Morning. Not much news with me. A very busy week at work. Following a hot, dry spell, our government introduced a hose pipe ban a few weeks back and (you've guessed it) it 's rained steadily ever since.
Welcome to all the new posters. I joined the frugaleers threads a few years back. I live in Ireland and my family was hit hard by the recessionary measures our government introduced, following the 2018 financial crisis and the subsequent bailout of our banks. Things had improved in recent years and my husband (now Ex) had a few promotions in quick succession. Just when I was getting complacent and enjoying the extra income, my husband told me that he didn't love me anymore and wanted a separation. It was a huge shock and came without any warning. 2019 - 2020 has been a fairly shit year for me - it started with the end of my marriage and ended with the Corona virus! I have some bad days but I try to focus on the positives:-
- I never gave up my job when I had DD and was able to increase my hours after the separation
- I get to keep my house (albeit I'm paying Ex a lump sum) and can afford to pay the mortgage and bills
- Ex is paying a decent amount of child maintenance and pays it on time
- My family and friends have been very supportive and I'm so lucky to have them in my life
- My family are all healthy and I haven't lost anyone close to me due to Covid-19
I don't use a budgeting app. I did up my own Excel spreadsheet a few years back. I list my income (wages, child benefit and child maintenance) and the dates they're due to be paid into my account. Then I list all my bills (direct debits) and the dates they're due out. I treat savings as another bill - I lodge my savings as soon as I get paid. What's left after all of that is my disposable income and pays for things like groceries, petrol, days out, buying clothes etc. I check my bank balance regularly to ensure I'm not overspending. I have long term savings and short term savings. The short term savings are for things like home heating oil, holidays, Christmas, replacing an appliance, annual bills like car insurance, etc. I have a different savings account for each category so I don't get them mixed up. It probably sounds very complicated but I've been doing it for years so it's second nature to me now. I put away the savings at the start of each month - that way I don't have to think about them for another month. Also, there's no risk that I'll spend my savings iykwim.
All of this financial talk has reminded me that I need to start a college fund for DD. I've been talking about it for a while now but the separation threw a spanner in the works. She only has two years left in secondary school.
I've inadvertently saved a good bit of money as a result of the Corona virus (working from home, no days out, no nights out, no eating out, no holiday). I spent some of the money on new plants for the garden. Now I'm saving hard for a new suite of furniture (current suite of furniture is approx. 20 years old and showing its age).
This is a lovely, supportive place. There's no judgement if you've run into financial difficulty - just support and helpful suggestions. I've come to look on the regulars as my friends. We comfort each other in tough times and celebrate the financial windfalls (big and small) and other happy events. I don't have time to post as often as I'd like, but I try to check in every fortnight or so.
north it's a pity your DH didn't get the job - fingers crossed a position comes up for him in the near future. Great news about the endowment policy.
Iwont sorry to hear about your job stress.
em I'm sorry but I laughed when I read about your DS's change of heart about the car wash 
. Glad the therapy helped. I haven't been to my counsellor for a while but I'm going to check if she's back doing face to face sessions again.
Love so happy to read about your wedding plans. Good timing re: engagement ring also.
Snuggly delighted to hear about the extra income arising from the funded hours at nursery. Gives you a bit of breathing space.
Wolf enjoy your steak and prosecco dinner
I was surprised to read about your DC getting schoolwork but then I remembered that your summer holidays are much shorter than ours. In Ireland the primary school pupils get two months holidays (July and August) and the secondary school pupils get three months holidays (June, July and August).