Freedom At 50!

misscousinitt

Good Luck Dave.

MCI

southerndave

Hello MS peeps, I thought I'd poke my head round the door so don't shoot! Its been six months since I 'quit' the site and the MFBF challenge and lots has happened. I am still in the same job, just, but looking to change. I am still doing the odd bit of self-employed work. The OH is still doing the same things too.

Having stopped the penny pinching has anything changed financially? At first, wierdly, we actually spent less and saved more, but it was a false dawn. We got hit with expensive roof repairs to our garage after the storms. We had to spend out on some other house related work. The we replaced and our furniture and I swapped one Jag for another!

This month we reviewed our finances and no surprise to see we had slipped back to our old ways and spending as much as we are earning. So after a long think we have decided to bite the bullet and see this out to the bitter end. We are back on it and planning for a mortgage free future, sooner rather than later. Much is afoot behind the scenes and this time I am determined and feel much more positive in myself that we can, and will, do this.

Another little wake up was seeing Sweet Daisy's progress. When we started we were in very similar positions, and looking now it seem SD has pulled away from us at a rapid pace in the intervening months. I was shocked to see the difference not keeping our eyes on the ball can cost.

So in short, I / we are back! I have now got to catch up on the diaries of you fair folk for encouragement. I also need to recover our spreadsheets and spend this week working out where we are and where we need to be going. Calculator at the ready....

Alchemilla

Great to see you back. Did the break do you good?

gallygirl

Seconded! Welcome home .

sweetdaisy

southerndave wrote: »

Another little wake up was seeing Sweet Daisy's progress. When we started we were in very similar positions, and looking now it seem SD has pulled away from us at a rapid pace in the intervening months. I was shocked to see the difference not keeping our eyes on the ball can cost.

I feel now!

It's great to see you back Dave .

You are right, I have made some progress but it may stall a little if things change on the job front, so you have a chance of catching me up! The way I see it is that had I not started my MFW journey, our mortgage won't be paid until 2026 and I can't wait that long to be MF .

misscousinitt

Welcome back Dave.

MCI

Watty1

Welcome back. Surprising how the diaries here really help hold the focus ...

Fortune_Smiles

Nice to see you back Dave.


Fortune x

southerndave

Thanks all for the welcome back. Will write something more interesting over the weekend when I have more time.

southerndave

Hopefully if I have done it right, my signature should be back. As you can see from the last two months figures, were we have taken our eyes of the ball we live to our earnings rather than make the effort to stay well under them. Still a little came off, but not good enough and the repayment date based on Daisy's spreadsheet has gone from a best of June 2024 to January 2025, a 7 month slip back.....:eek

Our planned finish date for the mortgage is December 2026, so we haven't lost all the gains we made, but you can see them slipping and its frightening. Going to have a mini-audit this weekend and look at reducing the outgoings again but more importantly increasing the income without doing hours and hours at bloody work - there must be a way. And we need to look at our transport as well.

More soon!