museumworker's quest to consign mortgage to history!

museumworker

Ok - am back now. Hair dried, irish stew out the slow cooker for DD (and some for myself, I am starving hank marvin!). Only managed 15 mins swim as had to sign DD up for new lessons, and something happened to my online account :mad: couldn't do it online and took 15 mins to sort something out at the pool. But all done now, £54 for a terms swimming lessons for DD.

Chamichelle and courgette - definitely going to have to break up target. I was also v inspired by memory girls breaking her mortgage into 1000 parts and working out how to pay each one off. I think she is fab but cannot keep up with her thread . My mortgage should be £190K by end of year, so it is 1000 x £190. £20K in a year is £1,667 a month. We are putting less than this aside per month, so am beginning to think without large lump sums this is unattainable. HOWEVER, if I did the £10 a day challenge too that should make an extra £300 and the 20K more feasible. It is also 8.77 of my 1000 units per month = 105 x £190 units in a year. Which actually sounds like a lot more than I thought!

So at the end of that random mathematical calculation :rotfl: I have worked out that:
* I will do the £10 a day challenge next year
* I will aim to save £1,300 pm from wages
* my Overall aim is £20K but I will be happy with £16K - so in terms of medals - bronze £16K, silver £18K and gold £20K.

Plus I've already said:
* I will exercise 3 x week

I'm trying to picture the person I would like to be. I would like to be calmer, happier, less stressed, healthier, more creative, with more time to myself and less running around.

Careerwise I am doing my AMA (a museum professional development award) and am committed to completing it by the end of next year. I have my post on a museum committee until October. I would also like to learn to drive.

Breaking this vision down further, here are some ideas how I can get there:
* calmer - mindfulness, meditation, yoga, more rested
* happier - more fun! comedy and dancing, listen to new music, plus other fun things. Spend more time with friends who make me feel good and less with those I feel obligated with. Have good family days out and quality time with DD/OH.
* less stressed - drop some commitments, do less, promise less, expect less. Perhaps NLP/CBT or similar. A decluttered house!
* healthier - drink 1L water a day, limit treats, big up soups and salads, exercise regularly - pedometer, dvds, continue swimming, do couch to 5K, plus the yoga already mentioned.
* more creative - would like to learn to make things with my sewing machine, am thinking of a sewing course at local college, knit something other than a scarf , and try something new (print making!) Cook new things. Enter a photography competition. Make more presents.

Phew... is that too much for a year? Not enough? How should I break this into goals? Advice much needed. A lot of these I feel I have made a good start on but want to keep going...

CathT

Wow that's a busy post! Sounds like a brilliant plan for 2011. I really like the idea of bronze, silver and gold medals. I have been doing some sums and think I can do 10k including normal payments. I hope to smash this but am happy with this as my target.

How is your decluttering book going?

cha97michelle

I'm up for throwing my £10k against your targets. I have no idea of how i will get there but i will give it a shot. I'm including normal payments, and did £5k this year, so think £5k = bronze, £7.5k = silver, and £10k = gold.

I also feel out of kilter. I loved your above post, as i know i have been in a bit of a rut. My weight is horrendous. At least 3 stones overweight. My only exercise is the school run and an occasional family walk. My moods are up and down, and i could probably help with diet and exercise. The only thing i am good at is drinking water as i am like a fish in that respect.

I've no excuse either as i should in theory have a lot more time not having to work outside the home, and i sit in a messy cluttered house and chain myself to the computer stuffing my face.

I think i might take myself off the computer now and start brainstorming a plan.

Thanks for the inspiration tonight.

gallygirl

I've done the medals for the last 2 years and it really works . This year I've had a gold for extra income (courtesy of new job with whopping pay rise :T), a gold AND a bronze for weight loss (and hoping to upgrade the bronze to silver before end of year) and a bronze for reducing the mortgage :whistle:

I have had a very good year which has made me appreciate how lucky I am - so I want to build on this in 2011. Hmmmm, a lot of thinking going on it would appear. Tootallulah is also up for some challenges, we need to coordinate our efforts and spur each other on :T

Queen-Bee_2

museumworker wrote: »

I'm trying to picture the person I would like to be. I would like to be calmer, happier, less stressed, healthier, more creative, with more time to myself and less running around...

Breaking this vision down further, here are some ideas how I can get there:
* calmer - mindfulness, meditation, yoga, more rested
* happier - more fun! comedy and dancing, listen to new music, plus other fun things. Spend more time with friends who make me feel good and less with those I feel obligated with. Have good family days out and quality time with DD/OH.
* less stressed - drop some commitments, do less, promise less, expect less. Perhaps NLP/CBT or similar. A decluttered house!
* healthier - drink 1L water a day, limit treats, big up soups and salads, exercise regularly - pedometer, dvds, continue swimming, do couch to 5K, plus the yoga already mentioned.
* more creative - would like to learn to make things with my sewing machine, am thinking of a sewing course at local college, knit something other than a scarf , and try something new (print making!) Cook new things. Enter a photography competition. Make more presents.

Wow, that sounds amazing (and also a bit like the sort of lists I make for myself at the start of every new year, but never manage to keep... ).

Actually, since l left my last job I'm much less stressed than I used to be... Mortgage nearly gone, back in the groove of study etc.. But a healthy lifestyle with more exercise and loosing the flab will be high on my 2011 agenda!

Anyway, love your ideas. I attended an NLP course last year - fantastic stuff, really interesting insights (especially as I've never had the knack of understanding how people tick) and would recommend it to anyone.
QB

tootallulah

Hi MW, yes I am definitely up for a challenge and I am inspired by your other things so I am thinking of a whole raft of stuff to do for next year. My diary title will stay the same as I will only have 80 months before I retire to be mortgage free - eek.............

The builder estimated the new completion date to be January 23rd. I must be calm and zen about it as they are still pretty much frozen out in N Notts and have been for over two weeks, I then lose another two weeks over Christmas. It's a bit of a nightmare as taking time offin January will not be popular.

[Deleted User]

ooooo..challenges?? me too!! :rotfl:
I am definitely a list person as well! (can ya tell? ) and all looks good for plans for 2011 , definitely with you on the exercise/health thing as am probably shockingly unfit- I never bothered about it much as I was always pretty slim but think time is catching up with me and could do with losing half a stone or so and toning up!
3 x a week fitness dvds mw youre on!! (starting when....? :rotfl:)
Ive find mindfulness or parts of it very interesting and great to be able to take one step back from situations/emotions and evaluate them from a more detached perspective- doesnt always work mind! but its a great way of stepping back when Im in the middle of a "crisis" (usually of my own making! )
I like the idea of medals (well done on yours gg!) and defintiely think motivating each other is a great idea- I always do better when I know someones listening to my ramblings and random achievements!

I also really want a more creative 2011- I have lots of art stuff at home that I dug out over the last few months and want to learn how to do stuff on the computer a bit better to make it look posh! Id love to be able to one day work in that field (more for enjoyment than from needing an income from it!) so itd be a nice addition on the side for me!

right better get off to work to earn some mortgage pennies and will try and update my diary with some lists later!

museumworker

Finally managed a multiquote! Only taken me about 15 months on here to do it without wondering where the rest of them are... will do 3 replies at a time.

Well done everyone for getting to the end of that post, which was a case of 'thinking aloud'. It was great to see so many positive responses, you are all :A.

Lots of positive responses to the gold/silver/bronze medal idea, which I picked up from other threads. Gallygirl, as a medal veteran, would you be able to give more advice on how to set them?

CathT wrote: »

Wow that's a busy post! Sounds like a brilliant plan for 2011. I really like the idea of bronze, silver and gold medals. I have been doing some sums and think I can do 10k including normal payments. I hope to smash this but am happy with this as my target.

How is your decluttering book going?

Cath T Good luck for the 10K, I will follow with interest! If you're in to the medal idea, did you want to set some similar targets to chamichelle?

Decluttering is going ok. I did some in the living room on Sunday - DVD shelf and magazine shelf. I moved DD's dvds to a drawer by the telly so she can flick through them herself, and got rid of about 8. I organised the ones we have so now you can see them all, as there aren't any in front of other ones. It looks so much calmer. I must have put about 15 magazines and catalogues in the recycling, again looks much better. Still lots more to do but every little bit makes a difference and I am trying to celebrate what I do, rather than beat myself up on what I can't.

cha97michelle wrote: »

I'm up for throwing my £10k against your targets. I have no idea of how i will get there but i will give it a shot. I'm including normal payments, and did £5k this year, so think £5k = bronze, £7.5k = silver, and £10k = gold.

I also feel out of kilter. I loved your above post, as i know i have been in a bit of a rut. My weight is horrendous. At least 3 stones overweight. My only exercise is the school run and an occasional family walk. My moods are up and down, and i could probably help with diet and exercise. The only thing i am good at is drinking water as i am like a fish in that respect.

I've no excuse either as i should in theory have a lot more time not having to work outside the home, and i sit in a messy cluttered house and chain myself to the computer stuffing my face.

I think i might take myself off the computer now and start brainstorming a plan.

Thanks for the inspiration tonight.

chamichelle I am very touched by your post. Please don't be hard on yourself though, you do a lot and are an inspiration for many of us here. I'm sure with your determination you can achieve any goals that you set. Good luck with the weight loss, once you get started on the exercise and persist I'm sure the rest will naturally follow. I HATED any form of exercise until about 18-20 months ago, when I realised my weight gain was only going to continue without it. First of all I did it to lose weight, now I exercise because I feel so much better having done it - less angry, moody, listless. I look forward to seeing your plan .

gallygirl wrote: »

I've done the medals for the last 2 years and it really works . This year I've had a gold for extra income (courtesy of new job with whopping pay rise :T), a gold AND a bronze for weight loss (and hoping to upgrade the bronze to silver before end of year) and a bronze for reducing the mortgage :whistle:

I have had a very good year which has made me appreciate how lucky I am - so I want to build on this in 2011. Hmmmm, a lot of thinking going on it would appear. Tootallulah is also up for some challenges, we need to coordinate our efforts and spur each other on :T

:T 2 golds and a silver medal, well done! Yes, co-ordinating efforts is definitely in order as I think with the mutual support of other fabby :money: types, we will all get there. Perhaps a 'become the person you've always wanted to be' challenge, although there may be people who want to be Peter Stringfellow or something, which may not quite describe my idea:rotfl:. Anyone got a better one? As said I don't want to do MORE, I want to change, and for the better. In a positive and holistic way.

I think I now sound like a hippy.

museumworker

Off out to talk and dinner, will try and post replies to others later.

cha97michelle

Oh hun, i wasn't being really hard on myself last night. I went and had a lovely bubble bath and took myself off into bed where it was peaceful with a bit of paper and a calculator, and was most chuffed as £10k total payment works out at £22.95 per day, and £5k is only £9.25 per day, so i am more confident now i can do the 1st one at least.

The only thing i can think of is if we have an olympic type challenge like they had on the DFW board.

Perhaps if we set targets in certain areas - wouldn't need to do every area to take part, but MFW must be one of them? Just thinking aloud here. Might work? What do you think?