10 years to clear £334K - our FIRE journey

CCW007

Three hours to buy the TV - credit card company blocked me buying the gift cards and it took 1.5 hours on the phone to resolve which culminated in £30 compensation. Total discounts (assuming cashback tracks) = £120 plus the £30 so £150 off.

Then we realised our dog had injured herself - off to emergency vet and £360 bill. We'll claim off insurance but excess plus the fact they don't cover the full £200 consult fee for emergency treatment means we'll end up paying about £150 🙄

Thank you @savingholmes I feel guilty for spending money on something non-essential! But I really have maximised the discounts we can get 😁 and it does play into our longer term plans. 

savingholmes

Hope your dog recovers soon. 

Well done on the compensation.

CCW007

Dog's cone of shame now being held together with gaffer and parcel tape - staples out tonight all being well.

£5.54 cashed out yesterday = £284 / £520 OP since October.

Final wall being plastered on Thursday then it's all systems go to get ready for kitchen installation early March.  Feel tired just thinking about it!  But it will be worth it in the end.

New lead role is likely to be approved to advertise on Thursday so need to read JD and decide if I'm going to apply.  It seems to be assumed that I will - my Exec Director mentioned it the other day as a "job you will be interested in".  Colleague won't be applying due to her health issues. 

Colleague from another department told me they were being encouraged to go for it but didn't want the role which surprised me - I hadn't considered that anyone outside our team would be applying. Did make me consider what my boss had said about if you don't apply you need to be prepared to work for whoever does...

Money wise it's not the best move - £2.5k more than my incrementally increased salary in April, incremental increases are half the size of current band, one increment would actually lose me take home because it pushes up your % contribution to the pension scheme and you end up on less take home.  Lots more responsibility, higher profile, more political.  Just have to see what I think of the JD.

Pay day tomorrow so will be shuffling money.   

Merlin's_Beard

I will cross my fingers that the cone of shame lasts the last night!

South_coast

CCW007 said:

Did make me consider what my boss had said about if you don't apply you need to be prepared to work for whoever does...

I have definitely encountered this in the past and kicked myself for not having had the confidence to apply. 

The increments thing makes no sense to me, as I have never had a job where there was any remote indication of a pay scale (why make it clear when you can keep it ephemeral 🤷‍♀️?), but if you could afford the lower take-home maybe see the increased pension as playing the long game?

CCW007

Thanks South-coast, it does help hearing other people's experience. 

I've given my head a wobble.  It sounds like I'm moaning about the pay and I do appreciate the clarity of payscales.  I think I'm finding fault because I'm anxious about the role and that's something within my power to focus on.

I was happy knowing what I will be on in April with two incremental increases and this role would be more than that, even allowing for starting at the bottom, and it gives the possibility of further increases so I would be grateful for the potential - it's only when I get to mid payscale that the pension / lower take home increment occurs so I'm a way away from that anyway.  Plus there's inflationary increases.  

Horrifically spendy month with deposit for the kitchen plus the TV.  Next month's CC bill means we will actually be negative at the end of February compared to today but it's all in the plan.

Worked out we can buy the ovens cheaper direct than ordering through the kitchen company due to them changing the way they applied the discount.  Put them in my Currys basket but couldn't get the discount to work - should be 10% off cheapest.  Left it there as we don't need them until the end of the month and got an email from Currys for 5% off everything which works out better than the 10% off cheapest.  Will buy gift cards again (6% discount), use Quidco (6.6% cashback) and the 5% discount so all adds up.  TCB declined my cashback on the TV but I have raised a case - might be because I used a voucher as well so won't count on getting the Quidco cashback.

Bit more cashed out from PA so now at £290 / £520. Also had a session scanning CDs and DVDs yesterday and got £6 WBB and £12 Ziffit ready to go off.  Both are being collected from home tomorrow, just need to pack them up. 

Offset by going to the charity shops to buy shirts and trousers for OH and buying two new (in the sale) dresses for me.  We both need to lose weight and then we will have access to loads of clothes but it's trying to get in the mindset and prepare to eat healthily whilst the kitchen is in the conservatory so we only have one hob zone / ninja / combi microwave / slow cooker.  Plus everything that's going on and needs to be done for the kitchen being fitted. I often end up feeling overwhelmed so need to try and focus on one thing.

CCW007

Going to see what I can do this month to offset the huge CC bill. Listed a pair of shoes, a dress and a kaftan on Vinted. Never tried it before so will see how it goes.  Lots more identified to list as well.

Picking up some free hangers off FBMP as we are really short of them and stuff.doesnt get hung up and put away as a result. Really need to get this house more organised and this is a step in that direction.

savingholmes

Good news on the plastering. Good luck whatever you decide on the job.

CCW007

We realised last night that OH had forgotten to SORN two cars which are out of MOT and we have been charged.  Grrr.  No point doing it now (we might be able to get them MOTd this month) so have set a reminder to review before the end of February.

CCW007

2nd February 2024
Mortgage - £307,493
WIOTW - £273,856
EF - £0
Building fund - £1,500
Reduction this month - £1,110
Reduction since April 2023 - £7,143

Focusing everything over the capital paid off the mortgage on the building fund until that has enough to pay for the kitchen.

Prediction for end of Feb is grim at -£354 reduction so focus is on making next month cost neutral. 

Starting with £33 in interest received today = -£321.  Ziffit and WBB parcels collected so hopefully by early next week will have £18 in. Oh yes and that didn't include the £6 from PA the other day so already down to £315.