Mortgage free in Forever Home :-)

Merlin's_Beard

KajiKita said:

SandyShores said:

Its a really good plan Kajikita.  My grocery budgeting has definitely lost its way, for instance I went to the sons of Morris the other day to pick up a quick meal on the way home and ended up spending over £30!  A few of those a week, plus a big shop for the staples and the budget has gone before I know it.  I also hate having to shop after work if its for anything more than something like a pint of milk.  I'll be looking at monthly to start with, and to stop going over budget, but then I will definitely start looking at those potential savings - I think we'll crack this budgeting lark.

It’s amazing how much effort and headspace it takes though! I am only able to engage in this review atm because I have been off work this week and am mentally rested. 

I am hoping I will grow new synapses / mental muscle fibres to keep the momentum going on this once I start it …..

KK

Hopefully if you can make it a habit it will stop  needing as many synapses as is does right now as well!

KajiKita

Good week on QM33 - £12.27 sent as OP 😊

KK

Suffolk_lass

KajiKita said:

With reference to the gallumphing and wonderful pay rise I am going to get (ha! 😉) I’ve been doing some fiddling about with the MSE income tax / take home pay calculator. 

It looks like, because I am now in the 40% pay band, if I were to sweep £200 off into the company share save scheme (which I *think* is pre-tax like a pension contribution) I would only be £9 a month worse off in terms of actual take home pay. Does that sound right? 

I do know at the end of a year (I think it runs October to October) you can either buy the shares, keep them or immediately sell them. Or if the shares haven’t performed you can have your savings back. The last statement I had was that my £10 a month saving that I started last year (just for the giggles) was now going to be worth perhaps £172 by the end in shares - but I don’t know if I would pay tax on selling the shares?

I have some stuff to check here, but this sounds interesting. 

KK

Not sure if this is the same scheme you are in... but it says you could transfer into your pension or ISA within 90 days to avoid paying capital gains tax. I think that your October to October might mean the commitment to save the same amount for a year to minimise the admin for your payroll people. If you want these savings to be available rather than locked away, you need to go the ISA route and you need to read the small print about how long they need to stay there before/iff the proceeds become tax free

KajiKita

Thanks @Suffolk_lass - I think it must be, the only thing I am not sure of is that I think we save for a year rather than 3 or 5. There is a guy on the shopfloor I get on well with who I know uses this scheme, so is hall pick his brains 😊

All the duvets from the spare room dropped off at the hospice shop, along with two pillows and two boxes of books! 

Whilst there I helped a young bloke lift a new child’s desk into the back of his vehicle - there was no way his daughter who looked to be about 8 could have and it would have been a struggle on his own. The Universe then rewarded me with a £5.50 Regatta, bright pink fleece jacket in the shop - I went in looking for furniture and found none but at least I will be warm next week! 

The compost was in stock at the plant centre so I now have three bags 😊 Potting up of various tubers here I come! 😊

KK

Cheery_Daff

Glad your good deed was rewarded with a cheerful fleece!

KajiKita

*Finally* put the thermal linings on the kitchen curtains (you know, the ones I ordered last summer 😳😂) - hoping they make a difference next week! 

Leek and potato soup made for lunch with leeks from the garden 😊 Put lots of the greens in it and you could almost feel it’s health supporting properties 😊 One remaining portion bagged up for the freezer. 

Now eating my way though a HM almond, dark chocolate bar thing that is a disaster in that it didn’t set, but a success in that it is very tasty 😊

KK

KajiKita

Managed to get a little play in the garden in! 😊 I continue to work through the Border of Doom - Lordy that is a slow job …. Still haven’t got the new path finished, but this afternoon rescued some spring bulbs that were coming through, potted up a herbaceous perennial that I think I put in last year (judging by the square shape of the root ‘ball’) that got swamped last year and was struggling - that can have some tlc before it gets replanted in a while and hoicked out several yards of oregano and mint root … 🙄

Whilst I was out there I have devised a new plan for the veggie patch. It is a big area, a lot to keep and in the sunniest part of the garden. There are four long narrow beds running south to north and two deeper beds that run east to west - I have no idea why, I inherited this layout when we moved here. I have decided that I am going to make the 4th long narrow bed, closest to the east west beds (so in the middle of the veggie patch) an ornamental / cutting patch. That way I can start putting perennial things in it like daffodils, jonquils etc as well as the seasonal swap overs such as dahlias, gaps in between the perennial bulbs for annuals such as cosmos, nigella etc. I think it will balance up the veggie patch layout (we have added a shed at the top end and moved the greenhouse to the bottom of it), bring more helpful insects in, and as I honestly enjoy titivating ornamental areas than veg beds, it will pull me into that area and hopefully lead me to work more on the veg beds too  … 😉 

Mr KK has found a big old brown wardrobe that we are going to convert into my craft ‘cupboard’ for the spare room with ply and batten. To make it more usable and easier to see inside it, I am going to paint the inside of it - not sure what colour yet, something light. The idea being that it will be like opening a secret cupboard of delights …. 😊🎉

KK

KajiKita

Another thing that struck me when working in the garden was how DRY the ground is getting! I have been reading articles this week about how many of the reservoirs are not yet refilled after last year’s hot, dry summer. I tried to buy waterbutts at the time, but they were out of stock everywhere. 

Going through TCB I have ordered two 210L ones from W1lko’s along with stands, diverter kits etc. for £105. They aren’t the best quality but they will be in relatively shady parts of the garden so I think they will probably see me out! 😉

My gardening YNAB pot is now at -£15 until after next pay day. 

KK

SandyShores

You've just reminded me that I need to water the pots and some of the garden.

KajiKita

SandyShores said:

You've just reminded me that I need to water the pots and some of the garden.

I probably ought to do mine and the greenhouse plantings (such as they are) as well. 

KK