Pay off mortgage and start having fun!

newgirly

My brother is at home at nearly 30, I know of many others in the same position :eek: we don't even have a big enough garden to pitch a tent for them when it all gets too squashed :rotfl:

greent

We bought our first house when we were both 21. Can't see any children being able to do that nowadays..!

We're realistically expecting ours to be around until they're in a stable enough relationship to move out and in with someone else in mid 20s onwards. We're also expecting the eldest 2 to go to uni (their career choices will require degrees) and to have to help to fund that. (The youngest 2 are too young to guess what they'll end up doing!) The youngest 2 are in smallish single bedrooms. The eldest 2 have good double bedrooms and DD has an ensuite. I still don't feel like we have enough space. Do-able here whilst the little ones are little, but the thought of 6 adults/ big teens here.... and DH and I will be in our 50s.... (at least!)........ argh!!!!

RIght move website should be banned..!

newgirly

Right, all wages have been transfered round the various accts we have (opened to get the cashback, plus 2x halifax £5 per month reward accounts) There is a surplus of a whopping £17 this month, so I am payingthat off the 0%cc.

I've also paid the £10 halifax reward and £36.11 from topcashback that came through. That just leaves me with the cash in the jar in the kitchen and after a count up there is only £95 left eek! I have set aside money for petrol and a burger and tickets for the kids birthday days out but thats it.

We are off to centerparcs in sherwood forest on the 27th so thats 21 days including today, so £4.52 per day:rotfl: can't see me managing that! I have £100 for centerparcs which will mainly go on petrol, plus £470 set aside for devon in august. If all goes badly in the next few weeks I shall have to spend the centerparcs money and pinch some from the august holiday fund.

All the family are round for a takeaway tonight so I'm hoping dh will help out with the cost, if not I may have to cook for us, embarrassing but I have done it before.:D

brizzledfw

Hope you have a good eve.

I like the pot idea too. Used to take out the spending cash for a while and it did seem to help. Made it real somehow in a way a card can never be. OH used to still use his card tho which made it complicated !

newgirly

I have had a very lazy day, dh has taken the boys to work with him and I have been reading through another frugal blog ("my beautiful life") currently up to oct 2010.

I find that reading these type of blogs really helps me feel more normal about trying to spend less to op the mortgage. Everyone on these boards has a different journey, some are high earners, some with small mortgages, some making smaller op's as and when they can.



This is our situation:

• average ish wage
• 3 kids, 2cats , one dog, many fish
• smallish house in a good area
• debts of around £1800
• mortagage of just under £150k

So for us to clear the mortgage in less than the 33 years we had remaining a couple of years ago , we needed to make serious changes. I have cut the spending on food drastically, tried to cut down petrol, and have stopped buying tons of cheap clothes from primarni, as I liked them and they were a bargin.

We have still spent on larger things since trying to op the mortgage,like a bigger car, but the daily spending has got a lot better.

But there is still a long way to go, I would like to try and get the family (especially dh) to be a bit more onboard with it all, its difficult when you are trying to be inventive and save money when everyone else seems to be carrying on as before.

We don't live a lavish lifestyle , but for example yesterday the kids went to see the new spiderman in 3D, i have no idea how much it cost but probably around £30 for 3 tickets. If I had my way they would have seen it in the holidays on an orange wednesday!

Anyway, I am just feeling as if I could be doing much more at the moment, and its getting harder as whatever I try and do there is always something unexpected that needs paying for, whether its a non uniform day, or yet another kids party present.

Sorry for the moaning, it must be because its a rainy sunday.

never_too_old

I know what you mean,even i feel normal when i read other blogs.:rotfl:

newgirly

Oops, posted that way before I finished it!

Peonie

Hi Newgirly.

I know what you mean about the cinema tickets. I got Mr P to buy me a magazine subscription, at a discount, for a year rather than buy them monthly and I loan books from the library. On the other hand he buys magazines and books whenever he wants.

But overall he's not too bad.

newgirly

This week is going to be a new me, its dd's birthday weds and the whole house will be sparkling, presents and cards done , empty ironing basket and storecupboard meals prepared every day.

I have family over after school weds, so have to make chocolate fudge cupcakes with ahem, johhny depp cake toppers. The inlaws may just post dd's card though, as they are not sure if they will pop over or not (its a 25 min drive), oh well more cake for us.:p


Hope everone had a good weekend.

newgirly

Its dd's birthday today, I have not spent as much as usual this year so I am feeling a tiny bit bad, but she seems happy. We have all the family over later for tea and homemade cakes.

I've had a bit of luck with the boys' birthday treats this week as I found a party deal on groupon for a local football school, a party for 10 for 2 hours plus food/drinks/drinks for parents/certificate and trophies and a photo for the boys for £45 (plus about 8%tcb), so have ditched chessington in favour of that, even just taking 3 kids it would have been a lot dearer to go to the theme park and I won't have the trauma of taking 6 kids by myself

We are going to centerparcs in just over 2 weeks and I have the petrol money and thats it :eek: I need to have all food to take as well and so far have 2 x tins of beans. The cheaper kids party gives a little extra to last me until we go as I had run out of money. I'm hoping for sunny weather so we can bbq.

No extra money earnt lately so I really need to get motivated, I seem to be taken over by sorting birthdays at the moment.