The march to financial freedom

beanielou

Finish garden & then you dont have to worry about it.
Life being to short & all that.

Ali-OK

We have a level garden base finally :j:j It's been a tough job as the higher level was thick clay, never been touched pre housing development (was a wood/wasteland 30 years ago but not greenbelt) and the lower level had to have 4" out in readiness too for type 1 sub base (I think its called that) for the artificial grass. Springy and Doodle have to investigate each new bit of dug earth, so that prolongs the dig :rotfl: As does tea and muffin breaks

Concrete fence posts and gravel boards arrived today. Just the pesky tree stump in the corner that is proving difficult - being axed out as it's huge and old. Earth mound has grown...I can just about get my car on the drive :eek: That's all being collected on Friday, in the meantime it's raising a few eyebrows from the neighbours, only one asking what we're up to though :rotfl:

The patio is going to get done too eventually with the side path and fencing bit updated too (of the unused detached side) - definitely not this week, be lucky to get the sleepers in place with LEDs in and the new fence bits (using current panels as in good condition). So got time to save a bit more for that. It'll all look fab when finished though and the garden already looks so much bigger and better. :j

Lilt I've learnt how to slice meat really thinly , goes alot further and serving up with 5 veggies, yorkies, stuffing and gravy to fill them up. Tonight was the stuffed pork and that was delicious too with LO tomorrow night . Another 18 muffins baked today, but a top up shop of £4.41 in Ald! for veg, lunchtime bread rolls and choc for the cakes. Did that as part of run to the Tidy Tip to save fuel/another journey, so I was embarrassingly grubby by then :eek:

Am in the office or client facing for the rest of the week, home inbetween times to keep up with the cooking.

Financials:
- bank account checked - Went below my £5k buffer due to IFA cheque cashed, so paid myself £1k from salary to self due on Friday to take it back over for the 4% interest.
- Regular Saver letter received - ends 11th June and can set another up.
- Inbox Pounds up at £12.84

I've had to make a strategic decision on the mortgage OP and lower that again to £760 - still a £90 OP. But with summer hols final payment to make in July and the garden costs, it makes sense to be cautious what I OP over the next few months.

Beanie - you're so right, life is too short not to enjoy and I'd rather invest £500 on a patio that will look good for the next 25 years than OP £500 this/next month to reduce the mortgage by 2 weeks. Plenty of time to enjoy mortgage OP spreadsheet fiddling in my new garden that way Sometimes you have to put things into perspective and I'd really love it if gets done and Mum can come and enjoy a day here with her favourite lunch (salmon) for her birthday in August. That's my dream wish and aim at the moment and what the guys are doing their utmost to achieve. They work full time so this is a week of hols for them and then it'll be as many weekends as they can do until all done.

Loooong post...sorry. And bedtime for me too - all this fresh air supervising is tiring :rotfl:

Brogden

Exciting times Ali :beer: !!

When I had my damp course done you said it was an investment and money well spent and whilst I wanted to pay a debt, pay the pension or mortgage I knew you were right and everything feels better for it !!

Your project is a bit more fun than that but it's the same principle - it's improving quality of life and great when you can enjoy it with your mum. If you are still overpaying the mortgage (if only a bit) whilst you're doing this work you should be well and truly proud of yourself. :j.......and in addition you're in charge of your own business fortunes.......I wish I was !!

Well done Ali.

Broggers x

in_need_of_direction

Surprisingly, the man makes sense in what he says.

Ali-OK

Well I've changed the mortgage OP AGAIN :rotfl: Up this time to £780 :rotfl: It is addictive and almost as bad, is the not wanting to spend money out, so getting a bit of both balances things up.

Broggers - that's the words I couldn't find last night - 'investment and quality of life' - thank you :T. The garden is another room, as costly as refitting a bathroom if I was paying for labour. Let's hope we have a good summer so it gets plenty of use :beer: Furniture, BBQ, corner shed - they'll be another year or 2 away :rotfl:. Got the old patio set still and can sit on sleeper edges in the meantime

The tree trunk is out :T and now so are some fence panels and work on getting some posts and gravel boards in has started post lunch. There's a temporary fenced off area so the guys can work in peace and it stops Springy investigating next door's garden :rotfl:

I met my newest next door neighbour for the first time since she moved in 8 months ago! With staggered detached houses and neither of us having a front garden to tend as such, we've not bumped into each other until today. Lovely lady, retired, on her own but her children and grandchildren visit and have been doing her outdoor jobs for her. Filled her in on the works, apologised for noise etc - no problem, she was very nice about it :T

Off to reflexologist shortly, better wash my feet first - keep getting dry earth in shoes where I'm delivering mugs of tea outside :rotfl:

Was in the office this morning and got some work to do later on, so things still ticking over there. June *should* be busy, before the expected lull of July and August hits due to the holiday season.

I'll update the running commentary later :rotfl:

liltdiddylilt

Lovely to hear all this activity abounding Ali Always nice when you can *see* things taking shape

Reflexologist sounds heavenly. I've been put forward for 20 free classes of goodness knows what with my local health authority. Pilates or something. I will take whatever they give! She also gave me a recommendation for a local homeopath/acupuncturist and sports massage therapist who, like me is hypermobile, and suffers with chronic pain so shes more of a lifestyle coach. That isn't by any means close to free :eek: so will be holding off osteo appointments until I have figured out what works best for me!

Hooray for a busy June and some much needed down time for you the following couple of months!! xx

Ali-OK

Garden is definitely taking shape - well we have 3 concrete posts in and 2 gravel boards. The amount of concrete used by the builders originally is huge, so that is being got out by use a 17kg breaker (means nothing to me but took 2 hours on one post :eek:). Not sure all the fencing bits will get done by the end of the weekend.

Garden work seems to be catching on with the neighbours as well, delighted the house and garden side on to me had their conifers reduced by 4ft today as I now have good light coming into one of the kitchen windows :j. Makes such a difference.

Most news to update on is my health - chest x-ray result shows what they believe to be 'features of COPD' so referral for tests to see if I do/don't have it but my peak flow was 410 vs 450 average for my age/height which is not too bad considering I've been unbalanced/weak /lazy/asleep :rotfl: since last August. A ton of blood tests today for:

- FBC - full blood count
- Ca125 - for ovarian cancer/tumor markers
- U&E&C - for urea, electrolytes and metabolism
- eGFR - for kidney function
- Iron studies and ferritin
- RBS - random blood sugar
- CRP - Protein
- TFTs - Thyroid (4th one in 9 months!)
- Cal/Vit D - calcium and vitamin D

Well if that lot doesn't show something I'd be surprised. I've pain and problems somewhere between eating/drinking and it coming out the other end :rotfl: hence that little lot. All came about after a partner GP phoned me with the chest x-ray result and we got chatting - well I chatted, he listened and tapped away on his keyboard "I'll leave notes for Dr X as you're seeing him....". Feels like a leap in progress and back in 2 weeks for results - let's hope if they find something it's treatable/curable

In the meantime, I need to get fitter whilst I feel pretty well, so a plan of exercise bike and swimming (not at the same time :rotfl:) is forming. I started with painting 2 fence panels between work and dinner tonight

Mortgage capital payment is still at £780 going tomorrow - decision finalised Must remember to phone them at 8am tomorrow and update here :j One of my fave posts and get to update my sig too

Bed in the meantime as still need to get up at 6am!

Hope everyone is doing ok and I am trying to work my way around diaries to catch up.

AlexLK

I'm glad to hear the garden is taking shape.

Sorry to hear your health news but I hope it turns out to be nothing serious.

Ali-OK

Don't think much will happen in the garden today...it's raining here and due to be heavy until lunchtime. Grab lorry is due to collect Mount Everest from the driveway though :j

It's Mortgage Capital Payment Day :j £780 gone to the Spanish Bank and scores on the doors:

Down from £119,550 to £118,770

OP amount £112.90, Total OPs £3,068.25
Now at 4.72 months off end date (every little helps )
% Paid - up from 10.41% to 11.00%
LTV - drops from 45.98% to 45.68%, I own 54.32% of my house!

I'm hitting the small part, so the numbers are:

£95,550 - same as last month
£24,000 - now at £23,220

I've an extra spreadsheet (surprise, surprise :rotfl:) which also tracks interest saved over the original term - that's at £1,830.85 - averages £100 per month saved as it's 18 months since I started doing it :j

Off to update sig and then make the phone call at 8am

Great way to end the week :T Happy Friday everyone

Brogden

Wishing you the best for the results Ali. If they're doing their job properly they will cover absolutely every tiny possibility which has to be best thing to do, even if the list looks a bit long......it's just strike 'em off when they don't apply .

Broggers x