2020 Needs and wishes

Kittikins · 2 January 2020 at 12:23PM

I've decided to start a new diary for 2020, hopefully focusing my mind more on what I want and need to achieve this year.

My fiance (swoon), the knitted Welshman (KW) and I got engaged on fireworks night last year, and at present, have very little saved for our wedding. We have a joint savings account with £150 in it so far

We also want/need to get a new boiler in our shared ownership house and possibly a new shower system, as ours cries on you rather than making you feel sparkly clean. We've had one quote in so far, with nearly £4k for switching to a combi boiler that might well solve the shower problem, and £2.5k for the traditional type that probably won't solve it.

I also think that I may need to start saving for a new car, as mine is now 13 years old and is less 'oomphy' than it used to be. I put £150 a month aside from my salary to go towards tax, mot, servicing etc, and have £800-odd in my account for that.

My parents had offered to help us with the boiler costs, but now that we have a better idea of how expensive it is, they've gone rather quiet on that front, as I think they thought it could get done and dusted for £1K.....

KW and I would rather save up and do it on our own, as we don't like to think of being given so much. I've borrowed from my folks in the past when I was on my own and needed to move, but as I'm now with someone, we'd rather do it ourselves.

Before Christmas, I had kind of let myself go a bit financially-speaking, and had borrowed from my car fund more than once to make sure I got through the month. I clear my credit card without fail each month, but had been spending far too freely on it. Thankfully I moved up the teaching pay scale and the salary was backdated to September, so my payslip on 31st December was very healthy indeed! I've cleared my card and have set up a new page on my finances spreadsheet to record everything I spend as well as every penny I have coming in.

Kittikins · 2 January 2020 at 12:53PM

WEDDING Target: ?

Balance £250

We know we'd like a small wedding, but have no clear ideas on what we would like! As I'm divorced, it may be harder to find a vicar who will do the ceremony. Our town has a lovely register office in the town hall that would be a good alternative.

Church £550
Register wedding £350 + vat for the town hall
registrar £567

Ok, it's going to take a wee while to save up even this amount!

Reception £1,500 - We may look to hire out a lovely barn near us which apparently do amazing meals (I've only had a coffee there so far)

Outfits £500 - I don't want a princess dress, just something nice i can wear again, a suit for KW (mmmm, he scrubs up very nicely!) and something lovely for DD, who will be giving me away

savingwannabe · 2 January 2020 at 5:14PM

Hurrah for the New Year and hurrah for a pay rise.

Moving house is expensive and then a wedding too can feel quite overwhelming these are major life changing things as well as financially expensive. I have lived here for over 10 years and still not got round to doing the boiler. You are ahead of me and most people. With regard to the wedding, it's great that you are putting the numbers together. You can do it. One step at a time Kittikins. You can do it. :j

Kittikins · 3 January 2020 at 11:58AM

Filled up the car with petrol yesterday and bought a sarnie meal deal. 43p change into the sealed tin

Today, I'm procrastinating with planning for Monday's return to school, and am going to be going over to meet KW at his sister's as it's his oldest niece's birthday next week. I must get more work done though, I can't keep putting it off!

savingwannabe · 3 January 2020 at 4:55PM

I've put off mine today and it's 3.30. On facebook everyone is the same at my workplace. It's the worst part of being a teacher. lol.

Kittikins · 3 January 2020 at 8:11PM

Uh-oh, today's got a bit spendy...

£2.50 bag of chips to share with KW
£12.87 3 packs of refills for plug in vaporizer as DD now has my cold from hell
£22.08 for 3 bottles of shampoo for DD, she has amazing afro hair that loves this shampoo
£6 I think in Waitrose on bits, but I'll pay myself back for those out of the household account

Gulp!

Managed to do a bit of work, then went over to kw before I went out this afternoon. So much more to do, aaahh well, it'll get done &#55357;&#56834;

savingwannabe · 4 January 2020 at 11:16AM

I think you bought useful things. I feel the same about work. I might mark in bed. lol.

Kittikins · 5 January 2020 at 11:28AM

DD and I had a great time in London yesterday seeing a show

My parents bought her the tickets, and we took a picnic and drinks to help us save money (ish)! She got signatures of the 3 female leads at the stage door and was a very happy girly indeed!

But, I was a bit spendy.....

£4.20 parking at the station for the day
£1.34 YS vegan chocolate pot to have in the interval (cheaper and yummier than an ice cream!)
£6.90 M&S sarnies and a cake to have as dinner on the way home
£4.59 coffee in Pret whilst waiting to go into the theatre (we got there far earlier than we needed to)
£6.44 in Waterstones on a book that I may give to DD for her birthday, but I'm more likely to keep for myself!

ACTUALLY, that's not bad at all! £23.47 for all that! I really should stop beating myself up.....

But then....

£11.22 on travel insurance
£25 deposit on a 3-night stay at a cottage in Snowdonia (total cost will be £481.75)

This is likely to be our only family holiday this year - we're going to holiday in Wales before dropping DD off at a geography field trip location where she'll meet up with her schoolmates and teachers for the remainder of the half term holiday.

As she has some health issues and gets travel sick, I didn't like the thought of her sitting on a coach for 4 or more hours, then having to be all perky and geographically minded straight away!

The place looks lovely, I'm really looking forward to it

61p to savings tin.

Right, time to get back to the school work, which is now looming over me, mountain-like!

savingwannabe · 5 January 2020 at 6:57PM

£23 for a day in London is miraculous! Well done.

And Snowdonia, :j:beer::):Twell I have always wanted to go there. It is something great to look forward to for the next few weeks as we settle back to work.

I didn't do all my schoolwork there was too much but I did a fair amount. I hope you feel rested I do and that next week goes well:beer:.

Kittikins · 12 January 2020 at 10:56AM

I did feel rested and the children came back in all raring to go, which was fabulous

However, on Thursday, I decided to wear a pair of ankle boots with a very low heel, rather than my usual totally flat trainer type shoes and it did something very strange to my lower back! The head saw me walking oddly and commented on it, and thankfully we both left school at the same time. Overnight, the pain got so bad, it look me about 20 minutes to get out of bed! So.....I had to take the day off on Friday, as I couldn't lift my legs or stand for very long

I still can't stand for too long without it hurting like heck, but I'm moving much more freely now. Carrying anything is very painful, which is slightly concerning as I have about a gazillion books to mark and take back to school tomorrow!

Anyway, in happier news, I bought a lovely painting of our town square from a shop just off it. I couldn't resist it! I've also spent money on rubbish food, the bingeing is back, but I think I know the reason why, and that reason is diminishing now I'm back at school, so hopefully I will be back on the straight and narrow shortly.

KW is away at a trade fair, having left on Friday morning, so DD and I have been able to indulge our bad backs and our tummies this weekend! We had some scrumptious posh icecream (Lidl version) whilst laughing our way through Skyfall last night. Hopefully she'll get up a bit earlier today so we can go out and have some mummy-daughter time somewhere

Mind you, I have tons of work to do - even more now I've been to a preparation for Ofsted briefing and have lots more work to do to ensure I know everything about everything to do with the subject I lead throughout the school! (Oh and the afore-mentioned marking!;)

Money isn't going too badly - I put 80p in the tin yesterday and whilst I have bought chocolate and rubbish, it's less than I might have done a year or so ago.....

The painting at £25 was an unexpected expense, but it's a one-off and, as Marie Kondo would say, it 'sparks joy'.

savingwannabe · 12 January 2020 at 11:06AM

I hope your back get's better quickly. That is quite scary. I just wear trainers to work now but I used to wear heels and boots when I first started teaching but now I find them uncomfortable.

The painting sounds lovely and well done on putting money in the savings tin. I might do that later.

I hope that you and dd can chill and relax a bit. I am about to do some marking but am no longer making myself do too much as I think we need to chill a bit more this year.

2020 Needs and wishes

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