Ultrarunner's aim to be mortgage-free

ultrarunner

Well after an expensive and busy few days I now have a clean house, a working boiler, a non-leaking sink and have managed to declutter my kitchen thanks to some handy shelves from Ikea.

Unfortunately it's not been dry enough to give my cast iron railings out the front a second coat of paint. I'm the only house in the road to retain them (according to the lady whose lived next door for 70 years most of them were melted down during the war), and they do look a treat now they've been painted.

With all that done, I've drafted an advert for the lodger, and will post it up on gumtree at the weekend. Off to see family on Thursday for a few days.

ultrarunner

Wow a while since my last post... feels like a lot has happened at since, mainly involving work and college however, lots of hours at the grindstone :-(

Anyway I have a lodger moving in on Saturday, she answered my ad, came round for a chat at the weekend, and we got on well, which is a good sign. It will be nice (and new) to have someone else around having lived on my own for the last 5 years.

The extra income should fund the various improvements (aiming to start work on the back garden before Christmas, replacing fence, doing some more paving and a few other bits and pieces). Speaking of Christmas all presents bought and wrapped so that's one thing off my mind.

Must be time for bed, I'm shattered.

ultrarunner

Morning all, gosh it is cold.

Stuck on the train for 3 hours yesterday, I will get a 1 day refund on my season ticket next time which will be very nice.

Overpaid 3/4 of the lodger's rent into the mortgage, a nice little Christmas present for the mortgage!

All going swimmingly with her so far.

I have had to adapt the timer on the heating a bit, starting it an hour earlier and finishing an hour later, as she is finding it a little cold, but that's part of living with someone, having to compromise.

I will probably fit some radiator foil in her room (and around the rest of the house) to keep the warmth in, and investigate getting some lined curtains (currently it is a thin unlined curtain) as well.

Mortgage_Reduction_Novice

Not sure about the foil for the rads but some thick lining or a blind behind a curtain definitely helps.

I hope lodger is also compromising and putting an extra layer on before asking for longer hours with heating!

ultrarunner

yeah she's not walking around in a t-shirt and shorts, she's got on a few layers and slippers etc

ultimately i'd rather have her happy and here long-term, and a few extra pounds on the heating each month over the winter is better than a month's void.

it is also -7 in the night at the moment!

ultrarunner

Feels like I'm perpetually spending money... another £30 tonight on things for the back garden, I'm making a start on it this weekend. New fence on one side and at the back (it's rotten at the side and at the back it is just a screen), laying another patio and prepping the ground for turfing.

The cost of it all is one thing, but what scares me the most is having to carry a delivery of approx 1.5 tonnes into back garden!

Fortunately my mate will do most of the heavy work and I will do a small amount of donkey work

Mortgage_Reduction_Novice

ultrarunner wrote: »

New fence on one side and at the back (it's rotten at the side and at the back it is just a screen), laying another patio and prepping the ground for turfing.

You might get out of this if the ground is frozen this weekend!!!

ultrarunner

worse luck the forecast is good

ultrarunner

So the garden project... well 2 days in, I have a skip full of old fence and soil. Also have the mass of ivy on the old fence disposed of.

Concrete path dug up and smashed with the sledgehammer and paid in the trench for the patio, to be filled with type 1 ballast tomorrow and compacted with a wacker plate.

New fence marked out and posts set. Tomorrow the new fence and gate should be in situ, and then it's time to get the cement mixer on the go and get that patio laid.

So far it's been time consuming, messy and physical, but we're getting there. It all involves spending money unfortunately, but the previous garden was a mess and a very inhospitable environment, hence hardly using it last year. It will be worth it in the long run.

January's credit card will be interesting, with the garden costs as I also bought an annual season ticket to work, this is approx £2200, and saves about £500, also it was bought at 2012 prices :-)

ultrarunner

Merry Christmas all.

My garden is complete, I now have a fully functioning fence and gate, and a lovely patio area as well to sit out in. Still much more to do to it but they are all jobs which don't cost much or take long. Currently the area which will eventually be turfed is like the Somme. It will be dry soon I hope.

Checked my credit card balance - well over 3k(!), but it is interest free until next November so plenty of time to pay it off. The lodger's rent and some money I got at Christmas will be targeted towards this.

Back in work today and it is so quiet!