My 5 Year Plan to a better life!

MuffinTops

I may regret saying this, but I'm feeling in control of things right now.  It's been really tough getting used to extra things I now have to pay out, but while I'm logging and tracking it all I feel like it's easier to maintain.  I'm not enjoying the extra payments, but I am enjoying my life here so it's obviously just swings and roundabouts! 

I've managed to spend very little by not going anywhere.  It's a friend's birthday today and another on Sunday so have bought cards and sent those off.  I'll be visiting one of them on Saturday for a little birthday gathering, and have the gift lined up for that.  Ooh, which reminds me that I need to pay that today, which I've now done (they've asked for donations to their charity).

I've also been watching Squid Games.  I kept seeing it come up on social media and some of the things said made it sound great (don't worry, I don't give any spoilers) so I decided to try it.  I found it tough to get into at first, due to people acting like they wouldn't in real life type of thing, but now I'm looking past that and enjoying it.

Just had a chat with my boss who's given me some good feedback.  When working from home, and not sociable enough to venture in for the outings, I sometimes wonder if I'm of any value, so this has given me a boost.

Happy hump day all.

MT xx

MuffinTops

I've been feeling particularly lazy recently.  I haven't even updated YNAB yet, but I haven't spent very much so will be easy to update when I do it.

I had a good weekend.  The party on Saturday was lovely and the weather was perfect.  Met a few new people too who were really fun and very entertaining.  I didn't want to leave, but had a long drive home so ended up driving home around 7pm.  All was well until I got into the back lanes, when I saw the thickest fog I've seen in years.  It was moving a bit too which was really weird on my eyes and concentration.  There aren't many lights along the lanes either so it was a fraught journey.  But it was also weirdly enjoyable too.  The fog was completely fascinating and where it moved around it felt quite spooky and magical.  At times my imagination had me driving through it and ending up somewhere completely different, like Narnia! 

The rest of the weekend was fairly uneventful.  I drove out to a hobby shop on Sunday to pick up a few supplies, and then rested for the rest of the day.  I'm starting to feel the cold again, so need to put the heating back on again.  It was nice switching it off for a few days.

This week looks uneventful.  I can't get much done on the decorating but the plasterer did contact me yesterday to let me know he's going to contact me soon about getting my lounge done.  I also have to contact the plumber and the bathroom company to get those jobs moving again.

RosaBernicia

All sounds good MT. 

Re YNAB input, there is a tool called Sync For YNAB that will input all your transactions for you (assuming you're happy with their security arrangements) but it does cost about an extra £3/ month.  There is some chat on YNAB forums about the automatic import becoming available in the UK soon, but I think it will only apply to certain banks.  If you think this would be for you, or you're considering switching accounts, it might be worth reading around.  I'm delighted at the idea, just hoping they won't charge extra - I can't currently bring myself to pay for Sync For YNAB! 

RB xx

MuffinTops

Thanks Rosa, that's really good to know.

It could possibly help me stay on track with it all, as not updating for a while is my downfall.  I've just looked at it and I'm the same as you with the extra pay out each month, I just can't justify it.  I'll definitely keep an eye on it though,as it looks like it could be a really good addition.

MT xx

MuffinTops

I've managed to find a little get up and go in me again, well enough to update YNAB and find that there were subscriptions I completely forgot about.  One I'd continue anyway, but one was a luxury I can afford to live without.  I've decided to keep the luxury this year, and have added a calendar reminder on my phone to cancel when it's next due.  I've also added it to YNAB as a recurring yearly payment, so between the two I should remember to sort it for next year.

My house needs a bit of a shake up.  My office just isn't set out very well, so that's a job for this weekend.  An office and work area revamp.  One of the issues in my office is that I'm at the front of the house and that's where the sun comes around to from around 2pm glaring in.  So I'm going to move my desk around.  I was hoping there would be some sunshine today so I could move around the room and find a good spot, but it's so cloudy and gloomy today.

I downloaded the NHS app today as a work colleague told me about it.  He's off to Portugal and has access to his vaccination information on there and other details.  So I've downloaded and set it up and found that I have a Dr's appointment in November I knew nothing about!  I'm sure they'll write or phone to tell me, but I feel happier knowing that it's all in the app.  If I don't hear from them then I'll call a week before just to check it wasn't a mistake.  I am waiting for a follow up appointment with my Dr as I had a hospital appointment a few weeks ago, so it makes sense from that perspective.

That's it from me.  Due to insufficient funds I'm not really wanting to do very much.  This weekend will be about rearranging house things and maybe being able to unpack a few more boxes.

I hope the week is being kind to everyone.

MTxx

MuffinTops

Time just flies by.

I have managed to move my office around a bit, and had to order some more shelving.  These last couple of weeks have been a bit of a financial rollercoaster, but I think that I'm more aware of yearly direct debits (especially ones I don't really need anymore).

I was away last weekend with friends as they'd treated me to the break for my birthday.  We were in lockdown at that time, and I hadn't yet moved, so last weekend was great.  We visited an amazing pumpkin patch which had really been made to feel very autumnal and halloween-esque.  It didn't feel like it was just for children either, although their pumpkins were eye watering prices.  I didn't buy anything.  I just bought a hot chocolate while I was there.

The weekend wasn't particularly expensive other than the amount of diesel I needed and I did a little shopping trip to make sure we had all the incidentals like condiments and snacks etc.

It was such a fun weekend.  I always feel like I don't want to play any games, but always seem to laugh the most when I join in and we played plenty of games while away.  We also stayed in a barn which was amazing.  It had a hot tub and my bathroom had a jacuzzi.  Just a great place with amazing people.  I loved it.

I get paid tomorrow and have updated my budget for the month.  It's scary having to live so tightly to a budget now, particularly with the costs of energy rising etc, but I need those good habits back again.  

I'm off work next week as I need some time to get better organised.  I need trips to the tip for my recycling and I want to give the house a good clean as well as just have some time away from work as I've not had any time off since July.  I am looking forward to halloween this year and have bought 2 very cheap and very small pumpkins to show that I'm Halloween friendly.  I also have lots of sweets at the ready to hand out as I'm told there are lots of trick or treaters in the area.  I've never done this before as we didn't really get many people round where I used to live so I'm looking forward to it.

My plasterer has been in touch regarding finishing the living room, but he's a bit poorly at the moment.  I've said that I'm not available next week, as I want to get my own things done, so hopefully he'll be visiting the week after.  Then I can paint the living room and all the ceilings he's already done and start to think about furniture requirements.  I'm going to wait for the Boxing Day sales to order any furniture though.

I hope everyone's having a good week so far.

MTxx

another_casualty

All sounds good MT 
I've been  in that position a couple of times over the years by not having a break for many months . Mainly due to temping ,and uncertainty . The time of you'll have should do you good . You're getting lots done in your home also which will make you feel much better when everything is completed .

Regarding furniture , don't forget Black Friday in November if you have funds available then ..

MuffinTops

Thank you AC.  I'd not forgotten about Black Friday, but hadn't associated it with buying furniture.  What a great idea and will mean I'll get things faster.  I've started looking online for styles I like and will then need to just go into respective shops and try them out for comfort.

MuffinTops

On Friday evening I visited my Mum and took my pumpkins with me and we carved ours out together.  They were so small that we couldn't use any of the transfer images we had, so I copied the really basic image on the box that contained the pumpkin carving tools.  Unfortunately there was no pumpkin innards to save as it was all just string and seeds.  Next year I think I'll make a bit more effort and buy larger pumpkins and take out the innards earlier so that I can use them.  I've seen posts on preserving the cut pumpkins for a few weeks ready for halloween.

So I'm home and waiting for the trick or treaters now.  I have plenty of sweets, but we've had such bad weather that I'm wondering if anyone will actually want to venture out.  It's still very early though, so I'll wait and see.  

I picked up a few bits of shopping this morning and managed to almost stick to my shopping list.  I saw 2 large choux buns that were standard price but much cheaper than I expected so I snaffled them and have eaten one today.  I've also been sleeping terribly so I bought some Horlicks to see if that will help.  I've also ordered some Gingko Biloba with Ginseng to help calm my head a bit as I've heard great things about it.  I'll see how they go.

My office is almost organised.  I've set my printer to the wifi, which was a task and a half until I found a 3 minute YouTube video that made the whole process incredibly simple!  Sigh!  I've also moved my other printers to where I want them, and some of my machines are in their correct place.  I also need to put together some shelving, but I don't want to do it if I need to keep stopping to open the door so I'll save that for tomorrow.  Possibly while I'm stuffing all the sweets I didn't get to give out!  I'm sure I've got way too much!

Work have told me that I need to go into the office on 23rd November, so I bought my tickets today.  It wasn't nearly as expensive as I expected either and much cheaper than booking a hotel.  The only slight issue is that I have to be in central London by 8am!  So I've had to book a 5am train from a station that's an hour's drive from me!  I can't complain though as they've not hassled me to get into the office before and it isn't envisaged they'll do it much after either.  I needed to show I'm willing and can do my normal hours to make sure they don't get concerned about me moving so far away.

Now, back to the office rearrange.  It's a shame I can't sort the shelves out yet, but it'll be easier doing it tomorrow.

Happy Halloween to you all.

MTxx

MuffinTops

Halloween was fun last night.  It started off so slowly, while others near me were stating they'd had lots of visits.  By around 6:10pm I started getting regular knocking and all were dressed beautifully and very grateful for their treats.  It was fun.  That only went on for an hour and so at 8pm I brought the pumpkins in and turned the porch light off as I wanted to just relax at that point.

Today I've logged onto YNAB and seen that they've doubled their prices from 01 December 2021, so I'm going to cancel.  I just can't justify that amount of money to help me keep an eye on my spending, especially when spreadsheets are free.  I pay yearly and this is due in February, so I'm going to set up a spreadsheet now and transfer everything over.  I never use the actual app so it won't matter that I can't update my spreadsheet on the go.  I'm so erratic with it too, so haven't really felt the benefit of it.

This has prompted me to look through my accounts and see what yearly DD's I have that I just go with.  My aim now is to save every penny I possibly can and be much more mindful on where my money goes.  It'll be better staying in my pocket than going on frivolous impulse buys.

Other than that, today has been quite productive.  I've put together a shelving unit for my office which took me so long. Those things are so hard to do on your own when you have to line everything up, but it's all done and looks great.  I've also put together a printer rack and moved my work computer upstairs with the monitor.  I have that desk to put together later.

I've also decided that I really fancy a roast dinner, so that's in the oven.  It's making me really hungry just smelling it all cooking.  I've eaten a couple of sweets left over from last night but have to stop myself having any more now!  The drumstick sweets have been raided, but that's it!

Having a weekly shopping budget seems to be working well for me too.  Despite buying more than planned yesterday, I'm still £4.17 under budget this week.  That money will be popped into an emergency fund at the end of the week if it survives.

Despite it being so cold out, because I've been faffing about with putting shelves together I'm feeling pretty warm, so no heating needed just yet.  I doubt that will last, but we'll see.

Have a great week.

MTxx