The 9 year plan...hold onto your hats and here we go!

Karmacat

I love clearing papers out - not quite so fond of shredding, but I love the clearing out. At the moment, its old science fiction magazines, and organic gardeningmagazines, going back to the mid 90s - do I want to pay a removal firm to take them to my new home, and find somewhere there to put them? Nope!

EH, can I ask you, when you're overpaying the mortgage, are you saving it elsewhere or actually paying it off the mortgage? Even nowadays, actually repaying can be helpful, in terms of interest not paid out, I was wondering what conclusion you'd reached.

EssexHebridean

Karmacat wrote: »

EH, can I ask you, when you're overpaying the mortgage, are you saving it elsewhere or actually paying it off the mortgage? Even nowadays, actually repaying can be helpful, in terms of interest not paid out, I was wondering what conclusion you'd reached.

We have increased our monthly payment as time has gone by KC so we're now paying £221 a month more than we need to. We also knocked two years off the term when we changed deal a few years back. We took it out originally in 2003 so should have been paying off until 2028....we've knocked 7 years off already by my calculations and are aiming to kill a few more off yet too!

Bit quiet on the money front at the moment as it's an inbetween time of month for us. The statement arrived for the new 0% card - I've decided to set up a payment arrangement from my current account and just make a payment each month when the bill comes in - there's a big change that MSE has made as I would previously have thought I wasn't organised enough to do that. The first payment will go on Monday. The challenge account has been boosted by MrEH's bonus he promised to it. I have to realistically admit that I'm not going to make the target by the end of January but in fairness I knew it was a tall order. I'll stick at it anyway.

I've joined the No Toiletries challenge along with Pickle, Mineallmine and FF and others.....going well so far and my skin has never felt so loved! I've been half-heartedly doing something like that since I realised early last year that I had about 9 bottles of shampoo in the cupboard, but it was about time I made a concerted effort to use up some of the other wide assortment of products cluttering the cupboard up!

The savings figure probably won't increase much this month as the balance will need paying on our holiday cottage. Once that's paid though the bulk of the holiday spending is then accounted for - spending money is being amassed in the clubcard plus account with what I'm saving on the food shopping, plus cashback from the credit cards and the change we save into our pig. There will just be the ferry tickets after that but at only about £65 those aren't too bad.

boredofbeingathome

I think i will have to get me a clubcard plus account. Maximise my points But i am hardly shopping at Tesco at the moment.
Great amount to overpay the mortgage by well done, i can see that it will soon be reducing.

mineallmine

Hey Eh, your make up a month target has gone really well. :T

We reduced the term with our mortgage a couple of times and that really hits it. I dont know if you can knock off say 3 or 6 months as units. We found that even though we were in a fixed rate, as long as we didnt reduce the term to below the fixed rate period (eg 3 or 5 years) then we could merrily reduce the term. Can I add that this was all found out by accident when I sent them a letter.:rolleyes:

The using up toiletries has really shown how wasteful I've been. But am glad to have found the thread (some people have a few bottles of extra stuff whilst some could make Boots quite envious with their stock levels). But we're all on a mission to use it up and so waste less money on that stuff. :cool:

What's your next lot of challenges then EH?

gallygirl

Interesting to hear we're all following the tolietries challenge! Funny, I have tons of bottles of shampoo etc but wouldn't dream of buying liquid soap - surely that's what hotel shower & shampoo stuff is for . Every year or so I'll buy a new bottle for the downstairs loo as the old one is tatty - sadly I see that as a 'treat' . I have looked at refillable ones but haven't found one I like at a price I'm prepared to pay :rolleyes:

Karmacat

I've been trying to get rid of toiletries (use them up!) for a while now - its taken on added meaning recently, as I'm determined to move. So I've put aside all the small pots and samples in separate places - one lot in the bathroom, and one by my desk, so that I know to use those first. As well as decluttering magazines, its a way of ensuring I don't take too much rubbish to the new house, whenever it is I eventually move.

I love the sound of your overpayments, EH - very focussed!

I have a Tesco clubcard plus - I don't think they're worth it any more, you have to have a direct debit to them, so the money goes out before you spend it, and you get double points, which is what an ordinary clubcard gets now - when I have time, I'm going to cancel and revert to an ordinary one.

Hope your day goes well.

Lemon_Tree

just been catching up on all my subscribed diaries, not been on too much on evenings as i've been so tired.

funnily enough one of the first things i joined when i first registered was a 'use it up' challenge. It took me 3 years to need to buy shampoo again i was so bad i'm still using up shower gel! I still seem to addicted to buying stuff so i'm back on the challenge again, and i'm trying to bring OH along with me.

EssexHebridean

boredofbeingathome wrote: »

I think i will have to get me a clubcard plus account. Maximise my points But i am hardly shopping at Tesco at the moment.
Great amount to overpay the mortgage by well done, i can see that it will soon be reducing.

We spend very little at Tesco Bob - At the moment no more than £80 a month tops - the majority of our points on the next statement will be from mobile recycling, buying CD's / DVD's when the 500 extra points offer was on, and OH's new mobile that he got last week - he needed it, the one he liked was £24.00, and he got the 1000 extra points too! :beer:

mineallmine wrote: »

Hey Eh, your make up a month target has gone really well. :T

We reduced the term with our mortgage a couple of times and that really hits it. I dont know if you can knock off say 3 or 6 months as units. We found that even though we were in a fixed rate, as long as we didnt reduce the term to below the fixed rate period (eg 3 or 5 years) then we could merrily reduce the term. Can I add that this was all found out by accident when I sent them a letter.:rolleyes:

The using up toiletries has really shown how wasteful I've been. But am glad to have found the thread (some people have a few bottles of extra stuff whilst some could make Boots quite envious with their stock levels). But we're all on a mission to use it up and so waste less money on that stuff. :cool:

What's your next lot of challenges then EH?

I'm not going to achieve the make up a month - but then I thought I probably wouldn't so that's not much of a surprise - it was just there to give us something to aim for really. We've got a good way towards it though which I'm pleased about. Next challenge.....ummmm?!!! I'm wanting to get one of our two freezers emptied prior to going on holiday in a couple of months - the idea being it can then be switched off while we're away and then we can order another whole lamb once we're back. There you go then - that's a challenge - get the freezer emptied and off by 1st March! :A

As for the mortgage, at the moment so far as Northern Rock are concerned the term is still the same - we will reduce when we change deal though. I'm wary of reducing too much though - at the moment it suits us well as if the worst happened our "real" monthly payment is set where we could comfortably afford it - which does give a degree of security.

gallygirl wrote: »

Interesting to hear we're all following the tolietries challenge! Funny, I have tons of bottles of shampoo etc but wouldn't dream of buying liquid soap - surely that's what hotel shower & shampoo stuff is for . Every year or so I'll buy a new bottle for the downstairs loo as the old one is tatty - sadly I see that as a 'treat' . I have looked at refillable ones but haven't found one I like at a price I'm prepared to pay :rolleyes:

LOL - I'm even worse GG - we always "liberate" the freebies from hotels, but never end up using them....I have a plastic box rammed with freebie soap, shower stuff and soaps but for some reason when it comes to going away anywhere like a Travelodge I always take other stuff!

EssexHebridean

Karmacat wrote: »

I've been trying to get rid of toiletries (use them up!) for a while now - its taken on added meaning recently, as I'm determined to move. So I've put aside all the small pots and samples in separate places - one lot in the bathroom, and one by my desk, so that I know to use those first. As well as decluttering magazines, its a way of ensuring I don't take too much rubbish to the new house, whenever it is I eventually move.

I love the sound of your overpayments, EH - very focussed!

I have a Tesco clubcard plus - I don't think they're worth it any more, you have to have a direct debit to them, so the money goes out before you spend it, and you get double points, which is what an ordinary clubcard gets now - when I have time, I'm going to cancel and revert to an ordinary one.

Hope your day goes well.

Remember that you still get your "extra" point from TPF though KC - so CC+ customers are now getting 3 points per £ spent. As for the DD - we use ours like a mini savings account - we accumulate cash in there for things like holiday spending money - the interest payable on CC+ is better than Nationwide pay on a current account!

You should come and join us on the "no toiletries" challenge - the banter on there is good too!

Lemon_Tree wrote: »

just been catching up on all my subscribed diaries, not been on too much on evenings as i've been so tired.

funnily enough one of the first things i joined when i first registered was a 'use it up' challenge. It took me 3 years to need to buy shampoo again i was so bad i'm still using up shower gel! I still seem to addicted to buying stuff so i'm back on the challenge again, and i'm trying to bring OH along with me.

I first started it last year when I realised I had a ridiculous amount of Shampoo in the cupboard - so have a bit of a head start really. I got some bits and bobs at christmas that added to the stash mind - I'm just so determined to use stuff up now and if I'm honest my skin is really thanking me for it!

Quick update - went to get my hair cut this evening - Toni & Guy, not cheap but I always find the cut excellent. I had £30 in vouchers from Mum & Dad from Christmas, then got a 25% off text voucher through the other week - so my cut and dry ended up costing me £6 today! Happy Bunny here! (That wil be happy bunny with glossy, straight, shiny hair!)

Jo_R_2

Ah Toni and Guy is a real treat, I got a £20 voucher so going to make up the difference next month and get a cut and blow dry - the 'glossy, straight, shiny hair' bit is always a winner with me but not very often these days will I let myself go there.

I must investigate this 'no toiletries' challenge I keep reading about on here!