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Mrs M's Mortgage Free Journey

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  • Oh my goodness 2 years since I have updated! I have now retired early as I moved from one very boring job to one much more interesting but oh so stressful. That will teach me. There was not even a significant pay increase. It ended up with me being prescribed antidepressants for depression and stress. In the end I was very lucky to be able to be in a position to walk away. I had done as I intended and saved my wages for 2 years and paid off a big chunk of the mortgage. This along with my CS pension when I get it in May will be equivalent to my monthly wage along with the reduction in mortgage payment. I decided to have a small-offset montage over 2 years instead of pulling all my savings to pay it off.I had intended to work until May but decided I could not stand it any longer.
    Therefore I will be saving as much as I can come May not to have to draw a lot of my savings out of my isa. In the meantime I have some savings squirrelled away I am dipping into. Now I have plenty of time on my hands I have started running. I do the park run every Saturday and I am doing the couch to 5 k in the week. Really enjoy doing this for me. Would not of done it if I was working as by the time I was home and the job had zapped all life out of me it just wouldn’t of happened. This week I am off on a weeks holiday with friends. Only a cheap week in Spain. Looking forward to it. So to save money I have just painted my toe nails rather than pay to have it done. Last time put me off. Had a job to get it off and ended up having to go to a nail bar where the lady had to use what amounted to a industrial sander to get it off��.
    Have made a few challenges for the year.
    Read 10 books - nearly finished one.

    De cluttering 13 things taken to the charity shop so far.
    That’s about all for now. Won’t be leaving it for so long now.
    I
    2024 Decluttering 9353⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • Well another 5 months has passed. I feel so thankful for that cheap week away in February in Spain and then a few weeks later a week in Wales dog sitting. Just after that the world changed as we know it.
    I am now in receipt of my pension so that’s going into the offset account. Didn’t actually dip much into my savings whilst not earning so that was good.when lock down was on these pass few months we have ended up with more left at the end of the month. Always a good thing. Food has gone up a lot.I managed to get on line deliveries when I saw them and now have managed to sign up for delivery saver. We only replaced a few items that have packed up these last few month cats water fountain, electric hand mixer. Did buy some hair clippers for my son &husbands hair. Don’t think that they are going to go to the barbers again.Two happy clients and saved nearly the price of the clippers.I managed to have mine cut and coloured last week.
    On lock down spent loads of time in the garden and have grown carrots, onions, lettuce, potatoes, beetroot.Still trying to pay down the mortgage which now stands at £21832.
    Doing we’ll on the reading front nearly read 10 books!
    2024 Decluttering 9353⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • Jessy103
    Jessy103 Posts: 1,986 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Congrats! Sounds like time well spent 😀
    Mortgage Balance as of Jan 24 £36,500 Starting Mortgage Balance (June 2019) £72,000. 2024 Overpayment Challenge: Jan £558.40, Feb £588.11, Mar £497.32, Apr £593.46, May £388.11, June £1788.20, July £1288.11, Aug £1642.81, Sept £1020.37
  • What lovely weather. Just back from a cheap week away camping. Would normally go to Mallorca but Devon/ Exmouth this year. Dusted off the tent which we haven’t used for about 10 years. For my husband and I whole week including site came to £295. That was eating out in the evenings. We had breakfast and lunch at the tent. I did cook one night as normally I don’t eat out often. I look forward to the treat of eating out but quite often am disappointed especially as it’s no better than what I can make.The tent has now been waterproofed again and we have listed it for sale. It’s 6 berth 3 bedrooms as the children used to come so much too big now. Would love to save for a camper van. 
    I have now made up the money spent on the clippers as 6 hair cuts now completed.
    Three more books read. Have eaten some of our home grown veg 
    Money wise managed to sell an off cut of carpet left over from when we decorated the spare room.£15 made. Mortgage wise didn’t do an overpayment last month as stupidly paid the credit card bill twice. So should have double to overpay next week. Mortgage stands at £21731.
    2024 Decluttering 9353⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • LeighofMar
    LeighofMar Posts: 672 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper
    A camper van sounds wonderful. We love our mini travel trailer since it's just the two of us and we definitely cannot sleep on the ground. Your mortgage is so close to being paid off. That's wonderful. And congrats on early retirement. That sounds like a dream. 
    Mortgage start date Dec 2015 - $64,655.00
    Mortgage end date Dec 2045 - NOT!!!!
    Mortgage balance  - $4600.00
    Business Savings $43,310/100k
    Hope to be mortgage-free by end of 2023 
  • Wow must be time for a yearly update.
    Have upped the mortgage in order to buy a camper van. We have the van purchased just before Christmas. The conversion takes place April. Earliest slot high demand due to covid. We need to go in and discuss colours etc. This way we can have exactly what we want.We did hire one for a weekend in October so that way we could find out exactly what we wanted or didn’t want.
    last years figures.
    clothes (me) £200.97
    Food £5508.72 stupid amount. Trying hard this year to reduce.
    Petrol/diesel £863.84 half of the previous year spent. Thanks covid.
    New recipes 18. Have heaps of recipes torn out books to try.
    Books read 19
    Work on house £6360 nothing exciting driveway repaired had holes in and new guttering on front of house.
    Mortgage now stands at £46159  savings £44536.
    Trying to keep spending in control have conversion to fund. Putting in new sink in the kitchen this weekend then bit more painting and then kitchen completed. That makes the downstairs finished. Have all the bathrooms left to do and a couple of bedrooms. Never ends.My husband hopes to retire the end of next year so trying to cut costs as much as possible. So many of my husbands colleagues from when he was in the RAF have died this year. We want to enjoy the time we have left especially with the camper van.
    Take care out there everyone.

    2024 Decluttering 9353⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • newgirly
    newgirly Posts: 9,116 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Hi Mrs money penny, I’ve finally caught up with your dairy 😁 I didn’t know you had been around here so long! So much has happened the past few years and it was so sad you went through so much losing your mum and getting ill. I’m glad things have settled down a bit now and your are looking forward to the future and your camper van adventures, where are you planning to go first? 
    2022 MFW 67 - 33 month challenge to clear mortgage, currently month 19 🙂MFI3 No.12
  • Well done on getting to mortgage neutral Mrs M! I love that you’ve bought a camper, yes they are money pits but it will be brilliant once you can get away in it. Surely that’s what getting mf is all about, the doors it opens. 
    I did laugh reading your latest post about putting the sink in- I thought you meant in the camper and then I had to rerread when you mentioned the bedrooms upstairs 😂 
    MFW 2021 #76 £5,145
    MFW 2022 #27 £5,300 
    MFW 2023 #27 £2,000
    MFW 2024 #27 £2,875 / £3,600


  • Hi Newgirly & powerspower thank you for joining me. Newgirly we haven’t decided on where to go for our first trip yet or how long. I’m 60 in May so I think I should choose :) Somewhere near the coast I think. It will probably be for a long weekend. My husband is hoping to go to France with friends at the end of May on his motorcycle. Postponed from last year we shall have to see if travel is allowed. Thankfully I am on the mend and trying to enjoy life. My husband wants to retire next year he’s lost lots of friends recently not covid related and it makes you think.
    Ah Powerspower I can see where I confused you. I have a new sink now, however no water as my husband needs a pipe. Course he is out cycling at the moment went at 9.30 should be back before 2. Hopefully before the shop shuts at 4! He does loads of cycling did 10,000 miles on his bike (cycle) last year. Certainly more than we do in the car on a good year.
    Just used the last of the cheap veg I got at Christmas at 19p. I kept it in the shed. The potato’s have started to go but well worth the effort. Have a nice joint of beef in the slow cooker. Love a Sunday roast. Just need to make an Apple crumble. Have a good day everyone xx
    2024 Decluttering 9353⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • newgirly
    newgirly Posts: 9,116 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    You should definitely choose if it’s your birthday 😁 no idea where you are in the country, I think personally I’d choose Scotland 😬 
    2022 MFW 67 - 33 month challenge to clear mortgage, currently month 19 🙂MFI3 No.12
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