The march to financial freedom

supersaver1000

Excellent news :T:T:T:beer::j:j:D:D:D

millionaire_in_training

Ali, fantastic news re car. Let the next chapter begin

beanielou

Great news for you :J :j :j

Ali-OK

Thank you ladies :j

I'm staying grounded until the balance is paid and banked, after the previous chap's antics. So the plan is to bank the deposit tomorrow and pay what I planned to the CC when the online statement lands (should be the 3rd). Once I have the balance safely in the bank, then I have a decision to make - to either spread the payments to the CC over the remaining months of it as it's 0% until February or to pay it all off.

I'm tempted to spread it so I earn extra interest in the bank account and it'll provide the added motivation to carry on decluttering and earning the extras bits and pieces. I'll be 'debt neutral' that way.

In post 46, I noted the car value at a guesstimate of £5k - I've sold it for £6,250. With the debt stood at £4,274, and after the CC payment of £424 already budgeted this month, I'll have a surplus of £2,400. I also still have my £3k emergency fund.

I'm already overpaying the mortgage with the spreadsheet showing an ambitious 9yr 9mth plan - down from 13yr 9mths - I am going to stick with that.

I want to increase my income from my business and that means growing it and working more hours and widening the radius I currently travel within as well as needing a slightly more professional set up with meeting space.

This is now becoming a real possibility as DS is nearly 14 and could have a key to let himself in after school, a mobile phone so we can communicate (he's refused to have one up until now!) and during school hols he could stay home alone for periods of time (not all day, every day) - he's outgrown the Clubs he's always gone to and it would save me 60 miles a day and fuel taking and collecting him from Mum's.

So I think I am going to start looking at office space close to home so I can hold meetings there and be properly set up. My client base is growing and crucially, I'm working with a network of people that is leading to work with bigger companies and bigger projects of higher value. The surplus money will provide the springboard to do this safely, as well as I'll be able to save what was the CC monthly payments.

Edited to Add: Is this a sensible plan? I think it is, but want to be realistic too.

But let's get the car balance first and the empty garage - that opens up a whole other decluttering exercise which I'm excited about too.

Financials so far today:
- bank account checked - mortgage capital £775 goes out tomorrow
- Nectar card value - up to £64.62
- Inbox Pounds - up to £12.00 exactly
- Qmee - another 10p this morning

BBQ was fab yesterday though my shoulders ached badly as I was Chief Washer Upper several times over and DB's sink is set back too far and low in their worktop (weird I know).

Filled up with personal use petrol and after using the voucher, spent £39.14.

I caught up on all work stuff yesterday and June is looking pretty good for work scheduled and income wise thus far.

Today, it's housework and cutting the grass AGAIN! Is it really 2 weeks since I last did it? :eek: Still, beautiful sunshine here and a forecast 22C - last blast in the sports car perhaps and being outdoors to make the most of it.

supersaver1000

Sounds fab to me. My 14 year old appreciates being trusted. Exciting times ahead. You seem to be in a really great place all round, hopefully I will be there one day soon.

. Have a great day

in_need_of_direction

Hi. Just popped over to thank you for your words of encouragement and have been reading. Do you have a close at hand business centre where you can book rooms rather than taking on premises. You could use it as a correspondence address and for phone messages too creating the illusion without the overhead.

Ali-OK

supersaver1000 wrote: »

Sounds fab to me. My 14 year old appreciates being trusted. Exciting times ahead. You seem to be in a really great place all round, hopefully I will be there one day soon.

. Have a great day

Things feel like they are finally coming together. Going SE was a huge risk with being a single parent, but with the debt built up from doing it coming to an end, it feels like it has all been worth it. I'm not frightened of a challenge, but I do worry myself sick. I don't want that level of worry anymore, I'm too old for that :rotfl:

Great to hear your experience with your 14 yr old. DS is incredibly sensible, he'd only miss waitress service for his lunch :rotfl:

in_need_of_direction wrote: »

Hi. Just popped over to thank you for your words of encouragement and have been reading. Do you have a close at hand business centre where you can book rooms rather than taking on premises. You could use it as a correspondence address and for phone messages too creating the illusion without the overhead.

Hi INOD, hope things look brighter with you today.

That's a fantastic idea - thank you. I know there is a local managed office building with lots of one (wo)man bands located there (about 1 mile away). I will have to investigate what they offer. I've not looked at or researched anything as yet, so starting from a blank piece of paper and open to all solutions (cost effective ones of course )

Mysteek

Hi, just popped over to thank you for your support its most appreciated. And well done for getting DF, you've done it before you can do it again. Good luck, I'll be following you too

Ali-OK

You're very welcome Mysteek. I'm within touching distance of being debt free again with the sports car sale (long story short - I have 2 cars - one I changed in March and moved to the business, the other now sold, subject to balance payment and collection). I'll still be here though.

I think Chapter 2 will be "I like Trekking" a spin on a reference to the Not The 9 o'clock News song that got me hooked on that gang of peeps and in particular, Griff Rhys-Jones who is a car enthusiast - though he's got a McLaren F1 which I'd never even want!

I'll be changing the pace from marching, as the trek is going to take me to a wonderful place called mortgage freedom. . They'll be brief rest points along the way (aka treats), smooth terrain and faster progress (extra overpayments) and rough and rocky ground where I might get stuck a bit (SE income low or large needed expenditure).

Not having taken a gap year (I promised myself I'd do this when I retire), this is going to be my fantasy travel around the globe. I could also get fed up with trying to find puns and funny stuff and it becomes boring and a 'send you to sleep' read. :rotfl:

* * *

Back to reality and shock, horror (please make sure you're seated ) DS has cut the grass. :eek: For a first effort with a tutorial, he's done a great job and was only motivated by the shiny £2 dangling infront of his eyes. :rotfl:

Lunch is LO BBQ meat from yesterday, with some new pots and coleslaw I'd already got in the fridge.

in_need_of_direction

Sounds like child exploitation.