Follow the Yellow Brick Road 2023

SandyShores

savingholmes said:

Great news about the bonus.

Thank you @savingholmes, I'm really pleased (and I'll be even more pleased when its in the bank ).  It will be at least a month taken off the mortgage so its a good reward.

Early morning wake up from the cat wanting food, so couldn't resist checking the BG account.  £130 is making its way back to me, so my calculations were correct and I had overpaid this year by more than £200.  My current direct debit showed as £90 owing at the year end but I had planned to increase it anyway, so that's all done.  We should use less electricity this year, but I'd rather overpay in anticipation of any increases.  BG have actually done okay on the end of year review - I've read so many instances where they'd increased the direct debit to epic amounts.  It was definitely a good idea to do the calculations and make those top up payments last month, just a shame their system doesn't make it easier for people to do this.

I had a quick look back at last year and we were paying £105 total for gas and electricity.  What a difference a year makes - although now there are only two our overall bills have reduced so we aren't feeling it like some families are.

SandyShores

Feels like its been a busy but productive weekend, lots of small tasks ticked off but no major ones to report.  I had a quick tidy around upstairs this morning, a few things had been left lying around so it was good to tidy away the clutter.  A fleabay item sold and was paid for this evening, so that will go in the post tomorrow - one less thing to tidy up.  And while I was decluttering spotted a few other things that need to go the same way - I must have a concerted effort and do that.  Looking forward to having some milder weather over the next few weeks so I can a) get out in the garden more and b) tidy up the garage without feeling icicles.  Another week arriving tomorrow

savingholmes

A month off your mortgage sounds great.

Well done on working your way through your list. Sounds productive.

SandyShores

Thanks savingholmes, it was almost a shame to go back into work today as I could have kept the momentum up.  Still there's always the weekend.

savingholmes

Lots of bank holidays coming up. Very grateful for that. Lighter evenings too could help you depending on when you get home after work.

SandyShores

Thanks @savingholmes, yes really looking forward to those bank holidays, lighter evenings and a bit of warmth.  I did manage to sit outside at the weekend to have my coffee when the sun came out - looking forward to more of that. 

Just a quick update about the rest of my BG review, so all now complete.  I had, as calculated, paid more than used so I have around £30 being paid back to me (in addition to the £130 from the electric and which has now arrived).  My dd was reduced, which is good news, because I've read so many stories of people's dd's being set unrealistically - I think my plan to make sure my payments were uptodate at the review date was definitely the right move.  The only slight oddity was they had worked out that with the new dd amount they had set, by the end of the plan I would owe them around £90 so suggested I might want to increase my dd.  Really bizarre - couldn't they have just increased by dd by £7.50 (which would have been £10-£15 less than I had it set up for anyway)?  Oh well, I'm happy now and have increased my dd's to an amount which will more than cover - although I hear that prices may come down, but I'll revise at my six monthly review now that I know my calculations were more or less spot on.

SandyShores

Small update re. BG energy account, and then I am not saying anymore.  So today I logged on just to check the recalculation re. my new dds.  They are showing that by the end of the plan I will be owed over £600 from the gas account and £300 from the electric account - so 'why don't I reduce my dds'.  No thanks I worked it all out and I know my calcs are spot on.  I'm paying £85 a month for gas - so if at the year end I'm owed £600 that would need to be a very small gas bill - maybe they know something I don't or maybe their system is just !!!!!!.  The electric is nearer the mark but my estimates are around £100 would be owed to me - yet we don't know whether prices will rise yet so I'm more comfortable having a bit of padding.  My point with this is that they are saying you will be owed this much at the year end so why don't you reduce your dd.  So people who aren't so spreadsheet savvy may reduce their dd and then end up owing a huge sum year end and/or having their dd put up really high mid-year review.  Its frustrating and isn't helping people manage their bills at all.  I'm just going to go my own way and ignore BG's useless aspects of the account (which is everything apart from access to previous bills and the ability to make one off payments/adjust the dd).  Have a happy Thursday all, just one more day to the weekend.  

savingholmes

I too find their calcs weird. I reduce one month and then the next they say they need more really! Weird. Nearly the weekend for you. Have fun.

SandyShores

Thank you @savingholmes - weekend was slightly too short, but enjoyable.  Countdown to payday now

SandyShores

Just catching up, while I've been woken up at an odd hour.  Its reaching the time of month where I usually start focussing on the outstanding mortgage £s and ways to pay it off really quickly (e.g. pensions).  Then after a while I generally conclude its best for us to keep going steadily as we are.   So I thought it would be good to remind myself of my other goals (I started this new thread with my Dave Ramsey Goals).  I tend to get a bit disheartened if something doesn't feel like its going quite the right way in one area, but looking at these reminds me of what's going well and gives me other focus:

1. Spiritual / Personal Growth / Inner Peace
2. Social
3. Career
4. Learning
5. Financial
6. Physical Health
7. Family / healthy work-life balance
8. Environment e.g. decluttering your space

I've had a re-jig of the numbers - starting from no.8 I am working backwards to no.1.  So I'll focus on Environment this month (final declutter push) and the other area to focus on is Learning - firstly that pile of books which will also help my career goal.  I'm proud to say that despite the odd blip the others are all progressing, especially the healthy work-life balance - still a  work in progress but I'm working hard on saying no, resulting in some interesting reactions and conversations and testing my resolve and assertiveness skills