The ups, downs, and occasional sideways bits of trying to be mortgage free

armchairexpert

GreenT I don't know what the Virgin1 account is, but mine was basically, yes, a huge line of credit. So the LOC was for $250,000, and every month the interest payment was debited from it, and all my income and outgoings also came out of it.

mfmaybe

The One Account was exactly as the name suggests. Everything in one place (mortgage, savings, current account etc) and you had a "plan" with regard to your mortgage that you needed to keep an eye on as you never actually made payments, your income was just supposed to come in every month and you didn't spend it all. It did need discipline, but obviously it was very flexible and allowed you to offset savings to reduce the interest paid. Sounds very like your old product. Despite being very financially savvy I never felt that it was for me. Even being in overdraft was a nightmare for me. Now that I stick to being in credit, I can much more easily tell how much money I have left (answer is always none) and it helps me curb spending. I think once you get used to the new way you will find it much clearer.

armchairexpert

Ah, yes, then that's exactly what I had! And the mortgage was interest only.

A little bit of sunshine today! Doggie and I got caught in a hailstorm yesterday - small hail, but still not very much fun for either of us. I'm desperate for a dry enough day that I can clean and air the house out properly, it reeks of dog despite all the carpet shampoo and putting the blankets and cushion covers through the washing machine. I'm sure I'll be complaining when it's summer and 40 degrees outside too!

Money is coming in nicely at the moment, I think I've finally got all the direct debits and things sorted out from the changeover. I did a YNAB Fresh Start, which means I'll lose some of my reporting but hey ho.

Sour cream and chive muffins made last night and I'm eating a couple with a coffee for brunch. Little Girl is off for a sleepover at her Nana's tonight, so we'll probably have a lazy chicken wrap sort of a dinner with Big Girl.

armchairexpert

Sunday afternoon, and there's beef casserole simmering on the wood stove, Doggie is napping on the couch, Mr E and the girls are making a sushi platter for a friend who has a newborn in ICU (we thought it would be good to have portable food) and I'm working with a blanket around my shoulders.

Dog trainer came over today for an initial orientation/to teach us some basic things. I'd taken Doggie for a long walk this morning so she'd be well behaved, and I think I overdid it: she was exhausted and kept going back to the couch for a sleep in between treats. Girls had fun, though, so it's just a matter of plugging away at the things we need to teach her.

Not too bad on the spending front this weekend. Mr E took Big Girl out for a cafe lunch after a cycling lesson, which I think was well deserved. Groceries kept to a minimum. Today is a NSD.

armchairexpert

Monday, and both Mr E and Big Girl are confined to the couch with streaming colds. Little Girl was super unimpressed about having to go to school when everyone else was staying home!

Supposed to be making veg lasagne tonight but not sure when I'll get chance: work deadlines are piling up in a heap and getting in my way. And tomorrow there's yet another school commitment that'll mean I lose a couple of hours of work. I know I should feel grateful for the flexibility etc etc., but the problem with flexibility is that you end up bending backwards for everyone.

I'm obsessing about diaries and planners. I was trying out a bullet journal but it's too time consuming for me. I need something where I can see a week at a time but also with lots of space for notes so I can keep a running tally of the things that come up during the week before I allocate them to days. I have been tabbing back and forth between two options for three days now, which might be a bit ridiculous.

wildesavings

Sounds like you're making a good firm trend over your diary (which I've just read ) Well done xxx

armchairexpert

Thank you and welcome! I don't feel like I'm getting very far, but I've been treading water for a few years so any progress is good progress.

The troops seem to have made a miraculous recovery today so I've waved them all off for the day, and Doggie is running about the back garden doing goodness knows what. Small spend on bread and milk. Rolling gently downhill to the end of the month.

Tahlullah

Tried the bullet diary thing after a recommendation from a friend. I could not get on with it and gave up after a week. I am too regimented for it. (Assuming we are talking about the same thing). It just seemed too free flowing for me, lacking in structure and organisation.

Anyway, all seems ok in the ACE household, bar the colds. To be expected in winter. And the old saying stands true today as it always did... If you want something doing, ask a busy person.

bubblycrazy

I carry a notebook with me everywhere and love lists, but I couldn't get on with a bullet journal at all, even though I love the idea in theory.
If you find anything that works for you let me know!

armchairexpert

After much deliberation (MUCH) I decided to go with a Moleskine Weekly, just a basic one but it has the week in columns on the left hand page and a ruled page for notes on the right. So that will allow me to jot down all the things I have to do that week, and the meal plan, and then allocate tasks to days on the left. I think. I also liked the PassionPlanner, but I think I need even more space for notes than it has. Normal diaries don't work for me very well because I use notebooks for thinking out loud and doing a brain dump of everything I have to do in a week, and I can't possibly put appointments in before I do that! The joys of running a business plus being responsible for all the kids' stuff.

(Moleskine also does a few super deluxe planners that have, like, weekly spreads over two pages plus notes pages plus perforated tear-out to-do list pages, but I decided that was overkill. Worth browsing though!

It's one of those weeks where I could do with a personal assistant! Yesterday was Book Week dress up, plus an assembly, plus a dentist's appointment for Big Girl after school, so lots of rushing around and trying to squeeze in a walk for Doggie somewhere - and Mr E is still not at his best so I was also doing the bath/bed routine and cleaning the kitchen and locking up the chickens and all the rest of it solo. Today is a parent-teacher evening, which means no time to walk Doggie after school so I took her for a longer walk than usual this morning. Last time we did parent-teacher, which finishes around 5,30pm, we stopped off at the supermarket on the way home for a cooked chicken and wraps and things. This time, MSE firmly in mind, I have put a vegetarian lasagne in the slow cooker. All well and good, but that was another 45 minutes of my workday gone. It's a real balance when you sell your own time: which time-savers are worth paying for?