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

Cheery_Daff

What a plonker 118 man sounds. I bet he didn't even write the first version of his copy and paste text 🙄 The complete laziness and lack of attention to detail would rule him out immediately for me! 😂

PennysIntoPounds

LadyWithAPlan said:

PennysIntoPounds said:

Good luck with MIP and lunch date!
If £111 man is sulking and is happy to show off with drinks but not be gentlemanly enough to pay you back for an act of kindness then he is not sounding like a contender 

He is officially sulking
I have yet to tell you all he sent me a text the morning after the uber - all loved up about wanting to get to know me .... beautiful romantic language ... but the end of the text was this ..
(Your Name)      

Basically he had copied and pasted it bar maybe one sentence he had made specific ..

That is both hilarious and depressing. You've got off lightly paying a hundred quid to be rid of a player who can't even play 

LadyWithAPlan

Watty1 said:

Enjoy lunch date.  Uber man may have shown colours in which case the cab was a bargain - very little time wasted and tbh I'd happily pay £111 for a review of a prospective date (although VNM has been just that all along)

Maybe we could start a service £111 where we look at dates and review them ..

Fortune_Smiles said:

You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince LaPlan 🐸😘  But he's out there somewhere - don't settle for anything less.  Certainly not 118 guy - he is not a keeper 😆

Fortune x

I am starting to feel like the Steve Irwin of  frogs, lizards and the odd alligator...
No dating for 7 months  and ... ooh look I have caught another frog! Nope its a toad...
Loving the bandinage on this though 

TallGirl said:

Agree with the others glad he has gone quiet he really has not shone himself in a great light. Lunch date sounded much more you.

Yes bizarre how he scuttled off - after flashing his black amex... (which I know is a £3.5k intro fee and then an annual £3.5k fee)


Lunch date from yesterday has texted me this morning suggesting we go dancing next date and we had a decent text chat., he also insisted insisted on paying for both lunch and our drinks after (i offered both times) so think it waa a date rater than a cactchup - these signals argh ..... so  far more promising and he is v intelligent  and travelled  - I didnt know I was looking really for dates - am not online or anything  but they all coming out the woodwork - I guess its the spring effect

Cheery_Daff said:

What a plonker 118 man sounds. I bet he didn't even write the first version of his copy and paste text 🙄 The complete laziness and lack of attention to detail would rule him out immediately for me! 😂

I think he added one specific to our date/conversation  to us ..line in to the mass of exquisitely 'romantic' copy and pasted b***s***

KajiKita said:

That copy-paste text is a real red flag to me. He is casting his net WIDE …..

What happened with the MiP? 

KK

So the MIP not quite there cos of a credit score issue - this is solely due to where I had to take a certain Scot  energy co to the ombudsman twice - they ruled in my favour but Energy company not fully comply and still havent  - was on a dual energy acct - so whilst  sorting that out all the bits ( they said i HADNT paid but I had paid hundreds .... so I had to prove that to the ombudsman inc bank details and calls  etc  ,  however they have not shown me where the money I had paid off has actually  been taken off the due bill   and was agreed I would pay in full once this had been proven-   however  they arbitrarily forced my smart  elec meter  into a prepay ..inc a warrant .they shouldnt have separated it as was a dual acct  and they still have not proven my query on my funds.....  plus they decided to lump the due balance all on elec even though was dual ...-  .. I kept calling cos I can only talk to the specialist resolve team- could never get a response   and i got a ding of credit. The bill is long since  paid off  and should have been ok but it knocked my credit down 200 points..!
Mortgage broker said it should not be an issue - under £700 and was paid off in full 2 years ago  ..... and I only hadnt fully resolved it  by going back to the Scot co  and complaining as -  whilst I am waiting to sort this I am on a special gas rate ....so saving £100s.. plus the time to fix...argue etc ... 
So broker is  trying some other company today  .... or I will have to sort this energy issue /credit score thing and you know thats months of  agro stuff.  However good to know..

However I was  a bit relieved  and happy  when it came back as a no from the first place ... I really love where I live now  and with the current maths/my earnt 12% interest/use of home   it is only costing me £100 a month. to live .. so it does make me question my readiness to move  ... however I know I have to move out of here in 18m-24m so 





Grocery £72.52/£155 + bulk  £9.80 + junk £4.84
£12.64 spend yesterday but one was a food/comp entry.and included £1.20 for some tortilla chips that even with coriander houmous were not great ... 

I popped  into Sains on way home last night and loads of green veg on offer - big reductions including a mediterranean veg pie box = £3 normally but was 20p!  I also bought some of that GF puff pastry £2.50 as a treat so will make a veg pie today 
- the box has an aubergine, carrots, garlic, courgette and some tomato sauce puree thing - for 20p 

LadyWithAPlan

PennysIntoPounds said:

LadyWithAPlan said:

PennysIntoPounds said:

Good luck with MIP and lunch date!
If £111 man is sulking and is happy to show off with drinks but not be gentlemanly enough to pay you back for an act of kindness then he is not sounding like a contender 

He is officially sulking
I have yet to tell you all he sent me a text the morning after the uber - all loved up about wanting to get to know me .... beautiful romantic language ... but the end of the text was this ..
(Your Name)      

Basically he had copied and pasted it bar maybe one sentence he had made specific ..

That is both hilarious and depressing. You've got off lightly paying a hundred quid to be rid of a player who can't even play 

Yep the cash was cheap on wasted time and emotion. However the fact its nearly 50% of Feb voluntary spending so far  is annoying ..


When I dated loads - a decade ago or more  I wrote a (unpublished) guide as I kept seeing so many mad moments 
- highlights included the guy who invited me out and we were looking at a pub menu - all gastro sandwich stuff  (when I ate Gluten on occasion even knowing it made me feel terrible ) and I started musing about the steak sandwich ..
He turned around and said 'you can order it but dont expect me to pay for it'!!

I naturally ordered it, paid for it myself and left soon after eating. He then spent months after  texting me how much he liked m...err nope.. no second chances on that level of rudeness. 
I was a vegetarian for years  but stopped as my body needs a lot of protein it craves it  - and I always would buy red meat a few days before my period would arrive - I would not plan it but my body/instincts  would go buy myself steak or get mince out freezer etc  my body knew what I needed more than I did ..

Happy Valentines Day all - I am making it about love for me and those i care about..

savingholmes

There's a reason I haven't even considered dating since the divorce - and then your stories and similar add to those reasons.

118 guy sounds not good enough for you.

Lunch date guy sounds much better. Dancing sounds fun.

I always had a policy of paying my own way on dates for the very brief period I was dating - as I didn't want to feel beholden. It also kept a lid on extravagances and seemed fairer to me but probably partly my upbringing.

debtfreewannabe321

Happy Valentines Day all - I am making it about love for me  and those i care about..

Exactly the right attitude! I had a fair few V days on my own, I bought my own flowers, took myself on dates and had a thoroughly excellent time compared to when I had been married I think day's like this all commercial nonsense anyway designed to keep us spending but I still do this one anyway for some reason! Probably because it involves chocolates, nice food and flowers

Hope you get some good news about the MiP!

skint_spice

Hope you get the new MIP sorted out soon.

LadyWithAPlan

@debtfreewannabe321 glad you got spoilt!
My V day treat was a NSD! 3/13

@skint_spice you wished it into being

@savingholmes I  completely get it ... I always have long gaps between finishing a relationship and starting to date - a year or more often as I am very single la Plan  However when a relationship is right it is worth sticking ones neck out  when one is ready - I am blaming my continuing obsession with Crowley/Aziraphale in Good Omens for my interest  - read some of the fan fiction and its wonderful (try to avoid the v v explicit ) but some great writers out there filling in the blanks or moving it forward.

However despite being open finally to dating and love again  we have  BIG NEWS!

I have a Mortgage in Principal !!!

Argh .. happy, terrified etc etc - feels too grown up, what am i thinking ....
I have not found a flat, still love where I live now  and not sorted out new income streams however I am using this as motivation  to get all areas of my life focused I think markets will start to move again and I cant believe i can out save  market movement thus year by much so 
MIP  On a dep of £125k and a mortgage of £350k - not planning to go to a £475k as be £2.1k pm at 4.3% at present ... but i have the room if needed.
I only have £115k deposit  at present but I am owed loads so the £125k deposit  is v doable in 2 months or on quick demand .


So now ...
1) declutter has to keep going - vinted here I come - I am not dragging unnecessary stuff with me..

2) sort my unpaid invoices out - this is my inspiration to push this.. I need money on my bank acct 
Doing a spreadsheet now of whats owed/open for a client

3) err find a flat .... I have 3 different new areas of London to look and and discover North,, East and STH East... as I want a garden
3a) make sure flat is beauty, benefit, good in line with Buddhism - so lovely but affordable and not a huge strain so a £400k one bed may be better than £450k 2 bed  - I want a garden maybe more than a 2nd bedroom - needs to be close to a tube
4) find new income sources 
5) really watch spending 
6) start a YNAB category buying house costs - the broker is £295 for MIP, then £295 for actual mortgage plus surveys etc
7) Find a conveyancing solicitor
8) read  MSE FTB guide
9) find a surveyor

Good news is I have a complete 2 bed flat I rent and its all my own furniture and white goods so I wont need to buy loads except my moving bill is always £££'s - I now have a washing machine, an oven, fridge freezer, massive amounts of cookware, desks, wardrobes, beds  etc 

I am going to see 4 flats tomorrow in an area  near the one i loved last week

Anyone got suggestions about how to  efficiently really search for a flat to buy?  - RM has so many but hard to tell especially in areas of London I dont know. I am not buying where I live as I cant get outdoor space - maybe a tiny balcony but I want an actual  garden - for a bbq, a dog, a table outside, a tomato plant and a tree to sit under

2nd  NEWS
I have a 2nd date with lunch date man  from Tues.....  we going dancing this weekend - his suggestion...
118 MAN not been in touch which is good but that £££ would be so good for my mortgage ...

Grocery spending -   £14.98 inc £2 bulk
went to college and as I got there remembered it was half term !!.. However I popped into a local estate agent there - another North London area  - and asked re flats.. as havent seen any there
Then popped into big tesc*  as my local Li closed down - so annoying - looked for a FR chicken but they are £2 more per kg than Lidl was!
£14.98  - of which £2 bulk  (Earl grey tea YS) +  £12.98 grocery - included YS pork crackling joint that halogen oven does brilliantly, GF oats, satsumas, DF milk, raisins for more fabulous GF seeded fruit bread..
Grocery spending -   £85.50/£155 + bulk £11.80

Food - I made that veg pie from the Sain box £3 to 20p and I have to say it was v tasty -
I did buy the jusrol GF pastry - £2.50 - so I will have to have a go at making my own cheaper GF pastry - anyone got any tips?
The veg pie was
aubergine, carrot, courgette, red pepper, red onion - roast for 25 min in oil (I also added kalettes and some spinach at end to up the greens) 
- Then dry bake for 5 mins the pastry
Then layer - a spicy tomato sauce - basically passata with some herbs in,
                with the cooked veg,
                chopped garlic, fresh chopped rosemary 
                - they also said to layer cheese in eg feta like an Italian green pie but I added a bit of DF cheese and I had a tiny bit of parmesan left from a HF .
Plus I also added in the  layers  some  fresh dill and ground cumin  in the tomato sauce
Then you bake for 15 min
Leave to cool 

V V delicious - and well worth making - and enough for lunch today   - I have another box but need to try the pastry making first

MSE complaining £15 
I did spend an hour  the other week and then an hour the other day as Vodaph b/band had charged me too early as in for a whole  month plus  early on my acct so £15 goodwill coming from next bill - but given they were supposed to call me back (bus team) as it was booked and did not - then I was more indignant  so pushed from the original £6 refund they tried to give me ..

Voluntary spending today -  - £7.10 + £19.95
I also bought some body stuff I will use  that there is a comp on and there is a Tesco offer on ... so £7.10  (before I saw my MIP text) 
Plus I bought some new jazz dance shoes - I often buy those foldable party shoes at £8-£10 each but they dont last as material is terrible and the soles too soft so often uncomfortable to walk in on london streets
I started wearing proper jazz dance shoes to/from tube before putting on heels ... and they lasted for years .. so
£19.95 but I can imagine they will last me 5 x at least as the £10 ones do so.. leather uppers and soles, proper jazz dance shoes..which fold - all my others have collapsed on me

Voluntary spending  Feb £262.93 of which Uber 118 is now 40% approx  so not too bad
My dinner tomorrow has been cancelled so saved cash there - am off out on date instead so will be some drinks spend there.

Savings  - 4.1 %   
I have a Monz* acct as well - I use for travelling  - its the best - and have seen they have a free  instant access savings at 4.1%  (you can pay up for a better rate but the instant access is fine) so I have opened the saving acct to keep my cashflow  in as I have tax etc money to pay off next month etc.. It's easy to transfer so  £2.35k in there resting  til I need it month end.

Cos of YNAB I have way more cash in my accts than normal - plus holding a bit of my investments back til get next big tranche of cash..
Ynab doesnt care which bank my money is in but if it gets me a bit more interest its a good thing

Home  Buying spending  - a new category to fund so exciting!
£295 is price of my MIP to my broker so that needs paying once he sends me a bill 
I had over £700 in my cash accts towards house deposit  - not counted it yet - i was holding on cos of tax last month and corp tax in march ... so I have used that to fund the brokers half bill 

beanielou

Good news 

PennysIntoPounds

Congratulations! This is a huge step forward!

When you say you want to be near a tube do you mean actual tube or any station? As we've mentioned before, South East London will get you so much more for your money but no proper tube...

If you're not planning on seeing 111 guy then it doesn't really matter what he thinks of you since he's hardly made a good impression himself. Could you send him a message tomorrow being pleasant but like 'sorry to mention it but I'm hoping to get my own place soon so having to keep a close eye on the budget, is it a cool time with your finances to send me over that cab money you mentioned?' (YOUR NAME 😂)

Definitely priority is getting paid from jobs though, that is literally your money you earnt, get it in your account