Getting a mortgage and then becoming mortgage-free!

ch4rly2002

I'm so pleased it's all over, but how horrible for you both to go through all that. Fingers crossed for the job, and a big pay rise!

Kittenkirst

I can’t sleep at the moment so I’ve decided to post my numbers for mortgage overpayments finally!

Target was £4,500 and we achieved £2,837.34. This is 63% of our stretch target we put in place.

There are a number of factors which slowed the OPs: redundancy news in September paused payments until November, redundancy rejection in November leading to the decision to change careers in 2020, girlfriends ridiculous unfounded disciplinary process. All of this caused high amounts of uncertainty and made us want to keep money in easy access accounts to then have to hand should we need it.

Also with full disclosure, I took my trip to Thailand, which was all booked before all the restructuring was confirmed and threw life a bit of a loop.

I’m still super pleased with £2800 because it’s still a lot more than o would have said we have spare to overpay.

This years focus is on both of us changing jobs- gf in the same industry and me taking the massive gamble of the career change & becoming self employed. Overpayments will still occur but will be small and made from side hustles rather than lump sums from salaries.

Aiming for an overpayment this year of £750 which we have started with a prolific payment of £5.10

This week I have changed our gas & elec supplier so we don’t move onto Any variable tariffs and we should get £35 cashback through Quidco which will be overpaid as soon as received

ch4rly2002

That's a great figure considering all the uncertainty and unfortunate events. Like you said, it's a lot more than you thought you would have been able to overpay and it's £2800 you won't have to pay interest on in future. Well done!

Good luck with the move to being your own boss, I wish you every success (and I am certain you will smash it!).

I think £750 is a realistic and achievable target for this year considering what you have planned, good luck!

Sounds like a win with the gas & electric too - especially with cashback!

Jessy103

Great figure considering the stress you've had to go through. Good luck with the new target!

Kittenkirst

Thanks both, we are both pleased we have managed such a large amount and it’s true we’ll never pay interest on it again

I’ve had an eBay sample of two pandora charm empty boxes (which we were going to bin!) and had some cashback from Shopmium (on cat food) so that’s been overpaid to the mortgage so we are now at £12.54 in overpayments for 2020 so far

I checked Quidco this morning and £13.68 had been confirmed so have withdrawn the £10.68 (£3 is the fee for the year) and once that clears it’s another £10 to target. I’ve also done some prolific and Yougov surveys early
Morning to keep those pots building too!

Girlfriend has a second interview on Monday so getting her hair trimmed in ten mins so will get mine done too (£10 for the two of us) and then it’s interview prep and a quiet weekend for us planned whilst she preps for the interview

debtfreeoneday

Sorry 2019 was a bit stressy to end with, but well done on the OPs and you have much to look forward to in 2020!

Kittenkirst

debtfreeoneday wrote: »

Sorry 2019 was a bit stressy to end with, but well done on the OPs and you have much to look forward to in 2020!

Yes, definitely!
We are both taking the attitude that we can’t change what has occurred, but we can change what we do going forwards so we’re working on improving our own situations for ourselves

Had a lovely Sunday today, I made a masala roasted chicken (YS ages ago and frozen!) and all the trimmings for us & gfs parents at lunch, have cleaned up a fair bit and am now sat with Oscar, a blanket at True Blood 🩸

Kittenkirst

Lovely girlfriend had her interview today but she feels it didn’t go well it’s her first interview anywhere other than our workplace in 17 years so I’m impressed she got through to the second interview & presentation stage (& did it!)- scary stuff. She should hear back this week sometime

As it was in another town to where we’re from I took the day off and went and sat in a Starbucks and was chuffed to have found out about StreetBees, meaning it cost 45p for my fancy latte whilst I whiled away two hours with a lonely planet guide

I used a voucher in Debenhams and managed to get a gorgeous skirt and a nice blank sweater for £18 (they were £70 full price!!!) and we stopped in at Next on the way home to collect my Christmas Eve sale order. That consisted of two Christmas gifts for 2020, a skirt, sequinned vest top, a dress & a Halloween tee all for £36.50

I think with that and getting winter coats and boots for Christmas/birthday I should be good for clothes buying for a while.

Quidco cashback cleared today so that £10.68 has gone to the mortgage. Hurrah! And it is payday on Wednesday.

To throw a spanner in the works poor Oscar has had rashes on his nose & ears so went to the vets last Monday. A steroid shot and antibiotics all well don’t seem to have helped and this evening he has a nasty cut/welt under his eye. So, off to the vets tomorrow to have some tests and get to the bottom of this for him. Poor little mite!

ch4rly2002

Good luck to lovely GF with her interview

Well done on the bargains! It will save you buying a halloween T-shirt full price in October and the other clothes sound lovely so I'm sure you'll get plenty of use out of those.

So sorry to hear about Oscar Hope he feels better soon!

Kittenkirst

Hi all, I did a rather lengthy reply earlier but it seems it didn’t post. Hmph! 

Some great news.....girlfriend got the job! She has accepted it and passed the plethora of security checks they do. She has 7 more work days at our present company and then starts the new job in March. Wahoooooo- more money and a positive, supportive environment!

So pleased for some positive news after a tough four months! Yay!!!!