Hurdler's Race to be Mortgage-Free

Hurdler

Wow... just switched from BT to O2 for Home Phone & Broadband
BT didn't even TRY to save me as a customer.
(Granted I had posted a couple of times on Twitter that they had been very irritating and BTcare had mentioned me back to want to help - but when I entered the detail - no callback!)
They happily handed over the MAC code for Broadband and apparently will have to pay a £3 as my phone contract runs out in March. I was already out of contract for BB.

I have been paying (on average) £40 MINIMUM and quite often more (£60's a few months).

I did try and go through TCB but because I am already an O2 customer and get still further discounts (in fact effectively £20 more than TCB/Quidco are offering for the All rounder package) I went through the whole thing on the phone.

I will be paying: £19.75 ..... (I may have to pay a little more for paper bills - but I also know that it's a royal pain NOT to have official bills for certain things, so it's probably worth it)!

I feel very money-savery....

I should get the stuff through by the end of the month... :T

abouttimetoo

Hurdler wrote: »

well their messages says they're open until 8 but I guess that would be their peak time ... and having been back and forth from 4pm I certainly was in NO hurry to stay there for 4 hours!!!

Anyway - we'll see what the tax code is and I might actually check back with them when I get paid to make sure that they are seeing the tax now!!!

why can't people just pay us money and leave us alone to spend it? Too much to ask? :rotfl:

Anyway - I hit the gym this morning... so I have achieved my gym session for this week... so feel smug!

Hi Hurdler, I don't know if you need to call them anymore but I have found the best time to call them is between 6.15pm and 7.15 pm. On the long calls as it get's to about 7.50pm they have usually given me advance notice that their lines are only open until 8 so I would have to end the call by then

Well done on your MSE ways this week not to mention the lovely reduction on your monthly payments; I'm sure you have done the right and prudent thing by not just putting it into saving etc

Regards
ATT

Hurdler

abouttimetoo wrote: »

Hi Hurdler, I don't know if you need to call them anymore but I have found the best time to call them is between 6.15pm and 7.15 pm. On the long calls as it get's to about 7.50pm they have usually given me advance notice that their lines are only open until 8 so I would have to end the call by then

Well done on your MSE ways this week not to mention the lovely reduction on your monthly payments; I'm sure you have done the right and prudent thing by not just putting it into saving etc

Regards
ATT

Thanks ATT - I am getting nagged by my IFA to hurry up and liquidise all the other shares as well so that CAN be my initial poor-church-mouse fund... so once this damn exam is over - I need to start ferreting out share certs.

I have looked at a lot of MSE Savings Accounts reviews and feedback and I think I will opt for a Nationwide account as it's not linked with any of my existing piggy banks.

Now... if only I could get my 2 week placement nailed... will chase up local papers here and where my mum lives on Friday - and if they draw a blank ... then I am going to stake a claim at the Sportsdesk and Newsdesk associated with the course just to get the things done.

Hurdler

Ok spreadsheet heads ... Is there anyway of working out how much I would have to overpay to reduce my monthly payment to a certain amount?

I know I owe around £107,000 and I have around 21 years left at £470 a month.

How could I figure out how much to overpay to get another £10 or say £20 off ...
I have the feeling it's something obvious but I am just not feeling the logic!!!!

Lois_E

Hurdler wrote: »

Ok spreadsheet heads ... Is there anyway of working out how much I would have to overpay to reduce my monthly payment to a certain amount?

I know I owe around £107,000 and I have around 21 years left at £470 a month.

How could I figure out how much to overpay to get another £10 or say £20 off ...
I have the feeling it's something obvious but I am just not feeling the logic!!!!

It's not obvious at all. I could make a spreadsheet that would work it out, but even then I'd probably just make a tool that could have trial and error applied to it until I found a number that worked.

This is probably the easiest way for you to do it, just using an ordinary online mortgage calculator, like the MSE basic one.

Type in your interest rate, term and initial amount. It will tell you how much your monthly payment should be. Now try typing in a smaller mortgage amount, and it should calculate a smaller monthly payment. Keep trying different mortgage amounts until it tells you the level of payment you want. Now take that mortgage amount away from your actual one, and it will tell you how much you need to OP to get your payment down to that level.

Hurdler

Thanks Lois - you are absolutely right and somehow last night I just could not see the wood for the trees.

I have been relatively money-savery this year ... I am gradually eating my way through the freezer contents rather than getting takeaways although I did succumb the other night to a takeaway after a massive Saturday night session, but it was a complete waste as I only ate half of it.

I have been super-healthy this week with soups at lunchtime and I made a Sainsbury's ready meal from the freezer last for 2 nights.

I think I need to be really really focussed on throwing a lot of money now at the mortgage as per your suggestion and getting it down by targets of £10 a time.

So next aim - £460 or less!

Hurdler

Well I suppose that's some kind of record... soup every day so far for lunch...
AND I actually carved out a full lunch hour and got a little bit of Shorthand practice in as well...

Hurdler

another 0.5lb this week - not as much as I'd hoped but it's continuing in a downward direction, so that's what is important.
Off out tonight as my reward...

I'm waiting for my O2 Broadband hub to be delivered... I am surprised at how quickly things have moved - but we'll just have to see how the ACTUAL swap goes... I am still quite staggered that BT didn't do one thing to keep my custom. The sales-person was nice and friendly and just asked why I was moving and when I gave her a comparison of the costs, she just said "yes, that's fine"!!!

I have been waiting for a new Powertraveller charger to be delivered, it should have arrived during this week as I ordered them when they were showing items in stock, so I was a bit miffed that to be told that they had only just had a new delivery in and I should get it NEXT week.

Time to write up my notes and then try and get all caught up this week ... if I can squeeze in an hour and a half of revision as well - that would be nice... but unlikely :-(

Hurdler

I have my work placement sorted!!!
I am soooooo relieved!
It looks like I will be one week on a sportsdesk and one on the newsdesk at the local paper near where I live!

SOOOOO relieved!ETA: AND my O2 Broadband Router has arrived already ... blimey o'reilly - I only rang them the other day!

So now I have to twiddle my thumbs and wait until the 26th when BT are supposed to discontinue the service and O2 start it... so I won't hang out the bunting JUST yet as I don't trust BT not to screw it up in some way.

Froggy-G

Hurdler wrote: »

I have my work placement sorted!!!
I am soooooo relieved!
It looks like I will be one week on a sportsdesk and one on the newsdesk at the local paper near where I live!

SOOOOO relieved!ETA: AND my O2 Broadband Router has arrived already ... blimey o'reilly - I only rang them the other day!

So now I have to twiddle my thumbs and wait until the 26th when BT are supposed to discontinue the service and O2 start it... so I won't hang out the bunting JUST yet as I don't trust BT not to screw it up in some way.

Well done, congrats Hurdler!