Pay for the future and not the past

MissRikkiC

An astonishing amount placed on the credit card today (to be immediately repaid by the remortgage) but will allow for most kitchen appliances to be installed with the refit next week. However I used topcashbk, shopped around (so much that I was so sick of looking) and got discounts and price matches where possible. 

Definitely could have bought entry level brands/models for all items but this is our dream kitchen and we will be here a few years so it was the right thing to do for us. It was also well accounted for within the remortgage so I’m happy. 

Tessco click and collect for us on the way to a friends for lunch, cake still needs topping but not sure what to do as it just didn’t rise at all 😅 it’s like a pancake! I think my baking powder is old but I’m sure it’ll taste okay with a load of cream 😂 added as many AF beers as the shop would allow as they had a certain brand at the cheapest I’ve ever seen it (also my favourite) so that’s from my own spends. 

Chili and roasted veg out of the freezer for dinner tomorrow along with lunch bits for hub and something for me! (Although I’m not sure what it is!)

MissRikkiC

Pay day tomorrow for us and funds left in the joint account will be used to over pay on the loan again for Febs proportion of the mortgage 1% challenge. I’d have done it already but to see a zero balance on the account isn’t very nice to will wait until tomorrow instead. 

I have some savings at the moment albeit not lots, which id like to just put away for the baby so that it takes the pressure off a little for the next 7 months of saving but we are likely due a solicitors bill for the remortgage process we’re currently going through and I think this will use those savings up. We’re fortunate that the mortgage we have applied for includes a cash back amount towards those solicitors fees but we also have a broker fee to pay so it’ll just be a case or whatever we get back will pay for one of those 2 things and we will still take the hit from our savings for the other. 

We will know better though then the situation we’re in, savings wise. 

House renovations will be paid for by the remortgage; The kitchen renovations will be what they will be, as this was the main reason for the extra funds but I’m fortunate enough to be excellent friends with the fitter so I don’t think he will charge me as we would usually. Whatever is left will be split towards/covering the cost of replacing windows and doors and carpeting throughout. 

The carpeting isn’t urgent so thinking about it right now, I might be better popping those allocated funds to one side for now and doing a room or 2 at a time with the monthly amount we would have saved for the baby instead. At least that way we aren’t as pressured as don’t NEED the carpet… food for thought. 

anjyeah

How does this sound like me, lol. I get the idea of not moving any money just so I don't see any zeroes in my account - it's really psychological isn't? 

Seems like a stressful time with all the renovations and the finances involved with it but it's good to hear the plan and reasoning behind it. You'll be fine - I guess it will all be worth it once everything is actually done and you can forget the troubles of it all. 

MissRikkiC

Hello readers if youre here! 

Not much to update, but my kitchen is getting there. Today a work top went in! But on inspection of the new sink, there is a mark on it which means it’ll need replacing. So frustrating as the sink could have gone in today and that would have been bliss as I’m washing up in the bath which is actually soul destroying! 

Anyway. On account of my Apple Pay not working today, I searched high and low in the car for a card or cash and found a credit card that I still had the app for so quickly checked the pin and thought I’d use that (emergency…. I’d have repaid it this week since it only would have been £2 😂) and to my surprise, my account was £149 in credit!! How this happened I’m not sure, I assume my last payment went out after the balance was moved but it was a lovely surprise! Off to ask for it back now and put towards loan payment! It could go in the baby fund but we moved a huge £800 in there this month so feels better placed against the loan instead! 

anjyeah

Oh my - lucky catch on that extra credit! Definitely a lovely surprise. 
Good luck on the home renovations!

Blackcats

What a nice surprise with the credit card balance in your favour!  It's like putting on a coat and finding some long forgotten cash in the pocket.  

Washing up in the bath is awful isn't it?  When my kitchen was renovated the dust and the washing up was the worst bit, but it sounds like you are at the beginning of the end stage now.  It will be worth it! 

MissRikkiC

It was lovely @Blackcats and @anjyeah
exactly like having found money in an coat! It went straight against the loan along with another £100 left over from last month! 

We’re so much further through the kitchen now which is great, the sink had however arrived damaged which is annoying and now we’re waiting on a replacement which will arrive Wednesday. I have realised that the sink is not just for water but instead for so many other small bits and can’t wait for it to be in! 

In other news, we cooked a lovely meal Saturday night for us and a friend, lots of Lebanese food which I loved. I spent hours in the kitchen even though I wasn’t preparing anything huge, but the additions to the grocery bill are a bit steep. There are left overs and everything was delicious but still. 

On the topic of money, this weekend I drove off with the keys on the roof of the car (keyless entry) and whilst I think I know where they fell off, it didn’t dawn on me until I had got home and despite going back I couldn’t find them. It was my husbands car and he was really calm about it, but that was more likely because he hasn’t got a clue where the spare is and now we need to make an insurance claim. 

Insurance will cover up to £300 if we don’t reprogram the new keys however that’s what we think we will need to do. We’re going to get a quote tomorrow to change the locks (only other option I think since it’s not got a key which goes into the ignition) so hoping that’s a possibility. We have a car emergency fund with approx £400 in there so even if we do need to pay outside the insurance, we have funds there but now we’ve told the insurance, we may as well use them as they will increase the premiums anyway. Pretty annoying as I need a friend to run me and my daughter to nursery in the morning as my husband is taking my car for work but hoping I can get it sorted before Tuesday. I still think we will need the AA to recover us as we’ve no way of getting the car to the locksmith unless they are mobile but will have to see in the morning. 

Ugh. Back later this week to update once we know better 

MissRikkiC

Managed to arrange for the keys to be sorted for hubs car with a man with a van type thing and since I had offered him the business he was able to ensure I could claim through my insurance so outlay for the car was £350 (so so expensive) but £300 to be received back from the insurers. Kind of feels like a win despite being £50 worse off! So glad I didn’t need the AA though! It did take until Thursday to get sorted but almost glad since it meant the claim would go through insurers. 

On the debt front I have paid off the extra found money plus £100 left over anyway, in theory that covers our £100 a month till when we get into April so need to continue finding ways to eeeeek a bit more out of the budgets. 

Sky bill being reduced has been sorted, so that’s a little towards the target each month. 

New car for work has been delayed so the benefit I’d get of having less tax to pay won’t start either till later this year but that’s not factored in anywhere as I don’t know yet how much it’ll be, so could account for the £100 extra maybe. Let’s see. 

anjyeah

Yey for bill reduction! We had to haggle a little with them in the end because we can no longer justify spending x amount each amount. We will just have to watch out and estimate the end of this promotion instead. 

It seems the car fob thing wasn't as bad after all and you still ended up paying something out of the debt. 
I'd consider that a win. 

MissRikkiC

I have so much money juggling to do this weekend, our remortgage will be through and the extra funds will be available. 

In true inpatient fashion, some of the work is already complete which is currently funded by my kitchen fitter (and good friend) but some is on a credit card (appliances which we’re required but knew they’d be repaid before the interest began) and some is from savings. Some is from other pots but it all needs correcting this weekend. 

The silver lining of having the funds come through (and mostly already spent!) is that I think I know roughly what is left which means I can provisionally get the jobs which those funds were for; booked In and almost spend what’s left (as intended) thus putting me back at knowing things are complete, paid for or no longer viable (due to overspending on the kitchen!). 

I’ve been waiting for that point since September last year when I first started the kitchen and despite now having the baby to save for (we have already started this) I’m keen to get in the right frame of mind and hash it all out. I have a rough guide on what will be required for maternity (when my pay drops) but need to weigh up a couple of options to see if I can utilise other funds or ‘holiday’ a payment especially now I know I’m ahead of the original game plan for certain things (but not others!) to make the astronomical required funds per month more manageable. We can do it, I already know that but I’d like to double check it all. 

Actually, at 9:25 on a Sunday evening, I’m going to start making a list of some of the above shuffling required! It’ll help ease my brain for bed I’m sure.