Steadying the ship - a perilous voyage across the financial middle

edinburgher

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82129737#Comment_82129737

Cheers SC, I'd count 86 a good innings!

edinburgher

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82129714#Comment_82129714

Squirrel❓️

beanielou

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82129832#Comment_82129832

It’s the mascot!

debtfreewannabe321

I bought a hoodie as a mature student! In fact there was a group of us all a bit older and we'd not done the whole uni experience as a teen so it was the first place we went after registering and meeting each other 🤣 we bonded over choosing hoodie colours and a cuppa. It's gotta be done!

Suffolk_lass

Ooh yes, student discounts! free Microsoft software (should you not already have it with two children) - I don't suppose the Council Tax 25% reduction is an option? How will you travel there (if it is in person)? coach or train give you travel study options with discounts.

Personally I always wear a hoodie in winter now I wear my hair short. A wooly hat was all very well when my hair was below my waist but at my age, (cashmere) beanies are strictly for frost-days. Never too old for a hoodie though.

Loving the Squirrel!

edinburgher

£7.23 Withdrawn from Prolific and added to my personal spends budget.

I also managed to make £2 4 from Y Live (DD1 joined me on a second survey). On a more promising note, I applied for a £60 survey from Y Live that I seemed to be suitable for. Not guaranteed, I know, but would bust my Trading Allowance for the year if it happens and allow me to lay down my survey sword for a bit 😊

More rumbling at work about having to physically go in more. Suppose I can't grumble, we average once a fortnight 😉

*Edit: Road tax paid for the next year. £200 vs a budget of £214.50, £14.50 sent back to ready to budget. Does anyone else intentionally over-budget? I've been adding 10% to every annual payment since COVID inflation, sometimes it gives me a nice wee surprise…

*Edit the second: Cancelled Virgin Wines membership after both their website and their customer service staff made it impossible to update my payment card - poor show Virgin Wines 😝 £60 payment + £10 for a pre-order refunded to my AMEX, will just go with Laithwaites or one of the rash of other firms offering similar. Anyone want to refer me for anyone good?

turtlemoose

I also over budget in a similar way Ed. Not by much as there isn't much here spare, but a rounding up of estimated % increases year on year. Sometimes they getting eaten up by genuinely big increases, sometimes I have a nice little extra like your example, in which case it gets reallocated to debt or mortgage.

badmemory

I also budget 10% increases. Luckily, as the overbudgets covered the under budget on the water rates as they went up by almost 30% despite the water pouring down the hill every time it has been raining.

rtandon27

Rather than 10%, I look at the average annual increase over the past 5 years and use that. Some categories are a good 20% or more (such as water) - some have remained blissfully the same such as electric/gas and MOT while others are closer to 7%. There is much juggling each quarter as I realize that our outgoings+savings equal our income and fun money is a thing of the past!

greent

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82131210#Comment_82131210

I think Fortune had/ has a Laithwaites account, so it may be worth seeing if she has a referral code? I've always used them, but they are very local to me, so I've managed to get staff deals through friends of boxes coming out at £2.50/ bottle - for wines that retail for £15-20 per bottle! 😱😱