Mortgage Free Dream

daydreamz

Paperwork in from client and I should be working, instead I am evaluating our income/spending for 2016 Its pretty shocking really! It was a very difficult year for us as a family and I just lost track. Never missed a payment for anything, purely by luck than judgement.

So had the new carpet fitted into the girls new room this morning, moved and cleaned all their beds and drawers, so they are in their new big room tonight. Spare bed switched into their old tiny room (double barely fits, but DH doesn't want to get rid of it!). I got their new wardrobe and bookshelf from Argos this evening (I know not great, but it only needs to last us a couple of years), managed to get the 25% off deal ontop of my Bookkeeping body discount gift vouchers of 8%, I've also gone via Quidco so hoping a few more pennies there.

When doing checked the balance of my other cards, £30 on a new look card! Yay! I put it on a while ago when I had my eye on something, but then they didn't have it in stock. May get a new dress or something

Got someone coming to quote for moving the bathroom upstairs into the box room on Monday, hopefully it wont be too expensive. Once we have and idea of costs for the bathroom and kitchen, then we can start chipping away at this mortgage.

Just put £30 off the car loan, every little bit and all that

So tonight's plan:

1 - Get work done & get invoice out!!!
2 - Study (maybe have a night off...)
3 - Prosecco and TV (unless I'm to tired, then straight to bed!) exciting times....

CathT

Hi, yes we have each other on fb

I'm impressed your evening can begin after 9pm, I'm usually heading up to bed then!

daydreamz

Haha I don't sleep

daydreamz

So decided to pay off the monthly payment of house insurance (16%!!!!), was only £150 payment, and has saved £45 for the year. Its amazing how much more they charge for monthly paying.

Car has a flat tyre, DH out getting new ones now... £90 each £180 down... I am hoping that was including VAT :eek:

Finished studying the text book this afternoon, just for revision and a million question/answer to go through. Booked exam for the 24th Feb.

Popping over to parents tomorrow to borrow their slow cooker, have a few recipes marked to try. DH doesn't really like the slow cooker, why we never bought one, he doesn't like chicken in it, says it tastes funny. I'm going to try pulled pork and a beef pot roast, see if I can win him over. Need food ideas that are cheap, simple and relatively easy when I am busy.

daydreamz

Just checked, it has been nearly 2 weeks since having a takeaway! :A When I am tired and busy, we have been getting them. Has been pretty regular over the past few months. Must cut back! :money:

Trying to make some sort of food plan for the week, need to be more organised though!

daydreamz

Its been a couple of weeks since I've been on here, been busy working, studying and raising two crazy kids!

Been out a our local nature reserve today with the Home Ed group doing some Nature Learning, but now exhausted. Exam in just over a week, so need to get back at the books.

Been updating the money situation and also looking at Dave Ramsey method, which I am considering applying (mostly). I already have the £1,000 emergency (I am ignoring the money earmarked for the house building work) and starting a zero monthly budget. If we manage to get all client payments in before the end of the month, we are looking at around £300 over, that can be put to pay off debt. Lets see at the end of the month how much of that is going to be left!

However, he has got me thinking about the pension issue, I have two workplace pensions from years ago, which I don't really know how much is in it, and my other half has a tiny pension of about £800! That he had from a job a LONG time ago. But since being self employed we have done nothing I really don't think our budget could afford a 15% reduction at the minute, but once all the debt payments are gone and mortgage payments reduced it should be easier. I am 31 and my DH is 36, still have a few years left until retirement, but it has got me worried. I need to ring up my pension and see how much is in there (they were both rather generous workplace pensions), all statements are now online, so no idea how much they are worth.

Its the time of year that all our contracts come up for telephone/internet/gas & elec. I used Quidco via uswitch for Gas & Elec to get £30 cash back (due April), not happy that the prices have skyrocketed from last years fix and switched to Plusnet with £50 quidco (due April) and also I think they had their own £50 cashback, that you have to claim via the email, but not got that yet, so will see. So around £100 in April will go toward debts etc.

Next one is the mobiles though, I have found a S7 deal for just a little more than I pay at the minute, not sure though. I've gone through ALL the deals, and what we need/want from a phone. We do need new handsets though, still have a S4, my screen is cracked and it runs pretty slow, and DH works in a dusty environment so his phone is caked and goes crackly sometimes when you call. It is also used for his business, so does need one!

Also when on Quidco noticed there was £9.80 there and just over £10 on TCB so around £20 coming this month for debt repayments.

Also, bonus today, when sorting the cupboards out I found a book my other half bought a long time ago about racing cars. Its a technical building books, had a quick look on Amazon and they were listed to £50+ Took a punt and listed it too, it was sold today! posted so after fees and postage it is around £40. Not sure how long Amazon take to distribute, but another amount for the kitty

Anyway, need to get on studying, onto the mock exams, last two was 93% and 100%, but have to keep practicing!

Kittenkirst

Fab work on selling that book- what a hidden treasure.

Your diary is all sounding very positive and like you're making big steps in your goals- keep it up daydreamz

daydreamz

After reading through a few of other diaries, I had a thought to check some of my old survey pages (not been doing surveys for over a year!). Saw IPSOS has 25 points short of a £10 mastercard, so did a quick survey, and ordered the instant mastercard. I tried to use the master card to directly pay off one of the debts, but they were not recognised, so I used it to buy £10 Amazon voucher (which would have cost more in IPSOS points) through my regulatory body discount page (ICB members get some great deals on vouchers etc). 3% cash back, so 30p cashback and £10 Amazon voucher. also noticed that there was £4 cashback sitting in there, so put that also on an Amazon voucher.

Promising myself to only use for what is needed... and put the equivalent £15 (I rounded up :money:) off the car loan :T

That was £14 I didn't know existed, every penny :A