museumworker's quest to consign mortgage to history!

museumworker

OK, here it is - the epic end of year reflection!

What museumworker achieved in 2011:
* op’ed £12K
* Finished loft conversion (and finished paying for it!). 2 new bedrooms added to house. Fully decorated, carpeted and furnished
* remortgaged Feb/Mar for 5 year fixed rate with FD 3.89%, £190K - saving nearly £200 pm in interest payments
* paid mortgage ERC from savings (£1,800 I think?)
* 65% LTV achieved on remortgage! (house value rose from £237K in 2008 to £300K after works)
* took a lodger for new ensuite room, bringing in £400 extra a month - all went to mortgage OPs
* Bought a car from savings (£6.3K i think it was), much more fuel efficient, bigger (proper family sized after several years of a micra :rotfl:) and more comfortable to drive. Extra expenses with that all covered (insurance)
* managed to work full time and cope with up to 12-15 migraines a month
* OH tok 5 year interest free car loan for £5k and oped mortgage with it
* summer holiday: a week at Green Man festival, and a week on the Llyn Peninsular in wales
* Started DD with a group outside school which she really enjoys (badgers). saw her through another year at school and up another level at swimming
* DD got to meet her favourite author ever!
* Wedding in Ireland Sep, saw vvv old friend get married (i.e. I’ve known her for ages, not that she’s ancient!)
* enjoyed sister’s 40th and brother’s 30th
* had birthday dinner party for 12 and hosted xmas drinks for 25 people
* progressed AMA
* lost another 6 lbs
* learnt crochet
* Got pregnant!
* Got rid of a load of stuff
* started learning welsh
* sold books on ama$on and old cds, used tcb where possible
* took on call out phone duties at work on rota basis, an extra £40 pm
* stuck to £100 dress challenge (well, until I got pregnant and massive, but thanks to Lula-Hula that apparently doesn’t count )
* started OH in work shares saving scheme (£160 pm)
* Mortgage reduced from £190K in Mar 2011 to £175K end Dec 2011!!
* 2 years and 7 months knocked off mortgage
* £18,104 saved in interest

macgirl

Phenomenal :T

museumworker

Thanks macgirl, and to everyone who posted such kind messages last night! I have to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey so far, it really means a massive amount to have people reading and commenting on my diary. Especially all of those who put up with all my migraine moanings this year!

nat21luv - of course, do join in! Each pound will bring you that bit closer to your dream, and will of course make your mortgage smaller in the long run. And you're right, there is something extremely satisfying about owning your own home. I can bore you with the names of all the paints on our walls - such as mouse's back:rotfl:! Will you start a diary?

I had a lovely new years eve at friend's house - it was her birthday so she had a sit down dinner for 16 which was lovely. Lots of good food, company, and competitive board gaming . Didn't get home til 4am :eek::eek: so exhausted today! Especially as I am still waiting to stop feeling queasy and enter the elusive blooming stage (rolleyes needed here!)

Anyway, enough of the past - the future beckons. I feel it is a good time to start a new diary, having shifted the migraines (ok, I cheated by getting up the duff, but there we go), and having to think about what the imminent arrival means for our finances. I have started a new thread here:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/49779157#Comment_49779157

Hope to see many of you there!

pavlovs_dog

museumworker wrote: »

OK, here it is - the epic end of year reflection!

What museumworker achieved in 2011:

* started learning welsh

dw i'n athrawes gymraeg felly os oes eisiau help arnat ti, dw i'n hapus i helpu

twinklie

Shhhhush you pair....us mere mortals don't get it!! Ha ha.

Well done MW - you're another person that amazes me.

museumworker

pavlovs_dog wrote: »

dw i'n athrawes gymraeg felly os oes eisiau help arnat ti, dw i'n hapus i helpu

diolch yn fawr iawn .

Am finding it very hard, but determined to get better at it! Apparently first term is always hardest.

Do you speak north or south welsh?

museumworker

aw, thanks twinklie, am feeling pretty flat at the minute with blinking pregnancy tiredness, so you just made me smile .

pavlovs_dog

south walian, although i'm often mistaken for a gog because i talk tidy like! I learnt the language too, and it's not uncommon to find learners speak more correctly than most 1st language peeps

SuzieSue

Re your migranes, have you been watching The Food Hospital on Channel 4? I think there was someone on there who suffered from very bad migranes and he managed to reduce them signifcantly by changing his diet. You should be able to watch it on 4OD.

museumworker

Thanks SuzieSue - I have eliminated all the main food triggers for a year now, and also tried a stricter diet (which made them worse to the point I wasn't well enough to see it through). I did see one of the food hospital with a woman, but not with a bloke so I'll look it up. I do have a specialist, he thinks if I haven't found a trigger by now I am unlikely to find one, and I'm sure he said only 1 in 3 migraines have food triggers. Luckily I have found a (temporary) cure through pregnancy, which also means I can't test anything out as I won't know if they work til I'm suffering with them again!