Hurdler's Race to be Mortgage-Free

Hurdler

Things are going from bad to worse with my mother. She had a small stroke at the end of September, but it looks as though she might have had another one sometime earliuer that went unnoticed. Then she broke her wrist last weekend, and the electrics keep shorting out in the house.

Now my boss is fed up of the stress I am under with him acting like a git and the situation with mum and so they are cutting me off for the whole of December (well not really, they want me to do 4 days worth of articles in two days covering for the other full timer) so really I will have to work on my "days off" and then they are cutting back my hours because I have been so distracted with mum.

I think now... I have no choice but to flog the flat and give the tenants notice in Feb.

I am ditching my National Lottery direct debit (although last time I tried the woman I spoke to tried to guilt me into saying I was denying charities funding...!) I am going to stop direct debits to the Tesco Clubcard PLus which was handy for having money put by for groceries monthly but I need to really cut back my outgoings. I was considering ditching my cover for things like the washing machine too.

I suppose at least with the cut back hours I can now get to Colchester (2 hour drive) after work and stay a couple of days if I have to.

I know that when mum's best "friend" comes back from holidays she will get in a dig about me working at the tennis this week - but it IS my job, even when the hours are being cut.

I should have been a catholic, the amount of guilt they pile on. My favourite was (when I pointed out that as a freelancer, if I don't work I don't get paid) "Well you shouldn't have been so stupid as to change your career"...

Right now... I am not loving life very much.

Hurdler

After a couple of horrible months, and now the beginnings of cut-down hours, I am relieved to drop below £70,000 for the first time (with rates probably going up next year I can see this is going to be a yo-yo!)

Now £69,417 and £344.58 next month.

Next target, £340.

Will update the haciendas, but for the first time since the end of Sept I think I can go cry on the FA's shoulder when we look at my options with at least some positive news.

Had my last takeaway on Sat night.
I have a few Xmas meet ups with friends, but only working two days a week this month, so those will be my treats.
I am training my little butt off this month!

amycool

Congratulations on getting below £70,000. It sounds like things have been a bit horrible recently for you so I hope things improve soon.

Hurdler

Yes an overly-independent 80-year-old mum suffering what we think was maybe a 2nd stroke but this time she was at Boots Opticians and they called the paramedics straight away. She then broke her wrist in a fall, was turning carers away while I was working at a tournament.

My bosses were initially great and then the main boss was all "either work or do stuff but not both" so demoted me, cut my hours and I am still waiting for another site to pay me for work I did at the tournament!!!

gallygirl

Hurdler wrote: »

My bosses were initially great and then the main boss was all "either work or do stuff but not both" so demoted me, cut my hours and I am still waiting for another site to pay me for work I did at the tournament!!!

Grrrrr :mad:

Hurdler

I'm sure they will pay - it's just they insist on using a credit card via paypal and it takes forever for it to clear so I can transfer to the company coffers.

Luckily the other full timer and I work really well together and have each other's backs so she was ace when I missed two matches completely at the O2 dealing with mum from afar.

It has been pretty awful because this is one very independant old stick, and she hates she has to accept help, and it's heartbreaking to see her struggle but the stroke rehab people said that sometimes it is better for them to fall (in this case quite literally) to realise they need help.

It doesn't stop me from feeling like I am the worst child in the world though!

Anyway... I am rekindling my childhood as a game that I am SURE cost me a couple of O-Levels is being relaunched so I am using my month off to play and test the version before it is released. I have a bit of writing to do and a few home projects like:
Operation Pick-a-Shelf/Cupboard and DECLUTTER
and the old favourite
Operation Eat-What's-In-The-Freezer&Fridge

With my demotion and cut in hours, I am hoping that the latter will also get me back to healthier eating and back into regular exercise.

Working broadly between 9 and 7 with lunch time off and flexibility to work a little later and take a couple of ours out etc.
So trying to find the positive in mean boss's attitude.

Oh and his reduction means I am getting accredited by other sites so I might push to be part of the International Tennis Writers' Assoc sooner... but with Mum I ought to limit myself to Europe this year...

Hurdler

Here we go... Nice to maybe close out the year with some success... will have to talk to a financial advisor now to see if I can hold on to the letting, or whether with the cut in hours and the prospect of paying for full time care for mum means I need to ditch it...

Houses



Vernon-the-Virtual-Mortgage-Pig

Hurdler

It's a Christmas Miracle!
Evil boss paid me November's contract in full and didn't make me deduct a week for vacation I booked before they downed me to just two days a week this month.

Also FINALLY got paid from another site who offered to pick up my hotel bill at the O2 although Paypal took a massive cut from that, boo!

So in two minds whether to do a trigger overpayment in Dec, or leave it because for Jan I will have next to no money ... the MSE in me says overpay and then just don't in Jan, but the OCD in me says you can't possible start a year without an overpayment, so don't O/p in Dec and then start the year as you mean to go on-ish.

Then again with the reduced contract, I might only be able to do the trigger o/p every other month (if I want to hold on to the BTL).

Ideas welcome...?

Hurdler

Just settling down to do the end of year finances... been a tough year, with mum's stroke and the issues that brings.

But she had a nice Christmas up here in London and I cooked up a storm!

Had my last indulgent takeaway last night, and having a nice relaxed evening tonight before back at work tomorrow as tennis starts up again.

Happy New Year to all my fellow MFWers...

Hurdler

Some good news - managed to persuade the bosses to drop me down to something £200 more than they were orignally looking to cut me back to. I still ahve to self-fund going to tournaments as they refuse to see the benefit of a sports reporter being at an event (I know, go figure) but still £200 a month more than they proposed is good.

I am still going to pursue the step of selling the flat. I need to wait until the summer as the tenants have just had another kidlet and expressed an interest to buy the flat but want to decide in summer, when Mrs tenant goes back to work. So they will be on a periodic agreeent for a few months and then if they want to buy, great, nice and simple.

If not, then I will just let them have their notice and up it goes for sale.

The situation with mum... her best friend meddles to the point that I now HATE the woman. When I am home mum tells me it's ok to come down once a month but to stay for more days covering my Tuesday and Sunday off to spend more time helping decluttering. Then when I go, the best friend comes round and tells her I am rejecting her and should be down more/move down permanently. So then I get loads of grief telling me I should be down more.

It's been ... exhausting. But she is now going to a stroke association community group once a week (except when the best friend decided she should go shopping on that day) and she sees that there are others in a worse condition, and is around people who understand what she's gone through.

Anyhoo... will have to dip in my emergency fund to self-fund a trip to cover Indian Wells (the fifth Slam) and have my birthday out there.

Will be making my first overpayment of the year on Friday!