Project Mortgage Neutral Begins

ajmoney

savingholmes said:

A lot of people seem to haggle down their bill with sky - there's probably an mse guide on it

I have managed before so I am hoping to try this.  Unfortunately there are problems with their website, there is no option for online chat and there is over an hour wait for phone calls so I will try tomorrow.  It looks like my current deal is coming to an end which is why the price is going up so much, as soon as I know what options they will give to me on the price I can make a decision.  Ultimately I would like to stay with them because of the sports I watch but I have found some of the channels with v!rgin and will just have to watch highlights for the other sports that aren't covered.

ajmoney

Money shuffle done for October and I am close to hitting all the mini targets I set in June for the rest of the year.

1. Save 10% from June onwards Target was £30011.66 Current total £30335.70

2. Reduce mortgages to £89710.82 Current total £91088.97

3. Build up 3 months of emergency fund in immediately accessible money Target £4171.32 Current total £3611.07

I am happy with this progress.  The total of money in my holiday fund has now gone above £3k which is what I save a year so I am now redirecting this money into my ISA for my emergency fund although I may need to add next month's to my mortgage to help towards that target as everything else looks like it will reach the target with the current standing orders.

I have started tracking how much money I have left at the end of each month so I can make a decision about extra money going into my S&S ISA although all these current amounts will likely be changed going forward into 2021.  My money can definitely work better for me, especially with the current interest rates so I am slowly coming up with plans for next year.

savingholmes

You are still doing so well. 

ajmoney

Today is another tackle a big job/job you hate day, I am finally going to replace the sealant around the shower. Ex is coming round to give me moral support but the intention is to do it all myself. I bought the stuff at the beginning of lockdown so only 6 months late!!! I'm not sure what other jobs are left on this list now apart from decorating although I do need to find a way to clean the bathroom ceiling and I don't think that will be an easy job.
The gardener is popping by to give me a quote to clarify my lawn so I can weigh it up against doing it myself and buying or hiring a scarifier as raking really hurts my back.

Suffolk_lass

If he has not been yet, ask him about aerating it too so the spikes reduce any moss or thatch accumulating in future

ajmoney

Suffolk_lass said:

If he has not been yet, ask him about aerating it too so the spikes reduce any moss or thatch accumulating in future

I spiked my garden earlier in the year to try and help.  I want it aerated, spiked and I will need to reseed once this is done.  If he quotes a good price he can do it all this year which I hope will make it easier for me to keep on top of.  I also need a fence repaired which I can probably do myself and would like to service my lawnmower (rather than buy a new one) so I will be asking if he does this.  He didn't give a time but I said I would be in all day so it doesn't matter too much when he arrives.

I am looking at meat free options for my meal plan.  A friend has leant me a vegan cook book for some ideas although I am happy for the menu options to be vegetarian or pescetarian.  I am going to try for one meat free day a week and see how I go, I am not interested in giving up meat but I would like to explore meal ideas with a difference.

ajmoney

Shower done, mostly by me until I got stressed trying to smooth/finish it off. Damn this perfectionist thing. I wanted to do the tiling by the kitchen sink but unsure I have the confidence to do it by myself today. I will try and get organised for a day/few hours where I don't need to use the sink so it stays dry.

savingholmes

You sound like you are taking the time to learn how to do things - with support where needed. That's a good thing. I am debating tackling tiles as DH has no interest in DIY currently where I think - if I got some of those mosaic type tiles it could look really good....

Suffolk_lass

All the sealant between the kitchen tiles and the worktop is looking messy here. I favour using the brick patterned thin shower board we have used in the camper van but DH still likes the tiles.

ajmoney

Suffolk_lass said:

All the sealant between the kitchen tiles and the worktop is looking messy here. I favour using the brick patterned thin shower board we have used in the camper van but DH still likes the tiles.

I think that is what I have around my shower.  It is looking really good, it hasn't looked like this during the 18 months I have lived here.

I am going out today to meet a friend for lunch who I haven't seen since February, I hope the roads aren't too flooded.  We used to work together and usually meet up when I go over to catch up when I visit but it will be a long time until I can go back over so I am making an effort to find other ways.  It is funny really as I have been trying to stay in touch with her all the way through as I know her home life isn't that great but she wasn't replying to any of my messages.  I decided to message her on the work system and decided if I didn't hear anything then it wasn't meant to be and she replied!  I will do a food shop on the way home, the aim is to get everything until Friday but that all depends on my ability to meal plan.

Edit: Meal plan done to include Saturday and some of them are batch cooked so more for later.  I might just need to buy some other veg later in the week depending on how fresh it looks in the supermarket.