Getting FIREd up 😀

QueenJess

themadvix said:

What the others have said - I’m going to extract my money (a whole £1.06) from Qmee and delete the app. I’m with you on not deleting the account though - you never know!

Ooh - thanks for that. I haven’t logged into it for months. Just had a look and found £1.06 in there! I won’t spend it all at once 😂

South_coast

So, it's the end of another month. Time to check in on progress....

South_coast said:

Money....

* Pay £300 into the LISA each month (with a £400 boost at the start of the tax year to kick it off) - I have my £400 ready to go next week 👍

* Rebuild my EF to £4800 - Yes! All savings have gone this way this payday. Very dull 🥱

Once the EF is complete....

* Save 60% of my salary each month towards the refurb - 60% exactly saved this month. This has left me a bit short on the grocery budget, but I wanted to make sure I hit my target (keep your fingers crossed for some free money to top up the coffers 🤞)

* Anything else I can spare above 60% to go into the S&S ISA on payday - Nothing else spare this month!

* Any free money or underspends to be paid into the monthly pots - Yes, done! Sadly, I still managed to overspend and have had to square it back up on payday 😳


2022, the year of happiness....

* Get out and explore somewhere new once a month - Not done again this month, I have had a LOT going on. Must catch up!

* Try out a new recipe once a month - Yes! And I even liked it and have cooked it again since!



* Try to be more upbeat and positive - and don't succumb to ranting at/about work - Have been trying very hard to both be positive and spread positivity, not the easiest task but will persevere 

* Try and have a couple of little trips away, one UK, one Europe - UK trip booked not, not so sure about going abroad now


Sundry....

* Write a will - No more progress this month

Er, B+?

South_coast

Have just realised I am a wally....

The 60% savings rate for the refurb target was based on me snowballing everything into the LISA first, then working on the refurb. Now I'm making the LISA payments monthly, I can't afford to do that AND save 60% for the refurb on top, so I need to think how to re-phrase it 🤔 I'll still be putting 60%+ in, it'll just be going into two pots at a time instead of one. Maybe I just need to say "Save 60% of my salary each month"? 

Will have a tinker with the wording over the weekend....!

Cheery_Daff

B+ is excellent, well done you! Very impressed 😁

South_coast

Thanks Cheery 😀!

Cornish_mum

Hi great progress, 60% is super impressive especially with inflation effects. 

I have just started bank switching again - it’s such easy free money. When I dropped surveys (because it was driving me potty), I kept switching accounts active. Last month I made £150 for about 10 minutes work😀. 

I am also taking on any extra work related side jobs & I am making sure people know I am happy to take this work on.  So far it’s all been by word of mouth; so far I this year I have one confirmed job ~£120 after tax and one in negotiation. It’s abit erratic but for me gives a better much better hourly rate than surveys. I don’t know if you could do anything like this but thought it might be worth considering. 

Have a great weekend 

CM

South_coast

Thanks CM, some interesting thoughts there.

I don't seem to be doing too badly on the inflation side at the moment, my bills are up £37/month from the start of the year (£30 of that was from my block management company for the flat 😮), although my electricity fix ends next month so I don't expect that to last! Petrol is obviously up, but I just fill up when I need it so I'm not really conscious of how much it costs, I just know that I'm still inside my monthly allowance of £200/month as that pot never runs out before payday. I'm still working from home a couple of days a week, which makes a massive difference there. Groceries are actually down as I'm buying less alcohol. I've been able to fill a basket for the food bank the weekend before payday for the last two months, which makes me 😀 as per my 2022 goal. 

Side projects would be a great idea, but not really something I'd be able to do with my skillz in the industry. Great to hear it's working out for you though 😀 I've dithered back and forth about getting an actual second job for >10 years, but keep coming back to the fact I don't have time for it. Really, I do have time, but the physical process of going to work (getting up early, commuting, plus the actual bum on seat time) adds up to 57 hours over 5 days and I'm no good for anything after that!

Bank switching, however.... You and Ed are totally right, I really should look into that again. I've also NEVER investigated matched betting. I am hereby putting both of these on my to-do list and will report back at the end of the month 👍!

South_coast

Re-worded monthly goals below. Hopefully the last tweak, seeing as we are now into month 4 🤣!

Money....
* Save 60% of my salary each month:
- Pay £300 a month into the LISA
- Rebuild my EF to £4800
- Start saving for the refurb once the EF is complete

* Anything else I can spare above 60% to go into the S&S ISA on payday

* Any free money or underspends to be paid into the monthly pots


2022, the year of happiness....
* Get out and explore somewhere new once a month

* Try out a new recipe once a month

* Try to be more upbeat and positive - and don't succumb to ranting at/about work

* Try and have a couple of little trips away, one UK, one Europe


Sundry....

* Write a will 

South_coast

Final musings for now (I need to go out 🤣!), with a slightly late first of the month round-up....

Movement during March 2022: +£2,231.89
Money needed as at 1 April 2022: £267,217.79

A very good month! With this month's savings going into the EF (which I don't count for these figures), this is entirely down to the pensions rebounding. They're not quite where they were at the start of January, but pretty much back at the 01/02 balance now. 

Right, I really must get dressed 🤣!

killerpeaty

Your 60% savings is incredible and you should be very proud of yourself. 

I have come to the same conclusions about getting a second job. With everything going on, I have no time for it either. Despite this, every time I see one of my favourite shops (like a DIY shop) I think "YES THIS IS PERFECT". No, stop, you would spend all your earnings on tools that you want but don't actually require.