Learning to walk before I run

edinburgher

Those are great, thanks @Suffolk_lass

• £29.71 OPed (£22.81 of this was cashback from Lloyd's. PSA that it can be useful to check your current accounts to see whether they offer cashback on everyday spends like groceries that can be hard to obtain elsewhere, most of my recent cashback has been via a very generous 8% rate on Sainsbury's shopping which I combined with various Nectar points offers. I know that Santander are another bank that offers similar, I'm going to sign up for their scheme as well)
• £4.24 moved to personal cash savings
• £5.83 moved to EF

Dad coming round for a post-Christmas visit this afternoon. He's a very awkward man, but we should survive as a) time-limited (he's seeing another local sibling later on) and b) children for distraction

Inspired by @Greying_Pilgrim, I have started to tinker with spreadsheets. The first thing I have calculated is our weighted average savings rate, which is currently 4.12%. This is fairly sobering, as we have a lot of accounts paying 5%-7.5%. I suppose the main thing to remember is that the amount in each of these regular savers is quite low. I can increase this weighted average to 4.48% just by moving our cash ISA balance into the market leading flexible ISA, which I am in the process of doing. Moving into 2026, I will be using this rate to add interest to the "savings" lines of our budget, such as funds for the eventual extension. The alternative is the savings interest essentially being swallowed by general spending, which I'm eager to avoid.

*Edit: our gas and electric bill for the last 34 days was over £250!

debtfreewannabe321

My gas and electric was also high 😬😱 and I now start my new month/year in debit to them 🙈. I think mine was around £220.

Cheery_Daff

We're not on mains gas, and just get the tank topped up about 3 times a year so impossible to know exactly how much we're using but I put aside £170 a month for gas ovee the year and that covers us. Probably not far off you! 

Excellent savings calculations, and you've reminded me we don't have any regular savers at the minute so I'd best get on the case!

Greying_Pilgrim

Ha ha ha - where's the laughing my head orf emoji - ed I'm glad that by merely mentioning the word 'spreadsheet', I can inspire you - as being the total luddite that I am, i have never, ever, managed to manipulate one! Never mind set one up - so you had me lost at the first bit of your..."weighted average savings rate" 🤔

Keep on keeping on!

Greying X

Suffolk_lass

My electricity (no gas here) bill will be over £400 this month as I had to turn the aga up on Christmas Day to make sure it was roasting and not just steaming

edinburgher

Mrs E and I are supposed to be alternating long lies (by which I mean 08:30). DD2 is a wee !!!!!! and refuses to let Mrs E get her up. I am tired and grouchy

• £8.75 OPed
• £3.97 to EF
• £15 to my personal savings account
• Started balance transfers into my new CC
• Have received the paper forms required by Tesco Bank to open my new cash ISA and transfer in savings from T212. It's all a bit 1997.

edinburgher

What a year! Before delving into year end finances, I had to say I didn't have a new job for me and a promotion for Mrs E on our bingo cards! Couple that with DD1 enjoying Primary 6 after the previous year where she was quite down in the dumps about school, DD2 thriving in nursery, mortgage dropping from 6.15% to 4.04%, and 2025 has to go down as one of our best years in recent memory

December saw a modest increase to NW of just over £2,700, with a decrease to our strict NW of roughly £15 (i.e. breaking even). As strict NW is essentially our cash and more readily portable investments, that's a very fair reflection of a spendy month (Christmas, and I sent Mrs E pocket money until the end of April last night). 

For the year, however, we saw quite frankly mad increases to NW of in excess of £100,000, and over £45,000 to strict NW. This was a combination of various factors (updated DB and state pension values, stock market highs, and two very generous inheritances that totalled £17,000). It also reflected far better financial hygiene, a pivot to cash, and general good behaviour on our parts I mulled over updating our home equity amount (we haven't updated home value in 3+ years) but decided to leave it, as the value of your home only exists at either the point you sell it/the bank agrees to a new valuation if you remortgage etc. 

This is all relative, we count some things in our NW that others wouldn't, and we are very aware of our good fortune and privilege over the year and more generally. I sometimes wonder whether it's crass to mention numbers but a) I know people have an interest (I certainly love reading the detailed diaries) and b) this is my space, so hopefully you'll tolerate me sharing

Anyway, the year is done, and we're all in good health and fortune. I hope all of my regular visitors and everyone in MFW land is as fortunate in 2026 as we were in 2025. We will try and stay up for the bells, an extra coffee might be on the cards. Take care all x

themadvix

What a lovely, positive round-up Ed! And what a great year (apart, perhaps from the inheritances, which obviously you'd rather not have had - aside from financially).

Keep sharing your numbers - I find them fascinating as I don't track anything in a coherent manner! 😂

I hope 2026 is as great for you as this year has been!

South_coast

Ed, this site is all about numbers! You've been around long enough now that people know what you're about, if they thought you were vulgar then they wouldn't be reading any more. You always acknowledge and show genuine gratitude for any good fortune which comes your way, I don't see that as crass at all. 

P.S. Happy Hogmanay 🩷! 

rtandon27

Ed - that was a lovely round up of the year!  All numbers welcome, both good and bad - it's nice to be able to visualize how others budget!

A very Happy New Year to you, the girls & Mrs E from OH & me!  Looking forward to walking alongside your adventures next year!