What small DFW things will you do this week 21/09/20?

determined_new_ms

alt80 said:

Made the October budget. 🙂 Comments welcome.


Petrol is realistic as only counts personal spends rather than business miles. 

October
Committed expenditure:
Housing / utilities / insurances etc	£  1,973.00
Cars etc.	£  1,840.00
School etc.	£  1,100.00
Credit cards	£     985.00
Subtotal	£  5,898.00
Variables:
Wife beauty treatments	£     215.00
Petrol	£     300.00
Groceries	£     650.00
Entertainment etc.	£     250.00
Subtotal	£  1,415.00
Total	£  7,313.00

honestly this sounds like a humble brag....

@alt80 I don't think you've had your full lightbulb moment yet. Keep plugging away and hopefully soon it'll go off. I understand you have a high income but at the moment every £1 you are spending is £1 of someone else's. It's almost the equivilant of someone borrowing a sizeable amount of money from you and going on luxury holidays without paying you back....

You can clearly take the more winding road to debt freedom but what will the cost be over the long term? In terms of the interest it will be an albatross around your neck robbing and indebting your future self (and future versions of your family unit)

AdsWhoAdds

@ditty1234 that’s a great idea, will definitely pick something up when I’m next at the shops. Thank you! I work in a college, but I must say the students are being very good and the staff on dinner duty are very vigilant, still going at quiet times though! 

determined_new_ms

determined_new_ms said:

Morning Wet, windy and miserable here!

Today:
* couple of hours of sanding & preparing the hallway - should be relatively simple to paint once the sanding/filling is done :sm:smile:
* vacuum through once that's done
* do a big budgeting session to get my accounts straight
* some sewing
* all meals from stores
* I really need to nip to the allotment so am hoping this weather clears up a bit....
* bath & pamper session this evening did it this afternoon - long soak with a book and a face mask
* hopefully my bff is coming over this evening for dinner and a catch up. Bought stuff for a Turkish dish I do which cost about £6 rather than going out for dinner and it costing £20 each   
* list a couple of things on fleabay

Feeling pleased with my efforts Might make a pattern piece for a skirt I'm drafting - did all the measurements/mathematics earlier - but might just knit and watch something 

alt80

@ditty1234 I understand people live on lower budgets - I have tenants who live on less than you do so far as I was aware it isn't a competition? Good for you for being happy with a gifted car - cars are important to me hope you'll understand as I've already given one up. Don't need comments on the cars having already given up my fun car to get to this budget, just two cars left one car each for my wife and I. Prior to this I was spending av £10.5-11k/m so this is a big cut.

I have already done a full soa so this is abridged with figures taken from that - based on needs (my wife isn't willing to let the beauty treatments go - the rest is needs only and schooling - can't exactly take son out of school right now?!). If I can stick to the above I will be spending less than I earn so win-win there. My child is 6 not a teenager yet. I have a good idea of the difference between wants and needs thank you. Before implying I'm out of touch with reality please check I probably have a better idea of reality than most people - can't deal with HMO tenants without getting a good dose of a reality haha.

@determined_new_ms No humble brag from me, I need to get my personal finances sorted. Hope you can see I've had the lightbulb moment from the above. I've given up my fun car and trimmed my monthly spends to get to a place where we are not spending more than we earn.

All the cards are interest free when that runs out I will balance transfer again. 40 months and should be credit card free for the first time I can remember. Time to move onto a more sustainable future.

I don't understand your logic re the not paying back - I am paying back. Going to tell me I ought not spend another £1 because I'm in for seven figures on property I own too?!

alt80

24/9/20
Finished work 6.30ish.

1. Yolt everyday: 3/7 🙂
2. Make most of long weekend but not spend more than £100: n/a
3. Activity with son everyday: 4/7; 20min dog walk. Bit too much to drink over dinner so wife did story lol.
4. October budget: sorted.
5. 3x workouts, 3x 5km: 2/6
6. Plan weekend in advance: sorted. 🙂 
7. Switch off work number/ email apart from twice a day to check when off: n/a - dreading doing this tbf now it's getting closer.

ditty1234

@alt80 I wasn't trying to compete on low income, I think mine is actually pretty decent.  I was just gently trying to indicate why people might find your budget a bit of a cornucopia. 
@AdsWhoAdds the catering in my college is doing a great job, I just don't like their food, so it's unfairly easy for me. 
@determined_new_ms sounds like a lovely and productive day. 
Finally managed a walk at 9 pm, the dog thinks I'm just breaking all the rules, but I love walking in the middle of the street in the evening, and the road is in much better repair than the sidewalk!

AdsWhoAdds

Woken up with great intentions. Got my journal which I’m trying hard to do daily gratitude in. Had a mini light bulb moment and I’m going to use the monthly page to have three little tick boxes per day, one for a £10 a day challenge (bit daunting tbh but I’m gunna give it a go, I might surprise myself!), DFW blogs and if it was a NSD. Looking forward to October. As I’ve said it’s going to be a tight month, will give you my October budget breakdown later when I’m on computer as think that’ll be easier than mobile!

determined_new_ms

Morning my last day off before I begin the next round of 12 hr shifts... I will just have to buckle up and do 4 x 12 hour shifts over the next 5 days.

* Today I will crack on with the sanding & then vacuum through once done
* load of washing to do will hang on airer. Will do later after decorating finished
* check meal plan for tea
* charge up work phone
* get things ready for next 2 working days
* finish off socks
* a couple of repairs/alterations and cut out fabric for skirt
* list 3 things to sell
* sort out clothes to go n a charity bag Collection is Monday so want to get it done beforehand. Need to work out if there's anything worth attempting to sell
* NSD
* payday so money shuffle

that's me! 

carrielovesfanta

alt80 said:

Made the October budget. 🙂 Comments welcome.


Petrol is realistic as only counts personal spends rather than business miles. 

October
Committed expenditure:
Housing / utilities / insurances etc	£  1,973.00
Cars etc.	£  1,840.00
School etc.	£  1,100.00
Credit cards	£     985.00
Subtotal	£  5,898.00
Variables:
Wife beauty treatments	£     215.00
Petrol	£     300.00
Groceries	£     650.00
Entertainment etc.	£     250.00
Subtotal	£  1,415.00
Total	£  7,313.00

Hi @alt80 - a couple of comments from me
credit cards - not sure of the exact situation but are you making sure that you throw the money at the highest interest cards first?

beauty treatments - it's an obvious one but I suspect that your wife is wanting to keep them because she's angry at the situation. Hopefully she will come round a bit

groceries - this does seem very high as your wife is at home. I think I remember seeing that she cooks from scratch? My OH and I spend a lot on groceries compared to some budgets as it's our real splash out and we are fortuante enough to be able to afford it at the moment. I have managed on a lot less in the past. We get all our meat from a local organic butcher, so it's not cheap. Plus we get out fruit and veg from an organic veg box scheme so that costs too. We also like treats from the deli next door to the butchers! Our dry goods etc do come from Asda, which offsets some of the cost. Overall though, we still spend less than £300 a month (I can do £200 if I'm being very thrify). I would say that you probably should be about to cut the groceries to at least £400 overall. Perhaps not all on one go, but it's easily doable, even if you're getting things from Waitrose/Ocado. I would have a look at what you're buying and separate food from treats and make them separate budgets. i.e - although wine might go on the shopping list, it's not food!
Also, is your DS not fed by the school or is he having packed lunches?

petrol - this is just discretionary driving? Not sure of your mpg for the RR but we spend about £160-£200 a month which includes my commute (but I have a 1litre Suzuki Vitara!). I'm sure your car must have some driving style algorithms. If you can't cut the milage, can you challenge yourself to drive as economically as possible?

AdsWhoAdds

@alt80 Hi Alt80, great start with your October budget. 
I think we could all find somewhere to save in someone else's budget, also attitudes change over time so in 6 months you may shift things around or shave some bits off. We change, adapt and adjust all the time and of course - life happens
If this budget works towards your financial goals, that's the most important thing!