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

SandyShores

Mega Mushroom looks lovely, haven't heard of it before.  You've just reminded me to start using up some of my stash of face masks and moisturisers - I never spend enough time pampering.

£103k deposit is worth really celebrating and to do it all on your own is a fantastic achievement.  I hadn't thought about the H2B best being a joint venture, but you're right I wouldn't want to have done it on my own.  It was worth using it to get our forever home but I'll be even happier when its gone.  MrShores has a pension pot which would more than cover it before H2B interest kicks in, but I'm hoping to have saved up enough before then so we don't need to use it.  

ruby_eskimo

I would also advocate celebrating the massive achievement that is your house deposit so far!  We were lucky that we were able to get the H2B guarantee rather than the loan, which  means we have nothing else hanging over our heads other than the mortgage itself.  

And boots points are amazing, I treated myself to a few Nars goodies as an early Christmas present using mine and still have about £40 left to spend 😆

Bluegreen143

Have just read your whole diary! Very inspiring and you have such an entertaining writing style. I was laughing at your Mrs Doolittle phase!

Really impressive you have saved so much on your own. London house prices are 😨😨😨 to me, can’t wrap my head around needing £500k to buy a two bed flat! We live in Glasgow and this year when we had our house valued (before adding a conservatory) it was £185k for what’s a three bed end terrace with a big garden and outhouse. So if you want to make your money stretch you could always join us up here!!

I’m sure with prices like that, not many people could afford to buy in London on their own so it’s amazing that you’ve already saved up £100k+ to make it a reality! 

LadyWithAPlan

Happy new year everyone! I hope you stick to your plans, have huge successes and are happy, healthy and wealthy  

KajiKita

Happy New Year!! Hope you got to party!! 🎊🎉🥳

KK

savingholmes

Happy New Year!

Sistergold

Happy new year to you too and to you all! 🌺

newgirly

Happy new year 🙂

LadyWithAPlan

@Sistergold @newgirlysavingholmes Tx for the wishes and I look forward to all our 2023 successes and journey

KajiKita said:

Happy New Year!! Hope you got to party!! 🎊🎉🥳

KK

How was yours? Fun I hope...You know me too well. I tried to have a quiet night in .. I did not get back into London til New Year Eve about 6pm and had 4 options including a ball in East London I had tix for, 2 parties in Soho and a club thing ... I  decided a quiet night in after December (most days) of excess drinking and eating was a good idea and wanted to wake up NY day feeling sober.. 

i was happily sat on the sofa at 7.30 still in my travel home clothes ....Except .. a friend who lives locally suggested we had one quiet drink in our local  as it was NYE...,. except they were charging entry £15 each and as we only wanted one drink we didn't want to pay .... so we  ended up out in a nearby hotspot hub.. there was a dj and a dance floo somewhere, there were tequila and sambucca shots, ... - we staggered back after  a four pub crawl  -  7 hours  - so way after 3am and I was still hungover 2 days later Fun but ouch
So I am doing dry January and loving it so far!!

I am also not eating the dairy strictly again, I have a sensitivity to it and the excess I had over Xmas makes me sound like a pneumonia filled smoker,  I can feel the mucus on my chest and my skin reacts and my eyes are swelling... I am very strict on being gluten free  but I have allowed this dairy to drift back in my life..some restaurants its be GF or DF - including a restaurant in Borough market.. So 2023 is no dairy - 7 days in I feel better as well.

Managed to get to the gym only once this week as loads of tax EOY stuff etc going on.

I have yet to firm up huge goals for 2023 - thats this weekend but I do know fitness is forefront.

Bluegreen143 said:

Have just read your whole diary! Very inspiring and you have such an entertaining writing style. I was laughing at your Mrs Doolittle phase!

Really impressive you have saved so much on your own. London house prices are 😨😨😨 to me, can’t wrap my head around needing £500k to buy a two bed flat! We live in Glasgow and this year when we had our house valued (before adding a conservatory) it was £185k for what’s a three bed end terrace with a big garden and outhouse. So if you want to make your money stretch you could always join us up here!!

@Bluegreen143 I love Glasgow actually and also Edinburgh but dont have many friends there and London annoyingly is my home of 30 years so..

Also I accidentally ended up being back to Mme Doolittle over the xmas period for 2 days as my family member's husband wanted to whisk them away ... so this time I got 15 mammals (sadly the one horse has died of colic and old age recently), a few fish and 2 children! I can't believe anyone would leave me with that responsibility. No one died I cooked a lot - the Leon GF KFC chicken recipe is amazing - you have to use sparkling water but it is super crispy and great..

I will say on that that the cute bitey dog from my summer of Ms Doolittle hell that has left me a scar from biting me continues to be cute and downright daft..He has calmed down a little but
- It managed to bite my Macbook lead - so I had to replace it  - £46!!
- the day before it bit the cleaners vacuum cleaner electric chord and bit quite far through and nearly shocked himself.
- It stood in front of the fireguard and managed to singe its fur - I dragged him away immediately- house was full of the smell of burning dog though luckily he was unharmed - it was just his fur
- then an hour after I left to come back to London he disappeared when they were walking the dogs - he got lost in the dark for an hour, nearly got hit by a car - the man managed to stop, nearly grabbed him and posted on Fbook had anyone lost a dog.. he was found eventually but .....

I have been given my parents old breadmaker they never used - mum managed to make a GF loaf but I tried following the recipe from the flour packet and I had to throw it away... I will ask her what she did or I will get rid of it and buy myself the panasonic one I know is great

Jan grocery Challenge £145 + £30 bulk as always -
£47/£145 + £5/30 spent
Grocery spending was at Lidl, Sains etc - I was away for 10 days so I had an empty fridge.,
I have spent £5 on bulk as Lidl has that fabulous DF butter Naturli at only £1.40 so I bought 3 packs - its really the best one I have tried as a butter substitute - plus they also had that Sheese stuff as a DF sweet chilli light cheese spread.. SO GOOD

My freezer had some HM batch cooking plus a fabulous YS pork crackling joint I did in the halogen oven with roast potatoes and roast sweet potatoes. Plus lots of kale as its January

Budget January
I have as always done my monthly budget - its hard when I don't know what I will actually get paid  so thats a 2023 thing to tackle.As always having my pots for everything from future tech, my comping, my treats, toiletries hair etc  - lots of money gets moved but at least I can see where my cash is going.

Dec Credit card bill
I did look closely through my Dec Credit card for my present spending and I spent £2k - £1100 on all gifts which included some food shopping for family including the turkey (YS FR Waitrose £34 from £68 on xmas eve!) , £200 on entertainment in the month, £250 on various business annual things, £200 food, the rest on travel etc.. I can afford to pay it all in full but it reduces my savings.
So this means whilst I tried to cut down I really didnt that much ...
I have a gift pot but this includes Xmas - but I think 2023 I need a separate xmas gift pot - as I have lots bdays in last few months of year and my xmas fund gets wiped out. So a £80pm xmas gift including food per month pot seem an expensive but about correct amount.

I also think whilst I do transfer money into a pot for my cc spending  throughout the month from my other pots- waiting til the bill comes to pay it, I still am always behind the curve and there is a slight more to pay every time. I only have it to improve my cc but you definitely spend more..
So I am now paying everything off the cc as I go with the exception of a work based dd. I may add another dd to it - so some credit gets shown and paid off.

New coat shopping
I went looking for a long coat in the sales as I do need another smart one, I have a very fabulous evening one but my smart day one is many years old and lost a tassle etc. I looked at some very expensive ones even once reduced but nothing works.. So I have now for the first time ordered stuff over the mse recommended everythingfor£5. The coats I ordered ranged from £20-£40 so not £5  but waiting for them to turn up - I will send some stuff back as ordered one coat in 2 sizes etc

LadyWithAPlan

£52/ £145 + £6.69/ 30 spent Grocery Challenge 

Did some food shopping as wanted to get a FR corn fed chicken from Lidl but I ended up in there at 5.30pm after a late start in the gym and most the chicken had gone.. guess the world is on a Lean Diet as there were loads of sausages still in store ! I did buy some more DF butter as it’s only £1.49 for bulk plus some gherkins, 
plus potatoes as want to try my new mandolin for making crisps (I cook in microwave as less oil) and a Tin of tomatoes £3 the lot 

I bought some onion powder, Kashmir chilli powder (my new fav spice of 2022) 
From local ethnic  shop £2.18 
coop had Ys chicken tikka plus that Alpri I can’t believe it’s not milk (best DF milk ever) reduced and a £1 voucher off so total bill £1.58

I have started a 3 month fitness campaign today .. having not drank since NYE - having dry January if not a dry spring … so my fridge is full of greens and protein. Plus DF yogurt and milk
lots of swimmings and 20 mins of weight training most days is my cunning plan 

also off the dairy again and a week in i
fer I can breathe better and coughing up less stuff ..