Prosperous and Creative Soul Year 5

KajiKita

I hear you on the decluttering … My bedroom is horrendous again …!

Powys gardens sound lovely. My azalea is just about to flower 😊

Enjoy the tie dyeing 😊

KK

beanielou

Enjoy the tie-dying.

savingholmes

Thanks KK and Beanie.

The tie dyeing was fun although the colours were not as vibrant as I'd like.

My nephew and BIL assembled my plastic storage bench and that looks and feels nicer than my previous rattan plastic furniture. I have a declutter person for a couple of hours tomorrow and I'm hoping she will help me move the old one to the front drive. Then I can list it for free / low cost on FB and get someone to collect it. Last week I bought some more tall plants to help screen me from the neighbours as I have a staggered fence as their garden is lower than mine. I will probably buy some trellis at some point too to help with screening. I bought a large fatsia japonica, a whilte clematis, blue polonium, some red geraniums and some standard red robins and a red acer - and some extra large pots. I also already had some spare pots. It looks a lot nicer now - although I still need to finish planting one pot.

I'm also loving watching the birds on the coconut bird feeder and scattered meal worms.

I bit the bullet and withdrew some of my savings and investments so I can clear some CC debt ahead of the remortgage application. Now down to 9982 - and hope to drop that another 4560 this pay period when another withdrawal comes through. I'm hoping that by the time I apply for my remortgage in early July I will have reduced my total CC debt to around £2.5K while keeping around £6.5K in savings and investments (so net £4.5K). DD is due to repay what she owes me in June which I'll put towards my holiday.

I was originally going to keep my money invested but realised it was adding unnecessary stress. I also was tempted to spend more on the CC - so clearing more quicker felt the right option for right now. I've kept roughly £3.5K in S&S that are giving a great return and the other £3K in easily accessible isa savings. The £3K would cover my Australia trip or emergencies. I still need to save for the cattery cost which if I am away for 3 weeks over the Xmas period could be substantial. I also will need around £1K early next year for a cam belt and water pump change. I can then get on with saving towards my freedom goals - and gradually increase my AVCs.

I'm planning to send £13.8K to AVCs this financial year (if I keep PIP) and then slowly increase it to closer to £17.4K a year if all goes well. I'm trying to avoid too much lifestyle creep but still fund travel trips to see DS etc - and go to places I probably wouldn't alone - while I have the opportunity. It's a privilege I never thought I'd have, particularly given my divorce and financial hit from that.

I saw a job I considered applying for - but I don't think the amount of masking I'd be required to do would be healthy for me - so probably won't apply. I've got a couple of weeks to think about it.

I'm seeing DD on Saturday - going to a safari and then out for a meal - as it is both our birthdays soon. I'm considering applying for a disabled rail card. I may travel to London for my birthday - stay overnight and potentially go to the flower festival as I've never been to that one. I need to look at the price of hotels though as it could be more expensive than normal. I'd also like to go to one or more art galleries while I am there.

savingholmes

My AVCs and SIPP have recovered again. I got Ai to look at my pension plans - and I'm currently on track to be mortgage neutral at age 60 if I stay in this role (and keep PIP) which is reassuring. Especially if I manage to up my contributions after my Australia trip.

savingholmes

For anyone interested - stoozing the money all this time earned me around £1900 - helping to repay the debt. However, I think it also made me too comfortable with having debt and probably slowed down clearing it. Having got used to seeing bigger numbers invested and saved - I am hoping that it won't take me too long to get more 'genuine' savings and investments - as it has become my new norm to see that. I earned more than twice as much on my investments as my savings.

My AVC is back up at £39.4K which still amazes me. That's since around October 2022. About £7K of that is growth. I just hope I can stay on track. Ideally I'd like at least £20K in savings and investments outside AVCs - both for a new car and to delay taking my pension longer if needed. Plus its a decent size emergency fund. But logically, I'd be better off having the tax benefits of saving the money pre-tax and NI - especially before the budget tax change on pensions. If I ran into trouble - such as prolonged illness etc in the meantime, I could always cash in my SIPP although everything above 25% of it would be taxed - but it is a small enough pot that it would be helpful without the tax implications being too great.

Today I am hoping to move a desk into the garage - and then sell a desk too. That should reduce the clutter pile zone potential in the back L shape. I bought a smaller table on FB the other week that can go on trestles - but the desk top could be stored under my sofa for now. That could then become a dining table for guests when needed.

KajiKita

I love how creative you are with rearranging and 'playing' with your space to make it suit you. 😊 I really like the idea of shrinking the table down and storing the bigger top under the sofa until needed for visitors.

The garden sounds like it is coming on really well and I'm glad you are investing in some more screening / privacy. That is critical for making a garden feel like a 'safe' space to be in I think. May it bring you much joy 😊

I find the the difference in your returns from investments / savings very striking (thank you for being so open about it). I should be braver …. I have a decent EF now (6 months) but I am still salting away savings and OP'ing rather than investing anywhere. I seem to have such a fear of it …

🤞🏻for the PIP continuing.

KK

beanielou

Positive vibes for the PIP.

DancingInTheRain

Another one hoping the PIP stays in place for you 🍀

Merlin's_Beard

Fingers crossed on the PIP - definitely the work environment is a super important thing as well - there's no point applying for a job and then being miserable but slightly better off, that's where we all spend extra to make ourselves feel better!

KajiKita

If you were feeling really badass and ready to ‘hold the room’, it might be interesting to go for the job whilst being completely open and honest about the structure and support you would need to perform well. I get the impression that your skills are pretty specialist and if they really need you they might just be willing to accommodate …

KK