Help to keep me honest

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  • HairyHandofDartmoor
    HairyHandofDartmoor Posts: 13,960 Forumite
    Name Dropper Photogenic First Anniversary First Post
    I really missed DS1a lot when he when to uni, but got used to it after a couple of months. We did save money on food but spent a lot on petrol as we visited him for the day twice a term :).

    Could you put £500 in the emergency fund to get it back up to £1000 and then pay the rest off debt? That it'd be the best of both worlds.
    Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally
    Debt in July 2017 = £58,766 😱 DEBT FREE 31 OCTOBER 2017 :T 🎉
    EMERGENCY FUND 1 = £50/£5,000. EMERGENCY FUND 2 = £10/£5,000.
    CHRISTMAS SAVINGS = £0/£500. SEF = £1,400/£12,000 PREMIUM BONDS ME = £350. PREMIUM BONDS DH = £300.
    HOLIDAY MONEY = £0 TIME LEFT TO PAY OFF MORTGAGE = 5 YEARS 1 MONTHS
  • glass_half_full
    glass_half_full Posts: 578 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper Debt-free and Proud!
    HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »
    I really missed DS1a lot when he when to uni, but got used to it after a couple of months. We did save money on food but spent a lot on petrol as we visited him for the day twice a term :).

    Could you put £500 in the emergency fund to get it back up to £1000 and then pay the rest off debt? That it'd be the best of both worlds.

    Hi there Hhod!
    Yes, I think it will take a while to get used to it. He hasn't gone too far and is probably going to visit us in the next couple of weekends. With the extra money, I think when it comes through I will see how we are doing and probably split it like you say depending on the situation.
    Aiming to early retire in April 2025 - DC pension currently £350k 
  • glass_half_full
    glass_half_full Posts: 578 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper Debt-free and Proud!
    Good morning diary and all,
    Just a quick up date as I have to do some work this morning. Had a call from DS yesterday afternoon and he has come home, just for the night and will go back this evening. He is having a great time, made loads of friends and all is well. Really nice to see him.
    A new month dawns, all is ok on the budget front, no real excitement there at the moment.
    Have a great day all!
    Aiming to early retire in April 2025 - DC pension currently £350k 
  • System
    System Posts: 178,093 Community Admin
    Photogenic Name Dropper First Post
    Great news on the flight refund. I think 50/50 as well. Great for DS to come home for a quick weekend visit. He is probably finding it as strange as you will to start with. Glad he has made friends .
  • glass_half_full
    glass_half_full Posts: 578 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper Debt-free and Proud!
    Cumbria_lass wrote: »
    Great news on the flight refund. I think 50/50 as well. Great for DS to come home for a quick weekend visit. He is probably finding it as strange as you will to start with. Glad he has made friends .

    Hi Cumbria Lass,
    Thanks for dropping by and the advice! :beer:The £740 came through yesterday and I have put £500 back in the emergency fund. This takes it up to £665 so I need to put a bit more in to get it back up to £1000. The other £240 I am actually going to leave in the current account for now as somehow the budget feels extra tight at the moment.
    Aiming to early retire in April 2025 - DC pension currently £350k 
  • glass_half_full
    glass_half_full Posts: 578 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper Debt-free and Proud!
    Good morning diary and all,
    So far an uneventful October. On the financial front things are steady. I had an advisory note at the MOT that a tyre was getting towards needing replacing, but FIL had a look and there is still plenty above the wear indicator so no need to replace just yet. Groceries have really dropped since DS went to Uni, will see how this affects the spend this month. Work is really busy for both of us, noticing that I don’t always feel like cooking at the end of the day, I need to think of options that are easy. One of the frugal blogs I follow talks about a slow cooker. This might be an option, maybe a small one.
    Have a great Sunday all!
    Aiming to early retire in April 2025 - DC pension currently £350k 
  • System
    System Posts: 178,093 Community Admin
    Photogenic Name Dropper First Post
    Oh what will you do with extra grocery money ? Tyres are very annoying, I have had 4 new ones this year and a puncture in one 3 weeks after getting it! That's life though .

    I have a slow cooker and use it in the winter mainly , the smell when you come home is amazing !
  • glass_half_full
    glass_half_full Posts: 578 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper Debt-free and Proud!
    Cumbria_lass wrote: »
    Oh what will you do with extra grocery money ? Tyres are very annoying, I have had 4 new ones this year and a puncture in one 3 weeks after getting it! That's life though .

    I have a slow cooker and use it in the winter mainly , the smell when you come home is amazing !

    Hi Cumbria Lass,
    I will probably use the extra money to build up the EF. The EF has rescued us several times over the last couple of years, probably the most important thing I have found to help with the debt busting. I have bought a slow cooker, just a mini 1.5 litre one which should be ideal. Now looking at recipes!
    Aiming to early retire in April 2025 - DC pension currently £350k 
  • glass_half_full
    glass_half_full Posts: 578 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper Debt-free and Proud!
    Good evening diary and all,
    Tomorrow off on a training course up north, nice to get out of the office and the other people on the course are interesting so good to share ideas and get some inspiration. OH has a close friend coming to stay and visit at the weekend so there will be various goings on that need budgetting for! Had a mishap with the slow coooker. Went out at 7.30 am and set it on Auto and got back in at 6 pm to find a sorry sludge at the bottom with a faint burning smell as we came through the front door. I think I should have set it on low. Will get the hang of it I'm sure.
    Aiming to early retire in April 2025 - DC pension currently £350k 
  • Happierdays
    Happierdays Posts: 154 Forumite
    Another thumbs up here for slow cooker!
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