Getting a mortgage and then becoming mortgage-free!

Kittenkirst

So reading through the above I must have the numbers wrong somewhere as it states £369 for savings each month, however I'm saving £550 a month at the moment.

Some of the figures I took the average monthly spend from last year, however I'm aware spends like clothes are mostly covered by the vouchers from work (which I've cut right back this year to put the funds into myworks sharesave).....

I've also halved all of the monthly bills and the house price/mortgage payment to reflect what my half is as we bank separately Will have a play around again tomorrow and see where I've gone wrong.

Total for Aprils OP is £324.05 however the £3 Pinecone I transferred over the weekend is showing as leaving the account today (assume due to bank hol). I'll count it as April though for now

Off to silverclass tonight and really looking forward to it- they have a Bex hexagon mandrel that I've played with and think I'll make some earrings or maybe a cute pendant! so pleased class has restarted!

Kittenkirst

I'd like to try doing a monthly stamp, so here goes the first one:

1/5/17

•Mortgage : £166,784.15
•Mortgage OP (April): £324.05
•Savings: £2170.20

Aiming to put £550 per month into savings, I also think the sharesave starts this month for another £140 into 3 year savings, but it may start in June I'm not too sure.

Aiming for a total OP of £105 this month.

Pooky

I'm very tempted to have a go at silversmithing but just know it will be an expensive hobby, did you start with classes or just tinkering? Ive not ventured into the jewellery making realms yet but crochet and papercut so I'm sure hubby wouldn't notice a few more tools and boxes of craft stuff sneaking in.

Also, we need more kitten photos!!!

Fortune_Smiles

Fantastic savings rate Kitten - well done.

I can't wait until we've moved and are settled so I can get my paints out again.

Fortune x

Kittenkirst

Hi, I did a day course to start and then found local classes; at our class the teacher shows you some basic skills then gives you freedom to play and she instructs as you go along!

Re the kittens pics I shall rectify that tomorrow

£1.58 credit interest from bills account sent to the mortgage and then later a 78p tilly tidy too. Awaiting the quidco funds crediting to OP that.

Confirmed that sharesave starts next month so a little more in my salary expected on the 15th. Woop

Kittenkirst

Morning lovelies!

Feeling very chipper and motivated today- it must be that Friday feeling!

MFW activities from the past few days
- OP'd the £co cashback and have had another £1.58 clear so requested and OP'd that too!
- Meter reads taken & submitted to see how much we are still in credit by!
- Called mortgage provider and confirmed monthly interest for April £411.55 which is £13.71 a day so 6p a day less than last month!
-coffees taken to work and on long day trip up north with work so no frothy coffees bought!
- turkey mince defrosting for dinner tonight and planning all food from stores and a NSD!

We've had the drain guy with the camera out to flush out the downstairs toilet, he's advised that they'll send a report to barratts next week and then barratts will tell us the findings. He said he's not allowed to tell us what caused the blockage but told us to start using the downstairs toilet from now on....it's all very cloak and dagger I must say, I'm just hoping they don't say we've done something we shouldn't have and try to charge or something

Electrician who installed all the Nest products has been out today to quote for spotlights with fans in the en suite and bathroom so looking forward to hearing back from that. Chasing our friend up who's uncle is a tiler as we want a quote for tiling above the work surface in the kitchen as even with cleaning it daily the white walls above work surface are looking mucky and irritating us both...

We need to sit down and work out a priority list of all the next work needed on the house and start putting figures against it. We'd both like to sort the garden this year but think other than a mower and shed we may have to leave it as is for the minute as we won't be using it for another 3 months really as can't let kittens out until after that.....all these lovely ideas but have to work out the costs and financial plans for the year....


Ohhh, and as promised.....kitty pics!! https://www.instagram.com/p/BTqKcP8FmLy/?taken-by=purityjewels&hl=en

:heartpuls

chumpy45

Hi KK, just having a catch up on your diary. You are doing so well and I just love the kitten photo - so cute (and mischeivous !). You are always so upbeat and motivated. Enjoy the weekend.

Kittenkirst

Ooooh I forgot to mention our good fortune yesterday! On the way back from up north as we were car sharing the gf and I stopped in at Meadowhall (I've never been before) and they had a students event going on so students were getting wrist bands and lots of people streaming about.

Fortunately for us some of the stores were handing out freebies and doing little shoes, we wandered around and got a free starter voucher for wagamamas if we visit this month, a free lychee mocktail each, a few hotel chocolat choccies and some gift bags with perfume samples and Clarin mini samples, as well as some wagamamas canvas bags that will be fab for in the car for shopping

I was pretty pleased with this and the perfume box is crammed with little sample bottles which are perfect for working/traveling away.

Kittenkirst

Morning all!
Just on a quick coffee break so thought I'd update! Had a lovely weekend this weekend seeing friends and family but trying not to spend any money.

Talking with my team at work about saving and mortgage overpayments (found out one pays £100 a month extra too- kindred spirit!) we were discussing SIP plans that our company has- share incentive plans where you buy two shares and the compan gifts you a share. The shares would incur tax if removed within three years but it sounds a good way to build a small longer term investment so I opened one up to start squirrelling £50 a month away. Due to way the tax works it will be £36 deducted from my salary so a saving there too!
I may be over stretching myself somewhat but think it's doable to save the following:

3rd of the month: £250 into TSB regular saver (2.5% interest)
15th of the month: £300 into First Direct ref saver (5% interest)
£110 into sharesave for 3 years
£50 into SIP scheme (thinking 5 year)

Totalling £710 away every month but only £665 out of pocket as £160 having tax relief so only £115 taken out of salary....this alongside the stretching OP target means the next twelve months will be lean to say the least but should put us in a good position in a years time (an increase of 8k savings is very appealing!)

£27 grocery spend on Saturday as bestie split with his gf on Saturday morning and needed company, so we bought some beers and stuff for a homemade curry for dinner and dessert and another friend came over so we had a lovely evening trying to distract him and cheer him up somewhat. however there's still 5 bottles of beer in the fridge for another time and the other friend bought dessert round so have kept the GU tartlets for Wednesday when another friend is coming round to meet the kittens and see the house

No planned spends this week really, just waiting for payday on the 15th so I doubt we will have any Tilly tidies other than the 33p this morning.

Need to list the two thermostats and the carbon monoxide alarms on eBay this weekend and see if we can get £15 for the three of them (all helps!)

Right, back to the laptop to prep for meetings this afternoon

Kittenkirst

Afternoon, just made myself a brew and decided to check surveys and read a few diaries on my coffee break.

Not a huge amount going on, NSD yesterday and should be on track for one today if I can manage to get to silver class and back without spending.
Made spaghetti with veg and mozzarella for dinner last night and same again for lunch today. Gf was away overnight so I had a night in just me and the boys which was lovely as they were so snuggly!

Gf will be home late tonight so will have omelette for dinner and I'll probably have soup (from freezer) for dinner when I get in late.

Did a few surveys last night and up to £24.75 on Yougov, £27.05 on one poll and a small amount on prolific. Downloaded some cashback apps a few weeks ago so checking those for anything we would usually buy in the weekly shop too.

Will make a thermal cup of coffee tonight for on the way to class to prevent a drive through Starbucks being purchased! Other than that all a bit quiet for me.

Home developers have called about the drain/downstairs loo and they are sending someone out at the end of the month to dig up the pipe work and check it all out which means pulling up a few patio slabs and some turf they've assured me it will all go back in place once finished. They've not got back to me about the 'damp' looking patch on the lounge wall...will send a chaser email now!