip the rest.

Blackcats

Hello passelephant - well done for growing flowers and you are absolutely right it is much more ecologically friendly.  I looked at the roses in the supermarket which look nice from a distance but rarely open up into truly beautiful blooms like the roses from my garden.  Like you, I was wondering if I missed buying flowers but on balance I don't.  I took extra care of a poinsettia last year and it's grown into a lovely, healthy houseplant.  It hasn't got any red leaves but I think it looks lovely anyway.  😻. I've never kept one alive much past Christmas before.  SavingHolmes I do like spring flowers daffs and tulips are so cheerful after a long dark winter.

Another strange month ahead for everyone.  I hope we all keep safe and well.  I was in tier 1 which I found ok so it's a big jump to the new restrictions.  However, I'm a conformist and don't fight against doing what I've been asked to do.  It seems to be much harder for others.  

Today marks the start of my official retirement countdown.  ⏰ 13 months of knuckling down, saving hard and making the most of my money but still enjoying life.  At the end of that 13 months I will chose the actual date and work out when to give my notice.  I'm being a bit cagey in case there are redundancies and if I've indicated that I will retire then my boss will definitely not offer me redundancy.  

 I feel motivated which is easy at the start of a journey but my future really is in my own hands.  I finally don't owe any money anywhere so I can invest in myself.  

This month's motivational quote really resonates as I am struggling with work life balance 
"being rich is having money, being wealthy is having time".