Our 'Mortgage Free By Forty' Dream - Truly Madly Hannah

debtfreeoneday

Hope you're ok!

trulymadlyhannah

I have been MIA for a bit too long! Ive still been overpaying though, so I havent completely fallen off the bandwagon:rotfl:

I think you guys prompted me to have a good think about how [STRIKE]tight[/STRIKE] sensible we are with our money.... and at the same time the growing season began and it more or less has occupied all of our time since.

When we applied for a new lower fix (2.99 instead of 3.99) our minimum payment dropped to just under 600 per month, but we opted to keep our payments at £1100. Mr T has had a bit of a payrise too recently, but we dont know how it will effect us yet until he gets his first payment, and then I can let tax credits know the new figures, Its a increase of around £1500 per year, which I think will give us an increase of around £50 per month after tax credits balances out (although it would be lovely to keep it all!)

This month and next month we have decided to give ourselves a bit of a overpayment break, for three reasons really... and maybe perhaps a 4th

Reason 1
Its my 30th birthday next month and Mr T wanted to get me a DSLR camera, to take pictures of our family and to record our memories on my blog. We dont usually get each other more than a token present for birthdays, at first due to lack of funds, then because we both think its more important to show our love in other thoughful ways. But on Mr T's 30th a few years ago I managed to juggle the money to plan a suprise trip to Edinburgh with the kids (where we went on honeymoon and our favourite city), and I know he wanted to do something he knew I would truly love for mine. The camera its a huge huge investment, and I think I was almost hyperventalting when we pressed purchase, and in shock for an hour afterwards, but memories are so important and after borrowing a DSLR for a few months to practise I was hooked on the quailty of photos I could take.

Reason 2
We have an allotment and had been borrowing a rotavator, but with the weather being so typically british we all wanted to use it at the same time, and when the rotavator was free it was raining :rotfl:. We have decided to buy our own, and its amazing.:T After opting to dig instead and it taking me a full day to dig one bed (and almost as long to recover :rotfl:), buying our own became a much easier decision! :rotfl:

Reason 3
We are going on a camping holiday to cornwall in August. We havent been camping since I was pregnant with our eldest, and he is nearly 7.... and then I was child free! The extra money will mostly be wine allowance so I survive the trip, with a 6yo, 5yo, 3yo, 1yo and the hubby:rotfl:We need a few things that we didnt really expect or plan for (apart from sanity) and I want to give us some extra freedom to buy convenince and contribute fairly to eating together with my family (who probably use double our weekly food budget, for 1/3 the amount of people:eek:)

The possible 4th
I have become really anxious about spending money, to the point it can make me feel a bit ill when making financial decisions, even ones that are none optional!I think I need the break just to kind of prove to myself that as long as the minimum mortgage payment is made, life is good. The overpayment is an amazing extra and our goal is still achieveable and insight.

Then its back on track!
Especially with the financial uncertainty following the decision to leave the EU. I am hoping to overpay any money that we dont spend out of our holiday budget/ usual mortgage overpayment when we are home.

Other news
I have been kondo'ing our house and it feels like its coming together. It feels much tidier and easier to keep clean. Most of the things ive kondo'd have been given to friends / family or donated to the Jarrol Project which is a small charity that helps support the people of Jarrol in The Gambia.I have discovered I am hopeless at selling and fab at donating/giving, its a good job I am better at saving money than earning it!! :rotfl:

The allotment
Is a complete transfomation! I added a post to my blog about our allotment progress in May, but so much has changed since I wrote that too, I am really proud! Our aim is to become self sufficent in vegetables, and to spend the least money possble to achieve this! :rotfl:

The chicken coop
The work on the chicken coop had to stop while Mr T helped me prepare the ground and plant, but now most of our crops are in the ground, and the supports for our pumpkins are built we are almost on top of the allotment and our workload is calming down.

Mr T is planning to build a large cage with lid for our strawberries, and a small kitchen area (at the allotment, how posh!:T Its just a table of sorts built out of reclaimed wood to sit a washing up bowl or old sink /old tap if we can find one, so the children can wash their hands, and it will give us an area to store some of our things and hang our hosepipe.)

If we can build the strawberry beds, the kitchen and finish the chicken house in the next 3 weeks, we will buy some chickens this year, If not we will probably wait until spring!

Sorry for the huge rambling essay! Im off to update my signature :j

Thanks for asking about us Debtfreeoneday I have been thinking of you and I am looking forward to catching up with your diary soon xxx

mrsp1987

:grouphug::grouphug:Didn't want to read and run so welcome back!
If making money decisions is making you I'll and anxious it's good that you've noticed it now before it becomes a major problem. It sounds as if you're being very wise. :grouphug:

mrsp1987

Apologis for the proliferation of the weird pervy group hugs. I only intended to put one at the end. But seeing as they're rather amusing I think I'll leave them there :rotfl:

trulymadlyhannah

mrsp1987 wrote: »

Apologis for the proliferation of the weird pervy group hugs. I only intended to put one at the end. But seeing as they're rather amusing I think I'll leave them there :rotfl:

That made me laugh out loud!! :rotfl: Thank you for the welcome back I am looking forward to catching up :j

Busy_Mee1

:j lovely to see you back Hannah and great update.
They really are quite pervy, those group hugs :rotfl: made me laugh too.
I think you are right to have a break from OP for all the reasons you describe - enjoy your little family and don't put yourself under unnecessary pressure. You are doing all the right things and there is plenty of time to get your mortgage paid off

User1489

Hi, thanks for being open with us about the panicking when spending. i can get the same, and have to take a break from the spreadsheets again and remind myself i am ahead of the game (for the moment) and even that, yes, if I don't hit my ultimate goal the world doesn't end. The most important thing is you're aware of it and you have OH to talk with about it

Keep going, and enjoy the break.

MvM

castlelough

Hi Hannah!
I love reading your posts and hearing about the allotment and all your plans for it. Hope you are enjoying the financial break and the new camera! Looking forward to hearing how the camping trip went! Xxx Castlelough

debtfreeoneday

mrsp1987 wrote: »

Apologis for the proliferation of the weird pervy group hugs. I only intended to put one at the end. But seeing as they're rather amusing I think I'll leave them there :rotfl:

I'm sorry but that made me laugh so much.. more group pervy hugs are needed!!

:grouphug:

Welcome back you!! So pleased to see you back! x

greent

Welcome back xx