MeandO's money-shuffling

Mrs_Money_Penny

Good for you joining the gym. We are all guilty of not looking after ourselves and putting others first. It sounds like the gym is very good for your mental health as well xx

twiggy86

Fitness/ hobbies is incredibly important to me, but unfortunately it can get expensive! Very worthwhile if you can work it in to your budget though!!! 

Chrystal

Delighted to hear that you've made the decision to look after yourself!  

It will be worth every penny, and hopefully other improvements (physical and mental health, and making new friends) will follow on from there.

You've had a rough time of it, one way and another, over the past few years, so I'm hoping the tide has turned for you.  Just keep reminding yourself that you are worth so much more.  ((((hugs)))) XXX

MeandO

Thank you for your kind words and cheerleading Mrs_Money_Penny, twiggy86 & Chrystal xx
I am enjoying the fitness sessions, I just wish I could attend more often, but it's better than not going at all. I have lost 9.5lbs in 3 weeks, was hoping to add a few more lbs this week but not having the best of weeks food-wise so will just be happy with a loss.
I'm really, really tired this week after a few nights of not sleeping well and a couple of late nights. I can see the tiredness definitely impacts on my diet and cravings for sweet things too, so at least I am recognising the pattern.

In money news, I'm doing ok so far but am definitely spending more on the grocery budget in eating healthily and buying snacks for DS more often lately as he's growing so fast at the moment. He isn't one for big meals but tends to graze all day/after school. I'm keeping track of all the spends on YNAB, will work on getting the grocery budget down a bit moving forward. We have had a few free items from the L!dl app lately but they've not really been things we eat so I have given them to a very grateful OH. 

My energy bill payments have dropped by £9 a month from this month forward and my water bill is down by £2.50 a month. The mortgage has also dropped but I have set up the SO for the OP to top that back up and the first payment of that has come out. 
I have also notified UC that my savings have increased so I doubt I will be eligible for UC now. I was toying with the idea of paying a chunk off the mortgage instead and therefore reducing my savings, but then I would lose quite a bit of interest on the balance in the ISA so it was swings and roundabouts over around £20-£30 a month. I haven't included the UC into my budget this month. It will be missed and will make things a bit harder towards the end of the month especially with the gym payment now, but I will have to manage without it. I will continue to pay the £500 a month into the ISA until the higher interest rate expires in January and then I will re-asses things.

MeandO

I’ve listed an item on vinted today for £20 which has had quite a bit of interest so hopefully that translates to a sale soon and another £20 in a pot. I have a couple more items I plan on listing over the next day or two. One of OH’s items has sold on eBay too so he’ll be pleased with the £70 ish that makes after fees and postage.

I’ve made 4 portions of leek, pea and mint soup for lunches this week/my tea tomorrow and have chopped loads of veg and measured rice out ready for tonight’s chicken & veg risotto. I’ve taken to weighing rice and pasta lately to keep portion control correct as I always tend to cook and therefore eat far too much otherwise.  I’ve eaten well today and drink plenty of water so just need to keep this up now. 

One load of washing has been dried on the line today to make the most of today’s dry weather. I think it’s meant to rain here over the next few days. 

badmemory

Have you done the maths on the difference between savings, paying it of mortgage & getting UC.  Unless the mortgage & UC are very small & the interest on savings are quite large, although I can fully understand the desire not to need it further.

MeandO

The UC payment averaged £30-£50 @badmemory so wasn’t a huge amount, but it all helped and I was always grateful to receive it. I’m getting around £32 a month interest on the savings with the balance as it currently stands and am adding £500 a month to that. The mortgage rate is (thankfully) still very low until the end of 2026 when one of my sub accounts is up for renewal. I was lucky enough to fix my mortgage at under 2%. 

bizzie

Whilst receiving UC would you be eligible for a Help to Save account?

badmemory

Yes I can see why you made that decision.

MeandO

bizzie said:

Whilst receiving UC would you be eligible for a Help to Save account?

Yes, it does provide eligibility, but I had one a few years ago which I held for the max time allowed so am unfortunately not able to open another. Good point though x