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Flying solo

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  • chapea
    chapea Posts: 49 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 10 Posts Name Dropper
    or  use 50p to buy a voucher. There’s a couple of things you can do this on including pizza express. The balance of your voucher then goes back in to your account with new expiry date for them as if you’d just earned them. Done that a couple of times 

    even if you don’t use the new voucher still means you keep the balance in your account rather than wasting it all 
  • twiggy86
    twiggy86 Posts: 2,680 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Didn't even think to do that @chapea - but I did manage to use it for my petrol. So I ended up spending £62.50 after the voucher. Also spent £7 on acro but nothing from personal/ groceries pots! 

    Bf has been paid today so has transferred me his share of the bills etc. I'm paid tomorrow, so the budget will reset then. I really want to do my sweep ups but I do need to get something on my way home today - however should still be left with about £30 which I will put towards the emergency fund. Today is netball but not until 9:20 so will have dinner before - netball cost is £5.90 but is accounted for in the "fitness" pot. That leaves £4.25 in the pot, which again will be put to the EF. 

    In crafty news... I'm conscious that I hadn't picked up my crochet since I went to the knitting workshop! I really want to work on my stash/ WIPs so don't want to abandon it! So I spent a bit of time on my crochet blanket last night and I think my "goal" is to 1) add at least one colour to my stripe blanket per week; and 2) add one hexi to my scrap project per day. This way everything is getting progressed and not simply forgotten about! Knitting wise, I'm currently making a scarf to get used to how to do it... although I really want to start on something more complicated but trying not to get ahead of myself!!! 

    Today's list of bits and pieces... 
    • Make lunch to take to work 
    • Wash bedding on 30 degree cycle 
    • Update spreadsheet 
    • Snap receipts 
    • Work on knitting at lunch
    • Pop into town to get something on my way home
    • Sort one area around the house (haven't done any sorting yet this week!) 
    • Dinner from stores
    • Add one hexi to blanket 
    • Park for free at netball 
    Debt as at 5 June 2023 - £15,600.89
    Current debt - £5,935.00
    Total paid off - £9,665.89 (61% paid off)
  • twiggy86
    twiggy86 Posts: 2,680 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    It's payday!!!

    I managed to "sweep up" just under £45 from the February budget, so not much but better than nothing! Oh actually it was £70 more than this as I didn't count the money that took my grocery account back to my buffer amount (again I understand how confusing this sounds to anyone reading!) But to try to explain, I have £100 in my grocery account that I effectively ignore (therefore £100 = £0) and I had used £70 from that buffer (self-funded overdraft maybe?!) to pay for the boiler.. 

    Anyway, my position after shuffling my money around is that:
    • the buffers are replenished 
    • £850 back in the EF 
    • £49.17 in my misc savings account - plan to transfer to EF when it gets to £50 (I like round numbers!)  
    • £100 set aside for CC payments (once the statements come in)
    So no debt overpayments coming this month but I will be on track to get back to this in April. Feel behind but also congratulating myself that I can "recover" so quickly! It also means that I'm not able to "fill" the sinking funds that I had intended to do this month, but again this is something I have already factored for in the April budget. (I don;t normally budget that far in advance but given the set-back I wanted to plan ahead!) 

    The boiler replacement meant that in February I only cleared £205 off my debt - leaving me a total of £8,100.. so maybe I'll have to find an extra £5 to take the total debt into the £7ks!!! 
    Debt as at 5 June 2023 - £15,600.89
    Current debt - £5,935.00
    Total paid off - £9,665.89 (61% paid off)
  • twiggy86
    twiggy86 Posts: 2,680 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Anyway on to general updates. 

    Netball was good last night! We won (was a close game) and I managed to park for free. As the game wasn't until 9:20, I had dinner with bf beforehand and managed to complete my daily hexi! 

    This weekend bf has his kids again and I think our only plans are to see his sister + family on Saturday and then his son has football on Sunday. I could potentially go to acro on Sunday but think I might hang out with bf and kids instead - and a friend may come meet us with her daughter on Sunday at the park whilst bf's son is playing football. So overall that means that the weekend shouldn't be too spendy! 

    Today's bits and bobs... 
    • Make lunch to take to work 
    • Update spreadsheet 
    • Shuffle money around 
    • Snap receipts 
    • Work on knitting at lunch
    • Sort one area around the house (still haven't done any sorting yet this week!) 
    • Load of washing on 30 degree cycle 
    • Dinner from stores
    • Add one hexi to blanket 
    Debt as at 5 June 2023 - £15,600.89
    Current debt - £5,935.00
    Total paid off - £9,665.89 (61% paid off)
  • Baileys_Babe
    Baileys_Babe Posts: 6,267 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Your finances are recovering quickly from you buying a boiler. 
    Fashion on a ration 2025 0/66 coupons spent
    79.5 coupons rolled over 4/75.5 coupons spent - using for secondhand purchases

    One
     income, home educating family 
  • satchmo1
    satchmo1 Posts: 3,227 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Have you noticed yet whether the new boiler is more efficient?

    New boiler tales seem to be popping up elsewhere - my son said his carbon monoxide alarm started screeching on Sunday, early evening, and it wasn't a battery fault. He turned everything off and opened the windows. 

    The boiler was inspected first thing on Monday, and condemned!!!! It was replaced on Tuesday. 
    Thank the Lord he and his family weren't in bed asleep, or it could have been a very, very tragic outcome! 
    What would you get if all you got was what you were thankful for?
  • Floss
    Floss Posts: 9,026 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Just to note that if a CO2 monitor goes off, you should ring Cadent who will come out 24/7 to check your gas meter & any appliances.
    2021 Decluttering Awards: ⭐⭐🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇 2022 Decluttering Awards: 🥇
    2023 Decluttering Awards: 🥇 🏅🏅🥇
    2024 Decluttering Awards: 🥇⭐
    2025 Decluttering Awards: ⭐⭐
  • satchmo1
    satchmo1 Posts: 3,227 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Cadent responded quickly, and left an oil heater (I couldn't remember Cadent's name in my post)
    What would you get if all you got was what you were thankful for?
  • twiggy86
    twiggy86 Posts: 2,680 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Oh gosh @satchmo1 !!!! Yes it does seem to be much more efficient... although I realised (thankfully not too long after the plumbers left) that my nice toasty warm house was due to the radiators being on all full blast where they'd turned the valves!!! 

    Had such a lovely weekend! So nice to have the warm sunshine! Spent Saturday afternoon in my SIL (well technically bf's sister, but SIL is easier to type!) garden with the kids playing, then took pooch over the field. Then yesterday my parents came over, we made pancakes and then watched bf's son play football before dropping the kids back to their mums. Me and bf did then stop for a beer (he paid) and then we were naughty and got a takeaway (we split, so £15). We did have to buy a new airer for the laundry as the leg fell off!! However new one is bigger so will help dry clothes quicker. I didn't have anything in my "house" pot, so had to move from "misc"... which I was going to put into the emergency fund! Wow, I'm complicated! 

    Oh and my mum picked up some knitting needles for me to try out that she found in a charity shop, so she bought them round yesterday! I have decided to stop where I've got to with the scarf/ cowl and make a matching hat to help me learn some other techniques - so this morning I have taken the scarf off the needles onto a stich holder mum gave me so that I can make a start on the hat. I have also kept up to date with my hexi a day, so feels good to be progressing that crochet project again. 

    This morning I have dropped pooch off at the vets to be spade, so I am working from home. Op was £80 cheaper than we thought but they had to do a worm test as she hasn't been done recently enough so that was an extra £50 plus will need to get a bodysuit to keep her away from the stitches for £20... meaning it will come out at the amount we thought! Bit of an anxious dog mum as she is only tiny (5.6kg) and after losing my previous dog last year, which I have been thinking about this morning.   

    However, on to today's bits and pieces...
    • Catch up on washing - all on 30 degree quick cycles (had to change all the bedding as had a firepit on Saturday night so everything smelt like smoke!) 
    • Update spreadsheet 
    • Take knitting off the needles 
    • Make daily hexi 
    • Do some waxing! 
    • Sort out one area around the house (failed at this last week!)
    • Start on hat project 
    • Lunch from stores
    • Food shop with bf
    • Snap receipt 
    • Dinner from replenished stores!
    Debt as at 5 June 2023 - £15,600.89
    Current debt - £5,935.00
    Total paid off - £9,665.89 (61% paid off)
  • twiggy86
    twiggy86 Posts: 2,680 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Couple of little tasks/ goals for the week...
    • Sort out 3 areas around the house
    • Chase plumber re quote (not that I have the money right now!)
    • Sew button on coat 
    • Make a hexi a day (from leftovers)
    • Complete next colour on blanket (from stash)
    • Start knitted hat (from stash/ leftovers) 
    Debt as at 5 June 2023 - £15,600.89
    Current debt - £5,935.00
    Total paid off - £9,665.89 (61% paid off)
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