Settling in for the long haul

Dakota_Rose

That’s interesting @foxgloves and makes complete sense. My luck with anything financial in the past has been thin and so I was looking for a pattern that would explain our luckier start to the bonds. I even spent some time before buying bonds looking at the win records and what seemed to be the trend of larger purchases attracting the most prizes. I’d certainly trust your nephew’s analysis over my own 😂. My mathematical analysis is as follows: I visualise a ‘wheel of fortune’ wheel being spun and my smaller bonds being thin slices that get skipped over easily. When the wheel is ready to stop, my ‘chunky’ bonds go on so long it can’t help but land on me 🤣 🙈.

I think the monthly draw is quite motivating. Always nice to daydream what could be if that knock came and know you haven’t gambled money to have the chance.

We’ve decided that the £50 will go towards our new laundry basket. Our previous one has been with us for so many years we can’t quite remember how long and is definitely worse for wear now. It’s a small metal brabantia one that looks very battered after several house moves and young children using it as a musical instrument.

I mentioned that we overspent on littlest’s birthday last month. This emptied my home improvements pot so it is nice to be able to send some back in that direction. My Christmas pot is looking healthy but I’d like a little more for my birthdays, car and home pots. These will be my priority this month before making any big overpayments to the car loan.

Yesterday was Mum’s birthday. We are taking some scones, jam and cream round at lunchtime and eldest is staying overnight for company. Tomorrow, I’ll take her out to her favourite shops and a little cafe lunch with Little Miss. All covered with funds in the birthday pot.

Have a potential tiny sale of £3 today, if the item gets collected. Every little helps!

joedenise

When cashing in bonds you don't have to automatically sell the oldest ones as you are asked IF you want the oldest cashed in first. We just went with the oldest when we needed to cash some in a while back. Having said that it is either the oldest or the newest - you don't get to pick and choose which ones!

Honeysucklelou2

Well done to your DS in his successful audition.

Career wise, I often have this debate with myself. I love my job but live in an area with lots of small schools so room for progression is limited. I missed out on an opportunity earlier this year which did knock me, but trying to do anything else will mean a loss in earnings even if I drop a day! One I go round in circles with!!

Sun_Addict

I’d heard that about buying bonds in chunks too. In fact I’ve been putting the £100 a month I’d normally buy bonds with into a regular saver and planning to bulk buy when it matures. I won £100 in April and £25 in May the previous year but that’s all since I first started buying them. Realistically it’s all down to the luck of the draw.

I’m curious as to how your children have used your laundry basket as a musical instrument 🤣

foxgloves

Oh I love that idea of sort of big PB wheel, @DakotaRose & it is easy for our brains to visualize that, but a more accurate visualisation would be a massive hat containing all the numbers on a separate tiny slip of paper. This gets thoroughly shaken up every month on draw day then the designated amount of numbers pulled out at random. I have all my little slips in the hat so while each one has the same chance of being selected as any another number in there, I don't have as much chance as Mr Bondmungous Big-Money who has 50,000 numbers to my 7000.

I have a list of jobs & here I am still drinking coffee & chatting about premium bonds. It's nice to think what we'd do with a big win though, isn't it. For us, it'd really help our planned future move to a more expensive part of the country.

Dakota_Rose

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82157141#Comment_82157141

‘Device of noise pollution’ would be more accurate 😂 It’s a metal drum in essence. Any utensil bashed against it makes a big sound! Those days are thankfully over but the bin still bears the scars 🤣.

Dakota_Rose

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82157132#Comment_82157132

It’s somewhat reassuring to hear you feel the same way, but I’m sorry to hear it too. I’ve heard it described recently as ‘golden handcuffs’. We’re chained to the pay. Financial flexibility has got to be the long term goal for me I think - I don’t expect to be able to retire massively early, but I’d like the option of having more time to explore other things.

Dakota_Rose

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82157197#Comment_82157197

I’ve enjoyed the PB chat over my slow morning cups of tea @foxgloves. I’ll be dreaming of wheels, hats and all else in between tonight I think 😂. We’d love enough to pay off our mortgage and car loan; to own everything we have. That’s where my goal of financial flexibility would kick in. I’m sure the difference between needing to work and choosing to work in the profession I’m in would be a dealbreaker for my mental health and wellbeing.

Now onto more productive matters for the day. I’m feeling better than yesterday and plan to visit Mum soon - best get a shuffle on.

ohdearhowdidthathappen

No, not at all! I love hearing about other people winning ☺️

We’re actually tempted to start saving £100 a month into PB just because it feels less wasteful than any other kind of gambling 😂

Maybe Lady Luck is saving up for a massive future win for me?! 🫠

Dakota_Rose

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82157308#Comment_82157308

I would like to think so too - it would be lovely if a fellow MSEer won big.