Should itsthelittlethings spend less on coffee?

itsthelittlethings

MFWannabe said:

You’ve just had eyebrows done; which pot covers this? 

The pot where I pay to go to work.

Having a lovely evening.

itsthelittlethings

Also if I get a car finance windfall, that's also my emergency fund.

[Deleted User]

I think you're misunderstanding the purpose of an emergency fund and how you could use it.

It is a stretch to think you won't have any "emergency" costs or expenses until you receive a (possible) bonus next year or receive a payout for car finance windfall (noting you don't have any car related costs in your SOA?)

As this is a money saving forum people are offering suggestions and sharing their own experiences to help others.  Maybe worth re reading your own posts to reflect on your spending and some of the suggestions.

MFWannabe

itsthelittlethings said:

MFWannabe said:

You’ve just had eyebrows done; which pot covers this? 

The pot where I pay to go to work.

Having a lovely evening.

Travel pot? 

You need a pot for spends such as beauty treatments for things like eyebrows 

MFWannabe

itsthelittlethings said:

I lived without heating for a winter when my heater broke which somehow wasn’t too bad although I cannot imagine doing it now. This was not due to lack of funds but due to an inability to get a work person to actually do the work. I had the money in my bank account all the time and paid for the work when I finally had it done.

I am not prepared to live without hot showers or to have to cope with water p***ing out of the boiler everywhere and causing a flood.

Oh I didn’t share the other good news. Just as I start paying £50/ month towards the last Section 20 notice another one comes through for the same amount.

However I have a long term plan for the emergency fund. If I stick at my job I may get a Christmas bonus next year and that will be my emergency fund.

Section 20 notice? Where are the section 20 payments covered in your soa? 

You can’t rely on a possible bonus next year for your emergency fund, emergency fund is required now. How would you manage if you lost your job? Had a large expense? 

itsthelittlethings

MFWannabe said:

itsthelittlethings said:

I lived without heating for a winter when my heater broke which somehow wasn’t too bad although I cannot imagine doing it now. This was not due to lack of funds but due to an inability to get a work person to actually do the work. I had the money in my bank account all the time and paid for the work when I finally had it done.

I am not prepared to live without hot showers or to have to cope with water p***ing out of the boiler everywhere and causing a flood.

Oh I didn’t share the other good news. Just as I start paying £50/ month towards the last Section 20 notice another one comes through for the same amount.

However I have a long term plan for the emergency fund. If I stick at my job I may get a Christmas bonus next year and that will be my emergency fund.

Section 20 notice? Where are the section 20 payments covered in your soa? 

You can’t rely on a possible bonus next year for your emergency fund, emergency fund is required now. How would you manage if you lost your job? Had a large expense? 

The SOA is a bit problematic as it is more a tool for thinking about things than a cast iron budget. I did it as it reflects reality (with comments taken on board). All those figures accurately reflect what I spend in those categories. The rest is just spending (misc).

Today I've had a no spend day.

Thank you so much for all your comments. I'm going to start winding down now but tomorrow I will spend some time rereading the comments since my SOA and perhaps making some notes. I really really appreciate you wise people taking the time to offer advice on my financial situation and I hope I can learn something from it.

I'm really trying to start taking my debt and spending habits seriously.

itsthelittlethings

Have set myself a little challenge to not go into town from now until Christmas. Got my smart meter fitted. I didn’t get a little monitor but my friend says they are basically a waste of plastic anyway. I looked at my bills, my new fridge freezer seems to be costing me £50 a quarter although I suppose bills are always going up. I should make more use of it and not eat out alone or get takeout ever. I can’t afford it.

itsthelittlethings

Pasta cacio e pepe with green beans vinaigrette for tea. I’m doing Tim Spector’s challenge to eat 30 vegetables a week. I think I could count pepper but I’m not going to.

itsthelittlethings

I have made a great leap in my budget. The amount of luxuries I buy has got absolutely ridiculous. I have trimmed my luxuries category by half by dividing it into “keep” and “ditch”.

itsthelittlethings

Also, sorry for all the updates today, I have cancelled £50 worth of subscriptions. I’m going to use Google Calendar instead of my AI productivity app. It’s absolutely great but it’s not at my price point.