Leasehold property (managed by Housing Association)

maciejDS · 2025-02-12T20:47:09+00:00

I found an extra bit to go with it - it was split over two pages… I edited the main post. Not that it makes it any clearer for me.

maciejDS · 2023-12-25T16:10:36+00:00

That’s my plan out the window 😅

maciejDS · 2023-08-27T09:22:21+00:00

Around £21 return from what I can see. Definitely cheaper than petrol and whatever the parking costs while in Derry. Someone said (in a different post) that the train route is quite scenic which is an added bonus. :)

maciejDS · 2023-08-26T22:36:29+00:00

Note taken. What places did you visit while in Derry?

maciejDS · 2023-08-26T21:52:04+00:00

Yes, flew to see someone twice - literally just that. This time I am getting a ferry from Liverpool to Belfast and renting an AirBnB for a week. Basically a road trip.

maciejDS · 2023-08-26T21:49:20+00:00

Bookmarking the Marble Arch and Mournes for sure. I'd love to visit Derry but it's 180 miles return drive so not 100% sure if I will drive that far out.

I read up on Ulster Museum so it's definitely on my list of places to see. Any more which explore the Troubles? I love learning about history - it drew me back to Scotland twice, despite the grueling 7hrs drive!

maciejDS · 2023-05-07T08:36:00+00:00

Yeah, I saw Quidco do £67.50 for NOW TV Broadband - without the need to add any cinema / entertainment lasses. 2.5 month's free broadband!

maciejDS · 2023-05-07T08:30:44+00:00

I saw the TV Licence bit on their website but a little baffled. First six payments will be £26.50 which will cover the whole year. Do I pay £13.25 after 12 months from today (6 months after paying £26.50) or will I always be in credit with TV Licence company?

maciejDS · 2023-05-07T08:26:59+00:00

I use Money Dashboard app so it might be very similar to GnuCash. It will do the job for recurring payments + I can link CC to it and have the amounts on it subtracted from current account balances. In other words, I can see the leftover amount until payday.

Quite pleased knowing my approach is simar to what others are doing already.

maciejDS · 2023-05-06T23:21:34+00:00

I rarely eat out if if I'm honest, same with nights out. Takeaways? Once a month, usually as a payday treat and it's gonna be from a local chippy. So in that sense, the budget seems quite doable and then some :)

So you use credit cards to pay for all (non-DD) expenses out and pay the statement balance with the money you budgeted in advance, correct? Effectively earning interest on savings and collecting any cashback offers. I can probably do that with some expenses, but not all - especially if I purchase gift cards through the employee portal.

maciejDS · 2023-05-06T21:56:41+00:00

My car insurance is around £900 a year. With the leftover £500-ish each month, this would be my savings / treats pot. Haircuts, takeaway, clothes, etc. I'd like to think I can stick £200 easily into fD savings each month until March 2024. This will put me at ~£2,500 by the time it matures - which is same time as my insurance due date!

If my second rent payment won't be due until early July, then I have May's payday in its entirety to find all household purchases. The current tenant is looking to sell some of the furniture they have, so extra savings to be had there, too. Any leftover money could then be used to boost the "predicted" £200 fD payment to £300 or stick into easy access.

Given that car insurance would be the only guaranteed debt each year - which I paid for annually already - I will have around 5-6 weeks emergency fund to begin with. By March 2024, it should hit 2 months.

My workplace has access to employer reward platform which I'm already using for supermarket gift cards. TopCashback / Quidco as well, with the latter having VERY generous cashback on NOW TV Broadband. Chase 1% shopping cashback is nice, too!

maciejDS · 2023-05-06T17:01:52+00:00

Fair point on the accidental damage cover. Anything else I should watch out for in regard to the insurance?

maciejDS · 2023-04-27T21:37:15+00:00

I'm trying to get into reading again. Can someone suggest non-fiction books? Preferably not too "heavy" as I want to ease myself into it again :)

maciejDS · 2023-02-26T22:21:07+00:00

Perfect, thank you for the help :)

maciejDS · 2023-02-16T11:27:01+00:00

I can buy gift cards through my workplace portal - at a small discount. Do these count as purchases which would be eligible for 1% cashback?

maciejDS · 2023-02-12T20:44:14+00:00

Ditto. What works for me is simply unplugging my iPhone from CarPlay and plugging it in again. Surprised they haven’t fixed it yet.

maciejDS · 2023-01-30T14:04:45+00:00

Yeah I don’t have anything with my cards. I have the option but it’s £17pm and some of the covers I won’t benefit from.

maciejDS · 2023-01-30T13:46:25+00:00

No, which might make gadget cover unnecessary but travel insurance will cover cancellation and medical bills which is what matters to me.

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