July 2016

The month is nearly over and I have been buzzing about at work getting some long hours in (no additional pay 😦  ) and having some successes by doing so. I am too conscientious some times and work too hard for ‘The Man’ and the bosses don’t seem to appreciate the additional effort – but you feel that if you don’t – you will lose your job! Yes, another boss who runs the company on fear.

I have not looked at my investments for a little while as they were plummeting so badly I just didn’t want to get depressed as my FI target slipped away into the distant future. I had a peek recently and they are just beginning to recover a bit. I should have bought some shares while the prices were low but didn’t venture into the market – just continued with my monthly ISA & pension investments  – I will probably be kicking myself in a few months – but I am holding back some money to live off – Why you may ask?

I have had the added ‘delight’ of being summoned for Jury Service. My employer does not pay me while I am doing this so I hope I don’t have to do this for long as I will be out of pocket. OK, with my FI savings I can use them to supplement and pay my bills while I earn no salary – but its a bit of a cheek to have to do this ‘service’ and have to survive on a nominal payment from the Court, which will not even cover my monthly housing costs never mind any other living expenses.

The only positive, is that I cannot be dismissed from my job while I am on jury service as this is seen as unfair dismissal and ‘The Boss’ can be taken to tribunal.

I am trying to stay positive and ride out the life journey for the next few months and try to get my FI plans back on track.

I will review my monthly status soon and really see where I am on my journey and see how far into the distance my FI target has drifted.

June 2016 – Update

I started this month on Holiday!!!  I needed to get away and have a break from the working world. This time last year I wasn’t working and taking having a freedom break.

I had two weeks away in Scotland this year, where the weather was warmer and drier than England. I had a great time, yes, I may have spent some money but as I mentioned in my last post, you need to have some fun on the journey to FI freedom.

I had some great walks and a stopover in a bothy and some fab cycling, including sitting by a loch watching ospreys hunting/fishing. Such a great relaxing holiday a real shame to come back home and back to work.

I have checked my finances and since the Brexit shock, my investments have taken a real pounding. The shares I am interested in buying have gone through the roof as everyone piles in there as they have global exposure. Any UK based companies I hold have pretty much sank without trace. I have been ignoring the news as the media whip up a frenzy to help them sell ‘stories’.

For me, it is hard to tell at the moment what the impact will be. I work for a subsidiary of a global company (it was a UK company and was bought up by a global company 2 years ago). The global company have only just started sending people over to really start looking into the books and operation and the Brexit vote could make them take a different view. They wanted a stepping stone into the European market(we think – the parent is based in the Far East)  and this vote could see them sell or break up the company. The goods that are designed in the UK are manufactured in the far east & India. These goods are then sold across the world. The more I find out about the UK company, the more troubled I become over its possible future viability. It has no clear direction and it lacks investment and the parent company don’t seem to want to invest any money and are blocking or capping the spending.

In the meantime, I will concentrate on saving hard and keeping an eye on good investment opportunities that will enable me to grow my money..not that many options exist now with this uncertain market. I managed to keep my FI savings rate high (over 60%) for the month and have tried hard to not be frivolous when on holiday.

It was my birthday this month too, so I have some cash to spend on a few treats for myself. I do need to have some fun and enjoyment and with the sales on I should be able to find some good value consumer purchases that will last me a while. A £50 win on the premium bonds has also helped to lift my spirits – a boost to my holiday fund.

I wonder what my finances will look like at the end of next month?