2020++ - smiling and waving and looking so fine

savingholmes

Glad you got a taste of the sun and had a good time

doingitanyway

I've decided I like your family dynamics and wondering if adoption in later life (to your family) might be an option?
On a serious note, good to have you back. How are your MSE goals coming along?

Sarahwithlove

Caught up on your diary, I love the idea of a 5 year plan. It's good that your kids are becoming more financially independent, hopefully by time you retire they will all be settled 

mark55man

DIA - always room for one more - although we have more frogs here than you could ever imagine
Sarah - thank you - I haven't been posting as often as I planned, but its just never ending at work at the moment, which always takes it out of me when I get home. 

There will be more soon just need to do some number crunching and budget planning - then I will see if I have managed to keep to the straight and narrow without really trying - although I predict that end of month will show OD nearly but not quite gone, regular DD all out (nay bother) and my last regular saver just reaching maturity which will help a bit with the car loan 

Sarahwithlove

Everytime I adjust my budget I swear I think of something else I need to budget for! 

mark55man

going to the seaside today. For a nice walk and a few days away.  I love stormy seasides (not going in the water oh no) for the drama. 

in_need_of_direction

Enjoy.  I also love a beach on a breezy day

mark55man

Thanks INOD. Although with horizontal rain I must confess to having avoided the outdoors and just watched through the sea view windows

mark55man

Budget Report Back 002

Trying to get back into the swing of things.  This ones good enough as I was largely not paying attention, and a holiday for OH and I has confused things - it seems like it was cheaper to be on holiday than to do real life - which is nice,although I suspect my work would notice PDQ and put a stop to it.

CAR - January always a little over as one car insurance to pay,but only £50 over average target

CASH - Doing well on no cash

CLOTHES - A little over on clothes, but we needed some things for our holiday,not bad only £25 over

COFFEE - First time ever under budget on Coffee, although  maybe that's because coffees on holiday are holiday spends!

CRAFTS - Crafts well under budget, £50 not spent

ENTERTAINMENT - No meals and just a few outings so doing well here, again spends transferred to holiday

GROCERY - Really low, but as we were out of the house for easily a third of the month perhaps not surprising

HOLIDAY - Holiday expenses were quite high this month but its aligned with the annual  budget, ie will average down as we go through the year not having more holidays

KIDS - Kids all managing their money better post xmas so only spend was helping DS1 out as he tries to get back into FT work

LIFE - Just focusing on making do with what we have seems to be working, under last year average

AMAZON - Avoiding Amazon largely although DD2 needed a couple of things which was just easiest to use here,but well down on last year

mark55man

Report Back 005 - for 16/02/20

Just a report against my main objectives.  It's not quite working in that there is some overlap, and a mixture of short term versus long term, but I'll stick with it for now

Fitness & Health: 

After 3 weeks of being away for work, or away for holiday I am delighted to say NO CHANGE.  Could have been better, could have been a lot worse.  Exercise has been a bit more steady this week and managed between 5 and 10K steps most days - no gym, no bike

Budget & Financial: 

Well the overdraft will be gone by the end of the month, although I will have to use a bit more of the last of my 2019 regular savers to clear, which means a bit less to go towards the loan.  Main cause, just a little bit more support for DS1 than expected.  Need to update my repay everything in 2020 thread, will do that next

Environment & Green: 

No real progress this month. Continuing to tidy up especially in the garden, but there is so much to do

Community & Volunteering: 

No real progress this month

Organisation & Household:

Continuing to declutter especially in the garden. Am getting really good at my frog busting lists, and have closed off quite a few things.  The big frogs (toads?) not so much!!

Have been working hard to understand all the T&C of the various benefits and services I have access to.  It's hard work, and no major wins, which is a shame, but also good in that maybe I wasn't as overlapped as I though