Follow the Yellow Brick Road 2023

SandyShores

Sunday update.  The £100 in the drawer is actually £120.  I'd forgotten DD had been given some cash and asked if I could transfer it to her bank account - nice feeling to have £20 more than I thought.

Garden job tackled and green bin ready to go out this week.  Managed to do a bit of art, following what the teacher told us and to enjoy it rather than trying to make the finished article.  I've loads of paints and paper/boards so its totally free, and very relaxing.  

SandyShores

Had a few groceries to buy today, so I took the £20 cash to the supermarket.  I picked up a couple of pretty floral bayliss and harding liquid soaps on offer, then put them back again as I didn't want to go over the £20. Total came in at £18.50, so change to spare and will only need to buy a couple of small items this week from the remainder in the bank account.  Looks like the £100 will make it to becoming an OP.

savingholmes

Woohoo Sandy you are doing really well.

SandyShores

Thanks savingholmes its refreshing to plan next month and know I will start the month with my personal spends pot in tact for a change.  Having zero on the cards, and low balances in the current accounts is also making me budget properly these last days before payday.  MrShores topped us up on milk today but didn't want refunding -  good job because he didn't use the clubcard so was charged an extra 75p!  He now has the clubcard saved on his phone for future use!

A couple of items on next month's Am@zon subscription have been dispatched. I've noticed they are pending charges on the cc.  We are talking a few pounds and as they are household items for next month and they are still pending I'm happy to let those wait until October's wage even if they become un-pended.

My A4 ToDo list doesn't have many things crossed off sadly.  I had a good look through earlier today and decided the next thing I'm tackling is to update the wills.  We have a free service through work so I want to get that done this week.  I'm jumping ahead and imagining the whole list done, but starting to realise why things aren't getting done.  Nothing on the list is quick or simple, I would have done it otherwise probably.  I'm planning to tackle one thing at a time - maybe one a week, which at about 30 items will see us back to Spring.  I guess slow progress is better than no progress.

Edit - just realised that I probably need to fix my gas and electric too this week.

SandyShores

So I've already fixed my gas/electricity.  Same provider BG, and its only a few pounds more so have probably saved a £100 or so over 12 months (after the rise on 1st Oct).  There was another provider I was interested in but to be honest I'm all for the easy life now and at this moment in time I don't want any potential hassle of switching provider so it was easy to press the buttons and just stay.  If they bring out a lower tariff you can switch fee free so its an easy decision.

I'm going to look at the wills in a minute, but just popped to look at my seven goals.  They are all going well.  Thanks to Kajikita the shopping is much less of a bind.  MrShores actually takes more of an interest in making sure he tells me what his needs are before I go (not after!).  I've also switched to Am@zon subscription for some basics, and they'll be delivered at the start of the month - I chose five monthly items so will get a 15% discount as well as not having to trawl the shops.  I've  stopped the click and collect at Asd@ as there was regularly so much missing that I had to go in the store as well, so not much of a time saver.  I'm trying a different supermarket at the moment which seems to be working well (MrMs).  Now that I'm having an Am@zon delivery of things like loo roll it doesn't feel like such a slog.

Exercise has stalled temporarily again for the moment due to injury (I must remember I'm not 18 and keep injuring myself); as has the decorating and also while payday arrives.  I've been enjoying getting the art stuff out, and now its time to:

• start on the crochet kit (while watching telly)
• make some time for those sewing projects (already purchased)
• begin reading all those books
• as well as doing those wills!

Work wise I'm taking a little while to consider what I want to do, I'm not looking for a new role but there's lots of development on offer so its worth taking advantage while its there.

LadyWithAPlan

Hope you heal quick and well done on keeping that wallet shut! I only have £12.78 in my Grocery budget for the rest of the month and I am really trying to keep under it as then the excess in other categories (not long term true expenses)  can turn into a further OP/TT ISA hse deposit saving ...

savingholmes

Good LWAP with grocery budget.

Sandy hope recover quickly 

SandyShores

Thanks Saving and LWAP.  I am not liking the pain of this injury (more of an ache), but a reminder to take more care when exercising.  At least its happened when the weather is rubbish.

Agree Saving, that's great going with the budgeting LWAP.  I've got such a good feeling about a) having so little in the account but b) making it to my end of the month without having a few hundred to pay off the credit card.  Those balances just creep up and I can see how it gets us trapped.  (Definitely not going there again!).

So, I have made it to payday - woohoo!!  Nothing like biting the bullet, so I made the OP this morning - at the month start (rather than waiting to see if I need it during the month and then never making it).  The budgeted £750 was sent over and then just for the hell of it I rounded total amount outstanding down by sending another £150.  So my estimated balance on the house at Oct month end is £252k on the dot. 

Current interest is about £9 a day. I'm not looking forward to remortgaging next year and the interest rate being doubled.  I'll have a pay rise due just before remortgage and that will go along way towards covering it.  (Happily but sadly but happily).

SandyShores

Those small payments are starting to have an effect.  Original end date was June 2039, which we brought down to January 2038.  Looked today and its now November 2037.  A long way to go but at least going in the right direction and shows that keeping on with the small OPs is worth it.  Daily interest now £8.97, so under £9 and another saving of 3p/day - more than a tenner a year - woohoo

SandyShores

My plan to pay off the mortgage in full this month didn't come to fruition i.e. no PB win It was a long shot but its nice to have the possibility (however remote).  I don't even need the big one, just a few thousand would make a huge difference.  Its funny how once upon a time a few thousand wouldn't have touched the sides of our debt problem but now any amount even the £25 wins can make an appreciable difference.  Just keeping going

I paid off the credit card balances again this morning.  Plan is to keep on top of these throughout the month.  So I know that the £400+ in the food account and £500 in my personal account are the limits.  Its making me appreciate that we are in a really good position these days.  We might have a huge mortgage and time is ticking to SPA, but even those are things to be positive about (a few years ago I thought we'd never get on the property ladder again).  We've got a lovely home, comfortable life, and its all doable.