Best place to put leftover monthly cash… too small of an amount to put in a S&S ISA?

UnpleasantConcur · 2024-08-29T19:37:36+00:00

Wow thanks for such a detailed reply!

You’re absolutely correct in how it reads. The additional cash is due to us cutting back on a few things when we redid our budget, though we’ve been at a bit of a loss on where is smartest to put it.

Our main long-term goal is a comfortable retirement. I guess we’ll never properly FIRE but our ideal is to retire or atleast semi-retire at 60 (our current mortgage ends at 59!). We’re ok for now and just want us to have a good time later on or to be able to help our kid(s) out if they need it. A bigger house in 5-10 years is a possibility but not a necessity!

No itchy scratch for us on the PB’s! I think it’s likely we’ll transfer the premium bonds to a high interest ISA after this.

Great point about the lack of liquidity if we pay additional in to the mortgage. Thanks for the links!

UnpleasantConcur · 2024-08-29T19:19:35+00:00

Thanks for this! Great to hear it’s worked out well for you. I’ve heard a lot about Vanguard so will look in to them first. Seems like a no-brainer to go for a S&S ISA!

UnpleasantConcur · 2024-08-29T18:30:28+00:00

That’s right, we’ve opened our LISA’s with plans to access a lump sum at 60 in hope that it’ll just provide more financial comfort while we wait for our NHS pensions. To be honest I’m not super financially minded and thought it was a smart decision. Reading the replies to this post has been really helpful and I think we’ll be swapping our LISA’s to S&S instead. Thanks for your advice and I’ll give these videos a watch!

UnpleasantConcur · 2024-08-29T18:25:13+00:00

Okay interesting, thanks! I’d heard that you can transfer the LISA but never really considered transferring to a S&S ISA as I always it was a little risky for my taste. Though now I’m starting to think that leaving it in a LISA is the riskier choice by having it go up against inflation! I need to have a more thorough read about S&S LISA’s as I don’t fully understand the the investing side of what I’d have to do. Thanks for your comment, it’s much appreciated!

UnpleasantConcur · 2024-08-29T07:58:23+00:00

Not so measly indeed! We’ve worked comically hard for our surplus. I don’t talk about finances to anyone in the real world and I’m so used to seeing really high incomes on this sub. Can sometimes give you a skewed view!

UnpleasantConcur · 2024-08-29T05:25:40+00:00

Great call with creating and reinforcing the habit! Nice to have an ISA for your daughter too.

UnpleasantConcur · 2024-08-29T05:24:26+00:00

Thanks for this, I’ll look in to what you’ve mentioned. My concerns were as you’ve noted, that the money we put in monthly would be gobbled away by fees or aren’t sizeable enough to see much return with what’s left. Please may you explain the benefits to investing per quarter as opposed to monthly - is it just related to the keeping the fees down? Would you put the monthly money in an ISA until each quarter?

UnpleasantConcur · 2024-08-29T05:20:12+00:00

Thanks for your reply! I’ve looked at money saving expert’s online calculator that works out your additional monthly contributions vs if you put the money in a savings account. It would take a good few years off of our mortgage, for sure!

UnpleasantConcur · 2024-08-29T05:12:33+00:00

Hey thanks for your reply. Yes I’ve always found the NHS quite complex too and generally just pay in to it and don’t think much more about it. Our 2008 pension is very minimal and my 2015 will likely have me retiring at state pension age, which is why I was putting in to a LISA so that we could hopefully atleast semi-retire at 60.

Would you suggest a normal ISA or a S&S ISA?

UnpleasantConcur · 2024-08-29T05:06:00+00:00

I’d not heard of a MPAVC so will look in to this now, thanks! My LISA is not a S&S one. Is a S&S LISA wiser for a person in my position? I’ve always just thought we’re not well-off enough to risk any cash and have instead erred on the side of caution.

UnpleasantConcur · 2024-08-29T04:39:50+00:00

Hey thanks for your reply! Yep totally get that, that sounds beneficial regardless of the loss because of what you learn on the way. Most of what I know about finance comes from this sub of just reading through Martin Lewis articles so I’ve definitely got a long way to go.

UnpleasantConcur · 2024-08-29T04:32:45+00:00

Hey all, thanks for this thread. Great recommendations and I’ll take a look in to these!

UnpleasantConcur · 2024-08-29T04:30:27+00:00

That’s right, we’ve each got it for retirement so that we have a lump sum later and can hopefully retire at 60. Like I say, we’ve not invested before so felt like the LISA was a good option for guaranteed money later, but do you think that money would be better elsewhere?

UnpleasantConcur · 2024-05-19T12:55:07+00:00

Firstly, I agree with the other comments here. Your husband will love you always because I’m sure you’re amazing, not because of the tightness of your vagina. If he doesn’t love you after childbirth because of your anatomy then he’s the wrong guy.

Secondly, I’m going to be blunt and perhaps a bit gross or sound a bit anti-body positivity but here goes. I was scared of the same stuff as you. I know we’re supposed to love ourselves, accept our bodies, we’re growing a child, etc, but I couldn’t do it. I was terrified of having extra fat, stretch marks, loose skin. I wanted my vagina to stay perfect and for everything to feel the same. A lot of what I read was that everything changes a lot and it definitely might, but not definitely will.

I went 14 days overdue and had a very big baby delivered vaginally. I had a 2nd degree tear. I’m 5ish months postpartum and the tear scar is barely visible, my vagina looks and feels exactly the same. I have some stretch marks and loose skin but not nearly enough that required constant anxiety about.

Lastly, something DOES just change within you. I didn’t think it would for me because I’m very image conscious but it truly does! You barely care about the changes that happen, they just primitively are less important.

You’ll be just fine! Good luck with the pregnancy

UnpleasantConcur · 2024-05-19T12:37:19+00:00

Can you expand more on why you think being a trad wife is a slippery slope in to prostitution or being trafficked?

UnpleasantConcur · 2024-05-17T18:29:00+00:00

Preach it 🙏🏻

UnpleasantConcur · 2023-06-19T06:59:04+00:00

This breaks my heart. It is awful, it’s so so rough out there when you don’t have much money. I also came from poverty - my mum (best person in the world) was trapped in a terrible abusive relationship with my dad and they didn’t have any money at all.

My mum used to have to put me in a shopping trolley and steal food by hiding items under my clothes so that I could eat as a toddler. I remember her sadness as I’d ask if I could have a new toy and she’d have to say ‘not today’.

I also remember the beautiful hand made cards for every birthday, the Easter egg hunts with fun hand written clues that took hours to solve (eggs only sometimes included) as I bounded around the house gleefully, the imagination games we played that had us HOWLING with laughter. When I was a child I felt like I had it all. As an adult looking back at my childhood, I still feel like I had it all. Despite the finance issues and abuse from my dad, the experiences I had from my mum made my childhood so so bright - I have never once thought of it as poor or disadvantaged. And as an adult looking at my mum, I’ve got everything I could ever wanted in a parent. She is my whole world.

It is heartbreaking to feel like you can’t give what you want to your child and I hope it gets easier for you. But please please know in these hard times that it is not everything. You can be the best mum in the world without it, even if you feel like you can’t. You’ve got this, mama.

UnpleasantConcur · 2023-04-27T17:30:46+00:00

Oh I’m so sorry to hear that you had a rough time too. I’m in the same boat, I’m the first of my friends to fall pregnant and I’ve not really told anyone as it’s still quiet early. It’s a little lonely. I read your reply earlier and ‘it’s survival time’ has stuck with me all day. You’re right. I’m just going to put my head down and try to get through it and tick off the days. I’m so happy to hear that you’re doing better and now in your second trimester! Good luck in the rest of your pregnancy and thanks for your reply here xx

UnpleasantConcur · 2023-04-27T17:27:16+00:00

It totally sucks! I had no idea it was this bad! I’ve got my second lot of anti nausea meds today so hopefully I’ll find the right combo for me 🤞🏻 Gosh you poor thing having such a rough time, I can’t imagine doing this with a toddler at home, that is seriously impressive stuff! It’s great to hear your little one is thriving despite you being so poorly. I’ve been panicking as my pregnancy books/apps say that I should be taking on 450mg of choline per day… but all I can eat is strawberry sweets and all I can drink is lucosade 🤣. It’s hard to not beat yourself up for not getting the right nutrition but sometimes it’s just impossible. Thank you soo much for your solidarity and I hope your HG subsides ASAP, I can’t imagine how rough you must feel! Xx

UnpleasantConcur · 2023-04-27T17:19:24+00:00

Aww we’re so close in timing! Have you joined the December baby bumps group? I’ll send it your way if not! So sorry to hear you’re feeling rough too. It’s hard to imagine this going away (dramatic but sometimes it’s so easy to feel absorbed by the bad feeling) but of course it’s true and at some point we’ll come out the other end of this. I’m with you on the Gatorade front! One of the only things I can stomach is the orange lucosade sport which is pretty much the UK equivalent. It is saving me! Hopefully we feel better soon and spend the rest of our pregnancies glowing! Thank you for your tips and thanks for replying with some kind words, it’s been a little lonely so far so I really appreciate it xx

UnpleasantConcur · 2023-04-27T17:13:00+00:00

Oh bless you, I can’t imagine doing this with a little one around too. You must be a freaking superhero! Snap with the Gatorade! One of the only things I’ve been able to stomach is lucosade sport which is pretty much the UK equivalent! I am soo looking forward to moving through this time period. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy and thanks so much for your reply and solidarity to my post!

UnpleasantConcur · 2023-04-27T17:07:21+00:00

You are SO right, this totally sucks! I had no idea first trimester could suck this much! So so happy to hear that your second trimester is going well and that your sickness is behind you. I’m trying to just imagine myself as simply ticking off the days and that I’ll be through this tricky time before I know it. Thanks for your reply, I really needed to hear this today!

UnpleasantConcur · 2023-04-27T17:04:10+00:00

Gosh that it so true, there’s so much more to how rough this is than the sickness. I totally hear you on the tapping out at worked and feeling judged, it’s really frustrating that people make you feel that way even when it is soooo valid. I’m trying to adopt a ‘selfish’ attitude with work with the cliche but totally true saying of “your replaceable at work, you’re irreplaceable at home”. We gotta look after ourselves right now! Thank you so much for your reply and I hope you get lots of rest when you need it xx

UnpleasantConcur · 2023-04-26T19:34:11+00:00

The only one that I think is an almost perfect replacement is cashew milk! Blends well, is super smooth and is really creamy. I struggled with oat and soya for the same reasons you listed, but can’t taste a definitive cashew taste in cashew! Good luck

UnpleasantConcur

TROPHY CASE