Challenge of a lifetime!

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

:T:T:T:j:j:j:j:j:T:T:T

Fab news about your mortgage

I'm finding our house really empty without a lodger, and bear in mind we have two cats, two huge hounds and two kids, as well as Mr T, that probably sounds quite mad

Tilly x

cotswoldaccountant

Oh I quite agree Tilly - while I always enjoy the first few days of having a lodger-free house, it then starts to feel quite empty! Our current lodger is a bit forgetful in the kitchen, and not a day goes by without her leaving her dinner in the Aga or a cup of tea on the side. It is becoming a running joke, and helps to make the house a happy place to live.

Barbeduk

Hi, Just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed reading your diary. Made me laugh that you were sacked by the cleaner as it happened to us too! A blessing as I'd get totally stressed trying to tidy up for her arrival so now we just live in squalor

It's amazing how much you're saving in interest just by changing providers which has made me even more determined to remortgage once loan has reduced. I think we fall foul of income multiples at the moment due to a fall in business profit.

Have a lovely weekend with the kids. It's free listings on ebay and I really should try and get rid of some stuff . .

cotswoldaccountant

Hi Barbeduk,

Thanks for following my diary! I don't get to update it as often as I would like as am just too busy, but I do find it very motivating when I do!

Thanks for the reminder about Eb@y free listings - I must prompt OH as he has a very old computer hanging about which usually sells reasonably well on Eb@y.

Even though our five year fix has cost us a lot of money over the years, I don't regret taking it out in the slightest - it was helpful to know how much we would be paying each month (rather than the risk of a variable rate), and we moved into this house just before the house price crash in 2007. If we'd had a two year fix, we would never have been able to remortgage when it was up, as OH is a contractor and our income would have been considered just too risky. Buying this house stretched us hugely, and I used to have nightmares over the size of the mortgage for the first few months. As with all things though, we gradually got used to it and relaxed a bit as we steadily made inroads into the capital. But I am very pleased to finally be out of it and on a much more competitive rate!

CA

Barbeduk

It's funny isn't it, you always learn to live with higher outgoings. We've been really lazy financially over the past 6 years but all that has changed now and we're getting back on track.

Can't interest DH into getting a lodger though, and it would mean daughter would lose her nice big room too!

Enjoy Mother's Day.

cotswoldaccountant

Oh I am enjoying this decluttering. I presented OH with his "box of wires" - does everyone's husband have one of these? For a non-materialistic man, he is very attached to what looks like complete junk, and in half an hour it has been streamlined to a very small selection. The trick was making him go through the "stuff to keep" one more time - it halved again! No dear, we don't need to keep a remote control for the video player that died 5 years ago...

Sadly, only one wire found which was worth eb@ying - and if it sells it will earn us about £1.50!

gallygirl

cotswoldaccountant wrote: »

if it sells it will earn us about £1.50!

_party__party__party__party__party_ Which will knock how many months off your mortgage :rotfl:. It does all add up though. An OP of 1k is only 667 £1.50's (shame his box wasn't bigger ).

Jevvers

cotswoldaccountant wrote: »

I presented OH with his "box of wires" - does everyone's husband have one of these?

Oh yes, in fact mine has several!

Hi CA, I've just read through your whole diary and subscribed. Very well done on your progress so far.

We have a large mortgage of £410k but since June last year we have been making some decent in-roads into it. However I want to get it down further so I am on the brink of starting a MFW diary too!

Best of luck
Jevvers

crossways

I have enjoyed reading your diary. I also have 4 young children and a holiday let. I am also making similar sized over payments!

cotswoldaccountant

Hi Jevvers and Crossways,

Thanks for reading! Always nice to come across people who have similarly large mortgages. Crossways, do you have a diary? I have found your diary Jevvers and am about to have a read.

This month has been a bit slow in terms of incomings so not much made in overpayments. Usually I have invoices due for my accountancy work and money coming in from the holiday let throughout the month, but most things seem to be up to date at the moment!

Sold some computer bits on Eb@y so I must remember to cash in the funds from paypal and OP that.

Feeling a little despondent today - the heating broke last night and it is FREEZING in the house. A plumber friend is coming to have a look this morning but he isn't corgi registered so I'm keeping fingers crossed that it is a pipe and not the boiler. The car is on the blink too, although only sporadically so not worth fixing at the moment. And we are supposed to be going up north for a few days - I had been really looking forward to it, but heavy snow is forecast all day so I don't even know if we will get there! Part of me thought that we should have paid less money off the mortgage and gone somewhere hot and far away for the holidays, instead of cheap but chilly UK!

Have a good Friday everyone!

CA