Progress is...

LadyWithAPlan

Sounds like at least your DH married well then a second time with you .. missing 2 mortgage payments - i cant even ... a week before my rent I am thinking of account balances ..

My lips also blow up when I have an allergic reaction ... for me its a sign of illness not 'hotness'

rtandon27

@LadyWithAPlan - definitely agree that it was NOT 'hotness' 😁

Today's reflection...
Progress is only having a small lump in my throat when hitting confirm on the very 'spensive annual pass!  Highway robbery through and through!

Reflecting upon the traveling I did in my youth in the city I grew up in, it was just over a dollar at the time to travel from one end of the very large city to the other (up to 2 hour journey) - even as a recent uni-graduate with an entry-ish level job I always felt transport was an easy thing to afford! Here my travel into the city is about 1.25 hours and averages a good 25 pounds a day - YIKES - I think I'll go lie down now!

...and a small GRATITUDE...
...my over-bearing manager gave me space to breathe today - hooray!

Cherryfudge

Crumbs - £25 a day! I remember when I'd walk from our most local shops to College rather than spend the 30p it cost to get the bus.

Cheery_Daff

I don't miss my train commute days! (Well, in some sense I do, but not train costs). I used to pay about £20 a day for 45 mins between 2 cities 🙄 Sadly I only went 2 days a week so no annual pass for me. 

If I do get the train when we move offices here, it'll be £6.70 for I think about 12 minutes 😮

LadyWithAPlan

I always walk to my gym rather than get the bus £1.75 - Sunday I did hop on the bus when I was late but I generally keep that £3.50 (return) as an extra saving plus I get the exercise of walking there and back over 5 miles (2.5 miles each way!)

MissRikkiC

The costs of travel especially by train is so much. I don’t envy you. I had to travel by car recently to get to a site for work, for a meeting, which considering I am fully remote and WFH, the 5 hours in the car that day were dire. I forgot how much of your dad you lose and that you’re less productive as a result. At least, I guess, with the train, it’s a bit of chill out time? Still, annoying to have to spend so much for it though.  

rtandon27

@Cherryfudge - I used to walk everywhere possible as much as possible & we moved to this house precisely so that I could get to the station on my own should it be needed.  Atm I don't do as much walking as I used to as still recovering from hemiplegia but it was always for the health benefits rather than the cost savings!  Just for fun I put the journey into G00gle maps which tells me that it would take a full 24hours to get from home to the office if I walked.  That was good for a giggle.

@Cheery_Daff - I love being able to relax on the train, catch a good nap if needed or listen to an audiobook.  I try as much as possible not to get on a screen during the commute as a lot of my work day is spent staring at a screen.

@LadyWithAPlan - totally with you on the benefits of the exercise - I do miss it - good for clearing the head and listening to a good podcast.

@MissRikkiC - yes indeed I do resent the cost, I think it even outweighs my dislike of council tax payments!

HEALTH
I've done a lot of extra sleeping this week, catching catnaps where I can and very unlike my norm, going back to sleep this morning and sleeping until 11.  I'm guessing it's some type of hibernation thing my body needs as I'm not regretting one minute of it!

WEALTH
It's the first of the month & yesterday was payday.  I've played around in YNAB - balanced the books & tweaked the forward budget for March/April/May - All the necessities are taken care of so feeling comfortable in that, but I will juggle again once OH's pension payments come in to shift money to the mortgage overpayments.  I've even paid this month's small mortgage tilly tidy to see more zero's at the end of the number.  Looking at the mortgage calculator, I've managed in the first three months of this year to knock off one month from the total mortgage life with just this silly little habit.  I suddenly understand how micro-payments can make a difference.

Doing a deep dive into the numbers found some interesting niggles...

• We spent 5.45 a day in council tax, this comprises the annual amount, the extra for the garden waste and extra for end of the garden pest control (we live near a river) - far too high as we don't have children that use the schools, are always driving over potholes and constantly cleaning street rubbish that gets trapped in our parking spot.  The amount we pay is far too much for rubbish collection!
• We are spending 10 a day for mortgage interest - I look at this as the bank service fee - I have got to get my savings producing this much in interest - so some serious thought is needed for this - research into investing looks like it might be my new hobby!
• The 25 a day for train fare is actually is closer to 28 a day as I work one day a week from home - this charge is applicable to holiday weeks too - I have huge amounts of resentment over this expenditure, but there is no way to bring it down

I don't have any control over the three expenditures that bother me the most so between 15 and 40 spent a day before it even starts!

Looking lightly at all the increases over the next few months...

• water cost will be doubling
• council tax will go up by some unknown amount, but I've switched to 12 payments instead of 10
• food keeps inching up, so we can but watch out for sales and discounts
• the train has gone up about 25 a month, which comes directly out of my pay packet

Items that are not increasing atm...

• mortgage as it is fixed until Sept 26
• electric/gas as we're on a fix until October 25.

OH's state pension is going up a bit in April & my salary will be adjusted for cost of living increases in July retroactive to April so fingers crossed these increases cover the expenditure increases in the long-term.

WELLBEING
Keeping organized a much a possible and trying to remember to get enough rest.  My default mental state is busy, but my body is struggling to keep up, I need to remember that physical fitness is incremental & keep working on that.

GRATITUDE
Spring is here - it was gloriously sunny today, so much so that the laundry went outside.  While it didn't get fully dry, it does smell fabulous.

Cherryfudge

rtandon27 said:

Just for fun I put the journey into G00gle maps which tells me that it would take a full 24hours to get from home to the office if I walked.  That was good for a giggle.
...
The 25 a day for train fare is actually is closer to 28 a day as I work one day a week from home - this charge is applicable to holiday weeks too - I have huge amounts of resentment over this expenditure, but there is no way to bring it down

I won't suggest you walk to work to save a bit!

This is a long shot, but might there be an option to rent a room near work, perhaps with a colleague, during the week? I'm not sure it would help financially but it would reduce your commute.

Greying_Pilgrim

rt your analysis of what things are costing on a daily or use basis just highlights how costs have exploded.  I haven't been sure for a while - but I'm even less sure now - as to what income households have to be on to keep their heads above water.  I realise household composition varies, and we all live in different COL areas, but even if weightings apply, it just seems to be getting ridiculously skewed towards paying bills, with nothing left for anything else.  

Well done on getting the laundry outside to assist drying - that's a win 😁

Greying X

rtandon27

@Cherryfudge - awwww, so sweet of you to think of alternatives for me! - Unfortunately I don't run in circles that would own properties in Zone 1 or even Zone 2 of the big smoke.  If you know of any multi-millionaires with a spare room going for 10 pounds a night, it might be an option & would save me some money. 🤣🤣🤣  I'd also need some help in telling the OH that I'd be away from home three nights a week - I'm not so sure he'd be game for that one! 😉

@Greying_Pilgrim - hello hunny, so lovely of you to stop by!  I'm absolutely floored that my biggest expenses are out of my control!  We've cut back so very much, as many have, just to pay the bills, keep a roof over our heads and stay warm and not carry any debt.  TBH there is not a whole lot of 'fun' to be had atm simply because of the explosive cost of living!  I too wonder what kind household income we need to have to be comfortable without having to scrounge every penny!

HEALTH
Another day of lying in until almost mid-day & waking up to a glorious bit of sunshine not once but twice!

WEALTH
Have played around with numbers, and it's absolutely eye-opening how there is almost no wiggle room in our discretionary spends that would allow breathing room.  Will be continuing to keep a tight reign on the budget.  It is going to be a squeaky year and when pots get depleted for planned spending such as home maintenance, it's going to be a real slog to get those pots built back up!

WELLBEING
A real focus today on 20 minute Pomodoros,  Mine are split into SIT - STAND - MOVE - sitting is usually on the computer - standing has been folding cloths & meal prep - moving has been housecleaning.  

GRATITUDE
I'm thankful for the simple things today, sunshine, warmth, food & companionship.
I'm also very thankful that my annual pass was bought last week at the old rates as the news today told me it's gone up by another 5% which would have been yet another 25 pounds a month!  Wow!  Just outrageous!

Progress is...
...not panicking when looking at all the cost of living increases and thinking out rationally just how the bills will be covered!