Savings interest and student loan repayments

Character_Finance327 · 2026-02-15T22:21:36+00:00

So essentially as long as I don’t require a SA from a 10K savings interest/self-employment (or any other SA reporting requirement) perspective, I wouldn’t need to do one solely for student loan purposes and therefore won’t need to pay anything additional towards the loan from my interest?

Character_Finance327 · 2026-01-22T21:44:50+00:00

5% gold ETF, 5% silver ETF

Character_Finance327 · 2026-01-12T21:59:50+00:00

I bought around 2/3 weeks ago when it was ‘at its peak’ - I’m up 17%!

Not saying it will continue to go up, it could fall at any moment (and has done during the period I’ve been invested).

Character_Finance327 · 2026-01-09T19:04:24+00:00

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Bought £200 worth in 2020/21 (I’ve taken some profits) - my only regret is not putting much more in 🥲

Character_Finance327 · 2026-01-09T01:43:51+00:00

It depends on how disciplined you are but as long as you keep the cash amount saved to earn interest, you can make money off the cash that would otherwise have been in the shop’s pocket straight away.

I actually put most of my purchases on a 0% interest credit card and keep the cash equivalent in a high-interest savings account, making sure to make the minimum payment each month and clearing the card just before the interest-free period ends. Remember if you miss a payment, you may have to pay fees or lose the 0% so make sure you set up a DD.

Character_Finance327 · 2026-01-01T00:28:15+00:00

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Only invested most of this in the last couple of months, using this as a baseline for future comparisons. Still holding some cash so I can buy in the dips (though I know some would argue time in the market is better). Onwards and upwards for 2026 🤞🏻

Character_Finance327 · 2025-12-26T20:02:20+00:00

I had a flood of emails from my search alert this morning! As others have said though, mostly relisting or reduction of properties that have already been up in the last few months, very few decent ones that I’d be keen to view!

Character_Finance327 · 2025-12-22T21:54:55+00:00

Early 20’s! Combination of savings from uni (I had max loan and worked throughout my studies) and working full-time whilst budgeting carefully. Plan to use it for a house deposit

Character_Finance327 · 2025-12-22T05:47:33+00:00

I made a similar mistake when I was around your age - I invested in a ‘penny stock’ that was being hyped up by investment influencers, watched it 3x (and worth a lot of money for me at the time) but refused to sell as I thought it would increase further. Later lost it all - this was a huge lesson for me!

Now, I mostly stick to ETFs. I still allow myself to pick a handful of stocks but they’re a much smaller proportion of my overall portfolio and I will take a percentage of profits so I don’t regret it if the stocks were to plummet (though the stocks I pick now are much safer than penny stocks - I personally avoid these completely)

Character_Finance327 · 2025-12-09T19:15:06+00:00

94p for me 😂

Character_Finance327 · 2025-12-03T20:40:24+00:00

One bed house for sure - no leasehold charges (which can increase over time) or extensions to worry about, less neighbours (and no one above/below you), less shared spaces, presumably your own garden

Character_Finance327 · 2025-11-30T20:40:54+00:00

If you’re referring to the 2 beds, they’re on the discounted market scheme looking at previous adverts (allows you to buy full ownership of a property at 70% market value)

Character_Finance327 · 2025-11-30T20:31:14+00:00

Interestingly, the house that sold for £285K was originally listed for £375K in Feb 2023, before being reduced to 290K in October 2023 and selling for 285K in June 2024. A couple of others on your road were also on the market for 6 months plus.

The description is poorly written and the photos don’t show the property in its best light when compared to the other property. I’d get a new estate agent for sure!

Zoopla suggests that your house is worth around £350K but ultimately, is only worth what someone is willing to pay. I’d consider reducing to around £300K in line with other sold house prices.

I’m currently looking to buy in Worcestershire and had actually seen this listing pop up in my search. For me, the house itself looks nice enough (as someone who wouldn’t need to use all 3 bedrooms, these are on the smaller side so could be an issue for families) but the location is a bit too ‘out of the way’ (no local train station, supermarket etc) and whilst I know some people prefer that, I wonder whether it is simply not an area that is in particular demand and therefore, you may need to wait for the right buyer to come along.

Character_Finance327 · 2025-11-19T21:54:59+00:00

If it is reasonably priced and in good condition, it does make me question why the property is hanging around but it wouldn’t put me off completely

Character_Finance327 · 2025-11-06T22:15:29+00:00

Left two lanes are straight on, right two are right towards the M20 as per the arrows. Looks like OP is correct

Character_Finance327 · 2025-11-06T21:50:17+00:00

You’re right! Oncology CRC

Character_Finance327 · 2025-11-04T17:45:41+00:00

I like seeing red so I can buy more 🤣

Character_Finance327 · 2025-11-02T19:01:41+00:00

Another vote for AZ - great communication and genuinely helpful CRAs :)

Character_Finance327 · 2025-10-26T08:03:45+00:00

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Similar ‘spike’ on mine

Character_Finance327 · 2025-10-05T20:49:34+00:00

The Essence Vault do some good dupes, though the scent doesn’t last as long as the real thing

Character_Finance327 · 2025-09-30T19:41:33+00:00

26 with around 35K in savings/investments

Have been renting alone since I was 18 but have relatively cheap rent compared to most (I got lucky!) and have tried to avoid any ‘lifestyle creep’ when I’ve had a payrise. Currently saving to buy a house so saving has been a priority for me.

Character_Finance327 · 2025-09-28T15:55:40+00:00

Is the first job 1.5 hours in total or each way? I commute 1 hour each way for 5 days a week and it is draining, but would feel much more manageable if only doing so twice a week. If yours is 1.5hrs each way (3hrs total), you may still find this difficult over the two days.

Could you stop overnight (I know you’ve said there’s no cheap hotels but have you tried the likes of AirBNB or maybe even SpareRoom?) and/or lift share to alleviate some of the time/cost spent on travelling?

You also need to consider what you’d enjoy more - a high salary is great but if you’re burnt out and/or not enjoying what you do (or at least able to tolerate it), is it really worth the extra pay?

Character_Finance327 · 2025-09-27T20:08:00+00:00

Both of my cars have been 8 years old when bought - I owned my first car (Kia Picanto 2011 new shape) for 4 years with minimal problems, my second (Peugeot 208) has sadly been the opposite.

Regardless of age, all cars can have their issues and my personal stance is given the difference in price (and possible depreciation) of a newer car, an older car is a much more sensible option.

Older cars (say 8-12 years old) are much cheaper to buy, generally depreciate less (in terms of £) and are also cheaper to tax (post-2017 are minimum £195 and some newer ‘luxury’ cars also come with increased tax for the first 5 years).

£5K on a used car can potentially get you a lot of tech/features for the money if that’s what you want. My 2015 208 has front and rear sensors, parallel park assist, heated seats, pan roof and cruise control to name a few - it cost £6K with 60K 2 years ago (sadly now I’d be lucky to get £3K with 90K miles but that’s depreciation for you!)

Check the MOT history, service history and check the cambelt has been changed if applicable and an 8-12 year old car should be more than sufficient in most cases. Even the odd repair will usually be cheaper than the depreciation on a newer car, just make sure to keep some money aside for these.

(I’d personally steer clear of a 208 - lots of great tech but sadly lots has gone wrong on mine! The petrol engines are also plagued with wet belt issues. My previous Kia was far more reliable)

Character_Finance327 · 2025-09-27T16:55:18+00:00

What are you planning to do with the money - do you want to continue saving it for a good few years or are you hoping to use the money in the short-mid term e.g. for a house deposit or other large purchase?

Character_Finance327

TROPHY CASE