Mortgage free & able to live the dream!

SWSEGirl

Thank you for all your kind comments - and thank you Daisy for your words of wisdom! When I lent the money it was very much on the basis that it would be repaid on her pay day - a few days later. Unfortunately that didn't happen, but she has promised me it will happen next payday - on Wednesday. It is a bit frustrating, but I am fine without the cash for now. I just know the money will feel more significant to me come October, so I do need it back.

I'm pleased with progress this month - and I'll be away with work between now and my next payday, so shouldn't have too many expenses, and hopefully able to plough some additional funds into savings.

SWSEGirl

A relatively productive day yesterday - I attacked our flat in an attempt to do a proper clean out. I worked from 9am until 5pm only for it to look far worse than when I started! Happily I then took my penny pot & all loose change, exchanged it & got £50.99 :T so took DH for dinner at our local Thai restaurant, with plenty of change left. We then resumed the clear out together & have dozens of bags of rubbish to chuck out & clothes to sell.

I'm going to get up shortly & do our kitchen & bathroom. I'm keen to do them now & keep on top of them. We're in a 2 bed flat, with no garden & when our baby arrives space will be tight, so anything unnecessary has to go. I'm also determined not to become overrun by toys, baby equipment etc. As people have said previously you don't need much & I'm determined to be able to stay in our flat whilst we can & save, but this will mean maximising our space.

SWSEGirl

I am so busy at work at the moment, that I'm generally not finished until 10pm, so I don't feel as organised as I usually do. Plus I seem to have developed a real aversion to my home cooked meals, and can only stomach pret cheese baguettes! I need to stop this habit pronto, but as yet no time to go and buy the necessary bits to make my own.

I dread to think what our heating bill will be this month - we only have the heating on in the evenings and early mornings, but I've had to double up with a small electric fan heater, as being in the roof space of our building, it is painfully cold at times.

In better news - we added almost £1000 to savings yesterday, on DH's payday, so that feels positive. We still need to properly sit down and look at numbers for when I am on maternity leave - I'd love it if we could leave our savings intact and still overpay the mortgage - I'm sure it's do-able.

I hope everyone else is staying wrapped up and warm.

shangaijimmy

A bit late but congratulaions. Life will never be the same...for the better!

SWSEGirl

Well, it was an expensive weekend - but necessarily expensive. I bought thermals ready for my upcoming work trip (I'll be outside in freezing temperatures for long periods) and I bought a small birthday present for my brother....I brought birthday present in to work with me this morning, only to leave it on the bus

I'm irritated by myself - but I'm generally so tired and overworked, that I'm trying to cut myself some slack.

In better news, my colleague repaid the money she owed this morning, so that's a bonus! I'm doing relatively well this month financially - so I'm going to pay any excess funds on payday to my credit card, Christmas fund and maybe start an account to be used to subsidise myself once on maternity leave.

Kittenkirst

So many congratulations SWSEgirl, such wonderful news and you sound like you are very ahead of the curve already with your finances

Also dead pleased your colleague paid you back finally!

SWSEGirl

Im back! After a bit of a hiatus, I've been away for work & am now back home for a week or so - which is absolute bliss. My work trip has been horribly stressful & Im still exhausted. I was only getting 3 or so hours of sleep at times, so I'm very glad of a break.

Things on the money front are looking very positive, being away has meant I've spent nothing - so I finally paid off my credit card, I am now officially debt free apart from the mortgage!!! That is the first time since I was 18 :j

I've overpaid the mortgage by another £1000 as well this month & I now have a fully funded Christmas & holiday fund - this will really help ahead of our baby arriving.

I'll also add a bit to our joint savings soon, as that has been a bit depleted while I've been away, as my DH has unavoidably had to dip into it.

Now just off to update my signature.

SWSEGirl

Well I don't think I've been this tired in a while, coupled with some pretty bad sickness & total aversion to food & I'm feeling wiped out.

I'm heading abroad again this week for work, which fills me with dread, but needs must.

This horrible feeling of being completely drained means I'm taking a lack lustre approach to everything - finances included I need to get my act together & devote some brain space to it. My main priority is trying to work out what I will have each month next year (if I spread my maternity pay over 12 months) and then dividing our bills & costs accordingly.

bexster1975

Hi SWSE!

Not dropped in for a while. Congrats on baby news! And now CC debt paid off! :beer: ( non-alcoholic obvs)

I think an account for maternity leave money would be a good idea. Do you know how much you will lose over 6/9/12 months? If you could save that amount it would be a load off and you could take the length of maternity leave you choose.

Hope you start to feel a bit better soon

Bexster

SWSEGirl

Thanks Bexter, I'm hoping to feel better soon! Unfortunately I seem to have contracted a horrible cough, so that isn't helping, I think I'm just run down really.

In other news, I'm hoping to get a chance to properly work out what pay I'll have coming in post October, and sit down with DH to work out how we'll manage our money. It'll be confusing as it'll be varying amounts each month, but I'll just have to ration my funds accordingly I guess.

I might post a presumptive Maternity leave based SOA & then see what room there is for savings & mortgage OPs. Watch this space.