Progress is...

rtandon27

@teapot2 - Oh good - I'm glad to hear that it's not just me that is puzzled by the 10/2 split!

For anyone who is interested in my updated thoughts on MFW...
...a little update here
I have to admit this little rabbit hole distracted me from investigating alternate places for our savings!  Tomorrow is another day.

Greying_Pilgrim

RT - Happy New Year to you & your dear OH.  

I'm glad that you have now been repaid by the party-goer colleague.  As a parent, I don't agree with the "but, but I have children......" excuse to not cough up the dough.  I have turned down many invites/activities because I couldn't justify the cost/ choose to prioritise expenditure on my child.   I don't expect other people to financially support a child we chose to bring into the world, by bankrolling activities that I have participated in/benefitted from.  And having done a stint of it - being the social secretary at a workplace is a sucky job......... But it does sound like you do a super job for providing fun-filled times for your colleagues.

Looking forward to hearing more of your mortgage bashing tales in 2025.

Greying X

MissRikkiC

Can I ask which calculator you used RT? I’d like to have a play around with one tbh  

rtandon27

@Greying_Pilgrim
How absolutely lovely to see you pop up!  Thank-you from both of us for the New Year's wishes xxx

I meant to mention over on yours that OH was just livid when he heard about LG encounter at the store!   His comment was something along the lines of - I'm not even a fan of littlies and I'd never push one out of the way!  He was of the firm belief that the big person needed a thump to set them straight!

I'm not a parent but there have been many times that I've not participated in things at work & church that stretch our budget too far!  If I can't afford it then I just decline with grace and never feel that 'sorry that's not in my budget for this month' or 'that's a bit steep for my budget' is a comment to be ashamed of.  In this case, there were several folks who declined in just that way saying they had other festive obligations they had already committed to & two of them are actually really good friends I'd have loved to have them join in!  No offense taken at all, we each have our own financial circumstances.

Thank-you for the complement regarding fun team-building, I do try to make sure everyone has balance within their work environment, as we work in a high demand & high stress environment and I feel that the more we can relate to each other, the more we can aim for work/life balance and settled mental/emotional health!

I'm not sure about bashing the mortgage, but I do now have a framework to work within and goals to work towards, so my head is free of that particular rumination!  I do know that I'd rather retire or reduce my hours sooner rather than later, so the more we can pay to the principle, the less interest gets paid to the money-lenders.

Don't be a stranger hun & do pop up when you have a min, I do value your perspective in many different ways 😁

@MissRikkiC - the mortgage calendar is embedded in YNAB, my one and only online/app subscription & well worth every penny.  They have now rolled out an account format for mortgage & within it there is a projected calculator that shows graphically what happens with higher monthly payments and lump sums.  I set up a separate budget to my main one, with just the mortgage in there that allows me to play around with different scenarios without messing up my main budget.  I think they have some sort of free trial still, so ping me a PM if you want a link & I'll dig out the referral link if you want to give it a try!

Today was indeed a new day...
...but the focus was on HEALTH rather than WEALTH...
I woke with a migraine from the nether-world and seeing blurry double images, I could not concentrate or form a thought until about 2pm when the double dose of migraine meds decided to kicked in!  I've also been shivering both from the cold and feeling rough, so my heating pad and wheat bag have been snuggled.  Frustrating as my emotional self thinks unplanned rest is, a lot of today was spent going slow and listening to my body demanding rest.  I know it's important, but I do find it hard to go slow and enjoy it.  Ho hum...tomorrow is another day.

Baileys_Babe

I'm another who prefers to pay the council tax over 12 months, I don't understand why people go on about the free months when they could have more in their monthly budget if they paid over 12 months. I'm not sure how long I've been paying it this way but I changed as soon as I could.

badmemory

The council tax & water thing just depends.  In my case my Jan Feb & early Mar are expensive but I get a one off pension payment in late March.  So basically just so much a month regardless of what it is for.  If I didn't have those then I would probably also go for 12 payments.

KajiKita

MissRikkiC said:

Can I ask which calculator you used RT? I’d like to have a play around with one tbh  

Me too 😊

Another one here relieved and pleased that the colleague debt to you has been cleared! 

I had a penny drop moment a year or so ago, when reviewing a year’s a worth of spending, quite how much I had been spending on others …! I cut it right back and no one seems to have noticed! 😉😊

KK

Greying_Pilgrim

rtandon27 said:

I'm not a parent but there have been many times that I've not participated in things at work & church that stretch our budget too far!  If I can't afford it then I just decline with grace and never feel that 'sorry that's not in my budget for this month' or 'that's a bit steep for my budget' is a comment to be ashamed of.  

^^BiB - I think if more people were honest (and actually had some semblance of a budget to work from), and stated what they could/couldn't afford/wanted to/didn't want to participate in, the world would be a much less stressful and kinder place.  For sure I would prioritise LG's needs (clothes, home, food, shoes etc), over a night out on the lash with the girlies - much the same as I would prioritise a pet's (we don't have any) veterinary bill over purchasing an umpteenth pair of high heels, or having my hair and nails done, or I would prioritise paying my rent/mortgage in a HCOL over eating out in swanky restaurants every night.  But I guess prioritising/budgeting is what sets us apart and yet bonds us in community here.  We are all different, and yet find - and celebrate - common themes with one another.

Tell your dear OH that we went to MrS yesterday and were able to pootle around the store without incident 😁 i suspect something else was at play with that particular individual, and although it was wrong - I'm not sure it would have mattered if it was a child, woman, man, older person, member of staff or whoever, they would have been pushed past.  It doesn't make it right, but it does mean that it was highly unlikely to be personal.  

Greying X

rtandon27

@Baileys_Babe - so great to hear there is more than one out there who does this!  I sent an online enquiry to ask for instructions on how to do this.  Also had a fiddle with an amend your direct debit online & it appears that there are now 3 options for 12 payments and only one for the 10 payments so perhaps it is becoming more common?  I'm hoping they can just change it at the council tax offices which will save me having to fiddle on their antiquated web-site which takes 10 clicks to do what 1 should do!

@badmemory - yes indeed it does depend on how often your funds come in.  between OH and myself, we get 3 to 5 separate payments over the course of the month but all the household bills come out once my main salary hits the bank account and that is on the last working day of each month.  Mortgage & council tax come out on the 1st of each month but water is once every six months and energy is mid-month, along with insurance.

@KajiKita - aww thanks hunny - I found the unplanned restricted cash flow to be quite distressing and I'm glad it is over!  I too did a major review during the pandemic days and actually tallied up what I was spending vs what was given in return.  It was the friends who give emotional support day to day that continue to get little trinkets (most are located across the pond).  The obligatory birthday/anniversary/xmas gifts/cards all got cut out as upon reflection 95% of them were not reciprocated!  I still have a few very dear friends who I'm always exchanging gifts with but they are that 5%! (The mortgage calculator is embedded in YNAB - click here for my answer to MissR!)

@Greying_Pilgrim - well I'm glad there were no more incidents for LG!  Oh still insists a good thump would set them straight! Wrong is wrong is wrong! 😂

HEALTHwise - I've managed to stay hydrated and warm today - no migraine which is always a good thing!

WEALTHwise - Books are balanced & major bills are paid - hooray - we are mortgage neutral again by 2300GBP - remaining expenses and bills for the rest of the month exceed this amount so we'll see where we are at the end of the month once OH's pension comes in & my insurance payment arrives!  I'm toying with the idea of investing the amounts above mortgage neutral in something that is locked away at a higher interest rate than my mortgage interest and then wacking the whole amount, including interest earned at the mortgage once the low interest rate is up!  The more I can knock off the mortgage the quicker I can retire!

WELLBEINGwise - I've resurrected my Flyladyinspired Weekly/Daily checklist which is a bit of a habit tracker and a bit of a to-do list and instantly feel a lot more organized.  I did have to convert it to pdf to print it though as printer at home & my work computer do not talk to each other!  I've got plans to play with my tablet this evening after we return from our top-up shop which should solve this little issue (and several others) going forward!

redofromstart

I hadn't even thought about changing the CT to a 12 month bill but it would make sense going forwards, better in my savings accounts than theirs after all.