£195,000 mortgage for a single mum!

pollyanna24

Morrisons is where I do most of my shopping.

I tend to go on Fridays as I don't work that day and girls are at school.

But then I am always on the lookout for offers and yellow stickers.

And I have a personal shopper, ie my mum! If I want or need something, she tends to get it in the cheapest shop before she comes to my house to mind my girls.

So, if certain things are cheaper in different shops, I will go to the cheaper shop to save 34p. Seems to be a hobby of mine.

And because I keep the detailed spreadsheet, I pretty much know the prices of what I buy and so if I go into a shop and it's not as cheap as I thought, I don't buy it.

I'm planning on bulk buying chicken from muscle food and storing it in the freezer when my brother moves out as I've heard it's good value.

Oh and I buy value for most things, I'm not fussy me and can't tell the difference! I think if I had to feed another adult, we might clash as I used to with my ex when he wanted more expensive stuff!

And I bulk buy washing powder, dishwasher tabs, toilet rolls, shampoo and the like when it is on offer. Once I had a year's supply of bog roll in my outhouse!

selloptape

And I thought I was organised buying 48 loo rolls at a time

Fab list x

pollyanna24

I tend to break down the spends I can control, i.e.:

Me - £150
Girls - £100
Groceries - £200
Petrol - £50

so £500 into a daily amount as well as a total amount. As it stands today, I have £242.29 left from this budget which is £13.46 per day.

I seem to spend more at the weekends when I'm not at work and so out and about either with my girls or my Mum.

Not sure if this is a good way to do it or not, and I'm not too sure if it works, but until I find a better way, I'll stick to it.

pollyanna24

I have just acquired a 0% on purchases for 27 months credit card from the Post Office with a limit of £4,500.

I was planning on using it for everything I buy and then using what I have in my current account to overpay on the mortgage. I get that the danger here is roll forward 27 months and I have £4,500 on my credit card which is then suddenly not 0%.

Trying to find a happy medium where I can leave myself with enough time to pay off the credit card.

I quite like the idea of overpaying on the mortgage which I pay interest on and having the 0% on a credit card though.

pollyanna24

22nd of the month and I still have £134.61 left in my budgets for the month. If I stick to it, I will have £258.67 left over to put as an overpayment.

I want to put £500, so I might dig into my emergency fund (£1,228.02) in order to do it. I'm not overly fussed about this dipping now and then as I have an overpayment reserve of over £60K which I can claim back if necessary.

My brother is due move out next Wednesday and my youngest has already instructed Grandad to dismantle the bunk beds in the room she shares at the moment with her sister so her bed can go in what is my brother's room at the moment. She doesn't care that it needs painting, carpeting and the fitted wardrobes ripped out. Or that it will still have stuff that belong to my brother in it.

Spends for this month are:-
Petrol (still have half a tank after Haven in Essex last weekend - which was fab by the way, weather parpy, but girls spent most of the time in the swimming pool).

And that's about it I think.

I am going to a baby shower tomorrow - but paid for the present out of my budget.

Going out tomorrow night on a date (second one, eek!) Not sure if he will pay, but he said it was for my birthday, so he might, who knows?

Might go and see my brother's house on Sunday, but will have to bring my car, so again need petrol for it.

I have saved more than I thought this month as my had paid for my oldest to do an acting/singing thing at school for my birthday which I had budgeted for, and my youngest has decided she doesn't want to do it anymore and I had already budgeted for it.

Mum is paying for one of the girls' swimming lessons as my birthday present. I know it's not very glamourous, but it frees up the money I would have spent for me to stick it on the mortgage.

happydays_70

Oooo! Second date. Sounds great. Have a lovely time. Hope you get spoiled.

pollyanna24

Urgh, there was no second date. Felt ill at work on Friday and have been ill with flu ever since. I don't think I've every had flu before. It's not nice, so I'm going to look into getting the flu jab this year.

I'm just about starting to feel better, yay, and today is the day that my brother is moving out, so although I have owned the house for 10 years (literally today - just happens to be a coincidence), I feel today is really the day for celebration!

I've gone from owning the house with my ex (girls' dad) from April 2006 to January 2011.

With my brother from January 2011 to February 2016

By myself from February until today with my brother and his wife living with me.

Although my girls are sad their auntie and uncle are moving out, I think they are more than ready for their own rooms.

So it's mine, all mine!!!!!

happydays_70

Yeh!! Great news. Been a long journey. Hope you have a glass of fizz to celebrate xx

pollyanna24

Because I'm so rock and roll on a Saturday night, I have done all my transferring and bits and bobs that need to be done as tomorrow is 1st May. Love 1st of the month, feels all brand new!

My savings for April were £222.90. I have put it in my "emergency fund" and there is now £1,450.92. I was originally going to put £500 as an overpayment tomorrow, but now I'm too scared to.

I have a lot to pay out for in the next few months, so think I will put overpaying on hold for a few months.

I bought paint for DD2's room yesterday (£22) and wallpaper for DD1 today (£29.75 - but overbought and intending to take one roll back).

Still need paint for DD1 (she only papering two walls), furniture for both their rooms (I have beds, but need a wardrobe and chest of drawers each and some storage stuff and shelves).

And carpet. Think this will be the costliest thing. Buying carpet online and getting a local man to fit it, but he hasn't come back with a quote yet. And I'm doing stairs, landing and my rooms too.

Doing the kitchen in the summer when girls are away with their dad, but this is just painting and new knobs.

Also going to get dad to paint two walls of the front room, but a friend gave me the paint, so free really.

I've already spent £60.73 on May's grocery budget (had a £12 off Morrisons order, so used that) and £39.89 on petrol (the petrol light came on tonight and it scared me, so I just filled up and hoping it will last me May). Going to a May Day thing at my brother's tomorrow and going to his seems to use 1/4 tank of petrol (who would have thought Aylesbury was so far from Watford!).

Other spends for May include plants for DD1 as she's doing the hanging baskets for the front of house.

Can't thing of owt else at the moment.

pollyanna24

Well, I've bought a few things towards my house renovation task.

I haven't done any overpaying in May, save for £26.81. They lowered my monthly payment, so I put money on to make it up to what it was before they lowered it.

What I have bought housewise:-
Two bedroom sets - £298 (wardrobe, chest of drawers, bedside locker)
Two desks - £98.

Glittery paint for two walls of DD1's room - £17.73 (and it's a tiny pot)
Wallpaper paste - £3.24
Skirting board for DD2 room - £17.50.

Next step is to buy carpets for the three bedrooms and stairs and landing, but I have calculated this will cost me £724.81 including fitting which is a bargain. Knew I was better off buying it off the internet!

I'm a bit annoyed that I can't overpay at the moment as I would love to see the monthly payment go down, but it is what it is and hopefully I will have a lovely house in a couple of months (although Dad will be doing the kitchen living room in August when my girls are away).

I seem to have spent a whole heap on my grocery budget and only have £38 left out of £250 already (and I have a Morrisons order coming tomorrow), but I'm hoping that it's mainly cos I've been stocking up since my brother left and buying in bulk and next month won't be so much (who am I kidding?!).