The Last Leg; 6 years later, debt free in 2021

greensalad · 25 June 2020 at 5:59PM

Payday! Yay!

Sadly we got paid significantly less than expected. It seems my boyfriend was overpayed last month (he started his job not long ago and it looks like they had the wrong tax code). It looks like it might go up in a few months as I think they're reclaiming tax that was missed, so we haven't been able to meet all of our targets as I wanted, but still put quite a lot in.

£56 to BF cc
£40 to Virgin CC
£842 to LISA, which puts us on track

Hopefully if I get paid this £500 within this month we can put it towards my CC, which needs £417 per month to stay on target and is thus £377 short.

Also set aside regular savings:

£116 for Christmas
£483 for holiday
£23.22 for annual subcriptions (app subscriptions, Disney+, Amazon Prime, YNAB, car parking permit)
£153 for car maintenance plus saving for car insurance so we can pay annually next year

Going to update my signature!

greensalad · 28 June 2020 at 2:33PM

Managed to make an extra payment off my CC today. Wasn't sure when my new direct debit was going to land but it looks like it comes out two days after my regular paycheque so essentially I had already set aside for July but I'll get paid before. So another £40 off, £80 total for this month. Plus if I get paid for this freelance work I can put it all towards that CC too to try and meet my stretch goal of paying it off before my 30th birthday.

Yesterday spoke to Virgin Atlantic about rebooking our flights. We've decided to go June next year rather than April. More time to save but also slightly more expensive. Luckily the money I'd set as budget for our hotel I think can be reduced because I've found a nice airbnb for £300 less. Our car hire needs to be moved and will be £180 more than we have already paid due to being summer peak, but that still means we're £120 better off. Just need to wait a few weeks until the June flight schedule comes out.

Yesterday I saw my friend at a local gardens which was open. I spent £9 on coffee and snacks and £11 in the gift shop which is perfectly on budget. Next week I'm seeing my mum also at a local gardens, same budget though I'll probably spend less because I've been to their giftshop loads. Also we're members (which was free through my mum's work) so it'll be a cheap day out. I have no other social plans for July, surprise surprise.

greensalad · 29 June 2020 at 3:36PM

Got paid for the freelance work, first half. I put the £250 in my Virgin pot on Monzo and have categorised it on YNAB so it's ready to go. I then added extra money from my own "fun spends", to meet the stretch goal of paying it off quicker. It means my fun spends are severely depleted this month and what with probably having to add more money to groceries at some point (from when we entertained our friends, it ended up costing a bit more) I may have to dip into that pot before the end of the month. But hopefully I can make it and can get a whole month ahead on paying off my CC.

Kakiste · 29 June 2020 at 3:57PM

Excellent.

What's the feedback been on the freelance work? Are they looking likely to give you the extra work in future?

greensalad · 29 June 2020 at 5:21PM

Nothing yet but they have been asking questions about what I can do and how I'd do it in the future. I expect if this goes well then maybe. But it would be a case of them procuring clients then outsourcing the work to me, and I think they are struggling a little given coronavirus's effect on their business, so they may not have any clients at the moment interested in what I can do. Still I am hopeful! It helps that this is a family business run by the father of a friend of mine (and she works there too) so I'm confident it'd be a good relationship

greensalad · 30 June 2020 at 12:19AM

Yay, one of my old cat sitting clients has contacted me asking if I can cat sit at some point in the next few months. I lost out on about £600 of cat sitting income this spring/summer as I was fully booked over Easter weekend but then cancelled everything. I can easily make another £600 over the long bank holiday weekend in August too usually, but I doubt that people will be going away then quite as much as they usually do. Bit of a shame but what can you do! Still, I enjoy this particular client because it's very simple (their cat is shy, doesn't like playing, so I just feed and go). And every penny helps

Kakiste · 30 June 2020 at 12:13PM

Cat sitting sounds like an excellent gig.

WinterWarrior · 30 June 2020 at 1:00PM

The dog sometimes sits on our cats, but she doesn’t get paid for it 😂 I agree though, it sounds like a job made in heaven, only one step below chocolate taster 😊

greensalad · 30 June 2020 at 3:38PM

It's been great and has netted me a nice bit of extra income. It is quite hard work, especially as a cycle to my appointments and often have to go before I catch the train to work which can mean very early starts. Scooping poos is no fun, but I've been able to cat sit some adorable kittens, always a favourite. I once had 12 appointments in one day (6 in the morning, 6 in the evening) and cycled absolutely miles! But I earnt a lot that weekend!

greensalad · 30 June 2020 at 3:44PM

Just made another quick Facebook sale and sold an evening bag for £5. It was given to me as a gift, so I do feel a little bad, but someone else will get better use out of it.