Pay off mortgage and start having even more fun 😁

themadvix

Sounds like a good day NG - and lovely that the in-laws see you as family enough to give you a present 😊

newgirly

I guess so Vix 😊

Laid back Boxing Day for us yesterday, dd didn’t stay long with hubby , tired I think after a 3 am late night drinking Xmas day! She’s asked me for brunch today while dh is out with the work lads to drink , go for dinner and then the cinema. Not sure I’ve go the energy but I can’t say no to an invite out 😆

Last night I ordered some birthday presents for next year 😱 dil and I got an imp@rial candle and soap each for Xmas and it was so exciting! Burn the candle and get a surprise silver jewel in them, both candle and jewel handmade in England and you get a valuation for the jewel via a code and it can be up to £2000, ours were “worth” £25/£35 each item, anyway they were 30% off for Boxing Day so I spent £76.98 and bought 2x candles and 2x soaps as gifts, well that’s a lie I bought myself one soap with a ring in it 😬 Anyway the birthday/Xmas budget starts in January at £200pm and I’d been contemplating trying to squeeze some presents from the normal budget to keep hold of a bit of extra cash if I can. Will look at the finances later and see if I can do that with this purchase. Either way dil’s October birthday gifts are half done now, and some of mums 🙂

No need for food shopping for a while here, I made bread yesterday and we will live off cheese and chocolate for all meals as is tradition here after Xmas 😆 also as usual I have a Xmas cake and pudding from mil which I struggle to get rid of, one year I made Xmas pudding ice cream with it which just meant I ruined some ice cream. 

Nearly time for yet another 2024 aims post I think, also need to update the mfw challenge and see if I hit it or not, I’ve honestly no idea 🙄

newgirly

I’m still working up to a full update and look at the finances, I’ve had a think about some extra mini challenges I can do to keep motivated and help get through the year on a tight budget. 

The first is. as mentioned before a £1 a day online saving pot, plus I’m going to try and buy (from the usual grocery budget) some food gift cards through the year towards the Xmas food shop, I’m not 100% we will do it as dd’s mentioned maybe her doing it if they move to a house this year but better prepared. I’m never one for gift cards but feel fine buying some in M&S maybe once a month,plus Aldi also now do them I’ve just found out! So I’m aiming for £10 pm M&S and every now and then in Aldi or maybe even Tesco/sains instead. 

I’ve upped the “fun” pot to £100 a month, this is huge! It’s for anything really, but defiantly for things like buying the family a takeaway on the kids’ birthdays if we feel like it without a real stress, because there’s so may of them so we just don’t do it 😂 Also for any other fun of any description 😬

That leaves £15 pm extra which is yet to be assigned for anything, this never happens, what other pot could I invent to send it to I wonder? 

Other than that there’s been nothing to report, re watched a bit of the detectorists today with ds2  as we love it, plus took all the decorations down and cleaned the house. 

LadyWithAPlan

newgirly said:

DD’s was ecstatic with her vinted second and homemade dr who dress I bought (for about £8 if I remember rightly) made from the same curtains she had in her bedroom as a girl, best dress she’s ever had in her life apparently , even her wedding dress 😂 

I love this  
Enjoy the week off and happy new year !

The food xmas gift card is also a great idea - I never knew aldi did them...

newgirly

Thanks Lady with a plan , you too 😊

newgirly

💙💙💙💙💙💙💙MONTH 15 OF THE 33 MONTH CHALLENGE💙💙💙💙💙💙

Start balance October 2022: £61,452.11

Balance at 29th Dec 2023: £38,272.54

Total reduction since month one: £23,179.57

Total reduction for December: £1614.55



So the end of year three month challenge from October the 1st was to pay £4068 as an extra mortgage op  and pay £1176 of the cruise balance owing for Aprils cruise. 

In the end it’s turned out we had a £500 credit towards the cruise as compensation for issues on our Northern lights one in Nov. We ending up paying £676 to clear the balance plus £127.68 and £63.84 for internet packages (Black Friday discounts when booked) on our next two cruises. 

So totals are £3672.96 overpayment - target was £4068 😩

£867 cruise payments out of target of £1176 (target did reduce by £500 to £676 though) 

Could to better there I guess 😆 it’s not too bad though and we are still hanging in on the 33 month challenge, plus we were away for 12 nights during this period and had Xmas and all the extras that entails that I don’t budget for (just presents budgeted for usually). 

I’ve also managed to start little savings pots ready for next year: 

Northumberland May caravan  (newspaper cheap) holiday pot £100

£1 a day savings started on 1st Dec - £29 😊 

Back later with the final edit of next years budget, hopefully our last full year with a mortgage - woohoo!! 

South_coast

Cracking progress, NG 👍! I definitely wouldn't beat yourself up about coming up £400 short on the OP figure - just look what you've achieved!

(And if you really wanted to catch back up, a year of your £1 a day savings pot, plus 2 months of your unassigned £15/month and you're there 😀)

newgirly

Cheers SC, still having in with the same end date so won’t bother making it up now 😬

It’s free money day! Finally my faffing about with hsbc has paid off as £125 went to dh’s new account today , nothing in mine though which should have qualified a couple of days earlier (I think I might not be eligible though) plus £15.43 payable on topcashback , what a day 😁 all gone to the April cruise spending pot so now a total of £240.43 
 

A little spending done this morning meeting friends for coffee and a top up shop in Aldi, both from my personal spending budget as there is no food budget left 😆 

Watty1

Amazing reduction.  Inspirational

newgirly

Financial update time, pretty much a repeat with a few tweaks from a couple of weeks ago: 

💛💛💛💛💛FINANCIAL PLANS FOR 2024💛💛💛💛💛💛

£571.26 Direct debits 
£30 car and home insurance/tax/mot - temporarily cheap due to tiny car 
£100 personal spends dh 
£115 personal spends me 
£200 Xmas/birthday gifts 
£100 Fun fund - new! 
£150 cruise balance for trip in 2025 
£500 groceries//petrol/everything else
£396.18 mortgage payment 
£1808 mortgage overpayment 

Thats it, we had a surplus £15 pm but I’m putting that to my personal spending which will no doubt go towards the save £1 a day challenge anyway. 

It’s all pretty up in the air unless we get the new lease signed and rent paid though, so I’m not that confident it won’t all collapse soon but you can’t start the new year with no plan can you! 

I’ve not included ds1’s rent of £125 from January onwards as he’s going to be moved out very soon 😢 if there is another payment I shall decide later where it goes. 

Food shopping is the most costly thing really and not much saving to be done there anymore, one thing I may do is get a good herb garden going again, our paved small garden is not great for veg as there very little room and we eat a lot, but some nice fresh herbs helps cost wise and also jazzes things up. 

Still no spending on clothes/ underwear/ accessories/shoes etc. it’s been nearly a month now 😱 this is nothing for “normal” people, for me it’s an achievement 😂 my personal spending money goes on coffees out and about and cheap clothes usually. I am intending on losing some weight though, so am thinking if it does have a drastic impact I shall sell bigger stuff and try and buy it again second hand in a smaller size, is that bonkers? I’m quite keen to stick to this 🙂