A new chapter, An empty nest, Drama school & Last year of Uni

Spendless

Tuesday was a NSD, Yesterday wasn't though, my car needed filling up and I had a dentist bill because suffering with toothache last week I made an appt and this was the 1st I could get. By the time of yesterday's appt the toothache had gone but I didn't dare cancel.  An X ray later  and the explanation was it's part of the 'settling down' of some extensive work I had a few months ago as the work is close to a nerve. The 3rd expense of the day was some crisps from the vending machine,  because not eating much before dentist visit I had the munchies mid afternoon and wanted to avoid all the sugary stuff in the office. I need to fill a drawer in my desk with some savoury snacks for me instead. 

After a couple of false starts where DD's student loan wasn't yet due in and then was delayed, she is having a good start to yr2. She learnt a lesson when she ordered shampoo and conditioner late at night via uber (why?? - she lives in a house with other girls, they'd have had some if you couldn't wait till morning!) it was charged to our bank acc as we'd had our card set up from recently when we were abroad and she had attended a wedding and wanted to ensure she could get home ok and had forgotten to remove it. I deducted the almost £14 (!!!!)  cost from the money I was sending her to live on till her student loan had come through. As DH is working abroad this week and flew from an airport close to DD's digs he dropped in again and took some additional stuff down that she'd asked for, one of them being food containers. Saw this as an opportunity for me to declutter my stack and just keep the ones I use the most. Later she rang to show me the packed lunch she'd made. Have to admit it looked good with hummus and veggie sticks and because another student had realised he hadn't got anything to transport his own packed lunch in, DD sent him one of her containers. Last year DD complained a lot about the overpriced canteen. I'm not sure it's open yet as not all courses are back but  hopefully this gets them into cheaper habits in advance. 

I'm monitoring everything we spend daily on a s/sheet for this month so we can compare to Augusts and identify any more areas we need to address. 

Spendless

Remember the 'bits' of pensions I found all over the place months ago, Our FA collated them and there's just short of £52, 500 in them total. . One large one wasn't even making any money! They are now all going to be transferred over to the SIPP I took out last year. No bad considering I was very vague about what I had and didn't think I had much of a private  pension at all. 

Need to do this months CC, was going to be a yesterday job but 'life' got in the way. We have made a start  with buying the items we need to improve the house, but the first part was to improve DH office, once that bill has gone we will move onto the  actual house.

 

Spendless

Just realised it's 3 years today since I started this diary. Never did I think then that today I'd be writing on here as someone debt free especially since for for the 15 months-ish I got no further forward bar payments already being paid.

Still haven't worked out how much we repaid. Would have to look at historic paperwork to work it out but I believe somewhere in the region of £17k  in addition  we are mortgage free. Previously we were in our o/drafts to the limit every month  to the tune of £1k & £500 respectively. Nowadays if we go into them at all it's for a day before payday and due to some heavy expenditure not anticipated rather than day to day living. In addition for the past  18months 10.5K  has been paid out from wages for student rent and not taken from any savings  we had.  As well as the £50k+ found in my pensions.  

Yankee24

You have done so well!   I love your diary

Spendless

Posting from sunny Texas. Currently early morning though. We are both due to be paid on Mon and have yet again hit that last minute expenses which will cause us to be in a last min  overdraft.  However some of this has been caused by hol spending, namely eating etc at airport and Mr S moved money over to account for this into a currency acc, but I can't access it. Later I'll add up what we've spent so far and ask him to  transfer some back.
Since stepping on the plane, costs have been minimal. Needed to seek the local shops yesterday as forgot to pack a small handbag for evenings (decided i need to replace my old ones anyway so will prob use bday money to cover that - its today) and also DH did his usual trick of forgetting a hat to protect his head. That will come out of hol spends.
Since then meals have been covered by the company DH is working for inc coffee/tea/juice at breakfast, coffee/tea/pop/water at lunch and alcoholic drinks at dinner. Spent yesterday afternoon by the pool before eating "family style' at a restaurant. Tonights meal is a more formal affair, looking forward to as its also my birthday.

Sarahwithlove

Great news about the pensions 

Honeysucklelou2

Happy belated birthday. Hope you are having a wonderful time in Texas.

Well done on the financial achievements. Managing DD’s rent  , I think, was amazing!

Spendless

Thank you. Yes the student rent has been a killer looking back. I just wish we'd thought this through earlier on. Even now it's a weekly amt I need to send and I pay from my salary but it's difficult to 'get ahead' with it. 2 years left - lol.

The spending money DH had actually taken from our everyday acc not savings so I think though we didn't end the month with surplus money we broke out even with what was left and hol spends. Only extra cost is the dog kennels and really I should have been saving for that known cost. I will set up a 'woof' fund now for his expenses. 

Returned home to find most of my 'bits of pensions' have been transferred into one. Can't believe I'm looking at not quite a mega pension pot but certainly a far better than I anticipated in a few years time. 

DH's bday is next this w/end and then that is it for the year. Got some idea on wat to get him. His sofa for his office arrived the day before he flew so he's put it together today. A throw and some cushions will finish it off and then that's one area of the house re-furbed for not a huge cost. The next step to do something similar is the conservatory.

I buy all year round for Xmas and have done for many years and it's saved me sooo many times. This year is no different, I have my parents presents already and an idea of what to get the rest of the family if not already bought. 

Spendless

Morning - Not a huge amt to report here. I continue to pay the weekly student rent from my wages. Ideally I'd like to get ahead with it  too but that's been proving difficult to do with last minute  or unexpected expenses. We called to see student offspring last weekend. We took the dog and booked into a dog friendly hotel but we were put on the ground floor (usual) but the first room with the result that the dog barked at everyone who he heard walking past jolting us from our sleep all night long. We then returned the following day hours later than planned due to a washing machine leak in the student rent, which meant a trip to the laundrette. Very glad DH was present though cos the LL subtly suggested it was the housemates fault. It wasn't it was the pipe and a plumber had been seeing to it the day they moved in so clearly been a problem before def not the tenants as DH said to LL, they barely know how to turn a tap on they wouldn't mess with a pipe!  DH who had driven was fortunate enough to be able to take Mon off to catch up on some sleep - good job he has some AL left. I wasn't able to book time off at short notice and we were short staffed that day too.

DH's summer house is 90% finished, just needs final bits moving/decluttering. Next on the list is the conservatory which I want to claim more as 'my' space. 

Spendless

We have 3 full days to get to till payday for both of us and a staggering still 4 figure sum left in the bank! Wondered why and it's because we've not paid this month's CC bill. Did the sums and there's only 3 transactions on it, 1 is a monthly bill set up on the card (not sure why!). The other 2 are my birthday present last month - DH had forgotten what is was when he read it out to me -lol plus some furniture for  the refurb of the last house project. We are getting there in baby steps with the next chapter on finances. We will pay it off at the end of the month just before it's due, so as not to attract interest.

I have no wages left as I tipped  all what was left into into savings a few days ago in anticipation of paying for some legalities. I then decided with the extra hour to go 'window shopping' at a nearby small outlet. I've had my eye on 2  non-chocolate advent calendars, one for a special 0 birthday present the other as a treat for a family member. I had intended buying both on payday then I noticed that the current discount  offer ends before  then. In my younger day I had a job where one of my tasks was to put promotional shelf edge labels out so I can read them in around 90% of cases -lol, it's a  handy skill. So I bought today and will be transferring money back out and in again! At least this was a planned expense though not a last minute wobbler.