So here’s my review for July. I was thinking today about why I write reviews each month. I started doing it because it’s what FI/RE bloggers do. They review progress towards their financial goals each month, so that’s what I started doing when I launched this blog. I have to say that I really look forward to writing these posts. I find it useful looking back at the month, not only to see hopefully how little I have spent, but also to remember what we have done and how much we have achieved e.g. on the house. Do you review your progress? If you’re a blogger you probably do, but if not, do you measure your progress in any other way?
Anyway, let’s see how July went…
We had our second staycation at the beginning of the month. You may remember our first back in March. This time it didn’t quite work out as it did last time. Mr Simple’s parents planned to visit us some time over the summer and I suggested that they come during our week off, rather than come for a weekend when we’ve only got a couple of days off between busy work weeks. They said that they would come on the Thursday and so we had several days to ourselves to go out and have fun before they arrived.
A few days before the beginning of our week off we receive a call asking us to have a trainee guide dog from the Tuesday. I can’t remember whether I have mentioned this before, but we are boarders for Guide Dogs for the Blind. It’s a bit like being foster carers. We don’t do the training, but the dog lives with us and goes out Monday to Friday to do its training during the day and then is home all weekend. This time though the dog only went training one day whilst he was with us. Recently we have just had dogs for short periods of time when their usual boarders are away. We love having the dogs and so far have never refused when we have received a call asking us to have one, therefore despite our staycation we agreed. Now, I’d love to put a gorgeous picture of him up here, but unfortunately the rules are that we aren’t allowed to show the dogs on social media.
We didn’t start our staycation until the Monday, doing our usual chores on the weekend. I had arranged to have my car serviced on the Monday, having struggled to find a day when I didn’t need it during June. The weather was good and so after dropping off my car we went for a walk along the coast. Instead of taking sandwiches we stopped at a pub for lunch. Mr Simple’s mother had given us some money back in April after she received a dividend windfall and we still had £30 of this left. This just covered lunch so in terms of our budget for the week it cost us nothing. We did have an ice cream at the end of the walk, which came to £3.
On Tuesday we did a cycle ride around the local area. We discovered a café in a village where we had previously looked at a house before we decided on the one where we live now and treated ourselves to coffee and cake. Lunch was a sandwich in some woods where we have taken previous guide dogs. Our ultimate destination was a ‘castle’, though more of a mini stately home, where the gardens are open two afternoons a week and entry is free. We were the only visitors and had a wander round the somewhat weedy gardens before making our way home in order to be back for the dog arriving.
On Wednesday the dog stayed with us for the day and we took him for a walk on the beach in the morning and then pottered in the garden in the afternoon. Labradors and retrievers have a quite disgusting habit of eating manure and Mr Simple put down some manure pellets around some of the plants. Unfortunately, most of them were then eaten by the dog – he seemed to think that they were tasty treats put out especially for him.
He was out on the Thursday training and we prepared for the arrival of Mr Simple’s parents. We did a bit of shopping and had lunch in a café. Mr Simple’s parents arrived late afternoon. His mother is somewhat nervous of dogs and so we hadn’t told her that one would be staying with us prior to their arrival. She had met one of our four-legged-friends one Christmas when they stayed with us and they got on well, as the dogs are usually very well-behaved. Fortunately, it was also the case this time and I think she enjoyed spending time with him.
Having researched places to go with the dog I had discovered that the botanic gardens about an hour’s drive away have doggy days twice a week. As he was a trainee guide dog we probably could have taken him in anyway as most places, although they are not obliged to do so, allow the dogs in. It was great as there was only one building that he couldn’t go in. They even had a room in the café where we could sit. On the financial side it was a cheap day as Mr Simple’s mother generously paid for petrol for the journey and entry to the garden and his father paid for tea and cake in the afternoon. For lunch I made sandwiches.
Over the weekend we spent time walking the dog and sitting in the garden. On Sunday we had a cooked breakfast and then a late lunch, which was a BBQ, as the weather was great. Usually we would have gone out for a meal with Mr Simple’s parents, but with the dog this was more difficult and so we just ate at home. Therefore, it was a very frugal week foodwise.
The rest of the month has been fairly quiet. I had one of my get-togethers with former colleagues, which we do every other month. As always, the meal was cheap – only £10.50 and then I had a mint tea for £2.10.
So, let’s look at the figures…
Another good month on progress with the mortgage. The standard monthly payment was £532.28 and then we made an overpayment on the mortgage of £578.
This leaves the balance on the mortgage standing at £77,286.52.
Savings stand at £34,731.86. My Vanguard stocks and shares ISA has been up, up and up this month and by 31st July I had made a profit of £270.29. As usual I saved £185.00 to Vanguard and £250.00 to Nationwide. Managed to get excel to draw me a nice little graph showing the progress on my savings so here it is – a good steady increase so far this year:
Interest on Marcus account which I am using for stoozing was a grand total of £6.14.
General spending
Food £139.93 – I ordered some dried fruit which lasts us a few months. Otherwise it was a fairly ordinary month.
Petrol £108.32 – Slightly lower than the budget.
Pilates £32.00 – Managed to get to four sessions which was great, as work doesn’t always allow me to do so. I feel so much better for going and really enjoy it. The lessons are also quite sociable as several people from the village go.
Toiletries £12.22 – Nothing exciting.
Miscellaneous £60.18 – We had to buy a new blade for the bread maker. The non-stick was peeling off and lumps were coming out of the loaf when we took it out of the tin. I also bought a new airer to dry clothes. This was to replace a very old one belonging to Mr Simple which keeps collapsing and the plastic coating is peeling off. The new one looks much more robust and will hopefully last for years. We don’t have a tumble dryer and so our clothes are hung on an airer in a warm room over the winter months.
Expenses from bills account – expected annual expenses
Physio session £32.00 – I only managed to get to one session as I had to cancel the second due to work.
Car service £315.28 – nearly £100 more than budgeted, but unfortunately it is getting old and is likely to start costing me money over the next couple of years.
Gifts £19.98 – candles for two of my former colleagues who I met up with.
Eyebrow waxing £7.50
So that’s it folks any observations or suggestions? How was your July? I’d love you to let me know in the comments. Have a lovely August.
a simple life 