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

skint_spice

Good result getting the YNAB free!

I hope 2024 is your year for buying and well done on the SIPP payments.

FlacosFloozie

Well done on the SIPP and fingers crossed for 2024 being the year you're ready to buy.

LadyWithAPlan

@Merlin's_Beard yes I am pleased on hitting my  £50k sipp target as with the mkts I have been flat over this last year  as the amount of money I have been adding each month seems equal to what it is falling by. Even with sub £50k SIPP and the markets my monthly ups/downs can encompass £1.7k up or down it seems.
I can imagine when I have more saved the ups/downs will only get more extreme.

Next SIPP target £57k  min which should be hit by April 5th latest  as I want to add £7k more in if possible (bearing in mind hse buying and S*S mkts

Tx @skint_spice and @FlacosFloozie
 I think we all be happy when I actually find my home and then started whittling down the large debt I have yet to take on..  I have started RM looking at different areas..

YNAB days:: Target 13 days - busted   YNAB Age of money 14 day (highest ever)
 Had no payments this week apart from a small one  but have all the big bills for Jan covered as well as various pots.
i have started adding to YNAB specific annual spends on defined individual subscriptions etc rather than my normal lump pot of ‘dues & subscriptions’ - I have found that I often move things from this pot but whereas seeing it laid out in individual labelled costs that I know will be coming makes them more important to save for 

YNAB poor is a definite thing - I have lots of cash in my various banks and every little penny is allocated forwarded and I can clearly see my current pots, spending categories etc don’t allow for the level of savings I want to do for my house buying in 2024.  So 30 odd days into YNAB and I am getting more in my face detailed clarity which helps my financial goals  so for 2024 more income in and I am already on the decrease of my voluntary spending after the last 2 months of excess - though once I started tracking each voluntary spend here on my diary that was inevitable as the ££’s added up 

side hustle
chat back on again - we may have found a compromise but lets see.. apparently something is coming from it but have learnt to believe it when the cash is in the bank. 

Will not rush into hse looking as I am not sure whether I need another contract gig - will know re current ones in Jan, or the side hustle will bring what it is suggesting so in that case I will save for 6 more months.

LadyWithAPlan

Loving seeing everyone’s financial round ups on here - reflections, some great OPs and lots of focus on 2024 
I will have a proper think and recap /review /new action plan tomorrow 
need to get final year end balances updated - definitely up again on my MB /happy wheel largely due to that large win . 


I am currently heading back to london after 10 days of festivities. 

Could have stayed longer but ready to get back and prep for the new year 
Aiming to go for a swim in the morning., I have an insane amount of luggage as the breadmaker is huge .. and i have kept it in the box for safety . 

Plus lots of lovely gifts most of which I have yet to look at properly as was busy focusing on kids and family time 

pretty well all my extended family got ill this Xmas - ended up staying longer to look after kids as everyone else was v ill and I now hear that my mum went down ill as well after Tuesday .. I am fine - a few sniffles but been sleeping with 3 cats so .. I get extra allergic to them especially when eating dairy weirdly .. had anti histamine and it was not  too bad a reaction.. I  was worse in the States 
I went to cook a turkey GF pie as was told we had 2 gf puff pastries in - one I had bought.i made gf sausage rolls one day but it turns out there wasn’t  another so my turkey breast, turkey bacon, few bits of beef, courgette , red pepper, onion coconut milk filling I used with pasta and it was a great hit 
I cooked the animals the turkey legs as they looked a bit passed their best and the cabbage turkey leg soup thing was much appreciated by the cats and dogs over their biscuits  .. especially the old cat who loved it 

be nice to unpack, sleep in my own bed and get back to the normal rhythm of my life though it’s been lovely seeing everyone 

24 focus 
I do know I need to hit the dairy allergy hard so will be DF again for the 1st - I have to be v strict on the GF and I have excema arrive in my scalp and a chesty cough appear so ..  
also the sugar is being reduced more fruit less haribo 
less crisps more nuts 

I also am getting back  to using the gym I pay for on a regular basis as I love it but that means I need to get up earlier as I never go to The gym later in the  day or swim so once it’s gets into working hours I am lost to that routine so I will do a 3 month fitness start 

declutter … minimalism game is back on 
I don’t want to take stuff unnecessarily to my new home once it’s bought ..
I do need to start the Vinted selling for  clothes shoes handbags .., 

YNAB has got me super detailed on tracking every spend and  focused so  I will continue my goal. £130k deposit would be great 

I need to finish one thing on taxes  then sort out filing  - I will be owed some from SE payments which will go against my corp tax - I am keeping a bit of cash back from Adding to my PB for tax payments extra 

Cheery_Daff

I might join you with the minimalism game from January. I've never been a minimalist (and never will be) but there's a LOT of unnecessary stuff in this house that just keeps getting moved from one place to another and I'm sick of it! 😂

Sorry to hear everyone got ill over Christmas. Hope you've escaped the worst of it.

LadyWithAPlan

Cheery_Daff said:

I might join you with the minimalism game from January. I've never been a minimalist (and never will be) but there's a LOT of unnecessary stuff in this house that just keeps getting moved from one place to another and I'm sick of it! 😂

Sorry to hear everyone got ill over Christmas. Hope you've escaped the worst of it.

Please do join me - we can compare our monthly scores I do count 20 pieces of paper as 20 so !  I am currently just arrived home and unboxing gifts so on 20 already - need ten more for tonight . 

I am definitely not a minimalist but I have too much stuff ! Some bits for just in case  or meant to sell .. I refuse to pay the extra to move unwanted stuff to my new home 

Shoes unworn for 10 years (!) outfits never worn.. the hall cupboard .  The random items at the bottom of 2 wardrobes . I am sure if I don’t know it’s there I don’t need it  .  So much kitchen stuff - I have given away my coffee pod machine thing to family for their stables/barn (with extra coffee pods) over Xmas and replaced it with v fabulous breadmaker but means still no more room / more to declutter 

Xmas bought me Loads of new things but I am trying to do 1 in 1 out where possible - some nice toiletries and 2 new handbags and 2 new pashminas 

I am thinking of making my study less of a trash place and more of a permanent studio type set up - I will look at the light in there tomorrow - so stuff  has to go

Cheery_Daff

I spotted a bin bag of shoes in the back of the car this afternoon 🙄 Put in a bag to give away literally MONTHS ago, but never got further than the car. Now the bag has ripped, and the shoes have strewn everywhere, and mingled with all the other rubbish in the car 🙈😂

Think I should probably count the whole bag as just ONE thing since the actual decisions were made months ago, it's just the bag that's been hanging round! 

Do you keep an actual numbered list of what you've thrown away, or just a tally?

skint_spice

I have two boxes of shoes under my bed that I never wear but feel I may need one day! I could probably live without them couldn’t I 😂

LadyWithAPlan

Cheery_Daff said:

I spotted a bin bag of shoes in the back of the car this afternoon 🙄 Put in a bag to give away literally MONTHS ago, but never got further than the car. Now the bag has ripped, and the shoes have strewn everywhere, and mingled with all the other rubbish in the car 🙈😂

Think I should probably count the whole bag as just ONE thing since the actual decisions were made months ago, it's just the bag that's been hanging round! 

Do you keep an actual numbered list of what you've thrown away, or just a tally?

I had that with some clothes for a CS. As its the end of the month maybe count them as individuals

Minimalism Game - my slightly amended version is 
You get rid of 1 thing on Day 1, 2 things on Day 2, 3 things Day 3 .. up to Day 31  31 things ..

I always get rid of the number of things per day of the month as that way if I miss a day or 2 cos of travel etc I dont have to start wondering how many items I was at. So if I arrive home as I did today on the 30th after being away for 10 plus days I look for 30 things (easy as I unpack and throw away packaging into recycling - at 25 items already)

I have a magnetic notepad on the side of my fridge so as the day goes by and I throw things out into trash, declutter, sell bags I then mark 1, 2, 3 things  etc as I go throughout the day as in 1, 11, 111, 1111, V and start a new block of 5 .  So once I hit my day target I can be happy  and stop but I often find other little bits - it does build a habit of looking around the house for things to get rid of - I will check if an old biro is working etc..

I dont note what I threw/gave away as it is what it was .. I tally each day on my notepad and keep the tally for the whole month on my MFW diary as it inspires me to start again each month.

I do count items I plan to give to a cs as long as they are ready to go ion one bag and I make myself pop by into one once a week. I leave it in the hall so it annoys me to see it.
I will also count a  to sell thing  if I put them in a to sale bag and made decision to get it gone.. I dont recount them then but maybe given your car experience you should only count things once physically out your car and your house

On day 1 of  month 2  so Feb 1st ... you then start again at 1 item on the first of the month, no stress, it takes pressure off and keeps you motivated to carry on  starting on the lower numbers of items again.



LaPlan Minimalist game tips

It's a game so have fun. enjoy hitting your number for the day, no stress. If you dont there is always tomorrow to start again.

Try speed decluttering  and dont give up cos it's late. Turn off your mobile and run round your home  quick and find those extra items, tick them off your tally for the day then  you can sleep happily. I make quicker decisions on declutter  cos I want to hit my target

10 paper clips count as 10 things. I do often though count clipped together papers as one - depending on the day

Just opening a drawer or going through mail to find some rubbish can often lead to you hitting your tally quick, there is always something in a drawer.

If you miss a day or don't hit your target just pick up the next day or so on the day of the month you start again so if day 12, then 12 things. This avoids guilt, not being clear what number you got to and basically finding reasons to not play the game.

If you  get to your tally for the day and find extra to get rid of keep counting them as you throw.... that way you can speed up your tidy home

In the first month save some papers for later on on the 25/26 days etc as a pile of old papers is an easy win

If you do a full 30 day month 465 items have left your home   However as I will often find a few extra things I can sometimes still hit this even if I missed a full day or 2 earlier in the month.

I have done a few months of this and flat is looking clearer and I can see what else needs to go.

The game  played daily over a month/ 2 /3 months gets you into a daily habit of looking for things to declutter which is very useful retraining and gives a fresh eye to your home.

SandyShores

I think I'll have to join you too - it sounds a fun way to get rid of stuff.  I like the idea of doing a 10 minute rush around to grab as many things as possible - a bit like supermarket sweep