Prosperous soul embraces creativity & mortgage neutrality

happymum37

The paintings are fabulous, really pretty. 

Please will you tell me if the trainers are true to size as I am about to order the same style in different colours - we just have similar taste 😀 

Fortune_Smiles

Those sketches have a lovely feel to them SH - very Monet 😍

Fortune x

savingholmes

Will do @happymum37 They haven't arrived yet - will let you know how I get on when they do. I have very wide feet so tend to go up at least half a size.

Thanks FS.

My new router has arrived. Not tried it yet... Woke up feeling dizzy - a touch of vertigo. Hoping it wears off. My head feels slightly stuffy so hope it's connected to that and not anything more serious. Don't fancy bending down to sort cables etc though.

I am hoping to make more art today. I want to find more masking tape and have another go at the 'sketches' style art work...

Have a food delivery coming tonight - not that it's needed - but tried to include lots of fruit and veg to put me on a healthier food track.

jwil

Hope you feel better soon x

savingholmes

Thanks Jwil. It's eased a little. Will see how I go on.

My trainers are arrived. They are as beautiful in person as they were online. I've sprayed them with a protector and will keep them. They are a snug fit but hoping that will ease. They are hugely more supportive than my old trainers - so belatedly realised being frugal about my trainers wasn't helping me (as it disincentivsied going out and about). I'm tempted to buy another pair of the same brand but cheaper for the days I don't want to risk getting my shiny new ones dirty on muddy paths etc Laughing at myself here but keeping it real...

mark55man

painting, keep fit, baking, family dramas and amongst it all finding time to see all your relatives.  wow sometimes holidays can be restful and sometimes they can be more work than working

keep it up and have a happy and prosperous 2022 after a party night on Friday obvs

savingholmes

Review of 2021

I looked back at a lot of my original goals for 2021 but they became irrelevant / side tracked due to my divorce. Things to celebrate and things I've learned along the way:

Divorce: 

1. Family: My young adult kids took the news reasonably well - although  that's up and down. My wider family on my side have been more supportive than expected. My Ex's family are still blanking me.
2. Divorce Finances: I paid over £4K in divorce fees. (£220-230 p/h - but Ex was paying £330 p/h plus VAT). I got Ex to pay his half of court fees and half the cost of the pension sharing order implementation. I've not counted the latter in my costs as I've assumed it gets taken straight from my pension. If it doesn't I could receive a c£900 bill at some point.
3. With what I know now - I would be tempted to try and get a fixed price on the finance consent order - as when they quote you a price for the divorce - they just mean the initial bit - not the finances - that's all extra. I think they are misleading there. I  would also advise choosing a Resolution lawyer.
   
4. We had an 'amicable' divorce despite having to live separately but apart in the marital home during that period. Keeping it short helped with that - and agreeing we weren't going to give our solicitors any more than we had to. 
5. I succeeded in getting divorced in circa 4 months (requesting 2 x DB pension figures as soon as I considered divorce helped significantly with this - plus Ex waiving a pension actuarial report - which would have otherwise added 4 months to the timeline and between £2-4K). His pensions were all DC so more straightforward. 
6. We avoided formal mediation costs. We agreed our finances among ourselves. We both signed waivers as we refused to pay a fortune (c£1.5K) to an IFA for other financial reports too. I read a very detailed report (close to 200 pages) on how pensions are treated on divorce and had a free chat with an IFA and so was comfortable that what I'd agreed with Ex was fair to both of us / in my favour.
7. I was advised to get a mortgage capacity report - this would have cost me c£200 so I didn't do this and got a free AIP from L&C instead.
8. I was able to pay Ex out from a combination of increased mortgage and savings. 

MSE

1. MSE: I'm very grateful for this forum and for those who post as it does help with both accountability and support and has been a light in a dark time.
2. Debt: Cleared £13357 off CC debt cf to a starting position of £15212 - now at £1855.
3. Pension: I've added £187 to my private pension. This also grew a lot this year. Plus what goes into my work DB pension. The latter will increase c£900p.a. based on my and my employer's payments.
4. Employment: I kept my job - which wasn't guaranteed at some points in the year. DD got a well paid apprenticeship in a specialist field with a blue chip employer. DS got made permanent and passed his probation making the shift from freelancer to paid employment in a field he loves.
5. Pay: I'm due a pay rise which should be backdated to April once agreed with the unions.
6. New £: I'm grateful for £62 in FB sales of tat from my house - I need to list more. I'm grateful for bank switches and CC card incentives & £co. I've signed up for various reward plans. Hopefully these will continue to help me in the new year as these and various cashback amounts become payable.
7. EF/Debt neutrality: A family member gave me a £2K gift which became my starter EF - making me debt neutral.
8. Mortgage: I got a repayment mortgage offer for £202K at 1.84% in my own name - swapping from interest only to repayment and kept my home. This was such a relief. I've made my first Op of £20 and set up a regular OP of that amount to start me off.
9. Christmas: I took the opportunity to reset Xmas expectations and had a relatively frugal Xmas - making use of a previous gift stash, found items in the home, FB and CS targeted buys. New spend on kids - including DS birthday was £130 with about £50 shared between 10-12 others.
10. Will & Life Insurance: I've started updating my will - need to finalise. Life insurance now in my name only but need to set up flexible trust for it. With hindsight we should have gone for single life insurance rather than joint - and level term rather than increasing or decreasing. I am however very grateful that my current policy is increasing as it's cheap as it was taken out in my mid 30s and covered me until my mid 60s. If I wanted the same policy today it would cost me 10 x as much.

Health and Wellbeing

1. Family: I rekindled relationships with some I was slightly estranged from - which has been one of the best things to happen this year.
2. MH & Counselling: I had two counsellors this year - the first potentially made me worse - the second helped a lot. Trust your instincts with a counsellor and if your current one is not working for you - find another - rather than giving up on counselling itself. I went back to one I'd seen 7 years before and paid privately. She's been very much worth it.
   
3. Health & Fitness: I've made far more use of my local park this year and it's helped me a lot and given me a new appreciation for its beauty and encouraged me to walk more. I also joined the gym using a discounted health scheme - and started balance classes that have boosted my confidence, flexibility and balance and improved my posture.
4. Decluttering: I set a goal for 2021 of getting rid of 104 bin bags worth of stuff. With Ex and DS moving out - and various other decluttering efforts over the year - I probably achieved this - but with getting everything down from the loft - my spare room is clogged up. This needs more work. I also cleared out half the shed. Need to continue.
5. Reclaiming my home: I redecorated my study and it brings a feeling of calm and allows me space to create and space for WFH. I also painted the banisters and the front door. Still need to do more. I still have paint left after using 3 tins - which shows how much I over-bought in the past!
6. Holidays / Days Out: Earlier in the year I was in a state of turmoil and took time out to go to places of outstanding natural beauty and the seaside - mostly alone. This aided my recovery. I will prioritise this in my budget. 
7. Arts & Crafts: Essential to my sanity and brings me so much pleasure - so in my budget - but ideally needds to become self-funding. My brother offered me £100 incentive to list 10 items on £tsy so need to follow this up.
8. Writing: I published a book this time last year. In the early part of 2021 I made good progress on book 2 plus wrote 10,000 words of another book. I need to return to this and to book promotion. 
9. Ltd Company: I must sort my company out, resolve my first accounts and get Ex off as a Director - he's resigned - I just need to update CH. I also need to change my bank account. I am thinking of filing my first accounts and then reverting to being a sole trader as it will be much cheaper and easier to manage - given it's not bringing in income currently. 
10. WFH: Grateful can mostly WFH - with all the financial savings this has brought - as well as protection from C19.

Lots to be grateful for. Very grateful that none of us have tested positive for C19 and that we are all still 'here'.

While there's life there's hope. Never give up!

savingholmes

mark55man said:

painting, keep fit, baking, family dramas and amongst it all finding time to see all your relatives.  wow sometimes holidays can be restful and sometimes they can be more work than working

keep it up and have a happy and prosperous 2022 after a party night on Friday obvs

Thanks Mark - you posted in between... Yeah - definitely can be more work than working... Hope you have a fab new year too and thanks for dropping by...

Fortune_Smiles

Well done SH!  Lots of achievements.  One suggestion - just celebrate them 🥳  There will always be more to be done.  For now, sit back and give yourself a big pat on the back - let this post be about your successes.  You can always write another one for new goals and next steps.  I think when you say 'but need to do more' it takes a little away from how fabulously you've done this year.  Look at that amazing progress - including navigating one of life's most stressful situations.

Congratulations - what you've achieved is fantastic and more than enough 😘

Fortune x

jwil

That is a fantastic post - look how much you've achieved this year!  That's amazing!