Cutting it Fine - the challenge is on!

savingholmes

Glad things are better Sandy 🐱

SandyShores

LadyWithAPlan said:

I find it astonishing how easy it is to let the CC balance creep up. I only got a CC again to help my credit score and its so easy to swipe it and keep my money in my current account whilst CC balance climbs... I always pay it off in full having decades ago spent too much on one and said never agin.. as soon as I have got my mortgage I will be freezing the thing

Electric blankets and heated throws will be on my purchase list next month!

Absolutely LadyWithAPlan, I make sure I pay the card off each month and keep records so I know how much I need to put back for the next statement - although the Apps are so much better these days than the paper statements that used to drop through the door (the surprise reminder of all the spending we'd done).  

This month a large purchase I committed to was delivered, and I borrowed £300 from the savings ac and £400 from the husband towards the final balance.  I'll pay it back over the next two months - not great but better than putting it on the card.  It means that it will be November when its all paid back, and of course then its Christmas, so serious mortgage overpayments won't start until 2023.  Time goes so quickly and slowly when you are paying the bills off.  And in connection with Christmas, I purchased a set of outdoor lights last week and I'm really looking forward to setting those up when they arrive.  I'm going to put them around one of the trees - love a bit of twinkling light on the dark nights.

SandyShores

Thanks savingholmes, I feel like I've really turned a corner and this month is the final push.  Next month I will be back on the savings planning and working towards some good mortgage payments from January onwards.  I've been following your thread and you are making great progress.

savingholmes

Thanks Sandy - I think we all feel we should be making more progress than we currently do regardless of what we achieve. That's another thing that needs fixing. We need to take time to celebrate our progress rather than always be rushing on to the next goal. 

Sounds like you have a solid plan to get through the next few months financially. Hopefully. the energy cap will mean your budget balances better than previously expected.

SandyShores

Totally agree savingholmes.  I'm trying to find the right balance between focussing on saving/paying off the mortgage and then finding time to enjoy the moment.  Good timing, hard work paying off (and a little bit of luck and circumstance) means as a family we are in a position that three years ago I wouldn't have believed, and 10 years before would have said was impossible.  I just need to harness that again and make the next 10 years count towards mortgage freedom.

I've got a few bags of clothes and bric a brac to either sell or donate - so I'll make a start this weekend.  That will make more room so a reorganisation will be the next step. I'd really like to get a corner desk but I saw one new for £400 and thinking I might look for a secondhand one instead - but that's on the wishlist for now while I get around to planning the layout properly.

I've just been looking at the tips for keeping warm page - I really like the idea of sitting with your bottom half in a sleeping bag with a hot water bottle in it.  Its always my feet that get cold and I was thinking of the heat pad but might give the sleeping bag idea a go as I've got one that I was going to give away or sell.

savingholmes

On the furniture I've found that FB is really good. I've had some cracking deals. 

SandyShores

Thanks savingholmes, not sure why I hadn't thought about that before.  Already found a few items I'm interested in.  I need to get my tape measure out and check the sizes.  

savingholmes

I have my eye on some glass deals/tables as I love reflective surfaces. You can get them for around £20

SandyShores

Have got my eye on an item savingholmes, but had lots to do this weekend, and also wanted to give it some real thought.  If its still available when I get around to it then its meant to be.  I'm trying not to get carried away and rush into things.  Although, I just popped onto LadywithaPlan's page and have now bought the 30 day cleaning book!!  Bit of a rash purchase but for 3 quid I'm hoping it will give me the nudge to get things in order - I'm now at the stage where I can start to move forward - especially with payday on the horizon.  There isn't lots of clutter here, but I've suddenly got a lot of room/extra drawers etc, plus a few bags of things which need to be sold/donated - so I need to start organising.  Its knowing where to start so the book should set me off in the right direction

savingholmes

Good luck with the decluttering. 

Yes storage isn't free - and sometimes when we think about our spaces and consider a square metre could be worth £2K or more - it makes it easier to question whether keeping x thing is a worthwhile use of the real estate in our homes.