The slow but steady road ....

turtlemoose

Sorry to hear you didn't get the role you wanted, but it does sound like the new job could bring some good opportunities your way

MFWSouthCoastGal

turtlemoose wrote: »

Sorry to hear you didn't get the role you wanted, but it does sound like the new job could bring some good opportunities your way

Thanks turtlemoose! I hope so. I'm sure the new job will at least provide me with a fresh new outlook anyway, definitely in a need of a change.

MFWSouthCoastGal

So April is here and it finally feels like Spring. It feels amazing to have lighter evenings. Classes have finished on my uni course so I've got less travelling after work and am now concentrating on completing an assignment before I start my new job in a couple of weeks. I've also still got an exam in mid-May, and then I'm looking forward to a long summer of evenings that I can fill with whatever I want, instead of study.

Made a few extra mini OPs over the last month including a little interest from a savings account, on top of what I would have paid on council tax. I've just requested a refund on my electricity account as I pay by DD and have currently discovered I'm £170 in credit! I'll be reducing the monthly DD amount too.

From this month I've reduced my regular OP amount to £150, just out of my income now, and no longer taking from my savings. Will have to work harder with extra ways of making income. I should have a £25 pureprofile payment on its way.

I'm also thinking of looking into renting out my spare room on airbnb for a few dates over the summer. I'm in quite a touristy area. This might be quite a challenge for me however, as I'm quite an introvert. Would have to make sure it's only nights my bf will be staying with me. I'd have thought I could compete with the local market as my home is a modern child/pet-free environment in the centre of a nice town. Definitely one to look into if I want to make any kind of bigger dent in the mortgage.

Mortgage down to £52,346, and one month to go till I've had the flat a whole year.

MFWSouthCoastGal

A little late into May for my update, but nevermind. Checking my mortgage account today after May's regular payment, £150 OP, £5 Current Account reward, and £11.50 payout from Panelbase, I'm currently at £51,908. Very happy to have made it under the £52K marker, but it does mean i've only knocked off £5K over the course of the first year of owning my home.

I started my new job in the last few weeks, which has been going well and is much more stimulating than what I was doing before. I hope it will be a stepping stone into a proper career. I have had to revise my budget now I need to drive to work, so I'm now spending about £100 on petrol p/m. I've yet to find anyone I could lift share with. The little pay increase I received hasn't covered the petrol costs, so I'm having to be extra tight, which isn't fun. Need a rethink again on budget.

Need to see if I can put a little back into savings so get back to £6K. Decided to take a bit out last month to buy some new work clothes.

Looking forward to finishing the first year of my course this week, with one exam left to go. Then I will have some free-time back over the Summer

Luckyinlife

well done on getting under 52k :] 5k in the first year is great going i think on stand payments mine is about 2k so need to overpay to get a nice chunk off each year

good luck :]

MFWSouthCoastGal

Luckyinlife wrote: »

well done on getting under 52k :] 5k in the first year is great going i think on stand payments mine is about 2k so need to overpay to get a nice chunk off each year

good luck :]

Thanks Luckyinlife. Since my home is purchased on shared ownership, I'd really like to pay off the mortgage I've got and buy a larger share as soon as possible really. I'm definitely proud of the 5k, I guess I'm just impatient! Need to keep reminding myself it is inevitably and slow but steady road. Good luck to you too