DD's accountability thread

So, we (I) have been super busy!

I got my car insurance for £493 - existing company. They matched a deal I found for them on a comparison site, the key difference being slightly lower mileage (accurate) and adding my husband as a named provisional driver. I was really pleased with that, as I'd budgeted £500!

Secondly the convention; worked in the Notts office so most of the mileage is being claimed on expenses , then set up on the Friday night. I'll admit to thinking that I had way too much stuff and we needed an extra table, but we made it work. We had a really busy day on Saturday and it was knackering but so worth it when we counted up. We couldn't believe it! Then on Sunday we had another good day, though it was quieter, and my big ticket item went so I am very pleased with that. I came home with a fraction of what I took, and paid £2734.50 into the bank today. :eek:

The money is obviously a very important thing - especially on this site - but it really is a lovely convention. The people are amazing and so inclusive; many attendees have mental challenges such as anxiety or autism, and yet there's no judgement, everybody is welcoming and it's just an amazing thing to be part of. I'll stop gushing because if I'm not careful I'll talk myself into going back on the committee.

I also won £4.50 on the Euromillions, and sold one of my last horse rugs for another £50 inc postage, but worth it to get it gone. Sometimes it really does feel like money attracts money! I've obviously got a few ponies left to sell (I'm hoping to keep up momentum whilst I'm in the mood) then I need to refresh all the wedding stuff and other horse things. Now that there is a lot more space in the spare room, I'm going to have a good sort out and try to get the rest cleaned up and listed.

Budget wise, because I'd paid my car insurance in full, and some expenses for the convention, I was a bit skint this month so I put a little into the relevant categories but the rest has gone into savings, with £1200 has going to hubby for him to open a help to buy ISA. My car needs a service at the start of November so I've put £200 to one side for that too - nice to have the money there in advance! And to think I was hoping I'd make £500 to cover my car insurance. :rotfl: Savings wise, we're up to £6893.21 including my £500 emergency fund. We're waiting on the £1k top up from the Lifetime ISA, then OH can also put another £1k in if necessary. We still need to keep saving hard, as of course it's not just the deposit but fees/moving costs plus we'll need appliances, but we're well on the way there!

On the subject of house buying, we're planning to put an offer in on house 1. Just need to work out all the details and what to offer. Such a not-British approach, it feels very weird. And of course because we need a 95% mortgage, I'm a bit worried in case the valuation on the house comes back lower than an offer we (hopefully) have accepted. But we'll cross that bridge if we have to, I guess! We wouldn't be moving until next year now - I suspect to any property we purchased - so that gives us more time to save up. I will be due another bonus at the end of January and my husband typically gets something around Christmas too I think, so those could just time very well for us!

Thanks Beanielou, I am definitely very pleased with that result. I think I said earlier in the thread that I'd priced the lot about £3.5k, then dropped some prices based on actual condition. What I have left is very unlikely to make £750, but I'm confident that I'll finish up comfortably over £3k in total which is just amazing. Makes me wish I had a second collection to sell. :rotfl:

Last night we offered on the house - house 1. It was for offers over, and we offered £2k less than the asking price. Did not expect it to be accepted and we were prepared to go up to £2k over the asking price. Well they only bloomin' accepted it! :D:D

I've found us a conveyancing solicitor, just need to do all the paperwork. Then I need to get caught up on my 'how to buy your first house' book by Phil Spencer, as real life is ahead of the book right now. :rotfl: Luckily, that means our next few weekends are now not required for viewings, so I should have a bit of time for reading.

I don't have a huge amount to report really.

On the financial front, we're in that mid-month stage where not much happens. The main thing at this point is not overspending. I am hoping to get some things listed for sale this weekend, though we also have cleaning and tidying to do so we'll see how we get on.

I'm getting an unexpected bonus from work at the end of the month; not huge, but good timing as we are going to Dubai for a week in November. That means paying for the cat sitter, plus the boys are due their jabs and my car will want it's service soon, though I have the money set aside for that.

House-wise, I dropped the paperwork off and did the ID checks at the solicitors this morning. I'm waiting to find out who our designated solicitor will be then I can tell the mortgage broker and he can put the application in.

We will have to work out what we'll need when we move in so we can budget for it. Definitely a fridge/freezer and washer/dryer, whether separate or combined. We also need a microwave, though we're hoping that we might be able to get a decent one from Sainsburys when they do the double up Nectar points thing, as we have quite a few points. We might need extra wardrobes (one of 'ours' is built in) but have agreed that we can make do with a clothes rail initially, as it's for long things like coats and dresses. The idea is to only buy the essentials (like appliances) and then work everything else out gradually when we can live with it and decide exactly what we want/need.