Well, that was 2020. There was C***d and B****t. There will be fallout for months (if not years) from both. My finances feel OK but I'm anxious about what may be around the corner so I need to act now to keep things on an even keel.
So far B****t has caused few changes to my lifestyle but the other thing has had more impact than any other single factor this year. It has reduced my income but my expenses have reduced even more. Food spending has rocketed, largely because I have stopped going shopping for myself. Minimum orders from Sainsbury and having to accept (very gratefully!) whatever friends and relations bring me, have bumped up the weekly spend by around 20%. Motoring costs have plummeted because I'm rarely using my car. My social life has been conducted largely by Zoom or Facetime and so the coffee consumed has been home made rather than bought at a fancy coffee shop.
It has been a very expensive year for replacing major items - my mobile phone, laptop, fridge and freezer all died and I had to replace the curtains in my sitting room with blinds. My mobility scooter had major repairs too Those six items totalled £2439 so savings by being confined to the house most of the year were very necessary!
You've probably guessed what's coming next: No Spend January. Obviously my direct debits will happen as usual, (covering things like council tax, energy, car tax and charitable donations), but other thigs will be cut to an absolute minimum and I will declare them on this blog. I'm in a tier 4 area (stay at home) so my opportunities for spending are severely curtailed, I've got store cupboards and freezer stuffed to the gunnels, and I shall have to be stern with myself when it comes to on line spending.
Happy 2021!
