Ditching It

twinklie

Now that would be dedication!

SpendingPennies

Today is definitely not a NSD. We had a lovely takeaway from a local restaurant. Absolutely bl00dy gorgeous roast dinner (vegan for me obvs) possibly the nicest roast I’ve ever eaten. Cost was £12.95 each, eek quite expensive. The DS paid for their own.
But in more costly turn of events, our reclining corner sofa has malfunctioned with one of the seats stuck in the reclining position. Good news = we are entitled to return it for a refund because it’s under warantee, we bought it last Jan and it has a 3 year warranty. Bad news = it can’t be fixed and there is no similar equivalent in the store where we purchased it, a remotely similar sofa costs more than a £1000 extra. No way do I want to spend an extra £1000 on a sofa, that’s the equivalent of a months mortgage overpayment 😡

SpendingPennies

So another work week complete with no spends from Mon to Fri. Working from home is good for the. bank balance at least. Bank account is looking fairly healthy in the run up to pay day. Just working out what to do with any left over money in the account at the end of the month (it’s a great problem to have, and only still quite a new experience). Already looking forward to next month and a new over payment. Hope everyone is keeping safe and well. Pleased to report that both a family member and also a colleague seem to be turning a corner after being very unwell in intensive care for the last couple of weeks. 

waterplate

I guess you get to go sofa shopping then...I hope you find something suitable, sofas are important! 

Well done on recent NSDs.  I am having more of them now I'm back at work but have bought a couple of houseplants recently. Not big spends but still a little frivolous...I feel like I deserve a treat after losing 5lb this year so far and doing exercise 4-5 times a week which is a record in term time.  Hope your healthy lifestyle plan is going well!

SpendingPennies

Thanks @waterplate you are doing very well. I have lost 3lbs so need to try harder to catch up with you 😊 Yes we need to find another sofa, struggling at the moment to find something suitable which can be delivered quickly, is sturdy and comfortable and also doesn’t break the bank. 

waterplate

3lb is great! Well done. Sofas seem to take forever so I hope you can find one soon.

SpendingPennies

So it’s February Eve and therefore time to give a round up of our first month of mortgage overpayments. Lockdown continues to help curb unnecessary spending. No eating out, no meeting friends for coffee or drinks, no going into shops to buy stuff I dont need. Almost no petrol either, we had to charge my car battery overnight because the weekly trip to Tesco click and collect is not enough to keep the car charged. I’ve been trying to clock up as many NSDs as possible, in fact it’s practically been a no spend month.
 Things I have bought or spent  this month:
1) Vets bill from when cat had an infection 😟
2) New slippers with added support to help my foot pain. £20 very well spent, pain now gone.
3) 2 tops from EBay yesterday. Not strictly speaking needed but a nice treat, both BNWT and good quality labels, approx £17 in total
4) Some transparent hooks to attach fairy lights to bathroom mirror because they keep falling down. £2.95 again well spent.
We made our first ever mortgage overpayment this month of £1055. I also paid an additional £500 off my interest free car loan. Was going to throw it all at the mortgage but figured it was important to reduce this too (it’s my only short term debt and I hope to pay it off soon).
As for my other resolutions, most are going well. Veganuary has been an unexpected pleasure which I am going to carry on with for the time being. I’ve loved trying different foods, and enjoyed almost everything I have eaten. The only downside is that the family aren’t interested in coming onboard, but they are all home more at the moment so can cook their own 😂. Work is going well, I have thrown myself into it since Christmas, I was finding it a bit of a struggle at the end of last year, but I think I was probably tired, 10 days off seems to have fixed that, or maybe Veganuary has given me a new lease of life, and I feel my employer is getting good value for money for my contribution. 
Not doing so well on the exercise front. Been doing longer daily dog walks and making an effort 
to get up early to go further before starting work. The dog is loving it. Can’t wait for the evenings to get lighter so we can get out more after work. I’ve not done so well with online exercise classes, I am really struggling to find motivation. Such a shame because I used to do gym classes five times a week before the first lockdown. I need to give myself a strong talking to!! 

But apart from not exercising enough, I am pleased with progress so far, and I’m itching to start over again in February. Hope everyone else is doing well and equally glad that January is coming to an end, it feels like it’s been a very long month.

SpendingPennies

Good news today, the reclining sofa is to be fixed free of charge. So no temptation to spend out on a new one. 🥳

caeler

Great news! What a relief! @SpendingPennies

SpendingPennies

Hi @caeler yes it is a relief, thank you.
We were watching a programme tonight presented by Kate Humble. It’s where families sell up and move to the country, buy somewhere for half the price and live mortgage free. This particular family moved to the Shetlands, which for me might be a step too far in terms of distance from loved ones. But the family were really happy with their new simpler mortgage free life. It is certainly thought provoking, I can see the attraction of escaping the rat race and not having to spend such a large chunk of your income on over payments.