2020++ - smiling and waving and looking so fine

mark55man

Budget Report Back Aug-21

• CAR - Expensive this month, but most of that was the annual service, still under budget YTD
• CASH - No Cash withdrawn
• CLOTHES - No new Clothes
• COFFEE - Coffee heading up, now at monthly budget but still under YTD
• CRAFTS - At monthly budget but still a bit over YTD
• ENTERTAINMENT - within monthly budget but still (just) under YTD after expensive July
• GROCERY - Super high this month, unexpectedly so.  But back on diet this month so should nip that in the bud
• HOLIDAY - Overspent this month - but well under YTD - with no more holiday planned just yet
• KIDS - Last payment to help DD2 rent, although there may just be a little more support as she tries to balance her own budget
• LIFE - Life is expensive.  I may need to rethink this category as its so unpredictable
• AMAZON - Amazon a bit lower this month, but still well over annual

savingholmes

Good round up. We have done well with bangeronomics too. Bought a car for £750 still fine 2 years later

mark55man

Bangernomics has been a constant source of delight, and sometimes frustration.  overall, although losing out on that new(ish) car delights has saved so much money.  my finest was one I paid £2500 for (banger++) then 7 years and 120000 miles later it got rear-ended and written off I received £1200 write off value and then bought and resold the wreck for another £400.  Plus most of the miles were on business so were cost neutral (at worst).  getting 45p a mile at 60mph is £27 an hour

anyway - been a busy week with not much to say.  going to be supertight to manage on what's left in the bank account, but we should be OK, except a couple of annual events later in the month that I really don't want to miss out on so will have to be careful and make a decision about how/if to find them

another 10000 steps yesterday - a London day followed by a bit of a wander after I got home   

savingholmes

7 years! Impressive to

Well done on steps too

mark55man

7 years - should have been 5 years to go with the song, but I managed to eke it out a bit, even when well past most people's definition of acceptable.  My work car park was a way away from work, so no one knew who that PoS car (american-ism) belonged to

Been for a long but hard-work walk this morning.  I was a bit tired to start with as I ate something that disagreed with me yesterday, probably pate, its a double blow when you are hardly eating anything and you get a wrong-un.    So 10K steps done already and its surprisingly lovely day today so will wander into town with OH after lunch - which is a fridge bottom tuna salad - yum

savingholmes

Sounds like a positive weekend. Well done on the walk. Hope your tummy settles soon.

I was really chuffed to find a couple of tins of MnS mince beef in the garage that I bought last year... Eked out 4 meals with them this week helping my budget stretch.

mark55man

medium walk this morning, then been in and out a few times - been a busy day today Lidl, a local village event and a musical thing later so 10K steps achieved with a few more to come

Not a NSD with Lidl and a coffee out, but not too dear.  Lidl hadn't suffered unusually low levels, of stock but today was the lowest I have seen, and normally go at the same time at the weekend

AntoMac

Late subscriber to your diary here @mark55man , I thought of myself as a man who knows his music but had never heard of that Bowie track until I watched it. Slightly embarrassing for me but luckily it's an anonymous forum:) I think we might have briefly exchanged Smiths lyrics on someone else's diary once.
Anyway I like your diary, even more so your outlook on life. You've come a long way so far. What a phenomenal result on the weight loss.
I too found lockdown a good time to get permanently out of dipping into my overdraft. I think the Banks hiking up the overdraft charges helped concentrate the mind.
It's interesting reading your posts made during full lockdown. We really have lived through strange times. Reading your diary took me back to how things felt back then
Anyway, keep up the good work and I'll now be watching with interest.

mark55man

Thanks you @antomac - for us aging Smith's fans there is a light that never goes out - despite how dark the news about Morrisey gets.  My favourite Bowie tracks are 5 years, wild is the wind, and sound and vision - I like the mainstream tracks as well, but over the years probably heard them all too often

It's interesting what you say about our parallel journey's and similar motivations.   I have read through my dairy from time to time, although not recently as I find it helps me spot trends (and lets me know when I'm getting dull) - and boy do I have topics that keep coming back - steps, weight, CC juggling, pensions, work and the seaside - a right riveting read and actually pretty accurate

I probably need to focus a bit more on my green / community journey, but most of that is helping my OH so important but it feels wrong to write about it as its her story

mark55man

Another week gone, got some money coming in (OH and a work payment) soon, so I think my OD fears for the month have gone.  I did put petrol and Lidl on CC this morning just to be sure, but will be looking to stop that next month and aim for no CC spends. 

DD2 managed to resolve a payroll issue with her new job, so another worry of needing to subsidise her this month probably won't happen, although DS1 is just doing contract work at the moment so a bit erratic but apart from waiving his rent him and GF have enough to get through.

have an annual social thing this weekend (cancelled last year), boys night out style although I have paid the main cost already there are bound to be some spends (beer, kebabs, big breakfast ...) you know the essentials!.  Delighted to find that a return ticket on the bus is valid next day so I will be doing that as alcohol may be involved - but I will be careful mainly from a carbs point of view)

end of month run in also looking good, Sept is one of those months with no major annual bills.  haven't quite decided whether to pull the trigger on CC3 as although I can (Debt Neutral), if I keep it there and keep chipping away then when I have finished paying it off I will still have my EF intact - swings and roundabouts. As per last month I think I will put off payment for another month or two just as it isn't costing me anything and its payrise/bonus time at work, and I have no idea what to expect in either department (its been an odd year) so maybe steady as she goes until I have all the info I need.  I definitely (probably) want to have it clear for XMAS so I can start year 3 of 5 with that behind me.  if in doubt a 50/50 compromise means you're only half wrong half of the time, and half right the other half