Giving every £ a job

GrannyKaye

So I've read all 64 pages of your diary.  Well done!  You seem to be very motivated and determined.  I am very envious of your early retirement plan, the only way I'll manage that is if the lucky lottery numbers came up.  Wishing now at the age of 56 I had gone for a job in the Public Sector with a pension rather than working for private firms with no pension since the age of 17, but hey ho, hindsight is wonderful!  Obviously I do have a workplace pension now since the change in the law, but it won't be very much as I'm just paying the minimum in. 

You and your diary contributors have inspired me somewhat though, I'm particularly liking the "shop from home" method.  I really must do this, especially with skincare etc!  I'm also a bit of an impulse buyer - the order just the other week to Amazon for a "robot vacuum" is testament to that.   £160 later and some rolling of hubby's eyes, and the robot didn't live up to all the hype, decided to work for 10 minutes and then stop and bleep at me!   So it's all packaged up and away back to Amazon, which for me is good.  I'm very good at just keeping stuff rather than the hassle of returning.   Do you mind me asking, your £100 personal spends budget, is that for all your personal spends or do you have other "pots" for other things, i.e. clothes, hair appointments etc?   

Anyway, hope you don't mind me tagging along for the ride, and have a lovely break away and a great weekend everyone.  

CRANKY40

@Sun_Addict,  it's the one in Covent Garden that has the lido on the same block (round the corner) if you stay in the regular one or over the road if you stay in the family block. 

Blackcats

SA and Cranky - that sounds like a good hotel for central London.  I like Covent Garden - it's so vibrant and cheerful.  My grandad was a porter there when it was a fruit and veg market.  My dad and his brothers and sisters always had plenty of fresh fruit and veg when they were growing up including quite exotic fruits for the 1930's such as pomegranates.  

Sun_Addict

@GrannyKaye I’ve been working in the public sector for 21 years now after many years in the private sector. Wish I’d joined it before but it is what it is.

@Blackcats I love London it’s so vibrant, can’t wait to go back when things are normal.

Blackcats

Grannykaye - thank you for reading my diary.  I'm a similar age to you and I found myself working for the public sector just because a temp job I went for 28 years ago became permanent.  Although I've changed jobs a few time my pension has travelled with me.  About 25 years ago I was going to opt out of the pension to get a few extra £'s in my pay packet - my friend explained that because of the tax breaks I wouldn't actually be much better off each month so I stayed in.  I'm so grateful for her advice.
shopping from home is a technique I learned from another diary written by Foxgloves.  The good thing about having overspent on stuff over the years is that there is lots of stuff at home to shop from.  Mind you, today I found myself on a website browsing for a basket to put in my hall.  I did chose a very lovely £12 basket which I justified to myself until I remembered I had a very nice basket lying unused in a cupboard.  So I managed to save £12 whilst still getting what I needed.  I've given the hall a nice tidy up and a bit of a revamp today which I'm pleased with.
I did smile at your robot vacuum - it's the sort of thing I'd buy but well done for sending it back and getting a refund.
There are lots of ways of managing the personal spends category - many posters on here have this category in their budgets.  Mine is for "wants not needs".  It doesn't include haircuts as I have a health and beauty budget pot.  This month I've used mine to get some photos printed out for my hall revamp and for some toiletries from The Body shop (making the most of my £5 birthday voucher from there).  Last month I bought candles - I do love a candle 🤣 and a necklace and earrings.  £100 is a generous amount but I think it stops me overspending as I do find myself working out how to get as much as I can from my £100.  If I don't spend it all I put it into my grandly title "accumulation of marginal gains" savings pot.  There isn't often much left over 😁

Blackcats

We made tapas for dinner tonight - great way of using up odds and ends.  Chorizo and spicy beans, Patatas bravas, tortilla and a chilli spicy prawn dish.  A nice treat for a Monday night.  

I recently switched energy supplier and will get cash back but I'm very impressed that my £30 m and s gift voucher has already arrived.  I bought a birthday present with part of it and treated myself to a pair of earrings.  Im treating it as a win/win a gift for "nothing" and a treat for me that hasn't blown my personal spends budget 😁

Tightpants24

@Blackcats @GrannyKaye I have also been inspired to shop from home in recent times and it definitely does make you stop and think.  Re: a nice basket for the hallway (sounds like me 😆)...have you tried FB Marketp1ace?  I have found some excellent bargains on there such as a big set of good cutlery for £10 and a big wicker basket 😉 for £6.  In return I sold some curtains and a chair.

Blackcats

Hello Tightpants - must be the "needing a basket" season 😁.  

I don't have a Facebook account (I've deliberately avoided it)  so have always assumed I couldn't use FB marketplace.  I suppose I could set up an account just for that?  

Along the shopping from home theme I've moved some paintings around in the house to freshen rooms up and found a couple of long forgotten pictures in the garage which I've brought into the house as I might as well look at them rather than have them hidden away in the garage.

For my meal planning I've decided to include a quick/easy/veggie mid week meal.  Tonight I had scrambled egg with griddled asparagus - very nice.

Blackcats

I will have enough to pay £400 to council tax this month which is a £60 overpayment and keeps me on track for paying it over 9 months instead of 10.
my refund for an m and s return will hit my credit card just before the statement is generated on 5th which keeps the accounting nice and tidy.  I've gone slightly over this month but it includes my holiday travel costs and concert tickets.  The concert is a small open air venue so I feel that it is likely to go ahead and that I feel confident to go to the concert.  I'll cover the overspend from my holiday pot rather than paying for all the travel costs from holiday pot.  

savingholmes

Sounds like you are doing really well still. Good to hear.  What are your weekend plans?