Frugal, thrifty, make do, mend! Let this debt come to an end!

missymoo81

Hey, just checking in to see if you’re ok.

Elisheba

Hi all,

Sorry I was a way for a bit - just being busy and another work break and not having much to report!

I have now added up my April spending and a bit over on all budgets.  This month I will focus on reigning everything in, and then will know if budgets really need to be increased or whether I have just been too spendy!

I saw today that Skipton are going to start offering 100% mortgages which could be a game changer for me.  Even with high interest I would be saving money over renting while I wait to save a deposit.  The problem is there isn't much I like within my budget where I live and I can't move to Scotland as I need to be in the office one day a week.  I've had various thoughts about what to do - possibly buy a flat for my Mum up in Scotland which she could pay me rent for and then at least I would have an investment, or buy something I am not so keen on down here, or move to Wales where I have no connections but can just about commute to work? 

Annoyingly there is a lovely house for sale round the corner from me - it needs a fair bit of work - the bathroom is awful and needs replaced, a lot of flooring and carpets need sorting, and it needs a lot of paint, but as it is £30k over my budget it isn't really a goer anyway. 

A  lot to think about there one way or another housing wise.  I have time I suppose, and although there isn't an obvious answer at least there are more options sooner rather than later.

I ended up buying the same make of soupmaker that I previously had last month.  Its such an easy way to get veg into me, and I just wasn't making soup without one.  Also had to pay for the accommodation for a holiday I am taking in September, and buy a new raincoat - so it was an expensive month!  All of those things should have come out my savings pots (although they were more than I currently have in them) so I'll see if it all evens out over the months.

I'll try and get around to catching up and diaries and posts this week.  Things I need to do today are cancel a physio appointment, book a room for a society meeting, hoover, and change the cat litter.  Hopefully by tomorrow I will be a bit more on top of thinsg and can make a plan for the rest of the week!

slm6002

Maybe a cheeky offer on the house close by if you think it is livable until you have the funds to do each room up one by one?

Elisheba

Oh, I've just read more about the 100% mortgage and it's only up to the amount per month you pay for rent. My rent is fairly low so that wouldn't get me anywhere near what I would need to buy. Oh well. Back to the saving up plan. 

SuzeQStan

Hey Elisheba - shame about the 100% mortgage requirement.  It sounds like an odd requirement though.  I do wish that the banks would lower/ drop deposits - how is anyone expected to get on the ladder these days!

I’ve joined Olio after reading about your experiences with it on here.  Do you still do it? There were more people in my area doing it than I expected.

because there’s just two of us we often have leftovers as we find most portions are based on bigger families. 

Saw one Olio offering though today that made me laugh - MUSHROOM KETCHUP - no one touching that one w a barge pole lol 🤣

Elisheba

@SuzeQStan Its an extra affordability check for people without deposits - if they can show they have paid rent up to that amount with no problems, then they can manage a mortgage with payments up to that amount.

Are you sure it was me who mentioned Olio? I've got the app but never managed to get anything on there. Not much comes up around me. 

SuzeQStan

Hi Elisheba - ah that makes sense but it’s just a shame they can’t look at disposable income as an indication of what you can afford rather than rent which you would astutely being paying as low as possible if you are saving!  

Could have sworn you mentioning picking up a big bag of spinach but maybe that was a community larder rather than Olio?

missymoo81

It’s all so tricky with the house buying isn’t it. You seem between a rock and a hard place. Something will come about I’m sure.

Elisheba

Afternoon, all.

Just finished updating my spending for this month so far.  I have started using a new (to me) app called Notion.  I am still exploring it, but you can find loads of free templates for it.  I'm hoping to use it to get lots of parts of my life more organised.  Its great for lists, and you can journal, and I think do mood boards and that sort of thing as well.  Its free for personal use.  The only thing I can't see that it does is link to my Googler calendar, so I'm still using that separately, and some other Google apps like Keep notes.  Once I have the hang of it I will recreate the lists I use on Microsoft To Do as well.  It useful that you can use it on your phone and on a computer and it quite good to have most things in one place.

I've just been on a lovely lunchtime walk with my dog.  Thankfully it has finally started getting a bit warmer!  It was so nice smelling the cow parsley and other flowers, and having to take my jumper off.  I do appear to have got a bite on my chin though!

I'm trying to eat a lot healthier this month, and my food spending has gone up with all the fresh fruit and veg I have been buying. I also haven't really been food planning, and it has been lots of little shops.  I'm going to do a food plan and get shopping in for the rest of the month this weekend.  Lunches this week are soup and little partially baked rolls done in the Instant Pot, and dinner tonight will be Spanish Omelette and salad. I am also going to try to roast some butternut squash and make a curry for Wednesday and Thursday.  I am at a shared supper on Friday and need to buy some food for that as well at some point this week.

It looks like my energy bill is going to come in at about £80 this month - for a month I haven't had the heating on at all that is extortionate - I paid less than that for a winter month with the heating on full back before all the energy increases.  I need to have a quick look round and make sure all my electric swtiches are off again, just so I know there is no excess there. My DD has gone up to £126 pm, so eventually that will cover however much I owe them now! Next winter I suspect I am just going to have to hike the DD up a lot higher what with no government payments and no credit built up.  Hopefully I will have had my pay rise by then!

Hope everyone is well!

Makingabobor2

With regard to the energy bills, I only said to DH last night, ours was £73 for the month up to yesterday....so no heating, not putting lights on till later at night, hardly using oven, cut down on the amount of time we have the gas boiler on. It really is scary. 
The app sounds interesting.