The Ups and Downs of my Emergency Fund

WinterWarrior

https://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/dse/eye-tests.htm#:~:text=An%20employer%20must%20provide%20an,how%20they%20provide%20the%20test.

I think they may have to pay for your eye test. I’m not sure how you’d challenge it, but you could send them this link?

millymolly22

Thanks Winter Warrior. Yes I have read this myself and have spoke to ex employees who have confirmed they have had eye tests paid for.  Will think about it over the weekend whether challenge them again.  

millymolly22

So managed to get some new trainers today paid for by DH for my birthday.  Half price as well.  Saved some money for my hubby !!
Sorted my budget for the rest of the month and August.  I have lots of random days out planned with DGC and DDs over the school summer holiday.  Mostly free things - local museums that we haven't been to for a while and a trip to our local RHS garden.  As a nearby resident we get free entry one day during each week so we are all booked in for one of the days in the school hols.  I have put aside some money for cake and coffee 😄 for those days out.  Have a clothes shopping trip arranged for the end of the month using birthday money.   Hoping for some bargains in the sales fingers crossed.
Wish Amazon would stop sending me 99p book recommendations for my Kindle lol. Don't want to block the emails as sometimes they are helpful so think I will delete the email without reading for a while.
Should be NSD tomorrow and Monday.  Food cupboards are well stocked and shouldn't need a top up until at least Tuesday hopefully 

millymolly22

Monday my washer decided to call it a day.   It had been noisy for a while when spinning so my DH had a look at it (he is quite good at repairing domestic appliances) and said it just wouldn't be worth repairing.  Didn't have enough to pay for one from by EF so did BNPL with a store.  Gives me nine months to cover the cost but will pay it as soon as I have the money.  Don't want it hanging over me.

millymolly22

Washer has been delivered and my mountain of washing has now been caught up with.  Unfortunately the tumble drier had to be used due to the wonderful summer weather we have been having 🙄
Can't believe it's Friday again and we are half way through July.  My only spend this weekend should be a delivery from Mr T.  Again bread and milk have been used up rapidly this week but I can see that the prices of these are slowly coming down.
Want to do a good house clean this weekend and catch up with ironing.  The weather isn't good at all so no plans to do much else except dog walks between showers.
Happy weekend ☔

millymolly22

So it's nearly a year since I last posted on my own diary and it's a month or so until the big 60!!
Nothing much has changed financially.  Emergency fund stands at 200 which is pretty useless in the grand scheme of things and I have two 0% CCs with approx 2500 outstanding which if I stopped using for random purchases they could both be paid off before the 0% ends.
Our food bill is shocking but we don't go out much to eat and don't drink alcohol so good food is important to us.
As I have said before I have been in debt throughout my adult life but hitting 60 has definitely made me realise it has to stop now.  As retirement approaches monthly expenses need to be reduced as we learn to live on pensions in the next few years.
So for the next few months I am going to rein in unnecessary spending and also build up the birthday and Christmas fund and top up the EF as and when possible.  I don't want to have to rely on a CC for Christmas at all even if it's just 100/200.  The CC use has to stop as from today and then when they are both paid off that money can move into the EF.
Easier said than done but if I don't do it now I won't have any savings on retirement.
So it's 1st July tomorrow and a good marker to start my new approach to my spending/saving.  

millymolly22

So money saving this weekend has been changing my phone contract to a SIM only deal which saved me £30 a month and cancelling a shoe order for shoes I didn't really need as I have shoes I don't even wear in my wardrobe.  
I have a prescription to collect this week and have enough cash in my purse to pay for it so hopefully that's the only thing I pay out for until my food shop next weekend.
Have just found out prescriptions are free over 60 so this should be the last prescription I pay for ever!!  Possibly the only good thing about being 60 lol

joedenise

As you have reduced your phone contract to SIM only and will be saving £30 a month I would suggest for the next few months at least you either use to reduce your CC or alternatively add to your EF.  Don't let it just become an extra £30 a month you spend willy nilly!

millymolly22

Thanks for the comment joedenise.  Yes thats the plan to put an extra tenner to each card but for July I just want to get myself in the mindset of not using a CC at all and then continue until they are all paid off.
My spending on a card is basically can't wait for something minor, buy it with the proviso I pay it back on payday, payday comes around and I just pay my usual amount so although I pay 100 off each card each month I will have spent 30 to 50 and therefore the balances aren't going down as fast as they should on paper.  This is where my problem lies.
Money saving today was 15 a month in total off my gas and electric bills by changing tariff.

millymolly22

So today has been a no spend day.  Very long walk with the dog this morning and caught up with ironing pile.
Money saving today was to close two credit card accounts with nil balances on.  
Having used Stepchange to clear debts from 2012 to 2016 and also paying off my Mortgage I am amazed how many credit cards are now available to me.   Yes it's good for 0% balance transfers but in total the amount that was available over the five credit cards (now three) was more than my annual wage!! No wonder people get into debt so easily these days.