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

redofromstart

Thank you - that is really helpful information.  I wanted to check with someone who actually uses the GF option.  I currently buy the Schar stuff as it is the best of various bad options, but between that saving and making normal bread for the boys it isn't a bad investment at all.

LadyWithAPlan

@redofromstart on the GF bread front this recipe is fabulous and needs no machine (focaccia) 
I added sun dried tomatoes, artichokes in oil and red onions on top as well as a lot of fresh herbs
but worth a try - it’s super tasty and wonderful comfort food
https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/gluten-free-focaccia-recipe-onion-thyme 

LadyWithAPlan

redofromstart said:

Thank you - that is really helpful information.  I wanted to check with someone who actually uses the GF option.  I currently buy the Schar stuff as it is the best of various bad options, but between that saving and making normal bread for the boys it isn't a bad investment at all.

Schar is indeed the best of a bad bunch and the P breadmaker makes wonderful fresh  GF white bread, the brown is great too but I always change the recipe so I can be hit and miss. I am not sure I would be using the breadmaker to make both GF and normal bread - its cross contamination - I dont know if you have an intolerance or an allergy -  you would need to really scrub it, or  get a second baking pan for it, or just get a cheaper normal  separate breadmaker for the boys..
Check out the Amazon warehouse deals as one often pops up on there.

@KajiKita I am also slightly annoyed  (though not as cross  as I am still at your ex boss though). However its not the main director but  it’s the big new investor bringing in millions and they are wanting control. They are the one who bought in the person who basically was out by £££,£££’s when I checked so the original director is appreciative of I just saved him a large 6 figure sum - and he knows what I bring but he doing the deal - I used to read all the contracts etc  and deal with new investment as well but since Covid I am not in the office (we don’t have one anymore) so I am outside the inner sanctum now whereas I was inside for the start up phase. 

So no clue where this will end up as he will do the deal best for him - either way it’s good as it makes me get moving - when I started this blog 3 years ago I said about dropping from 5 to 2/3 days a week and October was my lowest month ..
so no tears or drama - just my focus is on what’s next for me. The job has also been great for my CV though -  - this course  I am doing should add  decent amounts extra onto my day rate once I get good - hence me putting the effort in. Even being able to say I can do this software at a basic  level (the very standard I am working towards now) will I believe get me in more doors. Plus its interesting

On the wardrobe - it’s all previously collected stuff of 30 years - a lot of it is vintage and one-offs, hence my reluctance to part with it. Plus special occasion wear and i am lucky to have events regularly to go to which need that - its the old suits that have annoyed me - coming from my parents house - I should just remove from the house as I really wont wear and maybe Vinted is not worth the stirring of 'this was me'

My  annual current clothing budget is low - my new necessities of flat black day boots bought in France last month £133  and YNAB tells me in the last 11.3 months (started end Nov last year)  I spent  a total £490 on clothing, shoes and repairs - which includes £60 of fabric I have yet to play with ! 

My lesser paid work offer, I have seen there is a small increase £20/day !!
It is all virtual though so I have said I am available at present.  

I cant even look at the Guardian website on the US election coverage, looked at 6.20am this morning and thats enough .. I worry for the world and did some serious chanting for world peace. 
Unsurprisingly my Crypto has shot up (£147.13) and my Van up a tiny amount

WelshmansDaughter

I was thinking that when you said about going to the states. Definitely not the week for it.

DrCarrie

Lots going on La Plan. 

RE expenses: sometimes I am like,...erm do you really need me to come to London? - knowing that I will have to leave the house at 5.30 aM.  Near enough £200 upfront to get the train, tube and sometimes a taxi, and get home at 8,00pm. So annoying for time and money I am not surprised you said no To the USA!

redofromstart

Thanks, that focaccia looks good, have printed it out. No GF flour atm

Just intolerance for me, trigger for IBS and fibro so I avoid rather than nasty coeliac or Crohn's - tested for both a few years back.  That was painful - eating enough gluten in the run up to not skew the results was hard work.

Watty1

The Focaccia looks good. I may try it when the gluten flours are reduced

Still loving your old bread machine      I eat so little bread but love having it fresh with no additives and it makes such a nice meal with soup or stew.     

LadyWithAPlan

Watty1 said:

The Focaccia looks good. I may try it when the gluten flours are reduced

Still loving your old bread machine      I eat so little bread but love having it fresh with no additives and it makes such a nice meal with soup or stew.     

Glad you enjoying it still and it has found a good forever home! Fresh HM bread is infinitely better and no additives

You could try the focaccia with normal flour I am quite sure - it would rise better at least.

WelshmansDaughter said:

I was thinking that when you said about going to the states. Definitely not the week for it.

i was in LA over the Trump/Clinton election results, I was thinking maybe I was an unlucky charm... I chanted if I wanted to go and something kept saying no... it was all v last minute and I would have had to prepay flights etc but the real reason I did not go was something told me not to. 
Got to trust ones wisdom

DrCarrie said:

Lots going on La Plan. 

RE expenses: sometimes I am like,...erm do you really need me to come to London? - knowing that I will have to leave the house at 5.30 aM.  Near enough £200 upfront to get the train, tube and sometimes a taxi, and get home at 8,00pm. So annoying for time and money I am not surprised you said no To the USA!

Ouch DrC - 5.30-8pm ! I actually love the travel normally and the flights/hotels I get paid back for. However its a bit of a jolly and my day rate there is not that amazing - they really pushed me to go  and it would have been fun  but honestly I have to get my income back up if the house is on the wish list.

redofromstart said:

Thanks, that focaccia looks good, have printed it out. No GF flour atm

Just intolerance for me, trigger for IBS and fibro so I avoid rather than nasty coeliac or Crohn's - tested for both a few years back.  That was painful - eating enough gluten in the run up to not skew the results was hard work.

Well done for pushing through the test! My DS  started prepping for the coeliac test (you have to eat bread/gluten daily for 6 weeks before testing to see if you allergic to it for those who dont know !!) and she  felt so awful she gave up in 2 weeks.
My DN is severely also allergic to dairy  as well as GF  and a few others but her paediatric consultant said its the hardest one to test for, the normal tests often dont show the allergy - but given she throws up and feels awful  etc every time she has dairy  the dr said she definitely must avoid it.
As I am on this slow carb plan largely 6 days a week (I did have a free rum cocktail last night..) I am thus eating less dairy and less DF milks and my stomach is so much better for it.

LadyWithAPlan

I still have not gone and looked at real world news, a first for me... focusing on what I can control - my own work/time/effort.
I note the Crypto is now worth  £150.43 - it was £138.68  4 days ago - a big jump - hardly surprisingly

I was at my class yesterday and then  after my friend dragged me to a mixer in Mayfair -  I met some lovely people but the one lady's older partner was so  stuck backwards in assets class/investment stuff..
He ia a wealth advisor to rich people 'i've got 40 years experience'  and he was quite frankly awful.... I rarely have spirited conversations on crypto (my £150 worth hardly classes me as an expert running at 0.000001% of my NAV or something!) but at least I have opened my mind and learnt.. he was so 'its worthless, its pointless, its not real' was scary in someone who advises others on balanced portfolios and no other knowledge as I dug in.

He didnt bother asking me my background (a mistake given where I have worked), he assumed I was an empty airhead who knew nothing about traditional finances/assets (!), he kept flinging financial acronyms and  phrases at me that I understood but 99% of the population wouldn't... 
he kept saying it will crash its not asset backed,  I politely suggested he got educated on stable coins (eg Paypal stable coin that is asset backed)  and those coins based on smart transactions so there is arguably underlying value (I did not get into the Ether/Solano debate he might have thought I was speaking a foreign language) and he was unable to hear me/assumed I was wrong/not able to have an open dialogue. I mentioned the blackrock Crypto etfs and he kept yelling 'they have no value ..they will crash '-! 

He was also angry, he was behaving in a way that if he were a drag queen he would have been saying 'I feel very attacked' - although I was polite and calmly disagreed validly which he hated.
I am sure having zero knowledge of an investment vehicle that allows people to reduce current taxes (which I mentioned (one can borrow against ones own crypto so you defer the tax obligation) and he waved that off)  - and has had huge gains,  it must  get in the way of his business. If he advises wealthy people, they will look at  all avenues and  tax reduction is important to them. (Side note I do think we need to pay taxes for a functioning happy healthy society) 
 It is not he should advise them to buy crypto but to have zero knowledge and no willingness to learn anything, just some trenchant old world view that crypto is worthless so he cant see any positives nor have any intelligent conversation about it.
Scary - I wonder if he works for SJP!!  Plus the way he tried to blind me with financial terms and theories, and when that didnt work anger and dismissal... these old school City boys really are dinosaurs.

Toiletries rundown
On a less combative note I am getting quietly excited as I have been using down some of my toiletries. (ridiculous but true)

 I dont know why getting to the final dregs of creams, serums etc is so exciting but I have promised myself to use up one pot of cream or a serum at a time to get my excess down, as opposed to having a few on the go at a time. I had various pots of my normal products ongoing plus lots of unopened other gifts/received in beauty boxes etc.

I also have not buying anything new unless I have no variation left of it. It is all in separated bins (face/body/hair/makeup)  and just finished the fabulous Ca*delie  Reversat*ol night cream that I nearly replaced in France last month as it is cheaper there  - however I have some more creams to get through first, so I stopped myself, the wallet remained shut. Currently using a kie*ls face cream (last xmas gift I had not opened)  but I am waking up a bit puffy after it so may be an allergy there - I will stop the eye cream and just use the Kie*ls for a few days to test.

I do have the decanted creams as I have a  plane travel bag to go so there is some  excess Caudel*e night cream in there but I will keep for travel.

 I am now down to the cut open tube of my much loved Future Renew serum - I have another 3 or 4 unopened serums in the waiting... They are like Henry V111 wives, many of his future/next wives were ladies in waiting at court - even Lady Jane Grey was one - she would not sleep with him til he got divorced, but he still chopped her head off.. yes the analogy of a boots serum to Lady Jane Grey execution -  its all action here on LaPlan's mfw blog !!

I am on the dregs of 2 mascara's (Mac) and then i have 2 mac mascara testers .. then I will have to replace but again I am waiting til they all done.  

I do have some toiletries as gifts, prizes and also in goodybags hence the excess.  

YNAB annual spend - I started End Nov last year so so far 11.3 months in I spent  £194.99 on toiletries and makeup and £112.74 on hair products (inc K18 & Ola*plex but loads left of both and one was a 'subscribe and save' posted  extra tub  that Amaz*n prime sent me that prompted me to cancel my amaz*n prime.

FREEZER RUNDOWN
I may finally be getting somewhere... now down to a few proteins in there and not much frozen veg, some stocks, coconut milk frozen in muffin size portions, some excess meal planning so some meat/bean stews, some frozen fruit and a lot of ice.
Much as I want /need to get some new food and frozen veg in I really want to eat down what I have so I can defrost/clean the fridge.


Grocery spend £18.71 this month (£0 bulk) and  £10.90 junk crisps /sweets
Popped into large T**co after class today.

 I had to get toilet rolls and w/up liquid today  so grabbed one lot only of frozen spinach, some fresh herbs, more dried beans.. bought a couple of YS J Oliver curry sauce pots - I normally make my own sauces but they were reduced and also I am needing to get ,maximum taste and a changeup  in my food as all the beans and stews are getting a bit dull given I am on this slow carb 6 days/week.

My 6 in 1 pressure cooker has been on every day this last few weeks - saute-ing and then bean/ meat stews etc and making stocks. I definitely generally eat according to the weather, salads in the summer now its all warm foods.

KajiKita

That advisor was so patronising! Well done for keeping your head … I didn’t know that some were asset backed - the idea that some are is interesting to me. Do you know why they have come into being?

I’m seeing a shift in my eating habits. Can’t make myself eat a fully cold meal - can eat a bit of salad as a side with warm elements but not a wholly cold plate. 

Could the Kie*l’s face cream be out of date and that’s why it might be making you a bit puffy? I’ve had something similar happen in the past.

KK