Getting FIREd up 😀

edinburgher

I can go as far as a wee lookup these days, that works quite well to help me calculate average spends 

South_coast

You're talking that there foreign language to me now, Ed 🤣 SUM and AVE are about as far as I can manage with Excel, that and changing the number of decimal places, putting a £ symbol on and the like....

killerpeaty

Your life change if you start using tables. If I can put a table I will. They are magic things.

I recently learnt that if you double click the copy format button then stays on! This will change my work life.

South_coast

😱😱😱       

themadvix

I’m with you SC, SUM and AVE are about my limits too. Mr MV is the spreadsheet lover in our house.

ruby_eskimo

I love a good spreadsheet - welcome to the dark side now SC 😆  Think it helps that my job involves a lot of them, and more fancy data analytics tools too, but Excel will always have my heart 😍 even if Microsoft keeps changing buttons around etc. so I have to keep rearranging things with each new Office update.

On my budget sheet I have a tab that I record all the outgoings on as I'm out and about and then there is a summary sheet that automatically adds it all up and shows me where I am against the budgeted amount in that category.  Sounds fancy but nothing more than SUMIF and conditional formatting.  Even DH who also works with numbers is impressed 😆

South_coast

Dear oh dear, I knew I should have known better than to mention the S-word....🤦‍♀️!

£7.13 in from Prolific, so I'm ending the month on -£15.16

South_coast

Well, as predicted, I have been paid and am now depressed by my bank balance 🤣! It is quite nice to have everything all sorted in advance for me though, so I only see what I actually have to spend rather than the "Look what you could have won" moment!

South_coast

So, May...

South_coast said:

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
Right, 69.9% saved. The EF is complete and the rest I am sitting on for the moment

* Anything else I can spare above 60% to go into the S&S ISA on payday
Well, I did save more than 60%, but nothing into the ISA for now (which makes me sad, as I am still in the red)

* Any free money or underspends to be paid into the monthly pots
No! All free money was aimed towards getting the credit card back to zero 😳


2022, the year of happiness....
* Get out and explore somewhere new once a month
OMG, lots! I have been helping a family member get the most out of their National Trust membership, so we have been to 6 different places over the 5 weekends in May. Glad I've achieved one of my targets 😅! Completely exhausted though, my housework and batch cooking have suffered, and my petrol spend for the month was £284 (and another £65 spent today 😱). Membership has run out now, so it was at least a short-lived frenzy!

* Try out a new recipe once a month
No. I completely forgot about this until about a week ago, and once I did I just didn't have it in me. Cashing in on the fact I did two in April 👍

* Try to be more upbeat and positive - and don't succumb to ranting at/about work
I'm trying, but still keep forgetting 🙄

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


Sundry....

* Write a will 
No progress this month

C+ 🤷‍♀️?

South_coast

Good lord, I've actually had a payment from ZipZero!!! I've kept the faith with them and struggled on, scanning my receipts even after my previous payment requests in February and June last year were voided due to their funding issues. I still didn't really believe it when I requested it again this time, but there it is on my electricity account! That £7.18 has taken the account from -£3.27 to +£3.91 😀! Have a feeling it will be some considerable time until I get my next one, though - unless I suddenly develop an internet shopping habit 🤔?