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

Cheery_Daff

I've never really investigated the toolkits, they were only just getting going when I started and I settled into a routine and never went back to them. Will investigate. I do often think it would be interesting to separate food and household, but it's not worth the effort for me. 

Sounds like a decent night out!

South_coast

Ooh, I LOVE kale! Nice to know it's doing my liver some good 😀!

Cheery, could you put your household items through as a separate transaction in the supermarket, or would that be too much faff?

Merlin's_Beard

Cheery_Daff said:

I've never really investigated the toolkits, they were only just getting going when I started and I settled into a routine and never went back to them. Will investigate. I do often think it would be interesting to separate food and household, but it's not worth the effort for me. 

Sounds like a decent night out!

I don't necessarily separate food and household out if it's all bought at the supermarket - into the food category it goes. If I buy other things separately they go into a different category. Yes, that means that something might end up in a different category depending on where and how I bought it but I'm all about the easier life.

Cheery - Toolkits I really like. The reports are not something I'm desperately invested in, but it increases the amount of display options exponentially and just makes the whole thing a lot more customisable.

LadyWithAPlan

Cheery yes tookits allows you to customise your ynab in some really great ways - watch the NICK TRUE Mapped out money ynab videos on YT on toolkits - dm'd you link

I also find the toolkits reports much better than ynab

@South_coast munch away!

LadyWithAPlan

Unexpected cashback £6.81 - 
Received an email from Agod* with a £6.81 cashback from a work hotel booking - had to download app to claimback and sent to my Monz* which does accept US dollars ( was a $1.05 charge if to a debit.credit card - I dont think so) 
It said I wont get for 7 days but still  was happy extra money and then it came in 2 mins!

As rock n roll as La Plan is,  I divided this into SIPP £2.81 + Hse deposit £4  - will wait til I have a bit more to add  to move to PB or isa but did move £20 over to Sipp today  - Living hard ..
I can see approx I am up £900 in S&S isa and £1600 so far in sipp with mkts but wont actualise this til end of the month..
SIPP  £320 invested in Dec (+£20 today)

Spending - Voluntary spend  £692.99  mainly going out and Xmas gifts
I have made a new category group in ynab called social as its an important part of my spend as a single LWAP - no guilt here    - split then into 
Coffees out
Alcohol at Home - I dont drink on my own 
Drinks out
Entertainment  so tix etc
Meals out
Cabs/trains for social (my London tube/bus travel is all under essential transport)
So 
Social spend Dec  £298.52
Voluntary spend exc the social  £394.47 - xmas gifts mainly

Compound interest on my sweets/crisps (!) 
This includes extra junk yesterday - crisps/choc/harib* - all as hungover/tired  from Sat night ... £13.60 in Dec ynab is saying
Just for fun I calculated compound interest say  £15pm on junk food x 12 = £180 a year
This for 13 years til SP age on interest 5% = £3,347!!
(and normally I spend way more than £15pm on crisps and sweets) 

As I can guarantee I spend way more than that on alcohol eg ynab states  £143 so far this month on drinks out ... which x 12 for 13 years comes to £31,692 compounded - ouch ...

Plus I spent £23.48 for alcohol in the house for social an extra £5,240 
I normally only drink once a week but xmas is an exception..
So £37,000 (£5,240 + £31,692)  in 13 years difference savings  on alcohol ... wow 

I am not saying I am not drinking ever  as its part my social life especially when travelling/festivals  but I look forward to tracking exact spending for the next year and then I have a super informed decisions to make.. I often give up alcohol for Lent and Jan so.. this extra look at the cash you are saving will be more motivation.

I may  indeed decide I have way too many categories to split into ynab but as I am just starting to really track all my spends  I want excess detail - i really want a hard 'essential spending' annual figure  for house buying etc - I can chunk the categories together later...

YNAB
Age of Money 9 days (best yet) 
Buffering 6 days
I am awaiting 2 lots of invoices payable this week hopefully  (plus more at the end Dec)  but if I dont get them/until i get them  I can see I have overspent this month on what has come in by £79.98 but this includes money in savings/sipp and tax put away

MG decluttered 3 things yesterday

savingholmes

Well done on your longest streak of age of money. Sounds like you are getting the most out of the software too.

LadyWithAPlan

Tx @savinghomes I am about to extend my age of money further as I have been paid an invoice - I was going to fx it last night but thought the Exchange rate would not be at its best after mkt closing but today rate is worse !!
 So I will look again later.
I am quite looking forward to assigning more money   The vast majority of my Dec spend is done so I will get some of next months rent assigned and leave a bit for NYE and no doubt food stuffs at my family's. Although I do have my EF as part of my deposit my aim is to get all essential spending fully funded for 3 months first  and savings categories then funded then head hard at the house deposit

I had assigned £50 towards a labour cost  for some creative stuff - saved me buying some equipment thats was noisy and messy but my friend has refused to take any money so I will pay it back in an art piece -;)

I did manage to MG 3 items yesterday and 6 today inc a largish kitchen item  ... so think this Minimalist Game Dec is now at 80 - so low for the month  but it all helps..  my study is a tip so thats first on list on my return...
i am leaving London though now til just before NYE - missing some lovely London parties but got 2 big  family stops to do, kids to spoil amnd loads of gifts to wrap. I used to prewrap in London but they always get crushed in the travel and often I get confused which is which... I will try to declutter some old stuff at my parents 

Spending continues of course 
I use an aeropress (not the Smeg expresso machine for £319 I refuse to buy myself) and it needs filters  however I have seen a stainless steel mesh £2.79  one that might be better for the environment than the recycled paper ones - I will test both
Plus I am gifting a pod coffee machine to a family member as I dont use them - had an Nespress* for many years I loved but its an expensive both environmentally and cashwise way to make coffee and aeropress tastes better with a great coffee.  I have bought them extra  biodegradable pods as a gift. Plus it declutters my kitchen..

Spending today includes 2 taxis and a train but carting too much stuff to get buses etc as I would normally. I had assigned cash for the train but hadnt though through I would need ubers. not too expensive £16 and probably £10 
Plus of course some Percy the P*G sweets for the journey £2.20 - i did eat at home but I do like a train snack.. I had bought a filled water bottle ast least and no way I could buy a takeaway coffee with this many bags..

SIDE HUSTLE
I have laid down my ground rules which have been accepted but may change the work - or lose some/all of it but that is fine with me. 

PennysIntoPounds

Well done on ground rules and decluttering/saving money on a gift.

Enjoy your festive time away!

Sistergold

Well done on the ground rules. Always good to make things clear. You you doing well with the decluttering and you will appreciate this effort more when you move to your new house/flat. At that point you will know that almost all the things you have are things that you want to keep. Savings goals are going well and you are ending the year on a good note. 

I would like to wish you a merry Christmas and a prosperous new @LadyWithAPlan and all the wonderful people on here. 

Baileys_Babe

Well done on setting the ground rules.

I use a stainless steel mesh filter with my Aeropress, it works very well, I like how I can never run out of filters and I can store it in the press which is so convenient when traveling.