Learning to walk before I run

edinburgher

Recycling out, dishwasher and tumble dryer cleaned, dishwasher loaded, towels washed, hoovering done/emptied/batteries charging, floors mopped, wooden floors cleaned. Two children to put to bed as well 😅 

Looking forward to a bite of dinner and the next Godzilla 😄

QueenJess

edinburgher said:

@QueenJess - I have noticed that some of our budget lines have only been going up for what feels like actual years now. Yes, I know inflation is a thing, but our personal rate of inflation definitely feels higher than some. I suspect in terms of groceries that this is because we eat meat and fish. The downside of ever-increasing budget lines in YNAB (our budgeting app) is that the average only goes up over time (again, probably pretty obvious). The only way I can fix this is to find a way to spend less and reduce the trend...

Oh yes - I was mentioning to DH the other day that our personal inflation rate is way higher than the silly way inflation is calculated with the basket of goods.  All childcare jumped 15%, water was more like 100% for us and we just don't buy many of the things that decreases inflation in a basket of goods.  Sadly it means that I do have to do more with less given pay would never go up as much as my personal inflation, although I have tried to increase my contractor rates (but obviously this is always subject to someone being willing to pay it and negotiation).

I think I've decided that the only way to improve things is to start chipping away at the mortgage with any spare pennies that I have to try and leverage some budget breathing space.

edinburgher

@QueenJess - we have been very lucky to find a quite traditional childminder who is also lovely and decidedly affordable (£45 a day, parents send lunch, nappies, suncream etc) Even so, that's £500 out of our pockets each month, even with tax free childcare.

That + the mini budget disaster where our mortgage went up by £500 have (financially) ruined the last couple of years. I am so grateful that DD2 gets her funded hours from August and that mortgage rates are falling Vs the peak. Childcare should fall to £100 a month (holiday cover from childminder + summer club for DD1)

QueenJess

Wow - £100 a month is the dream… even with DD in school in September, given we will both be working, I have estimated my year round childcare at £450 a month 😬. London prices though where I am even though I am not in London.

edinburgher

Just submitted a Feed In Tariff reading of a stonking 980kWh for the last quarter👌🏻

For context, that was significantly higher than our electricity usage for the period, although it's not quite that simple (as we don't have a battery).

Apparently an efficient electric car could drive 20% round the Earth's circumference with that 😁

Now I impatiently wait to see how much they pay me

*Edit: Whoop - £219! 

rtandon27

Nice bit of incoming dosh - every bit helps!

South_coast

More importantly - it was sunny in Scotland 🥳!

edinburgher

• £269.32 OPed, saving c. £1,160 in interest
• £140 spent on dry cat food (20kg of breed-specific stuff for cat #2)  This will last a year
• £25.93 spent on a month of nice coffee (had a £20 off voucher to use)
• Ordered DD1 an umbrella and a plastic table cover for arts and crafts
  
  

The fruitless task for today is trying to find a decent cat tree for cat #2 (maine coon) that a) will allow him to sit on top without listing to the side like a ship at sea, b) is quite simple (broad trunk and somewhere to sit, relatively small base footprint) and c) doesn't cost the earth. I don't begrudge him the cost, he is the "cheap" one as he doesn't get into scrapes. I don't have an "aesthetic" and he's a pet, not a lifestyle choice <--- certainly feels like one at times! 

This is the best I've found so far: https://rhrpets.co.uk/collections/cat-tree-for-large-cats/products/cat-tree-maine-coon-lounge-dark-grey Seems a bit much for what it is. I am bored with this task.

beanielou

Have you ever looked at ‘3 cats.’  Totally different to that but both mine love them.  They are somewhere in the west of our isle if I remember. 

edinburgher

I'm not sure what that is @beanielou