Progress is...

Muddy_Walker

Thank you for the lovely welcome! Tea is in one hand and ginger biscuit in the other 🥰

a few years ago knowing our Egyptian friend was working all over Christmas invited him to Christmas dinner and I found an alcohol free pudding. He was over the moon and thoroughly enjoyed all of it - more so than the usual family! Bless him.

Thanks for explaining the mortgage neutrality- we are nowhere near that but the rough plan is once the remortgage has been done, we will get 3 to 6 months savings put aside and then throw what we can at the pension…….it took me almost 9 months to get a straight answer from my work pension and it is absolute rubbish. 

It has taken a long time to get this far in our money journey what with one thing and another but it feels so good knowing that if something broke we can replace it….fingers crossed!

take care all xxx

redofromstart

Marry Christmas to you!

beanielou

Have a happy Christmas. 

EssexHebridean

I’m not surprised you were irked at the financially tardy colleague RT - I mean “having two children” is not really an excuse, I’m presuming that he was aware of this prior to mid December, after all? I’m guessing that what was really meant was “I practise precisely zero financial planning or budgeting and therefore paying for presents for my two children has all had to come out of a single months pay”. Sigh! 

rtandon27

@Boodedoo - I'm glad to know I'm not the only one miffed by the utilities holding balances!  I really do feel that they should be forced to pay the interest for holding my funds hostage!  I did look into the d/d of the whole bill, but that option was at higher cost to me and I'd not make in interest the difference in cost!

@badmemory - unfortunately our income is all spoken for atm - bills, savings - needs, wants - nothing 'independent' to be found - but I am rather pleased that we have learned to live within our means despite the challenges life has presented us with which inevitably mean spending is not always as planned & pots need to be juggled.  I've a way to go before retirement, and in my work structure I am part of a management team - hence the high stress & high pressure - in French we say Adjointe (deputy) to the head manager so even if I don't agree with the decisions, my paid role is to support and carry out!  My vivid imagination equates the role to a well paid henchman(woman) who unfortunately has a conscience.

@Muddy_Walker - oh yes, I totally agree that it takes a lot of time to get anywhere in our respective money journeys!  I found that once on a role, the feelings of stability started to snowball, not sure it it was the reality of having the various pots well funded or the psychology of being debt free & assigning every penny a role that finally made me feel balanced and on an even keel!

@redofromstart & @beanielou - a belated Merry Christmas to both of you as well!  We spent the 25th & 26th resting & grazing - without a care in the world!  Hope you both spend the days exactly as you needed/wanted!

@EssexHebridean - Your statement gave me a good giggle!  The "HE" is actually a "SHE" and I'm presuming that as she birthed the little buggers, she is fully aware they exist!   Yes indeed, your deduction is 100% spot on regarding her inability to organize the proverbial in a brewery!  She is part of a double income household & her spouse owns his own business.  Their combined household income is more than double ours!  Incidentally, I'm still our of pocket for her share and even more furious than I was a week ago!  There simply will not be a next time in regard to covering her share, I will be expecting actual cash in hand, straight up at double the projected cost of the meal & will refund them the overpayment 14 days after the event.  If I'm going to be thrust into the role of a moneylender, might as well name my unreasonable terms upfront!

rtandon27

So I've been trawling though the threads of several lovely cohorts on the boards & have been inspired to give my annual goals some thought.

HEALTH

More so now than ever, I need to focus on this particular theme as I am still recovering from life-changing illness in 2022 which amongst other things left me with hemiplegia paralysis for close to a year.  Lots of various therapies later, I can walk & talk again but am nowhere near as active as I need to be.  So the goal for this year is to double my average daily steps from 5000 to 10000 by the end of the year.

WEALTH

I want to be a millionaire and live off the interest instead of working for a living! - looking at simple annual interest and inflation depreciation, I'd need to be a multi-millionaire just to continue paying the bills that our household income currently covers!

So having had that hard reality check, and only winning 3.70GBP in last night's lottery draw, I need to look into upping my retirement amounts & investments over the coming year.  Continue with paying the mortgage (currently at low interest for just under 2 years) and also getting together our pots of savings for various home maintenance and improvements.

WELLBEING

I've noticed while struggling to live with the chronic illness I was diagnosed with, that Fatigue figures prominently in limiting my output and achievements.  Though I mentally resist the limitations of spoon theory , it is unfortunately my current reality.  I need a lot of rest just to appear that I function normally!  I do a lot better emotionally when I pre-plan just about everything, so reviving some of my old pre-illness habits is a must!  I used to keep a paper planner that mapped out the structure of my day/week/month/year & am contemplating using one for next year...but I have a brand new tablet (not yet opened or turned on) which may combine the best of electronic planning with the need to put 'pen to paper'...currently humming and hawing over this decision!

EssexHebridean

I think a lot depends whether you feel that an electronic or a paper diary/planner will best serve your needs? I prefer paper still - although the journal I use to also house my year planner isn’t of a size I want to carry around with me, I do use my phone “reminders” function to remind me to add things to it - or rather, for true transparency, ai should say that I aspire to do so, but in fact that is something I should probably add to MY annual goals! 

LadyWithAPlan

So annoying re the not paying colleague 

I paid for a gift between 4 of us in a friends group and only one paid me - the other two still haven’t (& earn well) and it was months ago 
I saw them for Xmas but was aware it wasn’t right time to remind them .. as the other friend was there .. I may text or remind when I next see 

rtandon27

@EssexHebridean - yes size considerations are one more point in favour of the tablet, which will also double as my reading device for the commute.  For the moment I'm watching the usual utoob planner inspiration videos and looking through my old beloved planners to remind myself of all the reasons it was useful.  I may have to start with a new 5 year plan as personal circumstances have changed!

@LadyWithAPlan - yikes - I'd be completely distracted if months had gone by!  You are remarkably patient!  As it stands, the 10 days, yes I'm counting, has really done my head in!  OH keeps reminding me that it is truly of my own making, but the small things are often what teach us big lessons!  I think know that with friends I am a lot more lenient, last year one of my very sweet young colleagues was mortified she'd forgotten to pay up & all I said (quietly) was "I know you are good for it - I'd have reminded you when the credit card bill arrived" - She is such a loving, gentle, caring human being that I was not really the least bit bothered.  Honest mistakes are so very different than belligerently being taken advantage of by people who are in all honesty just acquaintances & come with their own special reputation to begin with!

I've not done a reflection in a while...

Progress is...
...being within budget this month despite the festive season & the often aforementioned fiasco!  No major shuffling is needed between savings and spending pots and I have 1.5 months into next year budgeted for, even before this month's paycheque arrives on Tuesday. 

Obligatory gifting was kept to a bare minimum, being thoughtful and concise in nature and all non-essential gifting eliminated.  Along with eliminating non-essential gifting, I decided not to be the first to wish family,  friends and acquaintances for the season as I usually do!  Quite the eye-opener to see who initiated & this will also help me pare down the folks I decide to spend time with during holidays this year.

redofromstart

I much prefer pen and paper for planning - and have different pads for different projects.  There is an excitement about the 'house' project book that is rather lacking from a new folder on the gadget.  That said, I love the gadget for reading.