Two years and then downsize... DONE!

Sapindus

Oh the joy of going shopping with an empty cereal cupboard, finding three slightly battered boxes on the reduced shelf and spending £1.82 instead of £7. Well OK so two of them were branded which I wouldn't usually buy, but still a massive saving as one was a huge box of crispies bigger than the supermarket own. Battered cereals are such a bargain I sometimes wonder if people drop them on purpose.
Of course with the lifting of restrictions I'm inevitably going to start spending again, but £10 for me and my son at a National Garden Scheme visit to 12 acres of allotments has to have some money saving virtues if it gives me ideas for my own.  And we will combine with seeing some old friends, AND I've just realised that petrol is 5p a litre cheaper over there than it is here (thanks to petrol prices website discovered via MSE). I knew there was a good reason not fill up this morning! Win win win!
And earlier this week I had a stonking day on Prolific, also discovered via MSE, and scored two studies for over £8, "only" £2.50 today but it's better than Nectar Canvass which is soul destroying (e.g 40p worth of points for half an hour answering questions about shopping) so I only do it if Prolific goes completely blank.
The pigeons got to my kale seedlings but I found out just in time to save them.
Hope this lasts!

debtfreeoneday

hi!  Glad you got onto prolific. It is worth it. I sold my soul this week and did my first video survey on there. (Something I didn’t think I’d ever do). Will subscribe to keep up with you. 

Sapindus

So today I was going to go for a walk with a friend, but the weather is appalling. She wanted to have lunch in a pub instead, but I said no, partly because I'm so averse to spending money, but also because it just wouldn't have felt as comfortable as talking and walking, and we wouldn't have had so long.  I'm going for a walk anyway before the really bad weather hits, and because I'm on a streak with losing weight this week.  I got a two-week free trial with Noom through my workplace discounts provider, which has given me a kick start and some ideas, most of which I knew anyway.  I shan't continue after the trial, I'll just give myself a pep-talk in the mirror every morning when I weigh in (on my new scales bought through Amazon warehouse), and say "go you!" and "noomilicious!" a few times.
But today's best MSE discovery was that I can join a credit union, and have applied!  They have a prize draw saver account which has to be better value than premium bonds.
An unavoidable car trip tomorrow to drop DS2 off on his DofE expedition.  But I am hauling DS1 out of bed for the early start so we can visit a museum (£5 each) and go for an interesting walk somewhere we wouldn't usually go.  Museum has a large open-air element and they need the money as they were attacked by vandals recently.  This seems a worthwhile spend.  We will take a picnic.  I will do the shopping today and have checked out that petrol is cheaper here than there, via the petrol prices website, so will fill up too.
"Go me!!"

newgirly

Hi just wanted to say good luck with the new diary 🙂

Sapindus

I did a car boot sale.  I think is safe to assume I will not be making my fortune from doing car boot sales!  I netted £19 after the stall fee, but we were down a bit of a dead end and I was mostly selling 50p stuff I would have sent to a charity shop.  It's not the busiest car boot in the world as it is part of our local market but the great thing was it is five minutes down the road so I got my son to help me set up and then he could walk home, which he couldn't if I'd gone to the huge one a few miles away.
May's underspend (£1000), meanwhile, went into a Virgin current account to earn 2%, so the credit union only got the mandatory monthly £10 from my salary.
I also applied for my own job - well I would still have a job if I don't get it, but it would be nice to make the temporary promotion permanent. Got lots of encouragement from management and a hint that if I'm the only person who applies I won't have to have an interview - this is good news as the last time I was in this situation I didn't "pass the board" so lost the TP, despite everyone saying "you're brilliant at your job, you'll get it!"  Closing date was today and I got the application in last week (sike) so fingers crossed.
Today I am going for a walk with a friend but again have checked petrol prices first, and I reckon the saving I'll make will almost pay for the trip.
And the sun is shining which always helps!

debtfreeoneday

Good luck with the application. And £19 is £19 in your pocket! 

Sapindus

Well, it looks like this month will be an expensive one.  The vet has finally called time on the ever-dwindling cat and given him two more weeks on steroids to see if he can put on any weight, and then we'll have to have him put down.  The vet SAID, contrary to what the receptionist has been telling me, that he will come round to do it, so no doubt that will cost even more, and the boys want to have him cremated.
And the car, which is not quite as old as the cat, has started making knocking noises so that's off down the garage tomorrow, but hopefully it won't need to be put down.
Finding a matching pair of gloves whilst out for a bike ride is not much consolation.  But still, good months and bad.

debtfreeoneday

So sorry to hear the cat isn’t improving. 

Sapindus

debtfreeoneday said:

So sorry to hear the cat isn’t improving. 

He was 19, after all.  He had a good life, and the closest you get to a good death, with prawns and fishpaste on my bed and the people he loved best all round him.

The car was £400-odd.  The vet bill will probably come in around £200, but that goes on the credit card so it's actually next month's spend now.  And for some reason, I've started on the non-essential spending.  Christmas presents for my brother, and a new duvet.  But it's a wool duvet, I got a discount with Yeokens, it should last much longer than a cheap IKEA one and when it wears out it's biodegradable so I can make it into mulch mats or something.  And I'll have to get Christmas presents at some point, so why not now...  Also got prescription sunglasses for my son on the MSE blagged code, which sort of counts as essential.

I think there'll still be something left over to go in the credit union account at the end of the month.  I got my permanent promotion, which means a little bit more money if we get a bonus this year, and a whole lot more peace of mind.

Sapindus

End of month sums...

Mortgage stands at just over £42k.  Should be just over £40k by the end of December, having already made my official 10% OP at the start of the year. OP allowance/target for 2022 therefore that I need £4000 at the start of January ready to go in.

I want a six month wages emergency fund.  This plus £1676 is currently in an easy-access savings account earning 0.55%. Has to be easy access as it is also my car fund.  Another £1000 is stashed in a Virgin current account earning 2%.   £422 now in the credit union account, which earns an unknown dividend based on the average balance across the year, but should be more than 0.55%.  All monthly underspend from my main current account is now going into the credit union.  I had a revelation when I was thinking about having to scrape the OP together from the current account and the CU, that I actually need to use the money in the easy-access savings first, because it's earning less interest!  So I still have to get together about £1k between now and the end of the year.  June's underspend was £400 in the end.  July will see the hit from the final vet bill and this year's holiday balance, plus the car needs servicing, so probably not the best month, but after that things look hopeful!