Juicygirl's forever home but NOT forever mortgage diary- Take 2,

juicygirl

Hi all,

I joined this forum early last year. The previous thread I started can be viewed here:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3047316

I allowed this thread to disappear into oblivion as the many challenges of 2012 ( some wonderful, some not so) meant the mortgage was the last thing on my mind.

To summarise - our household consists of me, my hubby and our gorgeous baby boy (born summer 2012 after many difficulties - see previous thread!). I originally planned to start overpaying the mortgage due to the long term (35 years :eek:) and because I planned to return to work part time after baby ( go back next month )

However, shortly after the birth of our son my husband was diagnosed with cancer and our circumstances changed. I am happy to say hubby has now been given the all clear, although he will continually be monitored closely. We were very lucky to receive a payout on a critical illness policy that has allowed us to reassess our finances.

As a result we have:

1. Paid off loan to my parents who lent us deposit for our home
2. Paid off all credit card debts
3. Filled ISA's for this tax year
4. Paid maximum overpayment of 10% to mortgage for 2012 - ~£23k
5. Paid maximum overpayment of 10% to mortgage for 2013 - ~ £20k ( not updated in sig until shows on mortgage account)

On top of this we have £130k left which we are currently seeking financial advice for ( including pension advice for hubby). Our fixed rate is in up in 2014 and a large % of this will be used to reduce the mortgage further.

In the meantime I plan to save as much money as possible in order to overpay again in Jan 2014 before our fixed rate ends ( in case we decide to tie up the remaining money for longer).

I appreciate this is a rambling post so thank you if you are still reading! We are still trying to get our heads round all that has happened so this is merely the start of all the though processes that need to go on! Add to this that I am self employed so have no idea what I will be bringing in part time on my return to work!

Thoughts/suggestions/words of encouragement all welcome!

Oh and Happy New Year!

Courgette

Hi Juicygirl - welcome back! What an eventful couple of years for you! Great news about your husband though and of course on your very successful ivf

nattypants

Happy New Year juicygirl (I'm already jealous of your username:))

I'm glad to hear that your husband has made a recovery, this must have been a horrendous time for you both.

I promise I'll read through your original diary. However in the meantime all the very best, and talk again soon.

NP:D

juicygirl

Plans for Jan:

- send hubby to work with packed lunch every day
- start batch cooking again
- review all bills
- set up new saving account
- start shopping at cheapest supermarket again rather than home delivery from the more expensive one!
- no eating out
- have a clear out and sell stuff on EBay ( the amount of baby clothes hardly worn but outgrown is ridiculous!)


The next few months will be very tight as I won't see any income until end of March so will be mostly living off savings!

juicygirl

£200 transferred from maternity pay to savings account for future overpayment.

Called mortgage company to discuss reducing my term officially otherwise come March they say they will automatically reduce my monthly payment to keep the term the same!!! That is really annoyed me! Furthermore, to officially reduce the term they want £50!

Unfortunately, even with overpayments of £43k, reducing my term still would require an increase in monthly payment which we cannot afford at present. Going to call back and double check this tho - not sure if this takes into account the £20k payment I made on the 2/1/2013 as this hasn't yet cleared.

Big shop for the month tomorrow - returning to cheaper supermarket!

Lois_E

So sorry to hear what happened to your husband but v glad to hear he's doing so well. It's annoying that the mortgage provider is being so inflexible, though. Good luck with finding the best way forward for that.

juicygirl

Morning all,

Did my big supermarket shop yesterday and spent £82.37. Should cover most of what we need for month except fresh fruit and milk ( oh and nappies!) Much better than my home delivery shop from a rival store! 29p difference on a 4 pint carton of milk alone - daylight robbery!!

Got a preplanned afternoon out with friends for afternoon tea - £12.50. Hubby staying at home with baby so should be NSD there. No other plans for weekend except a nice walk tomorrow if it's dry so hopefully low or no spends again.

To do list:

- get paperwork together to complete application process for new savings account
- call mortgage company and recheck balance and see if possible to reduce term based on new figure
- reset heating timer, house is too warm as it has been so mild and heating on longer than is necessary at present
- get back into surveys, been neglecting these for ages
- make hubby list some items on eBay!

Have a great weekend everyone.

juicygirl

Woohoo! Am*zon selling success. Sold a few of hubby's Xb0x games, made around £20 in less than 24 hrs of them being listed! Will add this to the savings pot when the payment clears.

Other than that a quiet, no spending day. Had baby at swimming lesson this morning, all paid in advance then an afternoon of batch cooking baby food. I spend more time cooking for baby than I do for me and the hubby!

Off to check out my one poll account now....

juicygirl

A successful week of no spending for me. Plan to continue with this tomorrow and this will hopefully allow for another couple of hundred pounds to be transferred to the saving pot this month.

Been having a play with my new Kitchenaid - love it. Planning homemade pizza dough this week and then may venture into breadmaking. Would need to purchase cooking tins for this through. Hmmmm.

Apparently we're set for snow by Sunday but the forecast is good for tomorrow. Planning a long walk with this pram and will take a flask of coffee with us. Lovely!

Have a great weekend everyone!