Bufgers Diary (Slow start, explosive finish?!)

SmlSave

Thanks for the burritos recipe!

I've actually made this once before but you've just reminded me how nice it is

Bufger

2 years ago I made this!!

Guys I have to admit i'm failing miserably at the moment! Heres an update of the last 2 years...

Roughly 2 weeks after the last post here my missus found out she was pregnant. DS born in the November! We finally got married the following August which we paid for up front (no debt but also no mortgage overpayments). We spent about 2k doing the house and garden up, the garden needed alot of work to make it suitable for the little one to play in. In December 2011 the now wife found out shes pregnant with our next one which is due in 6 weeks now!

So maternity leave, 2 kids, a wedding and home improvements mean my Mortgage Free plans have been firmly on the back burner and i've only been making standard payments. I've just got a pay increase so im going to try and see if i can overpay a standard £50 per month from now until life settles down a bit more!

I'm glad we bought a big enough house for a family of 4

Bufger

I might rename this the worst diary ever...

Now i've actually started overpaying!! wooohoooo. £50 per month every month.

Heres an update on the situation: Now married with 2 boys, Ethan and Rory. House is now in a good condition, we've done up everything except for our room which is planned for 2013. My Wife has been on a standard maternity payout for the last few months so we've struggled a little more and shes going back part time so the payments will only be £50 per month for a while.

The paying off of other debt has been going well. The car, student loan and sofa will all be paid off mid 2014 so the plan is to snowball that £400 straight into the mortgage. By that time i'll be renewed so i'll find a mortgage I can overpay a fair bit on.

If I pay £50 per month from now until May 2014 and then £400 from then my mortgage free date is 05/2024 which is the very month I turn 40! Now i'm committed to making that a reality as i'd love to be MF by 40.

Sorry its such a crap diary. My life is so hectic right now!

Lois_E

You're not the only one, Bufger, so don't worry. I've started and fizzled out again several times. Sounds as though you've done an excellent job of adjusting your plans to fit your altered circumstances. Good luck with the OPs now you've got started.

RevolvingDoor

Well done for starting again.:)

Bufger

So on saturday I had a master plan.. Get up early and get the kids ready and then go for a family walk to the grocers, to get hair cuts and then to the bank.

All went to plan! £50 overpayment made, our first ever OP. It was a family morning out walking, saving money on groceries and sorting out our finances and it was great!

Now I have a predicament this month. We're not going to be left with much to overpay with so here are the 3 options, I can only do one of these!

1, Overpay by £50-70
2, Get some new running shoes (£50-60) (Fitness is also a massive goal at the moment and my current running shoes are preventing me from doing more than a couple of miles due to shin splints)
3, Go Paintballing with friends. This is my main hobby and I go once a month. This would cost £65 and I sacrificed Novembers and Decembers to have Christmas money..

At the moment im leaning towards the running shoes or overpayment. I hate having to make these sacrifices!

SillySod

My money would be on the running shoes, fitness is important and you don't want to aggravate or cause an injury with old shoes.

Bufger

Thanks. I'm also leaning towards that too

Bufger

Update: I drive someone to work each day and have done for the best part of 6 months. I've worked out the fuel costs based on the average MPG, distance to work via his house and current diesel prices so it ends up being £85 per month cash in hand. Previously this cash has never made it to my bank, it gets absorbed by general life and I never really know what its spent on! Bad i know but im terrible with cash.

From this month onwards this cash will go straight into my mortgage as an overpayment. I'm used to paying for fuel on my own so its money I shouldnt miss! I will add this to the standard £50 overpayment I wish to make taking my monthly OP to roughly £135 for now.

Bufger

Hola,

Just got back from 4 days in Madrid. It cost me a fair bit but I did budget for a big splash out and the Wife and I enjoyed it loads so it was all worth it.

My latest moneysaving steps have been to get an Aqua cashback CC for our weekly shopping. We can easily get towards the top £100 annual cashback. We will get another for the wife and as i'm very boring and organised when it comes to my financial spreadsheet there is very little risk in defaulting and forfeiting the cashback. So that'll be £200 per year for doing nothing more than moving my money around a little and i'll put that directly against the mortgage.