Hoggle's looong journey to becoming mortgage free!

laura_hoggle

So, I've done 6 hours overtime in the last 2 days, plus my on call payment from the weekend, and the enhanced pay for the 3 Saturdays I've worked this month, so that's hopefully around £200 extra in my wages at the end of next month after all deductions.

Plus I completely forgot I went on a study day last month for work and had to pay out the £100 course fee which I should be getting back from work at the end of this month too-that came from my current account so doesn't need replacing anywhere. Fingers crossed it all comes through, and that's some decent overpayments for the next 2 months!

laura_hoggle

Made our 2nd £500 OP yesterday!! :j:T

Really pleased we've managed to do it, we've had an expensive couple of months. Still not finished the table and chairs, but I am off work for another 6 days now so will hopefully get it done soon!

DH and I are going to meet some kittens tonight, in the hope that we will be able to bring one home in a couple of weeks. I know it's not very MSE but I really would like a cat in the house. It feels so quiet without one!

littlegreenpeas

Congratulations with your 2nd payment.

Lgp

laura_hoggle

Thanks LGP!

We have now just about finished our table and chairs, really pleased although still need to work a bit on the table top as the waxing was a bit streaky! Mum made us a couple of table runners with some left over material from covering the chairs, which is nice. The dresser is also nearly done, the dining room is starting to take shape!!

So we met and fell in love with a kitten, and should be bringing her home in a couple of weeks. I have been out and bought almost everything we could possibly need for her! (Whilst getting the best price for everything of course!!) Can't wait to get her.

Mum helped me with a car boot sale yesterday, and I'm really pleased because after the pitch fee I made £114! (Mum also made about £25). I did however get hideously sunburnt - it was windy so I didn't notice how strong the sun was so am suffering with a Rudolph nose at the mo. But really happy that I managed to clear out some stuff, and got a fair amount of money for it. Not sure at the moment if the money is going into the OP account, it probably will.

We also booked our main holiday for this year last week, off to Tunisia for a week in September so have to pay the balance of that and also the balance of our July anniversary weekend away all in June! It's going to be an expensive month, so we might need to dip into savings a little, then replenish it in following months.

Really need to get back on track with the Grocery Challenge in June, because that will help to give us a bit of extra money in the OP account. I was also offered some bank shifts at work this month, but not sure if I want them or not. I'm back in the busier department so my weekdays off will be needed as the work is a lot more physically demanding, plus once I take into account the time it takes me to drive in, and the cost of petrol, I think a day off is more valuable! Plus we should have our kitten by then and I'll want to spend more time with her (and will inevitably have to take her to the vets a few times for jabs and things!)

Finally got boiler cover sorted, glad I waited as British Gas were offering 10% off, so I got a better cover for less than I was planning on spending. I should get cash back on it too, fingers crossed it goes through ok!

laura_hoggle

Just made our 3rd £500 overpayment, that's £1500 extra paid since moving into our house in February :j

It could have been more but there have been purchases of new furniture, holidays and a kitten to spoil!

This overpayment was made up mostly of the car boot money, and the cashback that came through from getting Sky when we moved in.

Think the next few months will be a bit quiet on the OP front as we have a couple of holidays and also we are getting a dishwasher in a couple of weeks-can't wait, we've never had one before!! Luckily My dad is quite good with DIY type stuff so he is going to fit it for us, and also change the taps in the bathroom as the hot tap on the sink is broken. Managed to get a bargain buying them, reduced in Argos to £13 from £30!! Quite pleased with them!

laura_hoggle

An unexpected (but very welcome!) tax rebate for DH and savings I already had earmarked for OPs, nicely rounded up and another £1000 overpayment made!!

It has been a while since we've made one, and might be a few months before we make another but certainly feels very good to have overpaid nearly the equivalent of 4 months of normal payments since starting our mortgage in February! Can't wait to get the letter telling us what our monthly payments have gone down to!

laura_hoggle

Can't believe how long it's been since I last posted, but have still been busy making overpayments! Last year ended up with £3000 overpayments, which although not what I'd hoped, I'm still pleased with considering we only bought in February!

I made an OP of £547.20 at the start of Jan, and I'm hoping to make a similar payment in a few weeks. Some OPs are coming from:

- 2 months off council tax payments (£155 a month)
- £210 saving on last years home insurance (this should also give us a £70 prepaid MasterCard which will probably be used as everyday spends)
- Tilly tidies (I log into our bank accounts on a daily basis & round down!)
- Set OP standing orders DH & I have from our own current accounts
- ALL cashback (TCB, Quidco, bank account - at least £70 this month!)

We've also just switched energy suppliers, which *should* save us £320 a year, and if we are in credit at switch I'll use that as OPs.

DH got a very nice payout from work before Christmas, as part of the package from when his company was taken over, which we have earmarked for a new front door, driveway, flooring & a holiday to Mexico. As yet we haven't actually organised any of them, but we have booked the time off work for Mexico!

I'm going to be off work for a bit at the end of Feb due to having an operation, so I'm hoping I can use some of my 'down time' to sit down and do a full SOA, as well as making the calls to get the work to the house underway!

laura_hoggle

Other money saving steps I'm taking at the moment in the hope of being able to make more OPs include:

- Cheekily emailing companies asking for free samples (lots of different teas to try at the moment!
- Product trials (free voucher for £10 of meat in Tesco using The Orchard at Tesco)
- Bulk buying meat using an online company & offer codes (won't display but please PM if anyone wants info!)
- Stocking up on presents for the year & next Christmas in the sales!
- Signed up for a Gourmet card for cheaper meals out, paid for this with Nectar points!
- Keeping an eye on freezer & cupboard contents & meal planning
- Listening to DH when I want a takeaway & he says we've got plenty of food in!

Haven't had much time for surveys lately, so would like to get a lot done while I'm off work at the end of Feb. Being off work will also save me about £15-20 a week in petrol!