Countdown to Freedom

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Afternoon, I can't believe it is Thursday tomorrow. Yet another week races by. Lodger payments all in and accounted for. My food plan and budget seems to be working well and yesterday DH purchased dog food on line with 5% off and has a £10 voucher ready for the next in store dog food purchase.

I am contemplating opening a halifax account for the £5 per month benefit. I would like to be able to put the £60 aside for a treat for DH. He is so patient and tolerant that I think a bit of a treat is in order and that won't cost us anything. OR should I jut OP it..........?

Not sure whether it is OK to open the account now, or whether it should wait until after FD mortgage completes, so I need to look into that. Certainly don't want to damage any credit rating by opening something else.

All in all a good day. New door now fitted so looking quite smart, however, has highlighted the fact that a bit of painting is required to bring the room up to scratch. A job for the New Year perhaps.....

I saw the sleeping bags on the grabbit board with Tes@o, so have ordered 2 x extra light, plus 2 x liners for just over £12. Excellent bargain and ideal for all the kids activities next year. We currently have one which is around 20 years old and quite heavy so a bit difficult to manage when doing DoE hikes etc, so these will be fab.

I have to stop now as I have managed to screw the keyboard on the iPad and it's in two halves of the screen now !!,'
Tilly

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Hey, I figured out how to get the keyboard right - marvellous.

No DH to make a cuppa at present and it never tastes the same if you make it yourself. Sounds like a decaf coffee is in order.

Having an evening of spending diary, credit card and bank statement checking - never let it be said that the Tilly household can't rock with the best of them.

Best wishes Tilly

Imelda

oooh how did you do that to the keyboard, and more importantly- how do you fix it? DH has an iPad, I am rarely allowed to touch it and I just know this is the sort of thing I would manage to do!

I would avoid opening the Halifax account until your mortgage is sorted- I am cautious where these things are concerned and wouldn't want anything to flag up and ruin any chances of getting the mortgage I want. Having the reward money as a treat sounds lovely, I am sure your DH would be very pleased (although I think he should then set one up too and treat you with the reward money too!)

I *steal* all my DH's change that he leaves around the house (he says coins ruin his suits) and save it up. When it gets to a good amount I usually spend it on something useful like our car insurance <yawn>. This year I got DH the iPad- he was absolutely over the moon! He travels a lot for work (we both do) and had just one laptop so we would often fight over it. I have an iPhone 4 and so it's great that we can facetime- saves money on our international calls too.

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Hi Imelda, our lives sound similar. I have no clue how I did it, but if you swish your fingers apart from each other on the keyboard, it splits into two. To bring it back again you swish outside fingers to the middle and ........voila ......one keyboard.

I think you are right about the other bank account. DH and I have chatted tonight and bth think we will wait but will apply if the offer is still running in March. I hadn't thought about is both having one, but that sounds like a good plan.

Many thanks for dropping by and any more suggestions gratefully received.

Best wishes Tilly

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Evening all, tonight we have pre paid the BT line rental by cashback credit card, for the annual line rental. Please don't anyone tell me I should have gone through TCB or Quidco, I never thought to check. So that's a saving of circa £50 for FY12. Thanks Martin.......

Have also bought a £25 iTunes gift card for £20 from the Co-Op - thanks grabbit board.

Also bought tickets to the theatre from another thread on the grabbit board, so thats in readiness for Moms birthday early next year.

It does feel like a lot of spending now, but it will save money for things we needed to buy early next year anyway.

All receipts, spending diary, bank accounts, credit cards reconciled and rubbish destroyed. Feels fantastic as even 3-4 months ago, I would have left them accumulating. It feels tremendously liberating to know it's under control.

So a big thank you to MSE MFWers for the guidance and tips gleaned as they are really paying dividends.

Best wishes to all
Tilly

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Good morning, brain feeling absurdly wide awake and buzzy today. Focus for today is to ring FD as we have a few questions. We completed most of the formal application last night for the mortgage, and will complete it today.

I am going to check redundancy insurance company to verify the level of cover we have at present. I will do the same with the decreasing cover also.

I can't recall whether I posted previously but we had not realised that we could pay the content/bldg insurance for our place abroad, annually rather than monthly, and thats another £20 saved.

Although the numbers are not significantly high, adding up savings on dog food, insurances, landline brings us close to £100 and that is significant. It's the continued focus required, and frankly remembering to do all these steps when we are all busy, part of the good habits needed I guess. We both feel that we are making our money work more though, which is the key.

Looking at the size of our mortgage I do wonder whether it will ever really reduce, but do know that real inroads will start from the first FD payment next March. :j:T:j. We both are looking forward to seeing the back the Spansh bank, who have frankly driven us made over the last couple of years.

Just realised the last paragrah sounds a bit low and I guess that shows that I am worrying. Roll on March 2012.

Wishing you all a fab MFW day.

Tilly

lulabelle1

Hey Tilly, stay positive, I know it seems like an eternity away at the moment (I am feeling this way myself), but I'm sure it will come round soon enough... let's just make sure to enjoy and have fun along the way and not worry about it all too much...... Easier said than done I know, and I'm exactly the same!!

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Morning LB, I think we have the same goal now MF for Dec 2016. I haven't updated my sig as it sounds too scary but the spreadsheets say it is achievable.

I think just occasionally a wave of 'aaaaggggghhhhhh' comes over us, and I think from reading the diaries we are all in the same boat. The mega positive aspect is we are all focussed and willing to give it our best shot. This site really does inspire doesn't it.

All the best Tilly

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Morning, right, decreasing term assurance reviewed and as we have reduced the term so much, means a requote for new term length and value required. As both of us are well insured through work, am prepared to reduce the value IF it makes a difference to the monthly payments.

I have checked the mortgage protection scheme if made redundant and it pays out for 12 months for the right amount. I will keep this going until the first anniversary of the mortgage but in March 2013 will cancel. As by then I can have accrued sufficient funds to pay our own redundancy cover. That provides circa £180 ish per month for OPs. My DH did think it may be worth carrying n but as we are on such a swift journey, this extra payment makes a material difference to our MF date.

DH is calling BT to make sure that as we have now prepaid is taken into account with billing - just being proactive instead of trying to have this corrected later.

That's all for now. Hope everyone is safe and sound given the lovely weather we are having - it's blowing a right old gale here.

Best wishes Tilly

lulabelle1

Tilly - just noticed, you now have 2 stars!!!!!!