Now for a healthier, wealthier me

AntoMac

How’s your overall savings trend LMD? Gradually upwards? I always try to improve our overall savings every month, even if it’s just a few quid here and there.

What bout prolific? You doing much with them nowadays?

amber03

All pots looking nice and healthy.

LittleMissDetermined

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82154377#Comment_82154377

Overall we are trending up by approx. £300 a month Ant, not as much as I would like due to blummin' holidays but I have been chatting to DH about the next few years and we are both thinking of 'going electric' with the vehicles… so, we think we may curb the travel for some car savings over the next year or 2. I will have had 4 holidays this year by the time we get to NYE and even I have to admit that's excessive. It doesn't even account for the breaks we have had or will be having inside the UK. (another 3 of those before December…)

It's direct debit day today so the accounts have taken a fair bit of reconciling, but I think I have it sussed now. PAD included £5 to the sabbatical as usual, I should have a bit of spare budget left to re-allocate tomorrow as today is a planned NSD.

That's my update for today. Hope you're all doing OK
LMD x

LittleMissDetermined

Just a quick update today, although I realised last night that I'd not answered your question about Prolific Ant, I haven't been on for ages… I changed my work desk set up so I don't have access my personal laptop all the time anymore so I forget about it.

I've PADded £25 today, £5 to the sabbatical and £20 spare budget to the sealed pot.

It's a NSD for me today and I also have a 'plan-free' weekend so I am hopeful that I won't be spending until Tuesday night 😊

That's all from me, I do hope that you all have a nice weekend
LMD x

amber03

We’ve just bought an electric car due to most of our travel being local. We usually put in about £130 diesel, more if we go anywhere 2 hours or more away, so hoping to make a big saving.

LittleMissDetermined

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82158582#Comment_82158582

We will both have to do some serious saving but the fuel factor was a big part of it. I don't do many miles at all but I could do with a bigger car (my only gripe about my little car) and bigger cars use more fuel usually. I will also probably disappear down a rabbit hole of research before I bite the bullet too.

Monday's come around far too quickly, but I'm off tomorrow so I just need to do today and I get to relax again. Work is still very busy, and it feels a bit chaotic right now, it's not a pleasant way of working to be honest. But it's a job and I am thankful.

It's a NSD for me today, I have plans tomorrow and Wednesday but I've not had a spendy day yet in October so far 🤗 I my pAD included the usual £5 to the sabbatical fund, as usual.

We are currently giving the house a spruce up with a coat of paint, it's been looking a bit tired and battered for a while (a bit how I feel some days) Hubby is tackling the painting due to my utter clumsiness and I am trying to persuade him that we need to replace the interior doors. I'd like oak ones and at the moment they are horrid white painted carcasses and I hate them… anyway that's a long story and I whilst we have just agreed that we both need to save for new cars I do have some spare in my 'other savings' pot that could be used. And we could do it floor by floor to spread the cost. We will need 13, so not a small amount of money.

I know, I know… I already have doors in the house, it's not a necessity. But I do think it's important to love where you live, and our current ones are ill fitting, light and slammy, the previous owners had painted over dust and this leaves them speckled in their finish. And we all know white paint yellows over time.

Anyway, I have waffled on enough. Interested to hear your views if you want to add your 'two pennorth' 🤔

LMD x

AntoMac

I’m not the best person to ask about DIY LMD as I hate it and avoid it whenever I can. I’ve been very slowly painting the new bathroom for months and really need to pull my finger out. Cutting in is soooo fiddly and difficult - for me anyway!
Touching briefly back on Profilic I’ve done a few short surveys. Just enough to cover tomorrow’s PAD. I get impatient at how long clearing debt takes but looking back at the year as a whole I can see that little and often really does make a difference….. eventually.

LittleMissDetermined

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82159698#Comment_82159698

It really does make a difference 🙂 It all builds over time and you don't really notice it.

I might have a look at Prolific today, it's my day off and I'm not going anywhere as the dog has eaten something he shouldn't and is feeling sorry for himself… I may need to get him in at the vets if he doesn't stop projectiling round the house.

I find painting quite therapeutic Ant, especially the fiddly bits that take all my concentration, however with the arthritis in my hands, I just can't do it properly anymore so DH takes over instead.

It's not a NSD for me today, I am out tonight. DH can take over dog duties when he gets home from work… My PAD was just £5 to the sabbatical today, I will roll the dice in the morning to see what gets sent to the £10k fund.

Nothing much else happening, I'm set to do my chores today and will keep an eye on prolific, see if I can make a bit to boost that electric car fund!

Take care guys and have great days!
LMD x

LittleMissDetermined

Hi all, happy Wednesday! It was a late night last night so I am quite tired, I have rolled the dice this morning and the percentile dice I decided to allocate to the sealed pot as a one off 'push' as we open in 2 weeks. Very exciting!

So, within my PAD £40 went to the sealed pot, £5 to the sabbatical and £74 to the £10k fund. I have also bought £50 more premium bonds which is where my EF is held (more chance to win, right?), which I think I will start doing regularly where the funds allow it.

Not much else happening, weather is grim here, pooch is better and back to his usual self which is a relief! I'm off to work.

Take care
LMD x

LittleMissDetermined

Good morning, there was a change of plans last night and we ended up staying in so it was a surprise NSD for me, it's another one today too. Last night was spent catching up on Bake off and reading my book. This book is a little strange but there are no spelling errors and it makes sense so I will persevere 😊

Today's PAD was just £5 to the sabbatical fund, not much else happening.

I did find it amusing yesterday that DH messaged me that something new was being released on vinyl and he was thinking about ordering. My response (as we pay for streaming services) was 'I thought you were saving up for an electric van'? I could almost hear tumbleweeds and he didn't respond!

Again last night he mentioned some shirts he was thinking of ordering (he already has a few of the style, but different colours have been launched) I said the same thing; Perhaps just get one, as you're saving for a new van… And so, my mission will continue until he stops letting his wages burn holes in his pockets!

He often wonders why I have spare money to do things at short notice (weekends away, tickets to whatever or looking at these new doors for example) but it's because my priority is saving. Unfortunately DH and DSD have a shopping habit and as much as I tried to show her the budgeting ways it seems to have fallen off a cliff and she has now started Uni, has no PT job and is flying through her student finance like it's water.

Due to the nature of their spending, I feel like I have to keep the extent of my savings close to my chest, I think DH would probably encourage me to spend it if he knew the total. I don't lie about it, I do refer to 'my savings' but he's never asked, and I've never said just how much I have saved. I may not be giving him enough credit, but we are very different and I have been made redundant too many times to not be cautious with money.

Blimey I've waffled on this morning! That's what happens when I make my cuppa BEFORE I update 🤣
Hope you all have lovely days
LMD x