The ups, downs, and occasional sideways bits of trying to be mortgage free

mfmaybe · 4 July 2017 at 7:52PM

I definitely had that realisation when I started properly budgeting. Now I try to save up for ALL annual bills - including the RAC, the annual vet visits for boosters, dentist, MOTs, insurances, presents, parties, you name it; as well as creating buffer funds for less predictable stuff like car repairs or unexpected appliance failures. It took a while to identify them all and I'm sure there are still gaps. The money I have to set aside each month is astonishing, and more than takes care of my "surplus". Ahem. But I do feel better for it. Living in a state of permanent skint-ness seems to work for me

Tahlullah · 5 July 2017 at 12:24AM

Yes, I think we are all there. We were living in that land of make believe, thinking we had a lot of disposable income with which to overpay on the mortgage. And then one day you realise and wake up. And like you, I can honestly say that I am skint. I don't know how I manage to survive from day to day.

But that's what learning to budget the YNAB way is all about. It's about teaching us to live within our means. But for me, the austerity is awful. All it will take is one major hiccup and the whole thing can come tumbling down.

However, you are doing fine. Stay positive.

armchairexpert · 5 July 2017 at 2:00AM

Cold and rainy again today. My chickens are looking very unimpressed and keep asking to come into the house and dry their feathers.

Mr E has an appointment with the cardiac surgeon today, so we'll finally know how long the waiting list for surgery is on the public system (or at least a ballpark) and be able to go forward from there. Unfortunately, the girls haven't really experienced anyone needing to go to hospital and not dying before - we lost three family members (two very elderly) in the past three years, all of whom went into hospital and didn't come out - and so they keep freaking out every time I mention the H word, poor loves.

Had a builder come around yesterday to give me a quote on what it'll cost to make the world's smallest bathroom into just a normal small bathroom, so I'll be interested to see what kind of ballpark we're looking at. I really liked him, but goodness, talk about leading one into the paths of temptation: while he was there he mentioned that he'd recently restored a set of vintage windows very similar to ours and put double glazing in, and also was that an old fireplace cavity behind my gas heater, wouldn't that have looked great when it was still a working fireplace, and how did I heat the place, had I ever thought of underfloor heating...I'm making him sound pushy, which he wasn't at all, but he zeroed in on my entire private wish list for restoring my shabby old house!

shangaijimmy · 5 July 2017 at 8:00AM

mfmaybe wrote: »

But I do feel better for it. Living in a state of permanent skint-ness seems to work for me

I try to rationalise (more likely make myself feel better about) the skint-ness situation at the end of each month by declaring that we are making all our money work as hard as possible on our behalf!

Tahlullah · 5 July 2017 at 8:27AM

Ooohhh, he can open up the fireplace? So tempting. But he was doing his job of up-selling, and he clearly did it well.

One thing at a time. The bathroom and then the kitchen? I think I would go straight from bathroom to open fire and everything else could come in stages.

Is the gas heater just that? A gas room heater? That wouldn't be too big a job then?

Hope the girls are ok. That sort of stress can put you off hospitals for life. that or they become Doctors and heart surgeons. Hope Mr ACE is ok and the consultation goes the way you want it to.

armchairexpert · 5 July 2017 at 10:53AM

Bathroom first, because it's easy. Kitchen is a bigger job: it's a load bearing wall that has to come out, so lots of reinforcing the ceiling with steel beams. They might drop a beam in as part of the bathroom remodel, since that's right above the kitchen. The kitchen is the worst space in the house at the moment and opening it up to what will be the dining room will give us an extra guest bedroom downstairs so it takes precedence over the fireplace. But it will cost a fortune.

Fireplace was blocked up when the MONSTERS put in the second storey, and there's an ugly gas heater in front of where it was - it's a matter of pulling it out, putting a new fireplace surround in, but also we'd have to punch a chimney through the wall horizontally or extend the old one up so it also goes through the upstairs family room. I am guessing: I haven't had a professional opinion on that.

All of this is pending me getting a refinance through obviously! Which requires me to do my tax return, which I can't do until I submit a bunch of business paperwork. Which I also can't do because I have to do one part online, and then I need to register for a particular business code to access some sort of government portal, and I set aside this evening and OF COURSE the blinking government website is down. For want of a nail, I tell you what.

Mr E's appointment went really well: they can get him into a public hospital in four weeks from now, with the same surgeon who would have been doing it in a private facility (small city means the same specialists work across all the hospitals basically), so that's a total win. Girls untraumatised.

VelvetFreak · 5 July 2017 at 11:51AM

Hi ACE, just catching up on your diary. Apologies for potentially sloppy typing as I have a cat asleep on my arm :rotfl:

Sorry you had kind of a crappy month. Onwards and upwards

This is all very exciting re. potential remodelling. Glad to hear your hubby's hospital stuff went well.

Also thank you for the Ald! tips, I will have to give it another try.

Tahlullah · 5 July 2017 at 6:11PM

All for the want of a horse shoe nail.

But, at some point, that one nail will line up and everything else will tumble into its rightful place and you will be chasing yourself around trying to get everything done in the right order at the right time.

Enjoy the lull whilst you can. Great news about Mr ACE's appointment.

Tx

armchairexpert · 6 July 2017 at 1:42AM

Website back up (big article in today's Guardian about how often our tax office systems are offline: it's an ongoing problem, and of course it's peak time now because the financial year ended 30 June), spending my morning doing paperwork. The thrills! Tomorrow is the last day of the school term, and I really need to be out in front of my deadlines before the holiday starts, which is looking unlikely. Lots of late evenings for me.

Nothing financial to report, really: Mr E got paid today so I'll go and drip that money into August pots in a second. He's out tonight so it's lentil soup and laundry folding in front of the TV for me. I know, it's just non stop glamour around here.

Tahlullah · 6 July 2017 at 7:38AM

Ooh, when I was younger, I used to dream of folding the laundry in front of the TV. So jealous!

Payday! Something great to shout about! Don't let these small victories pass you by.

Tx

The ups, downs, and occasional sideways bits of trying to be mortgage free

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