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

dawnybabes

Absolutely get them on display ! 

LadyWithAPlan

PennysIntoPounds said:

Absolutely turn those shoes into a piece of art! I was thinking the other day that if I lived in a stately home, you know those plinths they have along their long corridors with busts of historical figures on them, well I'd use those plinths to display my battered high top trainers which are to my mind pieces of art 😁 

Absolutely! I so regret throwing away my platform trainers from Spice Girl days - part of my history So comfy to club in!  That is also art ...

Watty1

I like the musings.  I looked at a flat in Camden in my 20s.  Short walk from the market.  Back then the area was a bit rough.  The flat needed a bit of a tart up, not much and had lovely high ceilings and 2 bedrooms and it was very affordable.  I had a deposit from a great aunt and I could have bough that flat with a small mortgage.  Leaving the flat and on the way to the tube station I was accosted by a drunk.  Now the area was not as nice as these days and that put me off the area completely.   I just googled the street on Right move ..oh my .. they are going for over 2 million now gasp!   Anyway the drunk put me off, i went home to my rented place, met a pal in the pub and decided to go to India and travel for a bit.  When I came back I couldn't afford a flat in Camden as the area had become trendy - funny lifes twists and turns.  Instead I bought a small terrace house in a local town for what that flat would have been (current value £125,000) and did that up instead.  

My financial considerations in my 20s hinged on a drunk LOLOL   I wonder how differently life could have been if I had not met the drunk, yes I could have been worth millions, then again, I could have been miserable in a flat on my own when all my pals were travelling and in the South East the misery could have driven me to drink and ruin.   There are two sides to every coin.

beanielou

I have an old but much beloved handbag hanging on a hook in my spare room. 

Humdinger1

LadyWithAPlan said:

Free money alert! 
Track extra income from ebay/free money/refunds etc  £145.17 Nov

£13.51 claimed from Green Jinn - had forgotten about £12.51 of it - changed phones and lost emails access etc to it 
so that’s going to house savings today .. 
will also do the £10 into £20 for nectar - and maybe a £20 to £40 - I don’t shop much there nowadays as switched to Lidl but at double points it will be cheaper I am sure  
This has gone into Prem Bonds £25 so saved a bit more from current acct


Flask of hot water again ..

I am back to boiling a full kettle first thing for my coffee  and adding the rest into a large flask to use as I go through the day. 

I bought an elec monitor last year and figured everytime I used my kettle it was about 5-6p depending on water content - I make coffee, tea and sip hot water throughout the day 
Not sure why I don’t do the flask thing in spring /summer but i guess it’s nice to have hot water on tap as it were and I am probably saving at least 30p a day if not 50p - 10 reheats  plus quicker  to add more hot water to my herbal tea etc . And having non at boiling water for my aeropress makes better tasting coffee so it’s a win win for time taste and money. 

Shopping £12.28
£158.23 /£150  grocery    + £9.65/100bulk 
Grocery spend as popped to huge SM after college
I still bought some junk... 
 £3.73 on cavolo nero and YS chcken breast, Alpr* soy DF cream
£8.6 on bulk - another Tesc* Clubc reduction on tamari, colmans mustard powder, rose harissa on Clubc disct

Non essential spending  £1165.65
Plus some Squashies - junk...£1.15 


£158.23 /£150  grocery    + £9.65/100bulk 
Track what I save in my hse deposit  Nov £910.32/902.21    +     SIPP  £462.10
Cashflow EF  £360/£2000
Track extra income from ebay/free money/refunds etc  £145.17


'How do you love the financial journey you are in right now? What does that look like?'
Was listening to a Ramit Sethi podcast and he asked this v intelligent question..
I have been thinking anyway that I am definitely not loving my life so much I am looking at this big purchase as this obstacle and I am worried it may delay my life choices and fun.. - I want to say massive purchase  - but my language does need a reframe.
A home will be a wonderful exciting  purchase full of possibility, stabillity and fun - as opposed to me only seeing it as a £300k debt around my neck.  No wonder I am dragging my feet on the actions I need to take and the income production I need to support this very positive dream.

There is this Buddhist principle of things/experiences - jobs, purchases, your life being of 'beauty, benefit and good'
So things can be beautiful, of great benefit for you and others, and good for you and others - and my new home will be all those things. So not so expensive it is stressful and not good, a place of joy and laughter and beautiful, and a benefit for friends and family and myself in the long term.


So I am planning to journal oon this how do I love my  financial journey, I appreciate my wonderful life but not fully on the journey, the battle, the winning. I feel I am neglecting a lot of actions I can take for money, creativity and joy so that I am looking at that.

Good Omens and Daisy Jones and The Six - wow!
I have aMaz Prime for free as a 6 m trial as part of my student card so just finally watched the above two series.
I loved the Daisy Jones book and it was great to see it on TV as a series .. I cried at the end of the book but the film leaves it more positive almost (no spoilers), the music was great as well and her fabulous 70s inspired wardrobe is insane -  I wanted all of it!, well worth a watch i binged the way thru - argh
This is why I dont have a tv or netfli* anymore - I binge them thru the night and dont get proper sleep.

Good Omens was also fabulous - I hadnt read the book - not that into Terry Pratchett or Neil Gaiman but for those few who havent seen it- its basically a demon (David Tennant) and an angel (Michael Sheen) becoming friends over centuries and joining together against their own sides to stop the Apocalypse as they enjoy earth too much. The two main characters were wonderful together.... script is v funny  and ridiculous too so well worth a Xmas watch if you are having Prime for Xmas deliveries..
There is a Good omen 2 but I am not watching it til my tax returns are done 

When worlds collide...apocalypse avoidance and tax returns! I love it @ladywithaplan

LadyWithAPlan

Spending £18.98 -the big river  
some A4 paper  at great price as am doing some art related stuff and need printer paper for it...

 £158.23/£150  grocery    + £14.64/100bulk 
Bulk -  the Chermoula spice mix I wanted £4.99  
The chermoula lamb recipe in HF is fabulous - best thing by far so I am planing to recreate with chicken or turkey mince (yes I know its not as fatty but ..) 


Voluntary spending  £1241.10 (inc £13.99 paper + £23.56 applic fee) 

Did my next summer side hustle 1st application £23.56 fee (overseas hence weird amt) 
Applied for a work thing £23.56 for next summer - should make money at it but not guaranteed - If I get it - I will know tomorrow -  then more cost to come but think worth it -  either way its being counted as non essential spend as I am tracking this. 
I have renamed it Voluntary spending as better reframe then non essential..

Xmas Gifts/BF £34  - 
£68 paid now  but family member will be paying half on this so £34 counted..
Got a v nice heated throw for my parents - £20 off plus I got 10% student discount card as boots and 550 points or so .. plus £3 cashback in 6 months  
I am in love with my throw - its a Dreamla*d one ... cant recommend it enough..
Also getting them a robot vacuum mop thing as I love mine and mum requested one. So will look tomorrow - got a few marked in amaz warehouse as well.

My friend is v ill  with flu/chest infection I was planning to go dancing with 2mrw ... so I may not go or drag other friends.. but last time was £24 for 2 drinks and my Nov ent budget is beyond busted  so I will decide..

Spreadsheets...
I am going to track all my spending for a year in a s/sheet to a penny as opposed to broad brush stroke in my beg of month budgets..
 Rough guess in Oct  already and my Nov stats are a bit  dubious cos of travel and work/personal mix .
However from Dec 1st I will do a whole year of all - just set up a categories in G sheet - Notion is annoying and ynab I am not going to reconcile that as I have to do my own and my ltd com accts as well.
So I will get far clearer on the cost of my life v mortgage payments to come.
I have already this month despite spending £1200 on non essentials (rent, food, basic travel, utilities etc) saved over £900 which would cover the diff of a mortgage.

FREE XMAS TREE
 I have been gifted a free fake Xmas tree - was thinking of buying one -and friend was getting rid of hers  so I have added a small string of battery powered lights I have .. Looks cute but not enough lights so I will buy some mains powered ones - Tesc* had some half price with Clubcard deals that look great - I wanted to check prices elsewhere and they look like a great deal. plus I dont want to be running batteries

 Also just seen I have £3.50 in tesc vouchers  in the app- plus another £1.50 to come once i get 1 more point  - not counted either yet but I will  use the voucher against my lights so they will largely be free  
I would not bother but think elec mains will be cheaper than battery powered lights

TO DOS THIS WEEKEND
Organise and print  for art thing - once paper arrives (paper ordered)
Ltd co rec and finalise my 22/23 accts
SE reconcile and finalise my 22/23 accts
Finalise PAYE stuff - all
Do application for side hustle today as deadline is today DONE
Client A Queries
Minimalism game each day  24/24 DONE
Buy Xmas lights - from Mr T with £3.50 voucher
Social stuff 
Get to gym tomorrow even though I am seeing friend early.
Start BF Xmas gifts purchase

Dinner 
Dinner tonight  was the defrosted YS  pork crackling joint I bought early in the week half price with some defrosted YS root veg mash and greens  - I cooked in the halogen as it works brilliantly in there - loads left...

Minimalism game 24/24 210 things this month ... 
Having being fairly consistent on decluttering stuff slowly over the last few months even though it has been on/off (and thinking about buying within a year!) I have started to eye up some items as the easy wins are less so ...so  kitchen ware I   never use  that is going out the house in the morning- one cast iron frying pan that always burns  (not le creuset - that is always fine), an ugly glass and an extra travel mug of which I have too many...
I also have a toaster of which only 2 of the 4 portions work and I never use it... I will see if a neighbour wants it.  for tomorrows tally 
I also have a small pile of shoes ready for Vinted (not counted them yet in my tally) but I will once they up on vinted as they will be leaving the house one way or another - some are gorgeous but not me..

LadyWithAPlan

dawnybabes said:

Absolutely get them on display ! 

beanielou said:

I have an old but much beloved handbag hanging on a hook in my spare room. 

@PennysIntoPounds as well  

I am loving the passion and memories  that our shoes and handbags bring!

@Humdinger1
When worlds collide...apocalypse avoidance and tax returns! I love it @lad@LadyWithAPlan

I know how to live fast  Humdinger ....

Watty1 said:

I like the musings.  I looked at a flat in Camden in my 20s.  Short walk from the market.  Back then the area was a bit rough.  The flat needed a bit of a tart up, not much and had lovely high ceilings and 2 bedrooms and it was very affordable.  I had a deposit from a great aunt and I could have bough that flat with a small mortgage.  Leaving the flat and on the way to the tube station I was accosted by a drunk.  Now the area was not as nice as these days and that put me off the area completely.   I just googled the street on Right move ..oh my .. they are going for over 2 million now gasp!   Anyway the drunk put me off, i went home to my rented place, met a pal in the pub and decided to go to India and travel for a bit.  When I came back I couldn't afford a flat in Camden as the area had become trendy - funny lifes twists and turns.  Instead I bought a small terrace house in a local town for what that flat would have been (current value £125,000) and did that up instead.  

My financial considerations in my 20s hinged on a drunk LOLOL   I wonder how differently life could have been if I had not met the drunk, yes I could have been worth millions, then again, I could have been miserable in a flat on my own when all my pals were travelling and in the South East the misery could have driven me to drink and ruin.   There are two sides to every coin.

Great story Watty -  Sliding doors indeed ... your travel sounds excellent 

Camden still is a bit dodgy tbh.

savingholmes

Well done on the decluttering.

Can't live on could-a, should-a, would-a. Your deposit is going well. Your future side hustle option sounds positive.

KajiKita

Thanks @LadyWithAPlan. In that case I can see I have ‘adulted’ by making various small OPs, 16 times so far this month! 😊

KK

Sistergold

Weldone @LadyWithAPlan with the decluttering, you have really inspired me to “pickup where I left” on my decluttering journey. I have been on it for a while now it has been slow but sure. 

You are doing well with keeping track of your money and your savings are going well. Minimalism, well I like thinking of that and hope to earn the minimalist title by the time I retire! I have managed to minimise my shopping for sure.