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

LadyWithAPlan

Yes these will considerations are important  - tx for the link Cheery 

I have pieces of art which I am going to apportion out (some  £1k /£2k each and with the full providence so easily sold plus each, other pieces in the £000's  ) and some odd pieces of jewellery which aren’t worth that much - maybe £8-10k total (no engagement rings here) but if I leave all jewellery to maybe my niece then the % will be wrong for my nephews … plus my oldest nephew will not have the (different grandparent) trust fund money the others do so I will use my 'wealth' to balance that out - if any left ! 

HRT - if you are tired its worth checking your hormone levels even if you are on HRT
My blood  tests came back - all well but  apparently have low levels of oestrogen (less than half the normal) despite taking HRT  as prescribed- dr said that some people cant absorb  it through their skin well,  so that may explain my current levels of tiredness and lack of sleep. So I now have a spray (4 sprays daily) and some evening progesterone tablets on top of my coil which also has Progesterone in.. which should help me sleep.
I was asking for testosterone but we are waiting to see if having better levels of oestrogen/progesterone solves my fatigue etc so will go back in 8 weeks.

My Slow carb/EMS  plan is going well, I so enjoy the beans and am being v creative with veg and beans alongside my proteins. Made a mixed bean soup as well but will try making  traditional refried Mexican beans though El P*so are pretty good and easy (2 for £3 in Morries)

As I am now completing the first month of the slow carb (6 days a week and one cheat day) my grocery budget seems fine. I am buying more nuts, beans, protein and lots of diff veg - however I am no longer buying any YS reduced meat balls/sausages etc as they have GF flour in and all flours GF or not are slow carb.
I am also buying more avocados, guac and salsa but no houmous (too carby)
I will get some almond and coconut flour again as I have seen a recipe for bean pancakes!
I am also saving on only buying crisps/harib* etc once a week only and in bars/pubs I am not buying chips or crisps...

WORK
Regular readers will know re my ongoing battle with a sister company/future investor and someone on their side who cant add up/doesnt understand what she is doing. Apparently she is very angry that she is being seen as not accurate but she is wildly out - as proved by the extensive checks, new excels, digging into the details. I have saved the company  £££,£££'s... So now I am being asked to do more again plus I need to check all the new work, the other company had planned to edge me out evidently (I did wonder) but when  La Plan  swings in  Jane/Tarzan style  and saves mid 6 figures ...
So I have not properly updated my CV and I have a full few weeks of work ahead.
Have been paid some but more needs/will to come in
At least my true expense YNAB pots are starting to fill again, bday monies, started the Xmas pots etc as well as having all the annual subs and most of next months needed funds waiting to go. So feeling a bit more comfortable.

Maths  on square feet
I am looking at say a 750-800sq foot home and say £475k  in the North London area so thats £593.75  or £615  per square foot on a 800/773 size. I have stopped colouring in my deposit chart (£500 per square) as I have been sending money to my SIPP instead over the last 3 years as either a HR tax payer or now within a ltd company so the tax breaks are huge.
So I have a minimum save  target at least one square foot per month its less to borrow (will take 66 years to save it all!!) 

Courses/MB
My one afternoon course starts tomorrow (and gets me my student ID so I can continue my student disct card) and the 6 week AI  course also this week. Both free
 Quite fancy another as well but am hanging back. The new software I am trialling is pretty good, will ask for a further weeks extension as it does take time but I can see its worth
MY MB/CASINO/ARB/SPORTS TRADING is really up this month (goes up and down) but this software could help with a renewed extra line of TAX FREE profit

Travel
Had a call from the company I travel a lot with - was every month last year but not so much this.. but may be off next month to a nice place in Europe for meetings and extra work so...

savingholmes

Good luck with the extra work and your decluttering.

Glad you are getting some income in - and they've realised that your maths is better than the other person's - insert roll eyes emoji!! Hopefully they will appreciate you more now. 

WelshmansDaughter

I’ve been watching old location, location episodes and every time there is one in London I think I wonder if LaPlan could buy there now? 

LadyWithAPlan

@WelshmansDaughter I have sent a video to LLLocation to see if they can help me but had no callback... Last time though they were looking more for people in hertfordshire. If you see what looks like a decent area on there let me know I am open to all London near a tube but am planning a reccy to blackheath way as friends live there. I am leaning towards N london though as easier to get home to see parents etc.

@savingholmes yes my maths and understanding of the process  are like a phd vs her nursery age kid (not slander I had to explain fundamental things).... we were not supposed to pay for her but director now going in to make a deal. I am getting access to what I need, I was definitely meant to get sidelined by them, my director though realises how much he needs me as an independent person who does proper girl maths as opposed to Tiktok girl maths (its a thing)

Tackled my post today, some of which had built up during my travels. It was a FROG on my list so after I finished work at 6.30pm I have just sat for 2 hours at my desk and went thru post /did some paperwork.. 
  I did also win on a very big FROG as well today.
I also tried to tackle another frog but failed after being on hold for ever.

I am looking for one letter to get some cash back for my jury service.
Plus I found a small tax refund cheque which I am not clear on, I did ask for one as I had very much overpaid my SE payment on acct but I thought I had received it all, but a small cheque was randomly in my post - I received a large bulk of it (££££) in my bank ..... so I have scanned cheque in today and hopefully £184 will be winging its way to me - I am attributing it to split across my TT OP fund £100  & remainder in my sipp 
I have also filled in my overpayment of NI refund ... so I will be up nearly £500 at the end of the week

Extra hse savings this month £699.95 so bought one more square foot of home    
£250 Cov reg
TT OP cash isa fund  now £383.01  as    + £100 (from tax refund)  
Prem B win £50

Next target  £150.05     is to hit the £850 saved extra which will be my mortgage increase over my current rent  so £150.05 to find  (£850-699.95)
I do have my true expenses sinking funds (only £125 in xmas pot so far though) so this extra £150.05 needs to come this month from extra income or maybe underspent grocery or social (ha!) t
I am doing a quick side hustle today so  a bit of extra cash there plus will get my NI refund and also making some decent money on my MB this month .
I need to start again these smaller  targets as 'save an extra £50k' for house deposit seems too painful

SIPP £384.56 in Sept
Added the extra from tax refund £84.56 into SIPP
Am very behind on adding this year



My flat still feels like it needs more of a declutter, even though it is much better. 

I have 12 things on sale on vinted - inc one new with tags designer dress I was gifted.but too large and not worth trying to make it fit. I did with the other but honestly given the prize of it, it really is not that well made and fabric really not great . I may try Vestiar* instead though as its been on vinted for months though it is v sequiny so perfect for a xmas bash

FOOD
Roasting a crackling pork joint from freezer as will keep me going for a few days along with my beans and lots of varied veggies
Vitamins  restocked them inc the algae - chorella  (LOVE THIS) and spirulina, tumeric, botswellia (trying for first time)
I already have my 10,000iu of daily vit D in

WelshmansDaughter

I think they are casting for Love It/List It at the moment. 

These are very old episodes going back to season 10/11.
I was curious so I had a nosy with the first area that came to mind which was Forest Hill. The cheapest 2 bed I think was oieo 265000. 

ETA I don’t know London at all, the only place I’ve ever stayed in was beside Regents Park.

PennysIntoPounds

Blackheath is nice but pretty much as expensive as north London and no tube

LadyWithAPlan

@WelshmansDaughter you have got me on YT looking at some London LLL episodes for inspiration
I did consider Forest Hill - on my list to go look at the area and around it as its cheaper than N London - only issue is not on tube line and also to go see family its an extra trek around North circular etc ... However the price differential may swing it ..

@PennysIntoPounds thats what I thought bit my friends are on the border of blackheath/greenwich so I have promised to go look.

GAOSDC (Swed Death Cleaning)  - I am throwing my microwave out, it was old and it was from a neighbour when they replaced theirs 2+ years ago but it is not quite working properly now, not really heating  and paint inside does not look great
I won't replace it at the moment .. I am loving the extra space it gives me in my kitchen worksurface (was on the side)  and I know they are not great for nutrition - i have other ways to reheat food eg hob/6 in 1 pressure cooker, halogen oven, actual oven...

It may be my new place has a microwave built in so will wait. Plus the new ones often have microwave/steam/all in ones/airfryer mixed capabilities eg the SMEG one which can cook a chicken in 30 mins from the fridge
I also had my fridge/freezer for 9 years and its fine but under the veg tray it sometimes collects water... so I have started a fund for that. However again lots of flats have built in fridges so I am hoping to delay that replacement til I buy next summer as it may not be necessary

I will add to my comps wish list  - win a SMEG fridge/freezer and win a micro/steam/airfryer 
I won my pressure cooker 6 in 1 and my nutribullet so...,

Replacement funds in ynab category
This list is scarily growing -  £373.52 in theory each month extra to cover this - its empty at present but it does show how over years of doing ynab you end up having loads of money in your bank accts but feel ynab poor as you understand its money put aside for important things
Insurance deductible £300, new to me phone (2026 tgt), new Mac computer (2027 target), new fridge freezer (2026), future tech..
I have been doing ynab since last Dec so 10 months in and it definitely is keeping me clear on all my saving/spending decisions

COMP wins
a £3 voucher

School starts
Been to a class today and one of the courses I bought  on a data software and never started, they have a similar one  running  on Thurs for 8 weeks so I might do that to get me motivated to study as I am far better at turning up in a classroom vs self study. Also spied a Python course for free in the classroom so seriously considering that as well. 3 hrs a week

SIDE HUSTLE
Did a mini side hustle job yesterday and i loved it, and I was reminded how good I am - everyone commented... I need to get more of this back in my life.  The cash will go to my sipp/op TT fund

skint_spice

Glad you enjoyed the side hustle, hope there is some more of that going forward.

themadvix

Microwaves have no impact on nutrition any more than other forms of cooking - this is a common misconception. More info here: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/microwave-cooking-and-nutrition. However, if you’re enjoying the extra space and don’t use it, then fair enough (I was tempted by the extra space when mine died recently, but I use it daily for porridge, as well as other things, so it had to be replaced). Would you really need a many things in one microwave if you do replace it though? I’m sure the Smeg one looks lovely, but if you don’t use all those things now, do you need them? Microwaves steam by default, as does your pressure cooker and I’d question how good the air fryer function might be (based on the very varying responses I got about combi ovens recently).

 Have you checked the drain hole in your fridge isn’t blocked? That can cause a bit of a flood in ours.

WelshmansDaughter

I did think about suggesting that very thing 😂 

London is so big, reference points are a must. I was also thinking your search in fundamental terms is about security and a financial investment. So a lower price property might serve you better.

ETA another useful reference point might be to list where you travel to most and work your way out.