Future Proofing my life: Deposit saving then MFW journey in under 13 years

LadyWithAPlan

earthgirl2 said:

I would also say if I didn't want a drink, but I have a friend who just blames it on 'medication' if she is in a group and doesn't want to drink as it's easier than explaining for her that her budget has ran out. Sometimes she tells me and I buy her drinks or bring a bottle for her, it's not a problem though. 

My SIL is a fan of the hip flask (don't think it's a great idea, don't think it supports pubs etc who are really struggling, although it's saved her thousands over the years!) and also bringing a gift bag of something and drinking it - especially at weddings.

I am liking how my post is bringing forth some great frugal going out tips! Loving the medication one

I have a friend who has a hip flask shaped like a perfume bottle so gets it into clubs without an issue I never really bothered -  I do like a social drink but am not a quick drinker and its a pain having a drink in hand whilst dancing.. I wouldnt do it in a pub as you say - they have wages to cover and heating ...  but some busy clubs take £60k a night across the bar in London (yes absolutely true)  so more power to those who hip the flask )

However with drinks costing £15 each in London with service- cocktails more - where I go anyway .. and even in a pub its £10 a glass wine min .. hence me not going to restaurants much.. 

I am GF strictly  - and  also DF intolerant (I get instant mucus, excema and a bright red  rash on my neck if I eat it for  a few days in a row) plus as much as I love cheese I start coughing within 2 hours .. so I do know I should never have Dairy either .. the good thing re text ex (he who dumped me by text) is I had cheese in the house for him and once he was gone, I threw the cheese and my rash went in 24 hours .. maybe I was allergic to him? 

However in restaurants its a pain asking for GF - when I add DF for the list they look at me with horror - some restaurants ONLY do GF or DF choices.. so I do allow Dairy in meals out in the shape of butter in the sauces etc .. so meals out for me are often more of a pain than anything - luckily Pad Thai is a GF DF meal as in green chicken curry. French cuisine is not such a winner.. Even fries often have gluten in! 

LadyWithAPlan

KajiKita said:

Safe travels. Glad you are ready for the cold and damp! 😉 Be good to have you home 😊

KK

Tx! The joy of me wrapping myself up in my heated faux fur throw (which is glorious, cuddly  and so glad I bought it)  and then even taking it to bed with me last night ! Wasnt too cold when I landed but after dark and the rain - from 29%!  .. a bit of a shock.

My flight had 0 GF food for me even though I had ordered it - Amer Airlines on way back - and all they could find me was off salad! Luckily I had bought protein bars with me . but so annoying and they were quite abrupt about it. On the way out Brit Airways also same issue but they rustled up food from business and were v apologetic. and came back later to say they would email the office. On both flights I had gone to live chat first, asked at check in desk - it was suggested I also check in on the gate on my gf food .. (DF GF is never an option)  I also have it as my settings in my freq traveller with them both .. 

Best card or way to collect travel points suggestions please?
I am thinking I should maybe get a cc card with travel points for all these flights. I am with various airlines but as I travel always on the cheapest flight at the time due to work  I am not getting to build decent points with any airline.
I dont want to get an expensive annual fee card eg amex (had one years ago) but maybe I should look at this again. My only CC is just no charges abroad  but I think having been on trips 6 times this year I need to think on this 
Does the Chase card give points but guess thats debit and want credit for the protection

LadyWithAPlan

themadvix said:

By all means do a vision board if that helps you, but I’d suggest making sure that you’ve got all your RM alerts set up and you start talking to EAs in the areas you’re interested in buying. You’ve established that you need to take action, you’ve got a good idea of what you want, so I think it’s time you started getting out there and seeing lots of properties - by all means do your research and don’t waste time on ones that don’t tick the boxes (for everyone’s sake), but you can’t beat seeing properties and getting an idea of what’s out there/local areas/property styles.

This is very wise advice on RM and EAs - I know it will take some time and last time I seriously looked it took up too many hours of working time. So I need to get a plan here and as you say only see what ticks my boxes.

I am seeing 2 friends in 2 diff areas of E london as they want to show me their areas, Plus the RM alert is a great idea

I need to get this MIP sorted now I am back - though they want to charge me £295 for MIP then further £295 on mort completion - I need to check if the MIP runs out if they will charge me a further £295 each time

I also want to get another client in to get extra cash.

I will also do vision board but also take action. Getting my whiteboard of to dos sorted today plus the crazy of coming home after a rushed pack on the way out - ..and catch up with work - times like this it is great to be single no kids as I can focus

LadyWithAPlan

Karmacat said:

daisy_1571 said:

I see your issue with your friend there.  I'm sure you'll be aware of all the psychology there.  People that are unhappy with their own choices will definitely see it as judgement if you decide to do something different.   I understand it will be easier to pretend with the water etc but at some point you might be able to have a conversation about your spending goals, cutting back and healthier choices for yourself.   Possibly no matter how you word it she might be a bit awkward about it for a while but if you stick by your own choices hopefully it will all go well   

Yeah, I'm with Daisy - speeding up your drinking to stop your friend's bad feelings coming up, that's not good for either of you.  And it's not you that's causing any awkwardness, believe me. 

About the water, though, as I think I was the one that mentioned it - I never pretended it was booze, in fact I was very proud of my solution 🤣 because yes, I wanted to drink lots, but I could tell the toll it was taking on my body wasn't a good thing 🙄 and I knew I didn't have the willpower to drink less.  Much like I don't have the willpower today to have chocolate in the house 🙄

I dont speed up as such - though I end up always with a third of a glass when she needs to top up - I think I slow her down a bit and she speeds me up Though  I will often have a coffee  first when she wants a drink..   Of course once one has a few drinks its easier then to carry on.

I do have a lot of will power when it comes to alcohol - having seen what drunkenness and addiction looks like. I guess I am lucky to not have that addictive gene - though harib* and I have an issue. I have an intolerance to Dairy so much as I like chcolate I look at it and can feel the heaviness on my chest and lack of breathing clearly as I immediately get all clogged up by it. Candies/sweets are my go to and crisps - especially tortilla chips ..
I will be using your water as both an open thing and also a closed ..  

LadyWithAPlan

Apologies for long post but getting mentally clear on next 2 weeks now I am back 

Grocery  £95.35/£150  grocery    + £0/100bulk 
£2.35 yesterday back in London
On my return yesterday I popped to the local Nis* for a bottle sparkling water and a small piece of broccoli - £1.65 for the tiny broccoli! How do people give their kids loads of veg when it costs this much - fair cheaper to eat junk more than ever! 
I am determining to not buy any sweets or crisps in the next month in the run up to xmas - weighed myself and at my heaviest weight - though some will be muscle as I walked a lot week 1 (23k steps most days) and swam most days for 30-40 mins week 2 of my trip.

Spending fun £937.32 so far  this month
NSD - nope as just did the £1 personalised ornament on 02 Pri offer - Xmas gift so still 2/13
not including my travel home or food money on plane as covered by work thing 

Yesterdays Dinner after flight
I had some of those GF DF G*sh bites in the fridge for my return from a long flight -the mexican ones - so I popped in my halogen along with a green and a red pepper for dinner and also gently fried 2 cloves garlic in coconut oil before part frying/steaming the broccoli as a green side dish - with a dash of sesame oil
Dessert was a large apple and herbal tea
No real food on plane - luckily I had taken a protein bar and an oat thing plus had some chicken breast and crudites at airport I had taken with me . I always cook on the way out but harder on my return . No GF food on the flight. Not even nuts ! Think I will complain to Amer Airlines - the attendant even said 'didnt you bring your own food!?!'  This is a long flight ..

This eve I have defrosted some pork chops so a grilled pork chop  with ginger etc with frozen spinach and fresh broccoli. I also froze a whole cauliflower in a rush before I left so I will try grating it and frying some up with some other Frozen veg ... to make a cauli rice thing.
I do have some frozen brown rice in freezer - may defrost a bit but I am mindful of the brain health doc and definitely starting to eat less carbs esp white ones .. plus I have some pounds to lose.

My new bag
I also picked up my Viv Westwood bag I bought - even though I did pre - measure it out - its much bigger than I expected so I can fit my laptop in  one side - so v happy - its a gorgeous petrol blue/green leather and suede - less green than the online pics but has two sections and a zip up middle section as well as a zip up side part for wallet - shoulder bag. Long strap missing but rarely use that  - Plus perfect tartan lining - v vivienne -  Its perfect for me running around and looks lovely  and a bit retro 70s I like - I bought at auction. Now do I wrap it back up and get a family member to gift it for Xmas or use it now decisions ..

To repeat to remind myself from Frugalwoods

7) DONT BUY STUFF
No seriously, just don’t buy things. 99% of our success with our savings rate, and the fact that we spent circa $13,000 in 2014 (sans mortgage), is attributed to the fact that we don’t buy things. You can’t really hack your way to frugal. You can and should take advantage of discounts, coupons, rewards points, and the like. But at the end of the day, the only way to truly save money is to not buy stuff. Money doesn’t walk out of your wallet on its own accord.

Spending - only
Look at Black Friday deals on 14 Pro Max, iphone 15 and iphone 15 pro/pro max - decide or wait. current iphone £345 towards it
Xmas buying Black Friday

Back in London
 Had a 12 hour sleep but still pretty tired. I did manage a load of washing last night so another today. Managed now to empty case but I am slow...
I am still feeling focused but also aware I am still tired and  I have a lot to get on with - flat needs a proper clean - there are building works outside and dust.. plus inside I rushed to pack as had a lot on before I left so need to today - 
My friend - yes she has a housekeeper 3 x a week ...  is also self proclaimed OCD - she even wipes her huge fridge and freezer doors every day - she sees smears I just dont see - having said that whilst I am not unclean I definitely am looking at my current home and wanting it to be far more decluttered and clean to live in as I prep for the next fabulous home I finally own. So I will get back on the 30 days cleaning book once I get a tidier baseline.

Finances - I will start tracking my daily spends with notion as I go - so I can a quick easy win on spending overviews monthly without having to ynab and the reconciliation stuff


So list to do for rest of this week/possibly to end Nov as some of these are big jobs

Health
Get moving I am stiff from the journey - gym nice idea but its already late afternoon so will do some yoga at least
- Healthy food in  
- No sweets or crisps - track daily so far none today but did have some on plane 

Home - get my home beautiful, clean, decluttered and a place of joy whilst I get ready to move on next part of my journey in next few months
- unpack fully and get put away
- tidy kitchen  and proper clean
- get bathroom  -sink etc DONE
- study - make a lovely work space again
- get Balthazar the robot vacuum to work his magic 
-  Minimalism game 3/14 so far today
- I watched DK White thx to @savingholmes and loved the
     'everything you pick up think where does it live? If too many of that thing  in the place it lives then declutter. Or is it just junk? Or do i need to clear a space/stuff to make a space for it.
- Dont allow tidying up to stop me earning money and the rest of my goals.

Accts
Reconcile and complete my SE tax to april 23 - 
Add all entries, reconcile & complete Ltd co to april 23  
Sort the PAYE issues out 
Get my accts to chartered acct

Work
Client B - few hours 
Client A  - where we are at with queries and to dos 
Client C - waiting
Invoices update /chase
Update CV and start looking for Client D to help with mortgage

Side hustles
Sort out summer 2024 side hustle - need to fill in applications in next week or so
Look at programme - and figure out  transcribe, next steps etc - I have the cover done and the website paid for (but empty
Book 5 side hustle gigs for Dec - emailed 2 people  - not got back so hustle
Do a stream to see if can get another side hustle moving
Do some comping for  xmas
Do some MB
Sell 2 things I won 

Home buying
Mortgage in Principal - see if the £295 fee is rolled over if mip expires
MIP form
RM - get alerts 450k/475k limit
Call 2 EA and find EA in other arteas I am looking- Spoke already to one EA today 
Organise see friends in areas I am thinking to buy
Hoping the Nov budget will increase the H2B £450k limit as not shifted since 2016 or some such - know Martin L campaigning for LISSA - but my old H2B is also affected

Other 
Complain to airline for old flight delay - money back
Complain to airline  2 for terrible food - for the principle!
Sort out Utility company issue

Money
Set up a HALI reg saver £250 a month 5.5% 
Sort out MB balances - see what I made Oct/to now.
Get Notion tracking from now
Track saving and spending rate as a % of income

savingholmes

Glad you are enjoying listening to Dana

Sounds like you had a lovely time away. I think you were in an amazing location for relatively little spend. Go easier on yourself.

I would get someone to gift you the bag - that way you can enjoy it guilt free and clear down some of your recent spends. You are also reconfirming the delayed gratification lesson. (Although I splurged last week too...!) and it would be a meaningful way to start your 'buy nothing challenge.' There are great utubes on the latter too.

Good luck chasing those invoices - would be my highest priority.

beanielou

Look at Affordable Mobiles.
They are fab & were recommended by Martin in the newsletter.

LadyWithAPlan

savingholmes said:

Glad you are enjoying listening to Dana

Sounds like you had a lovely time away. I think you were in an amazing location for relatively little spend. Go easier on yourself.

I would get someone to gift you the bag - that way you can enjoy it guilt free and clear down some of your recent spends. You are also reconfirming the delayed gratification lesson. (Although I splurged last week too...!) and it would be a meaningful way to start your 'buy nothing challenge.' There are great utubes on the latter too.

Good luck chasing those invoices - would be my highest priority.

You are right on both bag and invoice counts
I will look at buy nothing on utube!

I did only spend £1 today on a personalised xmas gift so almost a NSD..

MB round up - Profit /income £952.10 for  9th Oct - 14th Nov - woohoo!
this is really til end Oct as I couldn't do any whilst in the States  and did a tiny bit of happy wheel yesterday and today
- so 9th Oct - 14th Nov
Winning largely from casin* and accumulat*r offers on footy  - I tripled checked my figures I have avg £4.5k a year on this but it gets harder as more and more companies gub me...  so this year only over £2266 so far so lowest yet since I started - still tax free - some months I am negative cos of casino variance
Normally I take the excess over my float and split into SIPP 1/3  and home dep savings 2/3  but if a mortgage co did look at that bank - (has no salary coming in so unlikely according to the mortgage broker but better safe than sorry)  ... then I dont want to see loads dep/withdrawals - although some offers do require fresh deposits.
So I have left now a  bigger float but its added in the savings figures below

House savings is over £110,000! Finally ! £110,184.93  

Off to colour in 2 x  £500 box on my house savings chart... how fun!
Actually a bit more - maybe  £100+   but its the s&s isa (1/5th of my funds)  thats fluctuating so will wait til month end to declare that  - next tareget £110,500 ..

Nov savings £885.32/902.21    

£25 to S&S ISA
£75 PREM BONDS
£600 extra in my MB bank/ accounts - I will see what happens in Dec then may draw more down
(I now pay tax on my savings ..hence no normal savings for this)
So I am doing great in my savings challenge since I started tracking it on here again it goes up each month.

SIPP £52.10  so £462.10 Nov

Min Game 14/14 -
Just dashed around before bed to find 14 items to trash

beanielou said:

Look at Affordable Mobiles.
They are fab & were recommended by Martin in the newsletter.

I will thanks... I want an iphone as my macbook., apple watch and earbuds all are apple and its a pain when not. So will see if they have iphone as they are not affordable mobiles! I always have a refurbed old one to keep costs down but this battery is an issue for all the travel.

I managed with a v brilliant Huawe* for a while but apple watch only talks to iphone .. and my watch keeps me fit, I do use it for a side hustle -  and its a useable luxury...

TallGirl

Well done on getting over £110K great motivation for looking at those flats. Also nice wins this month on match betting I did it a long long time ago but I got a bit addicted to the slots machines so best stay away from them now. 

Good luck with getting back into the gym it is so hard when it is dark and horrible weather but you got this.

LadyWithAPlan

TallGirl said:

Well done on getting over £110K great motivation for looking at those flats. Also nice wins this month on match betting I did it a long long time ago but I got a bit addicted to the slots machines so best stay away from them now. 

Good luck with getting back into the gym it is so hard when it is dark and horrible weather but you got this.

Good you knew that about yourself and could stop. 

Nowhere as much cash in MB as there used to be I  gather offer wise - and I am definitely earning less but I need to do the casino to keep my profit up - having had a gambler parent I am v in control - lessons learnt and all that 

Not managed gym yet but I will!