The thigh’s the limit

Nintud

Hi there.

I’ve been reading the forums on and off for years, started and abandoned a couple of diaries, followed a few inspirational forumites and occasionally contributed. Reading the amazing support offered and the well-meaning backside kicking has made me decide I need to start a diary of my own and write entries to it regularly. Hopefully I won’t just be nattering away to myself, but even if I am, I have a responsibility to keep myself accountable for my spending.

Background:
I separated from my husband in September 2020. We have 50/50 shared care of out two high school aged boys, one week on, one week off.  This is my week off.

I bought a beautiful 3 bed apartment in January 2021. My mortgage is a manageable £611 per month and rubs until I am 70 (in 19 years time). I’d like to have this paid off early, in nine years if possible, in fourteen years at the most.  I also pay £900 per year in maintenance fees. I paid this in one chunk last year and hope to do the same from my January salary.  I have two jobs bringing in £3k per year plus some consultancy work which can bring in another £1k per week if I put in the hours. My health has been poor since September (awaiting a GP telephone consultation re blood results) so my consultancy work has suffered.

Current debt:
MBNA £17500
Santander £9000
These are my target debts for this year.

Car loan approx £14500k
Mummy makeover approx £9000
I had the mummy makeover to replace the deflated boobs and sagging skin left from a 10.5st weight loss after gastric bypass surgery in 2005. Best £8500 I have ever spent.

 I have plans to travel a lot this year and have so far booked three trips to Cyprus (staying with family), a week in Spain and a weekend in Portugal. I have £500 left to pay for Spain and Portugal and I need to buy three plane tickets to Cyprus for Christmas when the flights go on sale. My Dad gives me the flight money in Euros for spending money when we visit, so the only holidays I need to save for are Spain (half board) and Portugal (full board). I’ll be exchanging £100 for Euros each week for those trips and should have some Euros left over  from the summer Cyprus visit for the Spain week away.

Now to explain the title of my diary. Having lost 10.5st after gastric bypass surgery and having had a mummy makeover on my boobs and tummy (due to be redone in April, but I’ll explain that closer to the time), I’m now left with wrinkly, saggy thighs that belong on a much older version of me. I’m therefore saving my loose change, eBaying everything I no longer use and joining lots of MSE challenges to try and save for a thigh lift. I don’t want to take out a loan for this surgery. I’m giving myself until March 2023 to save £6k for the surgery.

That’s it folks. Thanks for reading. I’ll post my SOA tomorrow when I can get a few minutes to go through my bank accounts.

Here’s to a happy and healthy 2022 Xx

Nintud

A quick update before I make a start on my day.

I had a speedy couple of days buying birthday and Christmas presents to put away. I’m hoping to get them wrapped today.

I saw two clients yesterday and made £300. £25 of that went on a premium bond. I intend to buy one each week on Monday morning.

I have a client visiting at 10am this morning to take pictures for a project we are going to work on together. Another client is coming at 5pm for a couple of hours. That will be another £400 in the pot. I’m going to bank the £700 tomorrow. £250 will go into an atom six month fixed bond. £350 will be put asid for my flat maintenance bill and £100 will pay off some of the presents I put on my overdraft.

Twelve days until pay day when I will fill up my expenses pots, pay off my solo weekend in Portugal, put another £350 aside for flat maintenance, set my budget for the month and pay off a bit more debt.

I need to see 2-4 clients per day until Friday to make £300 per day and meet my financial goals.

Jobs today:
put laundry away
run another wash load
change bedding
book clients in for the week
wrap presents
lidl shop
slow cook a chicken curry
cupboard inventory.
Chop and cook onions, mushrooms and mash for the freezer.

Freezer is half filled with pre-cooked meals. I anticipate a £30 shop at Lidl to fill the rest

off now to walk the pooch in my pjs (long coat over the top!) while my bath runs (very short walk across the road). Then meeting and photoshoot with client.

There may not be enough hours in the day for everything I want to get done!

Nintud

I’ve just got home from banking £590 from client work. I also bought €100 for my weekend break in Portugal next month. I’ll be buying €100 euros each week this year, firstly for Portugal in February then Cyprus in March and August and then for Spain in October and then Cyprus again in December.

I’ve put £24.99 into each of my savings pots for Christmas and my retirement cruise and £120.11 towards my apartment maintenance bill. I’ve also paid off an overdraft that crept up on me of £97 and paid off £250 off my Santander credit card plus the £37 I had added to it for my Amazon subscription shopping (cat litter, scar healing strips and tas sino coffee pods).

All in all not a bad week for debt clearance and savings.

I have a client coming at 1pm for a 45 minute booking so that’s another £120. £25 for a premium bond I will buy on Monday (to add to the £100 in premium bonds I have for my emergency fund), £50 for fuel to get me to a client booking on Saturday night (the client is paying me £500), £30 for my cleaner and £15 fun money.

My freezer has been filled with lovely home cooked soup, chicken chasseur, veg bolognese and prepped veggies. I have bags of courgettes, carrots, brown onions and tomatoes plus chicken breasts and sausages to use for curry and casseroles once I have played freezer Jenga. The soup maker is gradually being filled.  I have a jacket potato cooking in the oven for my lunch. I doubts I’ll be able to eat it all so I’ll add the left overs to the soup maker along with courgettes, tomatoes and some stock. Nothing goes to waste here!

the £500 I earn on Saturday and anything I make on Thursday and Friday will be split between an atone savings bond (opening with £250 and adding another £250 throughout the week), £250 to my Santander credit card and the rest towards the apartment maintenance bill.

I’ve spent about £50 on groceries this week from a budget of £200 for the month. So far I have made 32 meals from that and have enough for another 16 meals at least. I feed four people alternate weeks (son’s girlfriend eats dinner here every night) and just me for the other two weeks, so I need food for 66 evening meals each week plus lunches for three people 15 days and one person for 16 days. I’m determined to make packed lunches this month as hot school dinners have been costing me £80 per month. That’s just not debt busting.

Tine to prep for my client arriving. I badly need a 30 minute cap nap first though!

Naomim

Hi,

I feel dizzy! You are so organised! 

Amazing you have some great earning potential there. Are your debts interest bearing? If so I'd be inclined to get them cleared asap and put minimum in savings barring an emergency fund.

I've just started buying PB's. I buy £50 a month. Just waiting for that win! 🤣

Good luck

Naomim 

Nintud

My extra income is high but I get a lot of no shows. I’m trying to build up a base of regular clients though and they will be more reliable.

I’ve seen two clients today and earned £340.  I have another two coming later and that will bring in £390.

I had a shocking water bill this morning, £220 for 6 months. I need to set up a DD for future payments.

The £730 earned today will be divided as follows:
£220 water bill
£210 apartment maintenance bill
£250 atom savings bond (I need new carpet throughout the apartment and hoping to get this done in June)
£30 cleaner
£25 premium bond
£15 fun money

i have a 45 minute client booking for £120 tomorrow. That will go towards the Santander CC. MBNA is on life of balance or low interest so I will chip away at that with small overpayments and then focus on clearing it once the Santander is gone. I’m hoping to have Santander cleared by the end of May. MBNA will hopefully be gone by the end of November. From January 2023 I will start hacking away at my car loan, hoping that will be paid by end of June 2023 and Mummy makeover paid by end of December 2023.

I’m doing sealed pot and penny a day challenges and that will go towards my thigh lift. Once the Mummy makeover debt is cleared I will focus on the thigh lift savings with the plan to have that surgery done over May break 2024.

Lots of long term goals that I’m going to have to try to remain focused on.  Motivation is a challenge but I’m desperate to get out of debt. I haven’t been OD free since I was an 18 year old student, or CC free since I was 19. The dream is to be CC and loan free before I turn 55 and mortgage free before I’m 60.

Naomim

Brilliant goals. 

Are you on a water meter or is that a standing bill? I pay my water over 8 monthly direct debits. Could this be easier to plan for for you?