Time to stop being frivolous!

WatchedByOwls

jusferbrowsing said:

Congratulations on the flat sale. That must feel such a weight lifted off your shoulders.

You're doing really well in MSE savings too everything considered, life has a habit of throwing spanners into the works and you've coped admirably. 

Thank you! It is a huge relief and I can feel the stress lifting. Can't believe it's finally done! 

The weekend wasn't very MSE alas as I had quite a few meals out, including for a friend's birthday. It was nice not to be constantly worrying about spending. I also treated myself to a second-hand book I've wanted for a while for £3 and a pair of new headphones as I lost mine last week. The new ones were only £25 so not a huge spend. 

However from now I'm back to MSE principles! No need to fritter away all my money on nonsense. I'm hopefully going to speak to my mortgage broker this week about what my partner and I can afford together, but I think I'm happy to put off house hunting and all that kind of stuff for a few weeks, and just enjoy some time not thinking about property! 

WatchedByOwls

Evening all. I've just finished a long 8 days on call at work. I've found it very hard to relax but I'm off now till Wednesday so I can switch off for 24 hours at least! Have a long weekend ahead too as I'm taking a half day on Thursday and AL on Friday. 

Later this week my mortgage broker is hopefully going to give us some idea of what we might be able to get. He's very good but we might not be able to use him as my partner is self-employed and may need to go to a specialist, but we'll see.

I haven't been feeling very well lately so went to the doctor today. It's looking likely I'll be referred to a specialist for further tests. Hopefully it's all ok, it's been a stressful 18 months so the last thing I need is health issues

WatchedByOwls

It transpires I have been rather remiss in checking my pay slips this year.

I was opted in to a benefit at work which was costing me £75 each month, taken directly from my pay packet. I opted out in December 2021 as I wasn't using it any more. I'd had confirmation that it was stopped so thought nothing more of it.

Fast forward to last weekend, I had to send a copy of my pay slip to my mortgage broker. I had a proper look for the first time in ages and saw I was being charged for the travel benefit! Went through all my old pay slips from 2022 and I'd been charged every month.

A disgruntled email has now sorted it and I'll be getting about £550 back in my next pay packet which is a nice extra bonus. I've set a reminder every month now to check my pay slip for anything unexpected - lesson definitely learned.

My partner and I haven't had a proper holiday in years so we've just booked 2 weeks in Canada in October. Not the most MSE endeavour but both of us can comfortably afford it and it won't be too expensive. 

savingholmes

Just caught up. Well done on the flat sale - sounds like a huge relief. 

Well done too on all those debt repayments. 

Good luck with house hunting. Glad you found the £550 you were owed and will get it back soon.

WatchedByOwls

Evening all. 

I haven't been great at updating my diary for a long time and sadly with that my MSE approach to life has slipped as well. I'm well aware I need to get myself back on the wagon for a number of reasons.

When I last posted here I'd not long sold my flat, which was a huge financial burden, and my boyfriend and I were speaking to our mortgage broker to see what we could afford. Fast forward 10 months and having gone out what felt like a hundred house viewings, we've finally found the right place. We're going through conveyancing as we speak, have our mortgage offer in place and have a surveyor booked for next week. All very exciting! 

Our mortgage will be large but is affordable within our current salaries, although it is a significant chunk more than what we pay in rent. With that and bills, plus needing to buy furniture, do some work to the place, and all the other little bits that come with home ownership, I need to get myself back into the MSE mindset and cut my spending hugely. We'd also like to overpay on our mortgage if we can. 

The only big spending commitments apart from the house stuff is a few big holidays. I should've thought more sensibly about booking them in the same year as buying a home but I didn't fortunately I've budgeted so I can afford it but it would've been wiser to not go away!

I'm back into bad habits of getting takeaways, going out for food, buying expensive pre-made meals when we've got food at home, beers out etc. Just lots of frivolous spending that really isn't necessary and brings me short term gratification but no longer term happiness. That money should be kept aside for house stuff that will have a long term benefit and make me happy over a longer period. And also to make sure I don't spend beyond what I can actually afford with an increased cost of living owning a house.

I've made some commitments which I'll try my best to stick to, including updating this diary more regularly and using it to hold myself to account, and cutting out the stupid spending. 

So far today I've made breakfast/lunch for work tomorrow and planned dinner, using only stuff we've already got at home. I've also got an idea of what we'll eat for the rest of the week and already have most of it. I do go away on holiday next week so there is a bit of spending needed for that but I should be able to avoid the dreaded frivolous spending.

Anyway, enough rambling. I'll try my best because there's a lot riding on it! 

WatchedByOwls

Evening all. Just finished a late meeting at work and updating my diary while dinner cooks.

Today has been an NSD. I took food with me to work and dinner is stuff from the freezer that needs eating. I'll be slobbing in front of the TV tonight and maybe trying to finish my book. I'm so tired despite it only being Tuesday! 

WatchedByOwls

Almost a year without posts then two updates in a day!

With a quiet evening in I've had a chance to look at my spending for the last two months. Putting aside house move costs (eg solicitor) and not including pre-allocated holiday payments, my spending hasn't actually been too awful. It's still objectively pretty reckless and if I'd been more sensible, I could've had an extra £500 - or perhaps even more - in my savings. This would add up to £3000 over a year which could go to offering so much more value in the long term.

I know I'm being silly when I spend frivolously so I don't know why I do it. Just need to be stricter with myself! 

savingholmes

Have you identified what triggers over-spending? Are there any protective measures you can put in place to limit the likelihood of reoccurrence?

WatchedByOwls

Good evening all. 

Another long day at work today but it was a second NSD which was good. I was tempted to buy some snacks but resisted, thinking about this diary! 

A few books I ordered last week arrived in the post for me, meaning I have sufficient reading material for a little while. I'm not counting books as frivolous spending as I buy them secondhand or when they're on sale on Kindle for 99p. I rarely impulse buy them; I have a list of titles I want to read and keep on eye out for when I can get them for a few quid. Most of the time the ones I want aren't in the library which is frustrating.

I try to read on my commute and most evenings. However tonight I'm exhausted so will be making my way to bed very shortly. Tomorrow will be a spend day as I'm off from work and I need to get some holiday bits from the shop and some currency for spending money. All necessary spends, nothing frivolous or that I should feel guilty about.

WatchedByOwls

savingholmes said:

Have you identified what triggers over-spending? Are there any protective measures you can put in place to limit the likelihood of reoccurrence?

You've asked a really good question which I was thinking about today. 

I think one of my key triggers is boredom. If I don't have much to do I go out and buy a pastry or a snack or something. It's only a few £s here and there but it all adds up. Instead I could be doing something productive (I'm not short in chores/tasks/things I need to be doing) which don't result in aimlessly browsing shops and buying things. 

I also really lack willpower at times. I know I've got food in the house but I just really fancy a takeaway and I don't stop myself from getting one. Or I'm out doing X activity and I must just stop in at a nice looking bakery I'm passing because I really fancy that brownie that looks delicious.  I don't need that extra £6.50 pint in the pub but I get it because, well why not?! I need to be better at restraining myself.

Probably the final big cause (and one I can do something about) is lack of preparation. I can't be bothered to prep lunch for work the night before even though I have stuff in, so I inevitably pick something up from the shops. I don't think in advance about booking a food order, so I have to buy something (at a higher price) from the local shop for dinner - and of course I get a dessert, or snack, or whatever, at the same time, spending even more money.

You've given me some food for thought as I'd never really considered it in these terms. Thanks!