How to live a life of luxury on a budget.

NickX

lisyloo wrote: »

It can take a lot of effort searching on ebay but sometimes it's worth it.

Agree with you there lisyloo, but I have paid over the odds on eBay before now and regretted it. You need to keep a cool head about you :cool:

lisyloo

but I have paid over the odds on eBay before now

You need to do your research.
Sometimes it jsut ain't worth it.

You can easily find out what things sell for by using the "advanced search" option and looking for completed items.

You also need to factor in P&P, won't have a guarantee etc.

and look round at budget places (like hotukdeals etc.) to see if there are any deals available from "proper" shops with a guarantee and brand new.

You are right you need to do your research and decide what the item is worth to you and STICK to it (don't get drawn into a bidding war).
There may well be another one along soon.

NickX

lisyloo wrote: »

Not having any debts is enabling me to pay off the mortgage quicker. Having the mortagge paid off is a ticket to a better life IMO.

I understand your thinking here lisyloo, and paying the mortgage off will allow you to spend more of your take home pay on the things that matter, be it spa days, holidays or cars.

However, you may find that using stoozing techniques to offset your mortage will actually assist in paying it off quicker.

I am currently trying to maximize my unsecured borrowing before the costs of the Balance Transfer fees and other charges become prohibitive. In a way I am much happier having more unsecured debt because I know that it is adding to my overall profits which can then go on the luxuries in life

NickX

AceCobra1 wrote: »

Check this video out

This was funny, but I'm not sure if Golden Brown is going to be around for too much longer :j

AceCobra1

NickX wrote: »

This was funny, but I'm not sure if Golden Brown is going to be around for too much longer :j

LOL, the fragrance must be quite smelly:beer::beer:

lisyloo

However, you may find that using stoozing techniques to offset your mortage will actually assist in paying it off quicker.

I don't currently have a flexible mortgage.
Will look into more when I re-mortgage but the balance transfer fees of 3% have so far put me off (minus 40% of remaining interest).

margaretclare

I agree with lisyloo - it is all about choice.

For many many years neither DH nor I had much choice, when we had young'uns growing up, old'uns who needed us, mortgages, jobs...

Now in the retirement years, we do have choice. One important difference is that we can save, at last, so we save for the things we want to do.

And before anyone says 'how lucky you are, a lot of people your age aren't in that state of good fortune and have to scratch' - yes, we know that, we know how lucky we are. As I said before, I don't quite know how this state of affairs has arrived, but I ain't complaining.

vikingaero

lisyloo wrote: »

One way to have a much better life is to pay off your mortgage and debts.

I know that when I've paid mine off then I have the choice of either

1) Do something I enough more than 9-5 e.g. do something I love working with a charity or study
OR
2) I can carry on working the 9-5 and have a four figure sum each month extra to spend (or save for a more luxurious retriement).

The point is that I will have a choice.

Not having any debts is enabling me to pay off the mortgage quicker.
Having the mortagge paid off is a ticket to a better life IMO.

Whether you view of a "better" life is a luxurious lifestyle or working part time or being more secure is then a choice.

So right lisy,

We paid off our mortgage a few years ago by putting every spare penny into it, working overtime whenever possible, I took on a second job and we stopped changing our cars every 3 years.

Our mortgage was about £1000 pm but on average we paid £2,500 pm.

The difference to our lifestyle is astonishing. We never have to think twice about buying anything if we really want it. We take the kids away on 6 or 7 short breaks a year and 3 or 4 one week holidays.

I have friends who still insist on the biggest mortgage they can afford and the flashiest cars possible on lease. But they never go out ever and can only afford a single one week holiday each year (which is probably put onto a credit card). When they ask us where we've been they're amazed. Since the kids broke up last Wednesday we've been to Bluewater, Lakeside, the cinema and today we took them to Deal and Walmer Castle.

sinderella_2

I keep fantasising about paying extra on my mortgage when I can get better paid work later this year. Is there a thread on here which helps you work out how much extra you need to pay to pay it off in a specific time?
Also - speaking to a friend the other day who has an older Merc, she was moanong that the higher tax is soon to apply to older vehicles as well, so if that's true it might be relevant to some of you who are talking about older cars on here...

:beer:

NickX

sinderella wrote: »

the higher tax is soon to apply to older vehicles as well, so if that's true it might be relevant to some of you who are talking about older cars on here...

They are backdating the Car Tax increases, but only to April 2001, so buy a car registered before then and you should be ok (for now at least).