Fresh Start At Fox Towers.

Cherryfudge

I don't think I've seen anyone do a visual quite this way but it's very effective. It's also possibly something you could sort from greatest to smallest, so you can see easily where most of the money escapes, or where spends are small but still consequential.

I agree the 'general' and 'shopping' categories could be usefully broken down, and possibly you could play around with colour coding for 'essential' and 'discretionary' spending. If you did that, you could sub-divide the existing bars on your graph (so if you decided £500 a month was necessary for groceries, then £6000 a year would be in one colour and the rest of that bar would be in another).

That said, well done on getting all the figures together and sorting them out. I am rubbish at getting this far so I appreciate what a lot of work has gone into it, and how valuable a visual representation is. Perhaps stick a copy somewhere you can refer to it next time you want to ring for a takeaway, and also where your daughter can see and discuss with you, as she can learn from it too. 

I also think a rolling meal plan might be a starting point:  make it basic so you can vary slightly if you want or need to. So egg and chips could become burger and chips or egg salad if you wanted (you could put suggested variations in brackets). Once you've written it and made a start on using it, it's perfectly okay to change things as you find what works and what doesn't.

twiggy86

Well done for 1) completing the above process (it's still on my list of things to do!) and 2) posting it on here! 

foxandflowers

Lunch time - B&M have stopped doing the mayflower fresh noodles. Heartbroken. Went to charity shop and paid 50p for a copy of one of my favourite books that I think I lent to someone back in 2018 - although as everything is packed I cannot be 100%. If it turns out I do have it, I will have re-donate. 

Came back to my desk to an email from solicitors - Local Authority search has arrived! And they are querying how often the public right of way is used. It's had a garage built on top of it since 1967... So never? I have emailed back saying so, hoping now they get themselves in gear and I get a finalised date!

Have been playing around with Notion this morning instead of doing anything much at work. I'm constantly losing notebooks, and even though the purloining of one went very well yesterday, as things are changed and updated, I end up getting frustrated at having to scribble things out because I want it to look neat! I have been using their digital calendar for a few months and that's been really helpful as dates move around, but also it is seamless for switching between desktop/phone/tablet. 

So this is now what my "homepage" looks like, and I have all my lists and trackers in one place, combined with a really cute fox and my vision board for 2025. Hurrah! 



Lets hope organised Fox is here to stay. 

Squirrelz92

Great graph Fox! Love playing about with my finance spreadsheets and turning them into graphs too! Its sooo satisfying. x

stymied

Loving the chart. Did you take away the money in? Like where you got insurance monies back from puppy & where Cash Generators lent you money?

Sad that child category is lower than vaping but I'm assuming she pops up in other categories too

foxandflowers

@Cherryfudge love the idea of subdividing, I will look at that! A rolling meal plan is also a great idea, and worth creating as I never want to make what we have in. I'd quite happily survive off carbs alone.

@Stymied - I did take away refunds etc. I didn't take away where CG lent to me though. Hmm. 
Next graph I am going to tackle is going to be essential vs non essential spending I think. That should be fun.
Mini Fox appears in lots of other categories - fear not. The Child category is just for things related to school.

Sarahwithlove

Hope the move gets back on track quickly and you get your date! 

foxandflowers

I left the house on time with packed breakfast and lunch, and then my contact lens split in my eye, so I had to change it out under a street lamp. Almost lost my headphones on the bus, and am sat here staring at my laptop not doing any actual work. Checked in the date for redeeming my Ramsden's loan, and I have until the 23rd April to pay that off. 23 days left to redeem my Switch. 4 days left until payday. January has been a dreadfully long month.

I have booked house clearance to come next Monday. The warranty still hasn't paid out, which is driving me mental at this point. I just want the van back, so I can take the rest of my things to the storage unit and be ready to move. I've asked if we can move on the 29th but I haven't heard anything yet. Mr Fox and I sat down at the weekend to divide up household chores and meal plan for the upcoming year. Meal plan is done, and can be adapted to him dieting without costing me extra. Chores are split (I retain cooking and cleaning bathroom, he does the rest, and we do the monthly things like tidying shed or cleaning van together). Weekly finance/diary check ins are booked in. 

I feel like I set myself a few too many targets for this year, although that might just be that I am feeling a bit low. I am tired out trying to keep up with my sewing/reading/decluttering/packing/work/parenting/savings/budgeting/cleaning goals. I think perhaps it is the teetering on the cusp of the fresh start that is doing it. I've been on the verge for over a month, and it is wearing me down to the bone. 

_Dolly_Rocker_

Aw god what a start! 

Hope you're feeling okay.

kayannie

I think everyone is thinking what a very long month January is & apparently today is Blue Monday, traditionally the most depressing day of the month.

Well done on sitting down with Mr Fox & making plans for the year & once you're in your new home you can put those plans into action. Hopefully it won't be long now, but you must be feeling in limbo at the moment, I know I was during our last move.
KA