Keep calm and carry on....

South_coast

Monthly goals....

South_coast said:

Money....
* Save up £4k to transfer into the LISA at the start of the new tax year - This will earn me the maximum bonus of £1k for The Future and the overall "money needed" figure - Achieved 🧚‍♀️
* Once I have the £4k ready, pile all money into the mortgage - Simples! - Achieved 🧚‍♀️
* No clothes purchases, except for work clothes, underwear and tights - I don't have loads of clothes, but I definitely have enough and they're all in decent enough condition. The exceptions are to a) make sure I look professional and b) ensure public decency, so are sensible enough omissions! - Retired during September
* 1% of monthly salary to be donated to local homeless charity - Rolled over from 2020, as not yet a habit - Yep, done

2021, the year of health....
* Buy a 12-month prescription pre-payment certificate - I have been guilty of not using my inhalers at the prescribed dose to save on prescription charges in the past, so this feels sensible and grown-up. It will also save me money overall - Yep, done
* Act promptly on health concerns - No more ignoring back/chest pain for two weeks and telling myself it's down to sleeping on a lumpy mattress (although this did at least prompt me to buy a loooovely mattress topper 🤣!) - Still pondering this one, will definitely act during November!
* Continue to minimise alcohol consumption - No explanation needed here, I think! - Not so good this month. Went on holiday and drank a fair bit, then bought a bottle of super cheap Irish cream from Lidl (£3.71 😮!) and drank it within about 5 days as it was so yummy 😋 - whoops! And then I bought vodka on my way home one night as I was just so super-tired 😳 But it was at least only a half-bottle. More effort clearly required here during November!
* Avoid all processed sugar - I'm not going to refuse birthday cake if someone has taken the time to bake it, but I'm not going to go looking for it either. The same goes for biscuits, chocolate etc - Again, had a little bit more as I was on holiday. I had two pieces of flapjack as they were literally put into my hands, a yoghurt to make the most of a very expensive hotel breakfast, plus two tiny boiled sweets which came with a bill in a restaurant and I automatically just tucked in. At least I stopped at two though! And I have ignored chocolate at work again 👍
* Take steps to minimise processed food - A bit tricky as I'm veggie (I do eat fish, but not at home - mostly to make it easier for other people catering for me), so I can't just base meals round a piece of meat, but some of the meat-alternative products don't feel very natural so I'm trying to cut those out as much as possible. Just need to make sure I leave myself something to eat! - Not too bad, I think. The only thing I can recall is a couple of hash browns (again, to make the most of the expensive breakfast 🤣!)
* Exercise outdoors once a week and indoors once a week - I know this will sound really lame to you fit lot, but I have to start somewhere and also try and keep it achievable - Still ahead of myself on the outdoors, not sure I'll be going out today though judging by the sound of the rain 😳 Indoors retired during July

Hmm, not a great month. I'm giving that a C, I think 

Cheery_Daff

I reckon if it took you five days to get through a bottle of Irish Cream, you're doing well! I can't usually make them last more than two 😮😂

South_coast

Excellent, I'm doing alright then 🤣! It had quite a thin consistency as it was so cheap - more like Irish milk - so it went down very easily, and none of that pesky trying to shake the last few drops out of the glass into your mouth because it's not runny enough (or is it just me that wants to drink every last drop 🤣?)

On the slightly healthier side, it's stopped raining this morning and actually got light, so I have been out for a run/walk/step climb. Added in a little more distance too 👍 Of course it started raining just as I was at the furthest point away from home, but it only lasted a couple of minutes fortunately!

debtfreeoneday

I was impressed in that I spent £1.50 on pumpkins and they credited me £2. It was payable the next day as well. 

killerpeaty

Just read about your clothes issues. I think a lot of people have a thing about second hand clothes or about certain brands. For example, when I was about 13 I decided that I didn't like Primark because they didn't fit me well, there's no rationale to explain why nearly 20 years later I haven't decided to give them another chance. None whatsoever, but I haven't and probably won't. You have to do what's right for you.

Keep up the good work!

South_coast

Thanks, KP 😀!

Currently feeling shattered, as I decided to walk for another 4.5 miles on top of what I did this morning, plus did some manual labour in the middle of it 😱! Am now back on the sofa, but not sure I'll be able to get back off it!

ruby_eskimo

killerpeaty said:

Just read about your clothes issues. I think a lot of people have a thing about second hand clothes or about certain brands. For example, when I was about 13 I decided that I didn't like Primark because they didn't fit me well, there's no rationale to explain why nearly 20 years later I haven't decided to give them another chance. None whatsoever, but I haven't and probably won't. You have to do what's right for you.

Keep up the good work!

I'm the same KP but instead of Primark its River Island and Miss Selfridge.  I think for me it was that I've always been on the bigger side and those were stores where the thin girls shopped so I'd never be able to find anything in there to fit.  Now I'm a bit slimmer I still can't bring myself to buy anything from them, although I did buy a Miss Selfridge dress on ebay a couple of weeks ago but only because I kept seeing it crop up on some IG accounts that I follow and thought it might actually look good (and it does 🙃)

I'd say 90% of my wardrobe is second hand SC, be it from Vinted, ebay, depop or a good old charity shop.  Always have shopped second hand where I can because that's how I was brought up, but I can understand that it's not for everyone and that's perfectly fine.  Sorry to hear you're having so many issues with Boohoo, I was tempted to buy a dress from "Oasis" but you've put me right off now 😆

South_coast

Ah, but when I ordered from Oasis a while back it only took one email to sort out the correct refund 🤣! Depends on your tolerance to ridiculousness I suppose! And on that note (after a bit of back and forth), I had an email last night to say they were crediting me the extra £13.65 I'm due for the returned items (I was offered the choice between that and them billing me for the items I kept and then refunding me for the ones I returned - "Er, just refund me the difference please" 🤣!)

South_coast

Right, first of the month round-up....

Movement during October 2021: +£1694.13

Money needed as at 1 November 2021: £274,053.86

Excellent pensions rebound there, thank you very much 😍! Expecially as I now have some big expenses coming up so I won't be able to start funneling money into savings for next year's LISA as I'd hoped. It's all down to the stock market for a bit while I hoard cash 🤞

killerpeaty

Well done @ruby_eskimo on the weight loss and looking good in the forbidden dress! I'm delighted for you.

You still have time SC! You can conquer the expense and investing world!