Hurdler's Race to be Mortgage-Free

Hurdler

ApronAnnie wrote: »

OMG! How rude are those students? You've every right to be angry. If my boys behaved like that at someone else's house I would be furious. It's bad enough that they even try that behaviour at home.

It's def worth getting an electricity usage meter. The impact having my partner live with me (and his two boys when they visit their dad) had really been visible in my bills. The electricity companies often give them away for free so worth asking them first.

Brilliant - thank you!
Yeah alas I suspect Mummy (my cousin) let's them get away with murder. One was suffering from bad psoriasis and has gotten greasy handprints from the ointment on the wall as well.

So annoyed as I really can't afford to get the house done up again any time soon!!!!

Hurdler

It's been a busy day at Hurdler Towers...
I rang the electricity company but they don't do monitors anymore so I looked around on here and the one that Martin recomends is winging its way to me... but I also rang my provider to ask their advice... and consequently spent my morning at the electrical wholesalers making a significant investment in energy-efficient bulbs to replace my halogens.

Like many I balked at the expense, especially as I used to have them in the hallway but they hadn't been great ....

But a good chat with the wholesalers and a lot of testing of various kinds and I have LED 5W bulbs that give off the same light as the 50W bulbs but draw down a tenth of the power.

I am glad I took the time to talk to various folk as I was just going to order a bunch off the interweb, but the power co. guy had warned me that the thing to look out for was the light they give out for the lower wattage - and almost all of them were only 35W.

So when I get my monitor, and get a transformer fixed in the kitchen, I will do a reading at the start of the year and compare quarterly ... but seeing as I live and work in a room which typically has a PC, laptop, TC, Sky box and printer + broadband router running... it will be quite an eye opener to see what the cost is.

Sometimes I can get by without the PC until the evening when I do personal stuff but if I need multiple streams going then it's impossible!

Now after all that I think I need to put on a half full kettle for a pot noodle!

BlueMoo

Sounds great Hurdler.

:coffee: all around then.

I've been thinking about getting energy-saving bulbs, but they all seem very dim to me. Do you have a URL of the bulbs you bought?

Hurdler

I don't BlueMoo as I got them from an electrical wholesaler round the corner from where I live but they're the LED lights to take the place of GU10 50W bulbs. They are not cheap but apparently pay for themselves over a period of time ...

Hurdler

So I had to get the electrician to fit the energy monitor sensor, but seeing as he also had to fix a dodgy transformer in my kitchen down lights AND gave me a box of lights for the kitchen I think I did ok! I almost had a heart attack when I saw how much the kettle uses when it boils using the new monitor!

I can see how people get addicted - but it has been interesting to see how various things rack up the electricity. When I do my next reading I will reset the monitor - I had to round up the tariff which is probably better than rounding down!

I really ought to go pack but meh - I'll just leave it to the last minute instead!!!

misscousinitt

Merry Christmas Hurdler!


xx


MCI

Hurdler

Belated Happy New Year all!

So today is my day off and I have sorted out the personal finances, going to have a yummy brunch and a snooze and then tackling business expenses (December expenses and then work out what I can pay myself tomorrow for MY FIRST DIVIDENDS! (Woot!)

I decided not to hoik all my overpayment funds into the ... umm... well... overpayment as I now seem stuck in this rut of keeping funds to hand just in case my dream job ends tomorrow - Even though my contract rate has been bumped up from end of January.

But everytime I pay over 3 times my mortgage amount triggers a recalculation back to the end date so I have done a money bricks house as well... and it made for a bit more pleasant viewing - for the first time I can see what I have achieved and it actually seems that the end goal is achievable (even though it will take a looooong time)

Anyway

Monthly Bricks


Money Bricks


Vernon the Virtual Mortgage-Pig


Now... brunch!

misscousinitt

Hi Hurdler

Just catching up.

Happy New Year.

MCI

Hurdler

Well a nice surprise in my mail today.
My mortgage overpayment did indeed trigger a recalculation - almost £6 less! So very very close to being below £400 a month!

Second is a Tax rebate - £84.75 which will be put into my Mortgage fund for next month's overpayment... all helps!

Of course last time I got a rebate the tax office hoiked it back again, gits!

BlueMoo

Houses look great!
Wish my excel skills were up to that!

Oz Open! Fingers crossed for Robson