Stopping the backsliding… a family of four no longer living beyond their means

KajiKita · 20 May at 7:03AM

Nice to see you all again. 😊

If you are really worried about the identifying elements here, you could always start a new diary, delete this one and then be more circumspect about sharing the elements you think are ‘very you’?

There is a principle that might help make the most of your most excellent pay rise that might help.
I tend to think of pay rises (take home pay value) or any extra funds coming in, in thirds:
- 1/3rd to savings / pensions / investments, set up as a standing order straight after payday - if you do it straight after you get a pay rise, you don’t notice you’re not giving yourself the full pay rise in your easily accessible pocket 😉😊
- 1/3rd to cost of living rises because … 🙄😉
- 1/3rd to treat, holiday, making life easier fund or regular spends that are needed for the same (might be to engage a cleaner periodically for example)
That way you do start a solid saving habit, but do also see the benefit of your hard work in your day to day life 😊

KK

Honeysucklelou2 · 20 May at 7:40AM

Good to “see” you back!

Great idea for splitting the pay rise, thank you.

joedenise · 20 May at 8:00AM

Good to see you back posting again. Another YNAB user here and think it's brilliant and certainly helps keep us on track. After several years of using we're now regularly saving and also having several holidays a year which when we were working was impossible - both from getting the time off work and also not having enough money to have more than one holiday a year. We seem to be better off since we retired than when we were working!

Spendless · 20 May at 10:45AM

Hi Bluegreen - Ive faced the conundrum where someone in RL has worked out who I am but it is writing everything down here that helps. What you've put is already done, what you can do going forward is choose more selectly what you share if that is your wish.

Well done on the pay rise. Definately the time in your life to start thinking about savings (and pensions!).

Bluegreen143 · 20 May at 5:25PM

Thanks again everyone for coming to cheer me on!

Today’s joint account report:

£2.60 on parking (didn’t get there early enough to go to Lidl, woops)

£6.00 on tickets to the school fair

Off to parents’ evening soon, but luckily it’s free to park after 6pm there. Nearer us you get charged until 10pm! Then will drop Monkey at Cubs on the way home, before popping out again later to pick him up.

Dinner is chicken gyros wraps with salad and chips, a bit of a pivot - DH is cooking as I’ve been sat on my laptop doing work stuff.

Personal spends - £1.30 on the vending machine at work. One of those afternoons where it was calling to me!

Catscoffeecake · 20 May at 8:28PM

I think the idea of splitting the payrise into 3 is such a good idea, and something I may need to consider when I eventually get mine. It can be so easy to just lose the extra money in budget without thinking about where its going or making it work better for you. That's good thing about YNAB as every £ has to have a job

Bluegreen143 · 20 May at 10:52PM

Back again to log Red’s spending today - £40 in Home Bargains on wood and other miscellaneous bits (eg a disposable BBQ) for our camping trip this weekend.

It is wild camping, so there was only a small charge for the permit when we booked it (it’s in a national park area) but it’s easy to forget about the other costs when you go camping! Weather looks good this weekend which I’m pleased about.

Work continues to be very busy but the events we’re working on are coming together.

Children both had really excellent reports on parents’ evening, which was expected after the report cards but lovely to get a chat in with their teachers. Monkey has in previous years gotten feedback about being too chatty/easily distracted from his work, but the teacher says his focus and attention have improved hugely this year, which is nice to hear as that was his area we’re been trying to improve. Bambi continues to be a teacher’s pet with no issues to work on!

We’ve got a Tesco order coming tomorrow, a bigger one than usual as we have friends coming for dinner on Friday and then the camping trip for two nights, but we’ve tried to be fairly sensible with it!

Bluegreen143 · 21 May at 9:18PM

Another crazy day, but I’m off now for the long weekend!

We had BIL over for dinner, but it was only baked potatoes so didn’t break the bank.

The Tesco shop was £122.80. It’s not arrived yet even though the slot was 8-9pm and it was estimated to arrive at the start, weird.

Red also went to Aldi and spent £54.88(!) mainly on Wagyu steak for our friends coming for dinner, plus a couple of bits like salad. However he put in £30 from his own money so it only cost the joint account £24.88.

From my personal account, I ordered two bikini sets at £71, for going on holiday - budgeted for within my personal spends.

Tomorrow Red and I are both off. The main plan is just to pack the car ready for camping on Saturday, but I may take the kids to the park (if dry) or for a swim (if rainy).