Five Year Fix, Five Year Plan

savingholmes

The reduced hours sound great. Your progress in 3 years is epic.

Merlin's_Beard

Financially wise, plodding along. The general savings pot in YNAB is looking sparse but that's because I haven't reduced contributions to anything in light of reduced wages.

The new car fund is looking much healthier (sitting at £4.5k) but obviously that's a long way off where it needs to be (estimating £10-15k for a 2-4 year old hatchback, reasonably economical, will last me 10-12 years? Maybe?). Currently adding £400 a month to this.

The holiday pot looks healthy, or it will do once people have paid me back! Heading off to Edinburgh in a few weeks for a mini convention type thing with friends and a bit of sightseeing. Five more working days to go!

Once that's over I'm going to reduce contributions in December to the general holiday pot and re-divert that to the car fund. There is also a specific 40th birthday fund I've set up for 2027 that I'm already adding to.

I am pondering reducing the debt OP fund by a little - from £250 a month to either £200 or £150 a month - to divert to the new car fund as well. There's a part of me that's super reluctant to do this, and there's a part of me that is reminding me that my income has just dropped, and with the majority of my savings going into new car fund, there's nothing left at the minute to sort the house. AND that my mortgage is 2.28% until 2027 so if I'm going to divert funds away for these kind of things now is the time to do it.

Update on where I am with the house:
Garden:
✅garden landscaping
✅most planting
✅garden furniture set
❌shed (I have the money set aside for this but haven't found the will to go through with it yet)

Kitchen:
✅kitchen cupboards
✅table + cabinet
✅spice rack on the wall
✅photos and framed craft things on the wall

Loft:
✅loft boarding

Study:
✅Currently filled with as many bookshelves as it can fit.
❔Maybe replace the desk with something a bit less cumbersome (low priority)

Main bedroom:
❌fitted wardrobe
❌new bed/bedroom furniture? Or move spare bedroom furniture over?

Spare bedroom
❌who knows what I'm doing with this - either keeping the bed in there, or getting a larger sofa bed

Storage cupboard
❌Fit some shelves into it

Living room
✅Kallax to store games/jigsaws
❌ More seating! Desperately needed, but needs the main bedroom/spare bedroom to get done because my current sofa is a sofabed and anything new won't be
❌Coffee table and TV unit - I have a corner unit poking out into the middle of the room and a 15 year old cheap argos nest of tables with the veneer peeling off right now.
❌I want an electronic piano. This is a complete luxury for me, but I'd really like to learn.


In terms of going away, it's reminded me that a) a lot of my underwear has holes in it and b) I only have one set of PJs without holes in it, so I went online M&S shopping. Also added a pair of jeans (I ordered them in a size too large in the summer, sent them back and then never re-ordered) and treated myself to the beauty advent calendar. I am not hugely a makeup person but also I do desperately need to replenish some supplies so it felt almost not-terrible (this is a lie it felt wildly extravagant, happy Christmas me I guess.)

Also signed up for an online seed talk (£17 for the recording, because I won't ask questions at the live anyway)

My mum has offered to pay for a taxi to the train station for my holidays after a short inquiry about what time I'd have to set off (my train is at 8.45 I'd be setting off from home before 7). There is a large part of me that wants to know why she will offer that but not a lift but I'll keep that thought to myself.

Merlin's_Beard

Socially I keep plodding along as well. Two book clubs, one an offshoot from the board game group, going away with friends as well. Trying to be brave and reach out to people that I do want to spend more time with (invited a work colleague to a talk I think she'd like).

I do think that the reduction in hours is really helping with giving me the energy to do that - so despite all the financial wrangling and haven't dones in the post above, and despite it being early days, it could be worth it.

(And the money I'm spending on counselling is helping me with that as well, so that's another £100-150 a month accounted for!)

So I'm sort of edging towards where I want to be in this sphere as well.

savingholmes

Sounds like you are doing well. It is a constant balance between current and future you. On the furniture - fbook often has decent options.

KajiKita

I think you’re making steady progress and as SH says, it always is a balance between current and future you … 🤷‍♀️😉😊

Why are you concerned about your mum offering to pay for a taxi?

Re the electronic keyboard, could that be something you ask parents and siblings for, for Christmas? 

KK

Merlin's_Beard

KajiKita said:

I think you’re making steady progress and as SH says, it always is a balance between current and future you … 🤷‍♀️😉😊

Why are you concerned about your mum offering to pay for a taxi?

Re the electronic keyboard, could that be something you ask parents and siblings for, for Christmas? 

KK

More curious than anything else - she's always been very spendthrift, lives a 5 minute walk around the corner, but she'd rather give me money for a taxi instead of just offering a lift herself? It's just a bit out of character 😂

KajiKita

Maybe her car is having issues? 🤷‍♀️😊

KK

Humdinger1

Your progress is marvellous @Merlin's_Beard! Always difficult to see from the inside.  Adjusting to different figures is a process I find, not an event.  Onwards and upwards love Humdinger xx 

rtandon27

@Merlin's_Beard - Mom's love can be shown in odd ways!  Mine would do the same simply because she'd rather stay in bed than get up at that hour and drive.  Personally, I'd say thanks for the offer & take mine up on it, to let her feel she's helping out.  Then I'd set the money aside for the next B-day, Xmas, Easter etc.

Merlin's_Beard

rtandon27 said:

@Merlin's_Beard - Mom's love can be shown in odd ways!  Mine would do the same simply because she'd rather stay in bed than get up at that hour and drive.  Personally, I'd say thanks for the offer & take mine up on it, to let her feel she's helping out.  Then I'd set the money aside for the next B-day, Xmas, Easter etc.

I've said yes (and I'll get the taxi as well - between walking to the bus stop and getting the right bus to be in good time it'll shave about 90 minutes off my travel time).