Working the numbers 2019 style

mark55man · 26 December 2018 at 6:50PM

Hi long time contributor - first time with a proper diary

I want to start this to hold myself accountable, and to focus on getting myself in better shape financially and domestically and personally. Life for us (OH plus 4 cost centres, now all grown up but not all left home) has been a bit choatic but calming down now. My problem is being comfortabe - ie not having to scrimp and save to get through to the end of the month and with flexible friends to help if needed. But I need to stop leaking money on niff naff and trivia so I can maxmise how much I have left to use for debt busting, and planning for the future. Debts are currently £20K unsecured which I want to get rid off over the next 2 years and a mortgage which will take a bit longer

I've tried winging it, I've tried blitzing it, this year I'm going to number crunch it. So this dairy is going to record my journey over the weeks to help me meet my targets - credit card, other debt, wellness (health weight), decluttering, & if I'm lucky savings. Wish me luck and I look forward to your company throughout 2019, which I hope will be transformational.

All the above sounds dreadfully dull so I will try to entertain from time to time with some of the many hiccups and dramas that plague me

mark55man · 26 December 2018 at 7:41PM

So starting numbers - everyone needs a line in the sand

Debt 0% CC - £8351 - will record overpayments plus regular savings dedicated. Target 31/12/2019 = £0
Car Loan - 2.8% - £12K - will record payments, but not overpaying - Target 31/12/2019 = £6K
Mortgage - 2.1% -£132K - will record payments, but not overpaying - Target 31/12/2019 = £118K
Weight - 117KG (getting chubby) - Target 31/12/2019 = 100Kg
Steps - Target daily average (per week) 10,000

mark55man · 26 December 2018 at 7:48PM

Other targets

£2019 in 2019 - via ebay/decluttering
Shopping budget stabilised and kept to
No credit card spending - except for work expenses
Review all providers for everything as they come up
Emergency Fund £3K (not counting savers dedicated to credit card)
<TBD1> - Resurrect my budget tracking spreadhseets with at least weekly updates
<TBD2> - 2 NSD per week
<TBD3> - Zero Food Waste
<TBD4> - Packed lunch / Zero Disposable/Single Use Plastics
<TBD5> - 3 vegetarian days a week one proper vegan (AF)
<TBD6> - No alcohol purchases this year
<TBD7>
<TBD8>
<TBD9>

doingitanyway · 26 December 2018 at 7:50PM

Ooh targets. I love a target. I will be following.
Happy Christmas and good luck with this

mark55man · 26 December 2018 at 7:57PM

Thank you DIA - I'm not great with targets - normally life's too complicated for a single number, which often distorts behaviour. BUT actually I am just going to try - and see what happens - and will watch out for oddities -

For example I do recall once breaking a £10 just to get the £2 coins and then having to take the next £10 out quicker!!

pidge04 · 26 December 2018 at 8:01PM

Love the clarity of this!

SOA?

[Deleted User] · 26 December 2018 at 8:02PM

I've subscribed too - another one here that likes a clear plan of action

Aaleigha · 26 December 2018 at 8:06PM

wow You have been busy with the figures

I want to do something similar as our (mine and hubbys) lives will be so different from now on

He has just retired and in the next month or so we are moving to rural Wales so EVERYTHING will be different

hoping reading this will be inspiring and hopefully we can drag each other to the end of each target - I have just started a diary but I as yet do not know any figures so just going to save every penny I can

mark55man · 26 December 2018 at 8:12PM

pidge04 wrote: »

Love the clarity of this!

SOA?

So - I have thought about that, but not yet. Will explain more - broadly I have tried before and was met with disbelief and some hostility as I do earn a very good wage just I'm a bit slack - and it seems to rub people up the wrong way

so maybe later when I have given it a bit more thought

mark55man · 27 December 2018 at 9:52AM

Added some TBDs - all helpful supporting targets - will work out how to present them usefully - don't think I have too many (yet), but close. I often think of Robocop when people set rules - in Robocop 1 he had 4 rules and he pretty much knew what to do all the time. In Robocop 2 the ethics committe had set him 212 (or something) and he was always unsure what was best to do

<TBD1> - Resurrect my budget tracking spreadhseets with at least weekly updates
<TBD2> - 2 NSD per week
<TBD3> - Zero Food Waste
<TBD4> - Packed lunch / Zero Disposable/Single Use Plastics

Aaleigha · 27 December 2018 at 10:33AM

mark88man wrote: »

Added some TBDs - all helpful supporting targets - will work out how to present them usefully - don't think I have too many (yet), but close. I often think of Robocop when people set rules - in Robocop 1 he had 4 rules and he pretty much knew what to do all the time. In Robocop 2 the ethics committe had set him 212 (or something) and he was always unsure what was best to do

<TBD1> - Resurrect my budget tracking spreadhseets with at least weekly updates

<TBD2> - 2 NSD per week

<TBD3> - Zero Food Waste

<TBD4> - Packed lunch / Zero Disposable/Single Use Plastics

Your first target of tracking at least weekly
Serious question does this help I sort all our money for 1st month money for all fixed expenses into one account money for all mini savings eg car maintanence, dog fund, new house fund, clothing etc goes into a second account
Immediate expenses eg dog food our groceries my allowance etc go into purses which I take out as needed

I am wondering if weekly checks will help

Half of any money in the first accoun, income, goes towards savings towards future mortgage

Working the numbers 2019 style

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