Gillybean's new MF diary- here we go again!

Gillybean

Well it's been a while since I was last here but I thought I could do with a bit of a kick up the backside and get busy with the MF quest.

Best start at the beginning I suppose. I'am a SAHM to 2 boys aged almost 6 and 2. DH is self employed and works harder than anyone I've ever met, seriously. We're in a lovely house, could easily live here for many years to come but it's not our forever home. Part of the reason we want rid of the mortgage asap. DH has ideas of buying somewhere with lots of land and that costs!

We've got an outstanding balance of around £98k, although DH is poised to pay another 10k off in the next month or so. We've recently finished a fixed rate deal and are now on SVR which has saved us around £150 a mth which has been great.

I've done some sums today and I reckon we can pay £290 per month. This does mean I am NOT to touch our joint account, it has to be for bills only! I think I'll have to take the debit card for it out of my purse!

I've also got to tighten up our spending. I know food prices have gone up but it just seems crazy how much we spend. Mind you having 2 hungry boys doesn't help matters! However I could make better choices and have already begun downbranding.

So that's it really. It's nice to be back, I've been catching up with the diaries of old friends and also some new faces. Looking forward to getting to know everyone again.

Off to update my sig.

Jackies

Gillybean wrote: »

Well it's been a while since I was last here but I thought I could do with a bit of a kick up the backside and get busy with the MF quest.

Best start at the beginning I suppose. I'am a SAHM to 2 boys aged almost 6 and 2. DH is self employed and works harder than anyone I've ever met, seriously. We're in a lovely house, could easily live here for many years to come but it's not our forever home. Part of the reason we want rid of the mortgage asap. DH has ideas of buying somewhere with lots of land and that costs!

We've got an outstanding balance of around £98k, although DH is poised to pay another 10k off in the next month or so. We've recently finished a fixed rate deal and are now on SVR which has saved us around £150 a mth which has been great.

I've done some sums today and I reckon we can pay £290 per month. This does mean I am NOT to touch our joint account, it has to be for bills only! I think I'll have to take the debit card for it out of my purse!

I've also got to tighten up our spending. I know food prices have gone up but it just seems crazy how much we spend. Mind you having 2 hungry boys doesn't help matters! However I could make better choices and have already begun downbranding.

So that's it really. It's nice to be back, I've been catching up with the diaries of old friends and also some new faces. Looking forward to getting to know everyone again.

Off to update my sig.

I'm new to the whole MFW concept (I don't even have a mortagege but DH and I are in the process of squirreling away money towards our deposit) but it looks like you've done a great job with your mortgage already by looking at your signature!

good luck!

Gillybean

Thanks jackies, looks like you're well on your way to that deposit, well done!

The food shop thing is going to be hard. We don't go mad but it's all just so expensive these days, prices are just going up and up. Need to get myself over to the OS board for some ideas and inspiration.

CathT

Hi Gillybean, welcome back and good luck.

mummyofonechild

Hello Gillybean

Good Luck, I don't think we have been introduced yet

MOOC xx

teapot2

Hello Gillybean, nice to 'meet' you and welcome back. You sound very determined so good luck with your MFW adventures.

Agree that food prices are going up alarmingly - supermarket wise we have a Mr A in our town and a much smaller co-op and thats all. Noticed a lot of prices going up at Mr A - fruit and veg was particularly expensive this weekend so didn't get much.

Take care Teapot

katsu

Food prices are so high - the effect is quite noticeable. I went to a Herr A store at the weekend and it was heaving with people stocking up trolley loads. Definitely the busiest I've ever seen an Aldi store. Lots of smartly dressed customers.

I'm actually buying fruit and veg from the market where possible. Goes off faster but fresh seasonal fnv and yellow sticker fnv are so much cheaper. I try to make sure we get a varied diet and lots of fresh goods so it is the only way to try and keep costs down.

Gillybean

I need to get back into the Aldi habit. I used to go a while back but it's quite a way out for me to go. Plus I have been using Morrisons in order to save for Christmas. But now I've got almost £100 in savings stamps I'll swap to Aldi. My mum shops at Morrisons so if I want to continue saving I can always chuck her some cash to get the stamps for me.

Having said that, I need to give my Post Office savings card a bit of a cash injection ready for the car tax. It's not due till Dec but it's such an expense! I'm doing pretty well on saving this year. As I said I've got almost £100 in Morrisons stamps for Xmas, I've been saving for the car tax and I've been putting £10 a week away towards Christmas as well. It'll be nice to take some financial pressure off DH. Talking of himself, I need to kick his butt to get his overpayment in, that'll make a good £50 per mth difference in the repayment amount at a guess.

I've recently sorted out a load of dvds that we no longer bother with and I'm going to hand them over to music magpie. OK so it's not mega bucks but it all helps.

Is it very odd that I can't wait to get the June bills out of the way already so I can get an overpayment made?

originalmiscellany

Gillybean and Jackies - you both sound practical people, who have been saving a decent chunk for the future, a refreshing change general attitudes we find outside of this site. Well done in setting and progressing toward your targets, and hope to see your diary on here continue to progress in very positive steps.

Ayeshalush

Hi Gillybean

Will be following your journey with interest .

I know what you mean about Aldi's. I was very good at going for their fruit n veg offers last year, but have got out of the habit as I have to make a special journey and the traffic puts me off. Do they still do the offers each week on fruit n veg?

Good luck with the overpayments.:D

A
xx

yukkibear

I was talking to friends yesterday about Aldi, Lidl and iceland. I really need to take a trip to lidl at least as there is one not too far from me