Watty's Awakening

Watty1

I had set myself a target for ending the year in a better financial place than I began (when I had CC debt and no savings).  I do have a pension which I have been topping up monthly and made a lump sum payment into earlier in the year.

Last night I sat down and did some sums and I am £3000 short of where I want to finish the year.  Frankly that is incredible given I have been doing work on the house.    I still need to sort out how much I will need for my tax bill in January and as always I have been using my CC as a float but still I am really delighted with this.

My bills savings account could cover the routine bills for exactly 3 months.  Yay!  I have been dipping into that for some work on the house so that 3 months is wonderful. (Just realised I have to pay car insurance and MOT shortly so perhaps 2 months rather than 3 but I know the insurance and MOT are covered). 

The health fund on the PB is £13125 - to cover vet bills.

I have £400 in my regular savings account into which I put in £200 a month as though I were paying a mortgage and plan to keep that up now and maybe next year look to open another. 

And drum roll there is actually money in a savings account paying me interest.   Enough to cover my CC and my tax bill (I hope) and there is the first amount to go to the flexible cash ISA when I open it (on the to do list).

Last nights financial round up made me so happy. I have come so far.  I might not finish the year at the amount I planned because I want to buy curtains and carpet the stairs and redo the garden paths but I am so delighted to have come so far.

TallGirl

Fantastic achievement and money well spent on making the house yours and how you want it. Curtains and carpets sounds essential get those rooms finished. Also great to hear your business is doing well and the new course that can only mean you will really smash it in 2025. I have started making goals on a 12 week basis I just find it easier to keep myself on track and not delay things so much. Anyway well done great results. 

savingholmes

Sounds like you are doing well financially. 

Good luck with the decluttering. It sounds like VNM's Mum's situation is hard - but you are being fabulous.

KajiKita

You should be so proud of yourself for those figures! Very well done 👏😊🎉🤩🥳

You are inspiring me to cook more from scratch too - I have just spent (ahem!) on accessories from Land of Lake so I can make more use of my air fryer as I now know I have got the hang of using it (I found it so intimidating to begin with) - this will allow me to cook from scratch more whilst minimising electric spend on using the oven 😊

KK

PennysIntoPounds

The MSE newsletter this week highlighted an easy access 5.1% ISA, might be worth having a quick look at

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/savings/best-cash-isa/#options

Suffolk_lass

Don't forget that if you are making your own SR flour and cooking with something like buttermilk (scones!) lemon, or vinegar ie with acid in, you may want to add a 1/4 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda (depending on the proportions of cream of tartar [the acid] and bicarbonate of soda [the alkali] it contains.

Well done on your finances so far this year. Amazing with all the other work you have undertaken.

Reading your diary is like watching a plant beginning to thrive, bud and bloom. I mean it. You are so far from where you started. Really well done!

Watty1

Thank you @PennysIntoPounds I will look that one up   And thank you @Suffolk_lass for such a lovely comment.  

Watty1

Sometimes things work out just as they are meant to and as part of that I realised how far my thoughts have shifted.   I sent my Virtual PA some flowers as a thank you.    It then struck me that the address I have for her might not be her address but a 'service office' so 24 hours after they should have arrived I messaged her - she came back with yes, it is, it is my friends accountancy firm.   Oopps sorry - is it far? i replied.  Yes, Norfolk I'm in York she came back with.  Then she went on to say her friend said they were lovely flowers and was having a really rough time so my PA said she should keep and enjoy them.   Isn't that just lovely ?  My PA  knew I appreciated her - but - her friend who really needed a boost got a lovely lot of flowers.

Now, the old me would have beaten myself up about the wasted money and not checking the address etc but the me that is writing this thought that all worked out very nicely.

Then last night a neighbour knocked on my door, she has a cutting garden and is over run with flowers so she thought I might like some. This is a neighbour I rarely see or talk to so it was really touching.  I was delighted. I now have a colourful bunch of flowers on the gorgeous old drop leaf table I got with the dining chairs when the ex left.

I do think how nice life is.

Then last night I rang "D" who is the brother of the VNM's mother.  Somehow they have all fallen out. I just wanted to update him on "things" as I really liked him the few times I have met him.  We had a lovely chat for an hour and a half.  He really does not like his sister and is glad to have cut ties with her.  I have no judgement over that, he has always been charming to me, he asked me not to think badly off him and I don't. I explained I have no contact with my dad and have not for years.   We just chatted.  I was glad I had rung, he now knows what is going on as much as he wanted to (very little) and I had a great chat with an older gentleman.  

KajiKita

That sounds like perfect serendipity 😊❤️ and I note that you got given flowers as well … Almost like the Universe is acknowledging your shift in response 😊

It was kind of you to ring D and send some time talking to him. Nice for D and one less thing for VNM to try to get to 😊

KK

Watty1

The flipside is, that it is not all sunshine and flowers in Watty World.  The VNM' s mother has been released from hospital to home and is really far worse than expected and the VNM has  fallen apart. Seriously gone to bits. Yesterday morning he sat and cried, so, being a capable Watty I identified the problems got him to call his bosses and then sent him to his mothers to sit with her whilst I set about phoning people - her doctor, the nursing team, the pathway 3 team and just chatting to as many people as possible about what is happening.

The VNM is aware now she cannot live at home as she wishes, she has fallen out of bed whilst he was there (he was able to lift her), has set off her care buzzer when left alone for a couple of hours saying she needs help but unable to articulate what help, and is bed bound.  He used my car to go and visit her after the care line called as he only had his work van here and had an accident and wrote the car off.  I really have no angst about this, I just asked him to take pictures and I rang the insurance company, it will get dealt with.   In many ways it forces my hand. I live in a rural area and I have a really big dog. I should have one car that is suitable rather than a gorgeous little 4- wheel Rav that seats two and the dog, and, a cute little old mini.  

His firm have given him a week off to try and sort things out and I sent him just to sit with her whilst I spoke with people.  The best way forward is for a nursing home and the local Pathway 3 team are trying to identify one with spaces to move her quickly.   We both know she really really wants to be at home, but she also needs more care than we can provide.  It really is so sad to see someone so frail, so helpless but equally determined to have what she wants (to stay at home) and know that unless we can find a live in carer that probably is not possible.