Dreaming of a new life in Norfolk.

norfolkdream

Had a load of questions set up for ringing Halifax today only to see they are closed today? DO they not know that people that are off today are trying to sort out their finances!!
I looked on my account online and saw that the 10% limit is worked out on the value on 1st Jan and not from the month/yr you started your fixed term. Its a good job I checked as I am £100 off that amount :eek: I do need to double check that amount.
Also I saw that my fixed term ends 31st October and not 31st Aug as I thought? I am not sure why as I started this in Sept 13?

Am still procrastinating sorting out my clothes today. I just know that getting them all out on the bed is going to look like a huge mountain and will be so time consuming. I did try and get some boxes for sorting out rubbish too but none available in the 4 shops I went to

norfolkdream

I managed to ring Halifax today, oh my days, the woman I got didnt have a clue, I firstly had to wait 7 minutes to get through to someone, then when I did all I asked was what do I have left on my 10% limit and to check when my term finishes. She put me on hold for another 5 minutes to look into this. Surely this is something quite simple? When she came back I asked her specifically what figure were they working off for my 10% and she kept saying the balance as of Jan 1st, I said I understand that but what was the figure and again she said the same thing. So I had to make it simpler for her and actually say on Jan 1st what was my balance, so she put me on hold again for another few minutes! I then asked what the SVR is at the moment, she said there was no rate on my account, erm no not on my account what is Halifax's SVR, she said there is none! I then tried to re-word it again, if someone was ending there term this month what would Halifax's rate be at this time!!! 3.99 hooray, we got there.
I didnt have the heart to ask her anymore questions as I dont think I got the right answers in the first place! That was a hard 27 minutes on the phone.

So the 10% as I read online was confirmed as Jan 1st balance, and my 10% total was £1862.72 (apparently) but I made it £1858.74 but hey whats a couple of quid!
She told me that I had £493.88 left on my limit but I made it £393.66, I am going to go with my figure just in case!

So I have bitten the bullet, and told my friend that I am not going to be able to go on hols next August but poss Oct half term.
I have then OP'd £200 which only leaves me £193 left to OP and will then put money aside.

My term ends Oct 31st and not Aug 31st as I thought, I did ask why that is and she says it does sometimes have an extra month or two on top of the 2 years. Fair enough.
This means at the moment that when I go to SVR I will have about £8.5k left when I have my first MP in Nov.

CathT

It would be a fair guess that the woman you spoke to has never frequented this forum!

norfolkdream

True Cath, I dont think she has had that type of tel call before thats for sure.

Had a backpay yesterday (i had upped my hours and they hadnt changed my wage so 2 months backpay ) so I have bitten the bullet and done my last OP allowed until November
Have OPd £190

This month inc std OP I have OPd £920!! Have paid off £1602 off my capital this month. (wish I could do that every month!) Just been a lucky month

Have been looking at my old survey sites today, and may start those again as well as the competitions.
I did onepoll and got £1.20, had a really easy £1 survey with 4 questions about which pic I liked the best, easy money, thanks Onep Am at £17.75 on there now.

norfolkdream

gallygirl wrote: »

Get thee over to the KonMarie thread el pronto
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5146700

Basically, you ask 'what do I want to keep' rather than 'what do I want to throw away', keep only what gives you joy, thank the items you get rid of, fold your knickers and your drawers will be a joy to behold .

Seriously, worth having a good read at it :T.

You have properly got me into this I have become obsessed over the past few weeks! I cant believe the amount of 'stuff' I have got rid off already from just two rooms!

On the mortgage front I think as I cannot OP now till Nov I am going to up my MP to £1000, this in effect will still allow me to OP my std OP £165 and then another £122 on top of that. This is affordable (at the moment) and if they do let me do this my term will then be June 2016 :j Am going to ring them in the morning. Have missed this months payment so that will stay the same as that comes out tomorrow.

norfolkdream

Have decided not to up my OPs and just put the money aside. My boiler is playing up (cant get hot water without the heating on grrr)

Decluttering is carrying on. Took two huge boxes to CS and a boot full to the tip. I just cannot get over how much 'stuff' I have accumilated that you just stop seeing. But now I am looking at it through different eyes and it terrifies me how much there is to do.
I have taken up a rug that the dog has ruined and have been trying to get the carpet tape up over the last week or so. I have tried all sorts from tips online- oil, mayo, hairspray and nothing is really budging the damn stuff.
Trying to get the kids on board after years of being allowed to leave stuff where they like is a really tricky one. I feel like I am constantly nagging them now to pick things up. I am only hoping that I am instilling a newer better way of life that they can carry on or they may go completely the opposite way and resent it fully :eek:

norfolkdream

edinburgher wrote: »

My tuppence worth, as always, I recommend a copy of Tim Hale's 'Smarter Investing'

• Minimum amount is £50/mth
• Minimum worthwhile amount is very subjective. As a guide, £67.95/m will produce £10,000 over 10 years (assuming you use an ISA and obtain a 4% return)
• Easiest way of doing it (assuming little and often payments) would be to open an ISA with a good value for money provider like Ch@rles Stanley Direct and set up a monthly direct debit. Once you have made a single payment to a fund, you can then top it up at any time with a payment of £100+ Alternatively, if you don't want to set up a monthly payment, you can invest in most funds with a lump sum of £500+
• You will pay a platform fee (to the ISA provider, 0.25% is as much as you should expect) and a fee for the expenses of running the fund (again, 0.25% or so for 0.5% total cost)
• The pairs of numbers are ratios of equities (stocks and shares, slices of companies) to bonds (loans to companies, governments etc.) Historically (and generally) speaking, equities generate higher returns, but are riskier, bonds generate lower returns, but are less prone to dramatic falls. Higher equities (left side) means greater potential reward, but higher prospect of volatility on the journey
• What's right for you? Only invest with money that you could potentially afford to lose, be honest about your attitude to risk, plan for a specific time scale and be realistic about what you need and expect
• Vanguard Life Strategy 60% ACC could be considered a solid core holding for someone hoping to make decent money over time, but who isn't planning on shooting the lights out. I hold 60% and 80% in equal measures so that I'm roughly 70% invested in equities.

So FB started talking about pensions and ISAs and seeing as I am now in my 40s I thought I had better start doing something in the way of a sustainable living allowance for when I retire. I am so close to mortgage freedom (well for this house anyway)

I was firstly thinking about doing a BTL but not sure on the hassle of it all, the luck of getting a good tenant etc.
Then thought of the above (thanks Ed) but not sure I could risk losing thousands of pounds.
Do I join the work pension scheme or I am too late to make it worth it?
Do I just save save save?
My current bills at the mo (minus kids fees etc ie retired and kids grown up and flew the nest) I would need £11.5k inc £100 into savings

There have been a few people in the past months that have died close to retirement and it makes me think just live for today, dont worry about what you might not ever need to but of course its all hindsight isnt it.

Seeing GGs pic of the beach and her early retirement makes us all jealous doesnt it. But she had her head screwed on and done the finances whereas I have no clue where to begin as well as not having the balls to just jump in!

gallygirl

norfolkdream wrote: »

Do I join the work pension scheme or I am too late to make it worth it?

OK - for starters find out about it and report back What are they contributing to it? Do they match any of your contributions? Is it a defined benefits (DB) or defined contributions (DC). I expect the latter which is what most are these days but find out some info. Knowledge is power

edinburgher

*Always* pay in enough to your work pension scheme to obtain any employer match. If you don't, you've just said no to a pay rise and I want to know why you're feeling so flush

Re. BTL - are you ready for the large amounts of faff that can go into being a landlord? If not, are you willing to pay someone else to do it for you? Do you understand how to make enough profit and if so, is it sustainable? Not for the faint of heart, I am always surprised just how many MFWers dive in to the BTL pool.

Re. S&S ISAs - I don't want to lose money either - we're not investing £££££ a year in the hope of ending up with less

I believe that human ingenuity, necessity and self interest will find a way to concentrate success over time, generating a decent profit for shareholders. As long as you are fully diversified and pick a level of risk and volatility that matches your comfort levels, you will at least be informed as to what is the best/worst that can happen.

norfolkdream

I do have some bumpf somewhere about the work pension. I'll try and find it and read it with new eyes

Some people do fall on their feet dont they, others have to really work at it and then the other side of the spectrum do absolutely nothing (and in that I mean dont even OP or only pay the minimum off a cc)

When you talk to people about it (ie work colleagues) they think you are mad for paying the mortgage early and then they say they have 20 years left and £150k left and I shudder!