Trying to make my dreams a reality!!

coldcazzie

pink_poppy wrote: »

Woohoo that is most definitely an impressive OP ~ well done!! :T

I second that - well done!:j:j

Peonie

Hi, I've read your diary from the start and wanted to say I have enjoyed it; your meals sound delicious. Is having one car going well? Did your OH want to change your car? Are you close to reaching a mortgage milestone? Sorry about all the questions.

icontinuetodream

pink_poppy wrote: »

Woohoo that is most definitely an impressive OP ~ well done!! :T
Well done on giving up the ciggies ~ good for wealth & health Do you feel better for it??

In all honesty....no!!!:eek: I am happy that I am not smoking anymore, but only from the financial point of view It's something I really enjoy, however bizarre that sounds, and giving it up isn't what I would have done if it were not for the MFW road...... I am sure that in a couple of months, I will feel healthier, but at the moment, I can't feel any difference

coldcazzie wrote: »

I second that - well done!:j:j

Thank you!!:D It won't be anything close to it for the rest of the year, but having made such a great start will hopefully keep me motivated......:A:rotfl:

Peonie wrote: »

Hi, I've read your diary from the start and wanted to say I have enjoyed it; your meals sound delicious. Is having one car going well? Did your OH want to change your car? Are you close to reaching a mortgage milestone? Sorry about all the questions.

More than happy to answer any questions Peonie!! One car is GREAT!!!! OH is actually enjoying being driven around....it works really well on all fronts to be honest...... my car is in pretty good condition considering the amount of miles I have done since I first got it, so no pressure to change etc He isn't really a car enthusiast anyway - although, if it is his car he does like to have a few gadgets!! I haven't hit any mortgage milestones yet because I haven't actually set any ....I am waiting for my mortgage statement to come in this month (wish it would hurry up, the suspense is killing me!!;)) and will probably set some goals from that....I have a quarterly target which I want to hit and am almost at 50% of that already because of this month's mega payment, so I suppose my first one will be getting to the quarterly target before the end of the quarter!!

My fixed deal ends at the end of July, I am hoping to go for an offset mortgage for my next deal and am looking to have 5k by then if I can.....(I am actually sneakily hoping that I will have 10k but I have no idea how I can achieve that!!:eek::eek::eek:)

Anyhoo.....I just want to take the opportunity to say....Thanks to you all for dropping by and keeping me on the straight and narrow....you have no idea how much your support is helping me!!:beer::D

icontinuetodream

Another £81.20 to the mortgage today :j Brings my Jan total to over £2k which is nothing short of miraculous to be honest!!!

I really wish that I was able to keep it up, but I know that this is going to be the best month this year However, it is a massive dent in my original target (actually, although my 'official' target is 5k, it started at 3600 so pretty pleased really!!:D)

This months money has been pretty easy to find due to overtime and backpay....obviously, this is a one off and its going to be harder to motivate myself when the gains will be so much smaller in future months, but I guess that I will have to just dig in deeper...:eek:

Anyhoo....wasn't on the boards yesterday as I spent the day cleaning the house, sorting part of the garden and sorting myself!! I had a really nice day yesterday, despite it being busy and am looking forward to spending today feeling smug!:rotfl:

I am cooking soup for dinner tonight, I want something that is really quick to do as I recorded all the Sherlock trilogy over the last few weeks and intend to overdose on them later!!:rotfl:

Hope you all have a lovely, moneysaving day!!:wave:

LavenderBees

Fantastic overpayment. Well done you on using it for your mortgage :T

icontinuetodream

LavenderBees wrote: »

Fantastic overpayment. Well done you on using it for your mortgage :T

Thank you!! How's the 'no drinking & no carp' coming on? I think your weekend drinky is acceptable in our challenge....wouldn't want to spoil all your fun!!:rotfl:

Eagerly awaiting my mortgage statement still....:mad: so have spent some time trying to come up with a 'best guess-timate' so to speak.... I think I am looking at around £62150 when it comes in..:eek: which is going to be a scary amount to clear in such a short amount of time....however, it has really given me a bit of a reality check which I think I needed to be honest

Okay...bearing soul...essay time is upon us (tune out at this point if you want...I won't be offended!!:D)........

I have been strangely fighting the changes over the past week or so....starting to feel a bit resentful in a way, but not enough to stray off course as such.....just enough to prevent me from really committing to this in a whole-hearted fashion

I am really pleased with what I have acheived this month but I think that because I have exceeded my target this month, I have wasted money that I could have thrown to the cause. I could have done better - I have spent money on total rubbish and I could have probably knocked an additional £150 off if I am honest which would have made a lot of difference over the long term. :mad:

I don't know if that makes sense to anyone else, but I am not shocked that I have reacted like this....resentment spending is not a new phenomenon in my life....:o

Okay, miserable stuff done with....promise!!

thankfully, today has been spent truly realising what I have taken on -challenge wise -and looking at the difference that I can make with every penny I save towards it. I am also grateful that I have experienced this rebellion so early in the MFW journey while I still have the upper hand!!

So, tomorrow is another day, but this time, I am hitting it with real enthusiasm, determination and positivity. Whatever I have done wrong over the past few weeks, won't be repeated and everything I do to further my goals will be celebrated with entirely guilt free and MSE rewards :j

Other good news - checking my figures today I realised that I have only a couple of hundred pounds to go now before I hit my quarterly target!! :T I am really shocked about that.....proves how bad my maths is!! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

icontinuetodream

Mortgage statement is finally in :j

My mortgage is now £61340.87 This time last year is was running at £66601.43, we paid £3333.65 in interest in 2010 and only £2539.44 in 2011.

My official end date is July 2024. I intend to do it by Jan 2015...

Basically, I have to pay £23k per annum over the next three years to pay off my mortgage - thats £1917 per month :eek: I can currently- if I really stretch it - get to £1232 and I have no idea how I can make the additional £685 per month _pale_

I have no intention of getting another job as I value the time I have at home and I have done the garden to ensure that I enjoy it.... that's definately one thing I am not willing to give up or compromise on I will just have to see how it goes, I will hopefully have some good months (like this one!!) which will help even things out and I now know that reaching this goal is not just a case of stretching myself, I have to be truly inventive

Knowing what I know now, having not made as much effort as I should have done this month, I am disappointed with myself. However, I am also enthused as I know that I am unlikely to feel complacent again now that I really know what I am tackling....I have to make sure that I put every penny I possibly can into this to make it work.....:o

So far this month, I have made over my monthly target.....[STRIKE]and I may still have some to add to that[/STRIKE]... :T Have just got some rent from lodger so have added £115 to the OP pot...total for the month now is £2184.28 :j:j:j

ETA - got new car insurance today...went through quidco, paid up front and got cheaper by £100 plus £80 cash back!! :j:j:j Also have £27.93 on the way from Amazon, plus have just dispatched another couple of books which will net me an additional few quid :T

coldcazzie

That's amazing! well done! And extra well done on the car insurance too! :j:j:j:j

Peonie

An £800 reduction in interest in comparison to 2010 is brilliant. I am in awe of your challenge to find an extra £685 a month.

If I can be cheeky, what is your normal monthly repayment?

Please do not be disappointed with your payment this month - it's over £2,000 and you have said at a stretch you could pay £1232; making your payment this month amazing.

icontinuetodream

coldcazzie wrote: »

That's amazing! well done! And extra well done on the car insurance too! :j:j:j:j

Thank you!!

Peonie wrote: »

An £800 reduction in interest in comparison to 2010 is brilliant. I am in awe of your challenge to find an extra £685 a month.

If I can be cheeky, what is your normal monthly repayment?

Please do not be disappointed with your payment this month - it's over £2,000 and you have said at a stretch you could pay £1232; making your payment this month amazing.

Thanks Peonie! My normal monthly payment £543 - I have redone my maths and I realised that I have overestimated the additional OP I need to find by £100 I actually need to find - on top of my already stretching target - an additional £580.20 every month.....still :eek: but at least slightly better!!:rotfl:

So, now that I have recovered from my very sharp intake of breath...... my monthly OP has to be £1373.80. Interesting is not the word!!!!!:eek::eek::eek:

This really is scary stuff and, if I am totally honest, I have no idea how on earth I am going to acheive it......the only thing I can do is get as close to it as I possibly can every month and hope that I can, at the very least, make a massive dent in the mortgage by Jan 2015 :beer: