making me happy

makingmehappy

Hi, I'm not in debt any more, but I'm living with the consequences of having been rubbish with money all my life, so I feel that this board is the place for me. I want to focus on making some major changes in my life and for that I need money! So I'm hoping to use this diary to keep me on track.

sonyarita

Hi welcome to the board and good luck on your goals. You have certainly came to the right place! I'm still trying to work it out myself but so many helpful posters here.

What changes do you have in mind (if you don't mind me asking)?

makingmehappy

Hi, thanks for dropping by. I would love to move to the coast, but I definitely need more money to support myself while I get settled there. So, I need to get back into making more money and getting back to my budget and cutting spending. Also, this week I want to see if there's anything I can do about tidying up my credit file to maybe give me some more options.

makingmehappy

So, I've cut my budget back to the bare bones. Since I paid my debt off, I've found it difficult to budget. That sounds a bit stupid because I've obviously had more spare cash, but I just couldn't decide how much to save and how much to spend. I'm much happier with this budget, because I basically can't spend anything except the very basics and will have to make do - there's no decision to make  
Adding up every penny I've currently got, and savings beginning from the end of this month, I will have enough for a deposit to buy somewhere by the end of May. I haven't really decided whether that's what I'm going to do, but it's nice to have a goal. 

CreditCardJunkie

Sounds fabulous, having the money gives you the option so keep going!

makingmehappy

I'm still working on cutting my budget down and should now be at the point where I can save £1000 a month. My own spending budget would be £120 per month, I'm still not sure if that's a lot or not enough. I do need some new shoes and a winter coat. I'm having a very low key Christmas this year, but still spent nearly £15 last week just on a few bits and pieces to give as tokens. I have got some vouchers that I saved with park hampers last year, so I'm going to see where I can use those and save the actual cash.

makingmehappy

I'm still thinking continually about the best way I can do this move to the seaside. I think that I want to, but then I wonder if it's just lockdown mind talking and I'm just fed up with everything. If I did move, I don't know what I'd do about my job, it's too far to commute and I don't feel very confident of getting a new job quickly, especially in the current climate. I would have some money to live off if I rented, but then I wouldn't have any stability. If I bought somewhere (and I could only look at the  very cheapest 1 bedroomed flat), I wouldn't have any money to pay the bills unless I found work very, very quickly.  I'm just putting this down to get it out of my mind before I go crazy 
I think the superstrict budget is unrealistic at the moment. I need to be able to spend a little bit of money on myself and treat other people to keep my spirits up while we're going through this bad time. I'll give myself a bit of leeway and see how that affects the budget.

makingmehappy

So, I've re-done a more realistic budget, which has added 6 months onto the time to save a deposit and this takes me to the end of November next year. Even at worst case scenario, it's only just over a year, and I can aim to bring that down by saving on the budget and making some extra income. 

makingmehappy

Spending in October was £366.08 and extra money in £82.96. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to bring the spending down this month. I need to get some xmas pressies, these will need to be ordered online, and I'm still buying little things to keep mine and family's spirits up. Also food shopping will be weekly online.

Sarahwithlove

What area of work are you in? Could you look for a job nearer the time in area you want to live in and maybe rent for 6 months whilst you find the place you wanna buy? I wouldn't move unless had a source of income if it was me. Do you have a standing order to move your savings amount out of your main account? If you view it as more of a bill then savings it makes living on a budget easier. Good luck. 

makingmehappy

Well, I hadn't realised it had been a month since I last updated. I overspent by a lot last month and I didn't want to think about it. These are old, diehard habits that got me into debt in the first place, so I'm going to be strict about using this diary to keep myself accountable.
The problem for the last month has mainly been that I haven't had a focus for my moneysaving. I had an idea of moving to the seaside, but I hadn't really thought through the realities of this. I have elderly parents who are needing more support and care; I've spent a lot of time trying to think about how we could all move, but my dad has said that he feels they are too frail and they don't want to move at this time in their life. He's supportive of me if I want to go, but I'd be a long way away, and I don't feel good about that. In fact, my eyes have been opened a bit to how things are with them and I think I actually need to be closer than I am at the moment. 
So my new plan is to buy somewhere near to them. I'll still be able to keep my job, although I'll have about an extra 3 hours a day travelling, but I won't have to travel to see my parents, so it's probably swings and roundabouts timewise. Maybe later, I can spend some weekends and holidays at the coastal place I was considering moving to so that I can see if it's really doable at some future date.
And now, I'm going to face up to the realities of my budgeting spreadsheets. I still need a deposit if I want to buy somewhere