2020++ - smiling and waving and looking so fine

mark55man

Today was a half day back at work (from home), admin and planning mainly.  Surprisingly tired for quite an easy day, but I have been off for 3 weeks

Took a trip out to pick up my new (to me) car - delayed from yesterday.  Just managed to get it to the petrol station as they had left it very low!.   Nice and clean, but won't be that clean again ever.  Hopefully this will last until the end of this diary, although I aim to pay it off by the end of the year (bought on 0% CC3)

Bangers and neep (swede) mash with gravy for supper - very nice.  

mark55man

Did a bit of spreadsheet wrangling while the soaps were on telly.  Looking at revising my DFD following Christmas and new car shenanigans.  So I now have CC2 (0% till April 2021, but statement payable at end of month - so 5 pay days to go)  and a balance of £6459 (as I used my old car ebay payment to OP this month).  I have CC3 0% purchase for 18 months  which I used for the car and am using to pay for all grocery and car spending and will OP that money off CC2. 

I planned to make over payments literally as soon as I spent on CC3, but I haven't quite managed to be that organised, and have decided to wait until the end of the month and make a monster payment.  I need to average CC2 OPs of £1300 a month until May which should be OK given I am building up CC3 and can use that money for CC2 OPs.  My trick is to make sure that CC2 decreases faster than CC3 increases.  Although putting £4K on it for the car didn't help. 

I have set up a direct debit £730 pm (the amount required to clear the total balance £12299 in 18 months), but my target will be this year for sure (about £1025 a month).  If I can sustain last years debt busting rate I should be able to clear that by end of July, but I am trying to reserve some slack for my mortgage neutral scheme and my EF hopes so I will put a stake in the ground and aim for end September - to give me some breathing space, but also allow time to build a bit of a pot for Christmas 2021.

I hate to be gloomy, but I think we will still be significantly if not nationally locked down until summer,  so good for MSE if nothing else, and will be good to have CC2 dusted, so if we do get a bit of summer freedom at least I have 12 months to juggle the 0% on.  But I do have to be careful already old bad habits are creeping in - a slight loss of control when the new card started to be used, plus temptations of using credit where it exists - so I will be going for September with everything I can throw at it.

ohdearhowdidthathappen

You've been busy! All sounding good re pensions, car etc
I agree with your lockdown forecast... summer (at the earliest!)

savingholmes

Going in the right direction again. All good

mark55man

First full day at work (from home), amazing how quickly you can switch from being at home at home, and being at work at home. 

Managed to do 6000 steps yesterday, but no such luck today.  Will start reporting them as well in my signature - will set an annual target of 300 days over 5000 steps - meaningful, yet beatable (especially as I am currently 2 from 13).  Will worry about 10000 later

Sarahwithlove

I'm aiming for 5k at the moment think when your working from home and weather is rubbish it's a good amount to aim for. 

savingholmes

I managed around 3 k steps sadly that's an improvement. I have managed odd 6 k steps day

FootyFanDan

Wow you have been busy! Glad to see the extra work you have put into the pensions and other research has saved you some pennies. And yes of course the car has to be a she right??! haha. Keep up the great work...loving the amount of spreadsheeting going on 

mark55man

Thanks Dan - agreed car is a she.  But the registration plate is difficult to turn into a nickname, given as it would be a high score on scrabble with all the hard letters in it!!. Its amazing how much you can get done when you don't have to work!!.  Hmmm - thinks - but still a few years away.  Hope your new job is going OK!

FootyFanDan

mark55man said:

Thanks Dan - agreed car is a she.  But the registration plate is difficult to turn into a nickname, given as it would be a high score on scrabble with all the hard letters in it!!. Its amazing how much you can get done when you don't have to work!!.  Hmmm - thinks - but still a few years away.  Hope your new job is going OK!

Thanks Mark, I am still in the settling in process. I have a mix of my own role plus my old role to cover at the minute but that should hopefully end by next week. The person who is due to replace me is ready to start now, luckily the new role is still partially been covered the person who got promoted who I am replacing which is helping out.