Hope is not an Effective Financial Strategy

CathT

For ds first christmas (he was only 2 months old) we re-wrapped dd old toys. They weren't quite age appropriate as more suitable for 6 months plus but he knew no different!

Dd however, who was 3 did comment 'I used to have one of them!'

Hope you had a fab holiday SJ. Getting the decorating done whilst away is definitely a good idea.

shangaijimmy

Hi all, just back from a fabulous holiday in Egypt! A little jaded and certainly not rested with 3 little un's but we've had an amazing week. Fabulous place, great value and we'll be heading back next year!

Lovely decorating that we returned too so now just need to book the handyman in to fit some new flooring in the hall and downstairs toilet.

I'll be back on the ebay trail this afternoon as we have a bag of 6-9 month baby clothes to list, then hopefully tonight i'll be able to post our October accounts (if not tonight then definitely tomorrow). Then i'm hoping for a diary catch up session later.

As for baby christmas, she'll be getting a trike! DS 1 we're not sure (possibly a bike, but his birthday is in January if not for Christmas), DS2 a new bike!

Right i'm off out with dog whilst its a nice day, back later...

hiddenshadow

Glad you had a nice holiday, SJ.

shangaijimmy

Just a quick post. So far i've managed to list 26 new items!

In slightly sad news though i've quickly settled the months accounts (i'll post proper details later or tomorrow), and for the first time i've failed on a target... In the first post i stated that i wanted to be below £114,500 by the end of October, and i've fallen short by £38.32...! As tempted as i am to make an ad hoc OP i will resist.

Looking ahead to the end of 2016, i posted a target of below £112k, which i now think i'll miss by approx £450. Furthermore i wanted to be below £109k at the end of my 2 yr fix, which i think i'll miss by approx £1k.

Overall though i have no complaints, these were very ambitious targets and pre pregnancy, let alone SMP and building works. And always with the perspective of were we would have been had we not attempted this OP plan. I still think another 96 payments is achievable to finish at Oct 2024, as i'm sure i can do some 'chasing' once the snowball effect really starts to bite. Looking at current FD rates of 1.64% we can get daily interest down by more than a £1!

hiddenshadow

Shame about the £38.32 but I think you've been doing really well, especially considering SMP/baby SJ/etc.

It is really tough, coming up with goals that are both within reach and a stretch to complete.

Can you lock in rates yet? I was able to lock mine in within the last 6 months of our fix and it was good until the fix date, though if rates had dropped again and I'd wanted to take advantage I would've had to pay the arrangement fee again. Might be worth investigating.

A_Frayed_Knot

Glad to hear you all had a lovely holiday, and your back just in time to do end of monthly accounts.

As far as being short by £38.32, well what can I say, it's not the end of the month - yet ! ! you may just sell some items on the b@y, or MB or interest in an account you forgot about :eek: , or money you brought back from holiday that needs changed back into ££'s, not sure about down the back of the sofa though, as its just a new one you have - right? If not, you din't need me to tell you, you have done almighty fine so far :T

shangaijimmy

Sorry frayed know but i couldn't find anymore!!

October accounts to follow in next post. I TT'd 50p this morning so i'm up and running for November, and here's targetting £580 OP pot!

shangaijimmy

Another successful month in SJ Towers. Edging closer to a remortgage which will give me another snowball surge forward!

Monthly Stats

• Closing Balance - £114,538.32
• OP's - £544.42
• Daily Interest - £6.24 (6p reduction)
• Net Reduction - £1,036.34
• LTV - 51.83%
• Loan Remaining - 84.22%

Average Stats

• Ave OP's - £595.74 (disappointed that this has dipped below £600)
• Ave Net Reduction - £1,073.08

lippy1923

Shame about missing target, but you were so close! Great month as usual. Well done

hiddenshadow

Very nice stats. I'm sure you'll get that ave OP number back up again.