The Call of Cornwall

Danny5

Another week down and I've actually been paid right! Still no sign of this 'extra bonus' I was promised but I'll chase it next week.


Moved the bonus earned this week into the OP account which now stands at just short of £1500. Going to book the same amount in this week to be paid next week and that's the amount I'll aim for every week. If I manage that amount every week I will be on course to have a sub £20k mortgage by the end of the 2 year period, based on using weekly bonus as overpayments only. I have other extra bits I'll use, such as savings made during last months SOA reassessment, weekend work etc. So hopefully it might be a bit closer to the 15k - 10k bracket (which would be amazing).


Just need a mortgage now! Spoke to my mortgage advisor in the week to find out what's taking so long with the new remortgage, and apparently its that the mortgage company are waiting on extra info off my employers regarding my start date. So after a couple of days trying to chase somebody to make the phone call, which they eventually did, the mortgage company then said they couldn't be sure that person was who they said they were and needed an email sending instead! (So that will be next week before anything's done about that) This is the third time I've mortgaged/remortgaged and I've never had so much trouble, its really starting to pee me off. I think its getting on for 2 months now since I signed all the paperwork for them.


It's not helping that I know I'm paying money off the existing mortgage that is just going to get returned to me because its already below the value of the new mortgage! Might ask the question if I can get the new mortgage amount reduced? Or is it too far along do we think?


On another positive note, my sister just paid half of the money back that I lent her... only took 4 years! :T
That will go in as an overpayment once its all up and running of course...

Danny5

Spoke to my mortgage advisor this morning and he said it will be no problem to alter the amount I'm borrowing, so I'm altering the amount to £52,000 from the original £54,000. This relieves some of the frustration at how slowly the remortgage process is coming along as my overpayments can now be paid off the current mortgage! Happy Days.

Danny5

What feels like the longest remortgage process ever is finally less than a week away from being completed! Its been confirmed for completion on the 17th December.
In a way its nice that its all done for the start of the new year, fresh start and all that. I've about 2 and a half months of full overpayments already saved over the last few months too so it feels a bit like a head start (even though in actual fact I'm about 3 months behind because of how long its taken to complete).


Works been going quite well still, wages have been constantly good and that should continue for at least the first couple of months in the new year. Got a few weekend jobs to be done in the new year too.


Going to watch my spending much more in the new year aswell. I'm becoming terrible at just frittering money away, although I can afford to at the moment, I know its not always going to be the case so I don't want to get stuck in the habit. Plus the money is all potential overpayment funds!


Will add more over the Christmas period when I have more time to sit down and sort out a real plan of attack for 2015!

Danny5

Oh, just on a side note, has anyone been doing the MFiT challenges or other group challenges? If so, does it have any effect on your progress? what kind of effect?

Danny5

I can't believe its been 7 months since I last posted on here!


Quite a lot of progress has been made on the mortgage front, my initial £6000 overpayment target for the year has been achieved already, with the maximum £1000 a month OPs made every month so far.
I had always hoped of making more than the £6000 target but never thought I would do it so quickly. I've already got £700 saved for Julys Overpayment too! :beer:.


I've also set up a weekly £25 standing order to a cash ISA to start chipping into my £20k target again. I'm Looking at opening a stocks and shares ISA with HSBC and putting £50 a month away in that, but I'm a little conscious of over committing myself if work slows up again as it did earlier in the year.


I've made baby steps on the 'doing the house up' front as well. Joiner has been and fitted internal doors and architraves, I've done little bits and bobs round the house too in preparation for getting a painter in to really make the place look smart. My other halves Dad knows a retired painter who does jobs to keep himself busy for a very reasonable daily rate so he's all lined up once we are ready.
I have really struggled to find a Landscaper to sort my mess of a garden out (left it too late in the year to start enquiring I think). My friend who did his own back garden to a very good standard has offered to help me do it though, which will save me probably a couple of grand. So hopefully get that started in the next couple of weeks.
All in all, I'm still on for getting it pretty much completed by the end of the year and a bit more homely




I've had my annual pilgrimage (holiday!) to Cornwall already and as much as I would love to go again later in the year, I'm trying to see the bigger picture that the £1000 plus it would end up costing (with spending money and petrol) will be better used on another months OP. Think a couple of weekend breaks a bit closer to home (maybe Norfolk) will be a better (and cheaper!) option. :cool:


So, looking forward to 2nd half of the year my aims are:

• Make at least another £4000 of overpayments
• Carry on the weekly ISA payments
• Set up a £50 monthly S&S ISA
• Finish the house/garden
• Make as much money as I can whilst the work is there
• Start some sort of sideline to make extra money from home
• Keep this diary updated on a much more regular basis, hopefully once a month as a minimum!

If anyone has any tips or hints on the extra money from home thing it would be much appreciated! I used to do surveys but it got frustrating spending 5 - 10 minutes doing surveys, just to end up getting screened out of most.


Enjoy what's left of the weekend everyone!


:beer:

Danny5

Is it really only Wednesday!?

This weeks been a busy one so far, I'm shattered but I've earned some good money so far so it's worth it.

Things to note on the MFW front:

• My friend came round last night to look at the garden, he's getting his friend who's a builder to get the materials priced up so hopefully things should start moving on that front now.

• I worked on Saturday so that extra money will go into the pot

I've been giving myself £45 spending money a week, that's after weekly food shop, bills etc. I thought this was a lot but it's so easily frittered away. A meal out, a few drinks in the pub, a toy for my little boy, a day out at the weekend, a couple of 'just nipping to the shop' for a bite to eats. Anyway, my self imposed challenge from now on is to really concentrate on minimising this spending. £180 a month is a lot of money to be wasting, and if I can cut it down to say £80, that's an extra £100 a month I could be overpaying!:beer:

Danny5

Another mortgage payment + full OP allowance of £1000!

Danny5

And just realised, if I manage my full overpayments for the next 2 months, I'll be below £40000 by September!

Danny5

So the plan of spending less than my £45 a week 'spending money' has not gone well at all!


Really need to sort myself out on that front because I'm frustrating myself!


Also, planned a weekend in Dublin with the OHs family at the end of August, flights and hotel comes to around £400ish (for both of us) & then there's spending money, and apparently Dublin is expensive?:eek:

I've never been before so I guess I can justify it as a 'life experience'....?!

Need to reign in the spending though after that, and hopefully before.
Maybe I need to start a spending diary or something along those lines...:cool:

Danny5

Looking forward to the start of next month so I can make my next full £1000 OP, I know its sad but its really motivating me to work hard and get as much money earned as possible. I am on a price for everything I do, so the harder I work and the longer hours, the more I get done, and the more I earn! Getting to work early and working through my breaks etc is really paying off this year.


I think in the next couple of months work is going to get really busy, so there's going to be a lot of weekend work going round, plus the shortage of qualified tradesmen will (hopefully) push the prices up as companies start fighting to recruit and keep the employees they've got.


My problem is more on the outgoings side of the coin. I've decided once August is out the way, I'm going to do a new SOA and then really focus on keeping below that £45 a week spending money. I know I keep talking about it but it still seems ridiculous that I can't keep below it!


Hope everyone is having a good week so far, thats the worst day of the week out of the way :beer: