Hurdler's Race to be Mortgage-Free

Hurdler

Flying visit, always the way now that the tennis tour is in Europe - such long hours... and not enough time to keep up with everyone :-(

Quick 3 month overpayment now that I have managed to go back to the rate I started at with one of the sites I write for. It's £400 a month less than I was on but not nearly as much of the tedious web management and more content plus I am self-funding going to events. Reduces the corp tax, but this is an expensive hobby/life!

Will do my pictures in a little bit but so glad to be back in the overpaying way.

jodles16

It sounds like there is a lot of tough stuff going on for you at the mo, so well done on keeping up the overpayments! Will keep my fingers crossed that you catch a break soon!

Jodles

Hurdler

Yeah between mum's stroke, vindictive residents' association and former neighbour on my buy to let and evil bosses it has been challenging, I feel such a bad MFWer for not keeping up with everyone but at least I made my OP. That's a big psychological "yay-team-me" for this month!

Hurdler

Lent and the need for Austerity (because I am self-funding a working holiday to California to cover Indian Wells (BEEEG tennis tournament, behnd the Slams) that coincides with my birthday!

So... tomorrow is.... BATCH-COOK-A-PALOOZA!
On the menu:
Spag Bol and Chilli
Thai Sweet Potato & Courgette soup
Creamy Sweetcorn and Potato Soup
Maybe some herby tomoato soup.

There's no point in buying any grocersies next weekend as I am pretty much away for the whole of March, so I am going to live off the freezer for a bit!

Hurdler

Been a while - will start updating more in a while.
One of the reasons I had fallen out of the habit of checking on friends' progress etc was the sheer volume and stress of the shift work with the tennis job.

To cut a long story short (and you never know who is watching you) I resigned with immediate effect from the job and have been working for another site that pays, but not enough to cover the bills.

I am putting my BTL flat on the market - I had offered it to the tenants who had expressed an interest to buy but had kept putting off confirming, until finally the managing agents advised me that I had to get it on the market between now and look to sell it in July or forget about it until September.

Between that and my mother's stroke recovery going slowly because of her struggle with confidence after a couple of bad falls, in the end I decided that time with her was more precious than stressing myself out trying to work all hours and the brutal shifts.

It has been a tough few months, with a lot of soul searching, but I am looking at Spareroom to rent out my second room Mon to Fri and/or AirBnB to at least cover bills to allow me to work part time and have that time with my mother, and still allows me to write about tennis and still get paid, with also maybe some IT writing on the side.

I wish I had been a better friend to the people whose diaries I follow. Hopefully that is something I can remedy now.

Cheers.

abouttimetoo

Hi Hurdler, good to see you around


Please don't stress about not posting much, we all do what we can when we can and you've had more than enough to be worrying about for quite a while now


Hats off to you for coping as you have and making what I know will have been some really tough decisions. Try and be kind to yourself where you can and remember how far you have come and all the achievements you already have in the bag


Regards
ATT

Hurdler

Well it has been a while... and I will be mortgage free soon. Things deteriorated with mum - and after many falls (almost any time I was away) it is with some relief she told me when I got back off hols that she wanted to go into a home.

However after she made that decision she seemed to really decline, she wasn't eating, getting very confused. In the end it was a rush to try and get her somewhere suitable and in short notice. BUT friends in the care home business made some recommendations and she is coming to the end of a four week respite assessment in a place where she wants to stay (and also thankfully they want to keep her!)

But in the mean time I took the decision to sell my rented out flat and effectively work part time for the rest of the year as there is a lot of stuff to sort out.

It's still hard going though - she gets quite tearful and wants to go back and say goodbye to her place - I killed my back this weekend clearing out the loft and the kitchen but it's getting there slowly.

Her friend has made it hard - she was the one with the comments about "just put her anywhere" and told me I must understand what it's like to be lonely as I live alone, apparently with no friends! It has been unnecessary on top of an already very emotional time.
They offer to "help" and then in front of mum this weekend complained non stop about cleaning out the freezer...

Anyway - I received my redemption statement and I will be paying off the remaining £66K (or thereabouts) and looking at maybe investing a little more in my place.

The tennis writing is slow and trying to get back into IT writing and looking at renting out the spare room to at least cover the bills.

I wish I had kept up with all my friends' diaries here... but I just couldn't along with everything else - so all the best to everyone on their journey and I will at least update the Mortgage Free thread when it is all done.

All the best, Hurdler.

gallygirl

Sorry things are so tough at the moment but glad your mum is settling in somewhere she will be safe and cared for 24 7.

edinburgher

It sounds like you have had a tough old time of it Hurdler, welcome back!

There is no need to apologise for infrequent visits, it sounds like you live a very eventful life. I suspect that the sale of the rental flat will work out for the best - it is one less thing to think about.

Try to count your blessings and we will keep our fingers crossed for you that you get back into the IT writing shortly.

Ps. Nothing wrong with a good vent, try and stop in from time to time if only to keep yourself sane!

misscousinitt

Sorry you've had such a hard time Hurdler.

Sending hugs (((hugs))).

MCI