Buying a Bigger Birdhouse - MFW 2022

try_harder

What a great first years overpayment .You are definitely making a big impact .Well done

SeekingFlight

Oh look, i missed a whole year. I got busy but i'm back and looking to make real inroads by next September when i enter the final year of my fixed term. Not looking forward to re-negotiating no idea how...

SeekingFlight

Welcome to the 2021 edition of Buying the Birdhouse - Super Hard Mode

So I'm back again, hoping to use the diary to help me keep on track this year. I don't know if any of you noticed but 2020 clicked itself onto hard mode right around March and then in July my OH was diagnosed with cancer and I found a new even harder level of the game of life to play on.

Luckily for us I can afford the mortgage, bills and food on my own as my OH has her own business and so does not get sick pay. We are still working on building her business online but it's been tough. Depending on where she is on her Chemo cycle affect her energy and capabilities. Often I'll be working at my job in the day then home to cook and clean and then working on her job after dinner. 

I've been really inspired reading everyone's 2021 plans and roundups of 2020 and I'm keen to set a whole years worth of challenges based around the number 21 but I know that I'm likely to burn out so I've allowed myself just the three. 

Frugal Living 2021
Old Style Weight Loss 2021
Make £5 a day in January

I'm hoping they will provide a whole life approach for this year, I need to get back on my zero waste journey, less packaging, less convenience food, less stuff in general. Combining that with the weight loss should help me be and feel a bit healthier and if I can fit back into my old clothes I'm sure that counts as money saving . We are really lucky to have a good 6 month buffer but I've tagged the make £5 a day on the end there, my plan is to secretly amass a small extra pool of cash so that when we can get out and about again, I can afford for us to do something special. My OH loves to travel it would be great to stay somewhere amazing in the UK for a week and just regroup. 

Looking forward to being on board with you all x Happy 2021 

twinklie

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about the difficult times you've been having. The big C is an absolute....well, I can't type what I'd like to because the filters will block it. But I'm sure you can imagine what I'm thinking. 
Well done on everything you've achieved with what I can only imagine has been an exceptionally stressful time. 
Your goals sound really focused and make me think that I should really think about mine. 

caeler

What a year you’ve had. Stay strong and good luck with 2021. 

I’m not sure if it was right but when my last deal was up I spoke to my provider and I was able to take out a new deal at a better rate which I was happy with. Super easy. 

SeekingFlight

twinklie said:

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about the difficult times you've been having. The big C is an absolute....well, I can't type what I'd like to because the filters will block it. But I'm sure you can imagine what I'm thinking. 
Well done on everything you've achieved with what I can only imagine has been an exceptionally stressful time. 
Your goals sound really focused and make me think that I should really think about mine. 

Thanks, yeah  was really late this year planning out what I wanted to do and setting my budget but I've decided I can have a full weeks grace so no plans in place, no exercise started until the 8th Jan if I don't want to. 

I love your sig btw, the idea that I could work out % of house owned vs % mortgage paid is great. Makes me feel more positive remembering that because of the deposit I own more that mortgage amount

SeekingFlight

caeler said:

What a year you’ve had. Stay strong and good luck with 2021. 

I’m not sure if it was right but when my last deal was up I spoke to my provider and I was able to take out a new deal at a better rate which I was happy with. Super easy. 

Well that sounds reassuring, I was hoping for a better rate but worried they would not want to give me one due to the overpayment and not making as much money off me. Not until September though so still too early.

SeekingFlight

Well I took some time today and cancelled a bunch of subscriptions to things including Amazon Prime.
£269.37 saved over the coming year plus, no Amazon. I suspect if I can't have it next day I will be much less likely to buy it so more savings to be had in the future.

Going to turn the leftover veg in the fridge into some bolognaise for dinner. 

caeler

SeekingFlight said:

caeler said:

What a year you’ve had. Stay strong and good luck with 2021. 

I’m not sure if it was right but when my last deal was up I spoke to my provider and I was able to take out a new deal at a better rate which I was happy with. Super easy. 

Well that sounds reassuring, I was hoping for a better rate but worried they would not want to give me one due to the overpayment and not making as much money off me. Not until September though so still too early.

I don’t think it works like that. They said my LTV had also improved (beyond what I’d paid off v what I brought the property for originally) so I got a better rate than I was expecting. It seems they decided my home had increased in value, no physical evaluation though. Either way I got a rate I was happy with.  I applied 3 months before my rate ended, it was the earliest allowed and they moved me onto it straight away which helped. I’m with Nationwide.