Ending 2013 with 348 payments to go

teabody

Hi,
Well having lurked for a little while I have decided to keep track of my progress trying to reduce my mortgage! I have spreadsheets galore and I am planning to live frugally in order to make life easier as we go along.
As the title suggests I have 348 payments to go which works out to around 29 years:eek:

However, like you all I intend for this to change dramatically by overpaying.....somehow.

I am married with two children and two step children. We have had flush times and tight times and tbh I have always been most happy (not any less stressed )when we have been stretched....strange i know. After working for a long time for a well known company, I am now an at home mom while the hubby earns the pennies.

I hate wastefulness and love to recycle....leading to a hoarding of sentimentality.

So as of this month I am set to help myself closer to a mortgage free future with hopefully the help of fellow mse mfw's.

So far I have started to do the 52 week challenge and will start the £365 in 365 days challenge on the 1st Jan. Any other saving suggestions are very welcome!

HelenDaveKids

My goal will be to make enough money through survey sites to pay for Xmas 2014.

If you love hoarding perhaps an ebay challenge? (or similar). I spent the first 6 months having a major clear out which was cathartic and also helped my MOP's.

The sealed pot challenge is another one but I struggle with that as my change always used to go on the kids school bus money.

chirpchirp

I've found the grocery challenge on the O/S board really focuses my mind not only on what I am spending on groceries but on spending full stop.

My bank also has an option which I have joined so if I spend £14.25 in Aldi, they take this from my account and put 75p in my savings account rounding up to the nearest pound. This happens every time I use my debit card.

I've also become a big fan of Quidco and received my first payment of £15.50 into my current account this week:T One of the things I have done on there is check my broadband etc and just re-did it with the same company adding in a tv package which actually means I pay the same amount for that as I did before and I got £48 cashback.

Message me if you want a referral link to quidco as they offer money for each referral or take a look on the referral board.

moneycurious

Morning, welcome sounds silly but just eBay and then having on line banking. That's how I have done it x

teabody

Thankyou all.
Chirp chirp i like the sound of your bank....who do you bank with? Thankyou for the quidco suggestion but I have an nus card which put me onto quidco last xmas, however I am glad you mentioned it as I forget to use it!!!!! Therefore I am going to post it note my laptop to remind me to go through it!
HDK - what do you try and aim for budgetwise? I like the idea of knowing that it could pay for xmas....i might try that! Also, i would struggle with the sealed pot challenge as I too use it for school bits and bobs....
Sounds like I am on the right track as I am addicted to online banking. I do try and sell online but inconsistently so i could work on that.
Being focused is so far what I can see you all are.....keep inspiring me and I promise to try and do the same.

glitterjunkie

Hi tea body and welcome. .. im new to this part of MSE too but everyone is lovely! Im just trying to stick to a set budget each month, making our OP's at the start of the month and then we will just have to live on what's left... I think this will make me moee creative with meals and less wasteful. Iim also trying to do as many money making ideas off here as I can eg switching bank accounts for the £100 first direct bonus which can go straight to n OP.

Good luck! X

chirpchirp

Hi Teabody, I'm also bad at remembering to use Quidco! As for my bank I bank with Lloyds as they have good interest rates on their vantage accounts. I'm far too loyal though, I hear the 123 Santander account is supposed to be very good value. I just can't bring myself to swap everything after 20 years with the same bank.

teabody

chirpchirp wrote: »

Hi Teabody, I'm also bad at remembering to use Quidco! As for my bank I bank with Lloyds as they have good interest rates on their vantage accounts. I'm far too loyal though, I hear the 123 Santander account is supposed to be very good value. I just can't bring myself to swap everything after 20 years with the same bank.

I have just swapped to the 123 as the cash back should add up and my mortgage is with them too so cash back on that as well, however I was hoping to be able to see my mortgage balance online....giving great satisfaction when overpaying but sadly my mortgage account is not one of the ones available to view!!!!!Hoping they will change this in the future!!! Will let you know how I get on with the new account though. I was with my previous bank for 14 years and rates used to be good but most recently it was costing me more than i was getting back.
I too, didn't want to swap so i have kept my old account and just set up the 123 as my bill paying account.:D

sleepygirl126

I like tilly tidying....taking your odd pennies and pounds from your bank account and OP them....I also do OnePoll and Yougov paid surveys

Good luck xx

teabody

Hi all, yes I will be starting this tillytidying as it seems to be a winner for many.
Today, my sil calls me to tell me the item i bought for hubbys xmas pressie priced £49.99 was slashed to half price so i abandoned my day in wrapping to go get a refund and rebuy! So now I am £25 better off!
I also signed up for adpoints last night.
I have transferred wk3 £3 of my 52 week challenge money today.
Also, will be looking at the sales for next years cards, wrapping and so on to get ahead....it really helped this year that I did a little last January. I will be keeping all the xmas cards we take down for craft stock for the kids so we can make homemade decorations etc. They seem to love this and keeps them occupied for ages!

teabody

YES! i overpaid by £500 earlier in the month and I received a letter today showing my new balance now under £89,000 so its a start!

Therefore my initial calculations were wrong - i have 336 payments to go so that is a little better! Still too many but i will get there!

I am baking today....my GIL's carrot cake....not sure how that will go but
we must try. Also, will start the christmas day cooking later as i am not planning to be over the stove all day tomorrow!

Merry Christmas all xx