Enjoying life, even with a mortgage!

GilmoreGirl

Dear MFW-fellows,

I decided to start my MFW diary after being inspired by all of your amazing stories! I got a mortgage almost 6 months ago and I have already managed to do some overpayments based on your suggestions and experiences. The most important lesson I learnt so far is to prioritise spending on things that truly make me happy and enrich my life while reducing all other spending.

My financial goal is very simple at the moment: Reduce my mortgage by 10k a year (including normal and overpayments), while still keep enjoying life - we only live once after all!

The main steps I've taken towards this goal are as follows:
1) Shopping around for cheaper deals on energy, utilities, merchandise and super market.
2) Not buying new clothes for occasions such as birthdays and other formal events. Instead, I wear clothes bought in the past (and worn only a couple of times) paired with modern (but cheap) accessories for a fresh look! I always get compliments, which motivates me even more. This works best with classic pieces, such as black dresses.
3) Most of the time, my friends and family ask me what I'd like as a present. If i know what I want to buy in the near future, I can ask for it. This way I get all the things I would love to use and I don't get anything useless for me!

Happy holidays to all of you! :beer:

lavinia21

Good luck GilmoreGirl i will await to see your progress

freshcotton

Clothes are a great area to save money - its only when you stop buying them that you discover all the items you already have. Many years ago when I was paying off debt, I went 2 years without buying any new items and I managed fine.


Good luck

newgirly

Best of luck Gilmore girl

GilmoreGirl

I made an overpayment two days ago and it still doesn't show on my online account. Anyone had a similar experience? Is it because it's a holiday?

[Deleted User]

GilmoreGirl wrote: »

Anyone had a similar experience?

No. I've never made a payment into your online account.

But give it a day or so. Presumably you've double checked the payment details though?

GilmoreGirl

Problem fixed!

I had a great day today, went to a seaside town with friends and have some nice lunch with very good views! I felt really happier for connecting with friends and talking about hobbies and travelling!

Hopefully, 2017 will be a much happier year for everyone!

GilmoreGirl

Happy new year to all of you!

I realised that I spent less than my gas an electricity had predicted for me, so I called them and reduced the direct debit by £15 (I wasn't given any refund since the year ends in June). Then I called my mortgage provider and increased the mortgage payment by £15. I'm going to look for a cheaper mobile phone plan today!

lavinia21

Well done Gillmore girl every bit helps

GilmoreGirl

I came across Marie Kondo and her book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing". The idea is that you only keep the things you really love and make you happy and discard everything else. By reducing the amount of your belongings, the space becomes less cluttered and you feel happier. Kondo suggests that you start decluttering by category of items rather than by rooms! I made the following list of categories and sorted it in terms of what I want to tackle first:

1) make up, skin products and bath products
2) electronics
3) papers, envelops, bills etc.
4) office consumables: pens etc.
5) books
6) utensils/mugs and kitchen stuff
7) accessories/jewellery
8) home accessories
9) valuables
10) clothes + bags + shoes
11) household supplies
12) tools
13) memorabilia: photos etc.

The idea is that you gather all items of the category in the floor of your living room, then you sort them in things which make you happy and things which don't. You keep the former and discard/give away the latter.