SmlSave MFW diary - where to start?

SmlSave

Thanks for all your thoughts about the mortgage I had a chat with DH about it too and the 5 year fix is the clear winner. It will give us security, we can OP by 10% a year (I'd be happy with OPing £500 this year!) and we can port the mortgage. We currently have an LTV of 75%.

Just had some bad news I spent £100 on spa vouchers for Xmas presents and the bl**dy companies gone bust! :mad: As I'd bought them through LastMin I've contacted them for a refund and I've also called my CC company to let them know. Cue two weeks waiting to hear back from them...........will let you know what they say.

Please remind me to call ING and ICICI to see if there's any money in some old accounts. I'll probably find there's only a fiver but that's better than nothing. DH also has an old account with ING (i think) and needs to send a load of paperwork to close it. We just keep forgetting to do this.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and I'm off to my second sewing class tonight

Courgette

Oooh, didn't know you were sewing too. What are you planning on making?

I think I agree about the fixed rate mortgage - in fact I do! We've got a fix that ends in June. I fixed at 6.29% at the end of my PGCE before I'd secured a permanant job and at a time when we knew that economy was not doing okay but didn't know what was gonna happen. Peace of mind is a wonderful thing but at times it's been really tough knowing that I could have saved sooooooo much interest if we'd gone with a variable rate. But hey, crystal ball and all that.

How many weeks are you now? Are you feeling less sick?

SmlSave

Hi Courgette Its a clothes sewing course and I'm going to try and make a maxi dress. Haven't used a sewing m/c for over 7 years so its scary stuff! Found the class hard work last night just as I was sooo tired.

Apparently I'm now 17+2 and I feel practically myself apart from the odd day. I do touch my stomach a lot more though and suffer from pregnesia :rotfl:i.e pouring myself a cuppa without boiling the kettle!

I'm going to make an appointment with NatWest to get a mortgage offer for the 5 year fix. DH saw the reports re the inflation raise and wants to fix now! Calmed him down by saying we're safe for at least another month but I'd rather be safe than sorry too.

I find it hard to listen to my work collegues who have been on trackers for 2-3 years and were lucky to have companies that dropped their rates to 2% and the like. They don't mean to boast but will tell everyone how great trackers are and how they've really worked for them. :cool: We just bought and fixed at completely the wrong times and are 'get in the wrong queue' sort of people generally!

Oh, did I mention that I'm getting a Kindle? I feel kinda bad as I don't need one and it's half a months grocery shopping! If its as good as it's supposed to be then I could get rid of my paper books (or hide them in the loft) and it would free up a lot of space. Just trying to justify it to you!

Zeddy

I know what you mean about fixing when other people talk about how little they are paying. I try to look at it that I've always fixed on my mortgage and think in the beginning it paid off being on a fixed rate whereas now it's going against me, but over the course of the mortgage I'm hoping that if I always fix it will even out. I haven't done any maths on this or have any proof of this, but it helps me if I keep telling myself it, a bit like not taking our warrenties on electric products, even if I did have to pay out for something, it wouldn't cost more than paying for all the warranties on all the products we have!

Enjoy the Kindle, I'm very envious, although I don't read half as much as I should these days.

Baby_steps_2

SmlSave wrote: »

We just bought and fixed at completely the wrong times and are 'get in the wrong queue' sort of people generally!!

Ha ha I know that feeling!! I fixed at just the wrong time to and came out of our fix last August and are now on SVR and I'm stressing about if I need to fix or not before interest rates go up. As its now just me I have no idea what to do for the best. At the miinute my financial situation is much easier as the repayments are lower but I'm stressed about interest rates going up:eek:

SmlSave wrote: »

Oh, did I mention that I'm getting a Kindle? I feel kinda bad as I don't need one and it's half a months grocery shopping! If its as good as it's supposed to be then I could get rid of my paper books (or hide them in the loft) and it would free up a lot of space. Just trying to justify it to you!

Oooh let me know what you think I have wanted to know what they are like for a while. Enjoy it:p

DansMum_2

Sounds like rates are on the up because of inflation.... Am on an offset mortgage of 3.65% VR. Dont think I could change now as my employment status has just changed so.... It did go up to 8% I think a couple of years ago.... That made a difference!

cha97michelle

I'm terrible. Got a kindle for christmas which i absolutely love, and downloaded lots of things onto it for free, and then haven't even used it once since as life has been a bit manic. Hope you use yours more. :rotfl: (And threw out only one book. :eek:)

Actuallly if i were at work i would possibly read in my lunch hour.

Most of my reading happens in the bath and i would be too worried i would drop it.

SmlSave

Zeddy My new mantra will be ...'it will even out in the end, it will even out in the end'...

It has to now as I've just spent an hour of my life of the phone fixing my mortgage at 5.09% for five years. phew. I knocked another ten months off too so our mortgage payment will be £705p/m.

Here's hoping I've done the right thing :beer:

I wasn't too stressed about the rates going up Baby steps until I saw the latest MSE News! At least I now have the security of knowing what's coming out.

The Kindle arrived today so I'll be having a play with it tonight. Will let you know how I get on I think I'll be ok putting the books in the loft michelle but am not so sure about actually saying goodbuy to them. I too am an avid bath reader.

Ow to 8% DansMum! DH really likes the idea of an offset mortgage but we never have enough savings and I'm sure that if I could see how much I owe all the time I would just go ...'b*gger it! Let's go on a spree!'...

gratefulforhelp_2

Do kindle not do waterproof covers??

cha97michelle

I've not seen a waterproof one. Leather one for £30, or with an added reading light for £50. I saw a review for a nice looking fabric one made from Hemp for £20.