FinancialBliss: My mortgage free journey…

financialbliss

abouttimetoo wrote: »

Hi FB

Sorry to hijack your thread with a techy question I'd like to post some graphs in my thread and I'm sure you've given instructions somewhere in your own thread as to how best to do this but i can't seem to find it again.

Any help gratefully appreciated

Hi ATT,

Roughly, you need to do the following:

• Collect data and enter into Excel / other spreadsheet
• Generate / tweak graph until you're happy with the results.
• Select the graph and take a copy to the clipboard,
• Open Paint and paste copy into a blank canvas
• Still in Paint, select Save as and save as a JPEG image.
• Create an account / log on to an on-line storage solution, eg photobucket.com
• Upload picture from your PC to on-line storage

Once it's "on-line", link to it via your diary. There may be a number of available links to use, eg for photobucket there's Email and IM, Direct Link, HTML Code and IMG code. I use the link that is given in the IMG Code.

Hope this helps. Feel free to post back here or PM me for advice.

FB.

financialbliss

Doesn't Christmas Eve come around fast - perhaps I'm getting old?

We have an incredibly busy day today, so just a quick note to day thanks for lurking, reading or contributing to my little corner of MSE over the last 12 months.

Merry Christmas and a money saving new year!

:xmassign::xmassign::xmassign::xmassign::xmassign:

Financial Bliss.

financialbliss

New year is almost upon us. I've discussed the overpaying of £500 / month until our fixed term ends (March 2011) with Mrs Bliss and she understands and agrees with the logic.

Been some good comments on my £500 OP in the mortgage and endowments section, davies0121 and uzubairu put across very well what I'm trying to achieve:

davies0121 wrote: »

I think the idea of an offset mortgage is a very good idea. I have been looking into this when my 5 year fix finishes.
I know you don't have to be reminded of this (as I'm a big fan of your MFW diary), Upping the OP to £500/pm will be reducing the interest paid over the next 15 months. Unless you can find a savings account that pays 4.79% (after tax) then OP is your best option. Just remember that your emergency pot isn't decreasing, it's simply moving from one account into another and working harder for you.
With regard to the OP pot with Nationwide, I have heard that people have got their money back out within a week. It may not be instant access but it's close enough!

I hope this helps!

and

uzubairu wrote: »

I'm on a fixed rate of 4.79% with the Nationwide.

With savings rates being what they are, the best place for my money (including emergency funds) is the Overpayment Reserve, because I can access them relatively easily if I need to and save interest whilst I don't.

So, I've just set up the mortgage overpayment to £500 for the next 15 months. Now going to have to restate my objective for the 2010 MFW challenge :rolleyes:

While I'm here - mortgage today is £48,493.62. Adding another £6.34 in interest for tomorrow means I should have a year end balance of £48,499.96 - 4p out from my £48,500 year end target.

Stacks to do in the next 24 - 48 hours including reviewing aims for 2009, working out some aims for 2010 etc. I'll be back...

FB.

financialbliss

Not only the last day of the month, but also the last day of 2009. Last day of month means mortgage interest, which . Nationwide add on daily. So, here's the full year breakdown from January to December:

Mortgage at start of year: 59,500.00
Overpayments in Blue.
Interest in Red.
Balance in Green.

Month: Payment (Std / OP) / Interest (per day) / Net reduction / Balance

January: 1,200.00 (898.03 / 301.97) / 237.37 (7.66) / 962.63 / 58,537.37
February: 1,200.00 (898.03 / 301.97) / 210.99 (7.54) / 989.01 / 57,548.36
March: 1,200.00 (898.03 / 301.97) / 229.56 (7.41) / 970.44 / 56,577.92
April: 1,025.00 (898.03 / 126.97) / 218.94 (7.30) / 806.06 / 55,771.86
May: 1,025.00 (898.03 / 126.97) / 222.96 (7.19) / 802.04 / 54,969.82
June: 1,200.00 (898.03 / 301.97) / 212.08 (7.07) / 987.92 / 53,981.90
July: 1,025.00 (898.03 / 126.97) / 215.58 (6.95) / 809.42 / 53,172.48
August: 1,025.00 (898.03 / 126.97) / 212.28 (6.85) / 812.72 / 52,359.76
September: 1,100.00 (898.03 / 201.97) / 201.95 (6.73) / 898.05 / 51,461.71
October: 1,100.00 (898.03 / 201.97) / 205.03 (6.61) / 894.97 / 50,566.74
November: 1,300.00 (898.03 / 401.97) / 195.03 (6.50) / 1,104.97 / 49,461.77
December: 1,158.50 (898.03 / 260.47) / 196.69 (6.34) / 961.81 / 48,499.96

Totals: Payment / Interest / Net reduction.

Minimum: 1,025.00 / 195.03 / 802.04
Maximum: 1,300.00 / 237.37 / 1,104.97
Average: 1,129.88 / 213.21 / 916.67
Grand Total: 13,558.50 / 2,558.46 / 11,000.04

So, I was aiming for a year end balance of £48,500, ie a reduction of £11,000, but slightly mis-calculating interest means I've exceeded that by 4p.

Financial Bliss.

Rob71

Hi there FB!

A long time lurker on the MFW board, but I've read a fair number of the diaries (Stuart's and AboutTimeToo's to name but two)...

Now I've read yours as well (took a while!;)) - well worth the time and effort, and as with all of the diaries I've read, yours has been inspirational! Well done you! :beer:

One of your goals for this year was to get five new recruits/converts - I suspect you've done that easily, but add another to the list!

I don't know if you "do" new years resolutions - my good intentions tend to evaporate around the 3rd of January - but just wondered if you had any for this year? Mine'll be to start the MFW journey in earnest - something that I think is achievable and realistic for a change... I've put everything in place, dropped my term by 8 years, got a better rate etc - now I just need knuckle down and make a few OPs - aiming to make the 20% I'm allowed to each month, whilst saving as much as I can for when I'm out of my fix.

Thx once again for the good read: I've subscribed and will be checking in from time to time to see how you're getting on!

Wishing you all the best for the new year! :T:beer::T

Cheers,
Rob

financialbliss

Handy little tip.

Fill your car up with fuel today, as you will beat the VAT rise from 15% to 17.5% that comes into effect from tomorrow.

I've just done that, but that said, the receipt says "Total includes VAT @ 17.5%" - this was from ASDAl. Need to check to see if I have another earlier statement and ASDA never changed the receipt wording, or if they have changed it back already

FB.

canne_2

Hi FB,

I've been following your thread (and I think you have been following mine! ).

Well done on all your progress last year! :T

I have now figured out how to subscribe to posts - took me long enough! So I have subscribed to this diary now...

Cheers

canne

uzubairu

Well done on the progress you have made this year. :beer:

I love reading your diary, (it's what made me finally take the plunge and start my own) and will continue to do so in 2010.

Kepp up the good work.

evab_2

Happy New Year fb, good luck with your continued MF journey this year.

financialbliss

financialbliss wrote: »

In recent weeks I've been getting quotes for euros to pounds.
...
so I today converted 260 euros into £221.28. :j

Kept the £21.28 as cash and paid £200 into our current account. Will be spending the money on us as the euros were a gift, but currently using this cash to make a £200 overpayment on the mortgage.

Firstly, Happy New Year everyone. :j:j:j

We sent out 2009 with a bang!

Recently (see above) converted euros into pounds. As a temporary measure, made an overpayment on the mortgage, but as the euros were a gift, was always intending to spend the money on us.


A month or two ago, I pondered over 2010 holidays. We took the plunge shortly after than and booked a holiday cottage in Somerset, but had kept that quiet. As we're "down south", we've already started planning what we can do while away. We're not a million miles from Longleat, and intending to do that :T

But, in the last few days, we have been researching LEGOLAND Windsor, and accomodation while down there. Last night we booked short break via the LEGOLAND holidays website which includes two days entrance into LEGOLAND and two nights staying in a 4 star hotel near Heathrow. From there, we just need to head west to the holiday cottage on the day (about 2 hours) instead of a 7 hour drive direct to the cottage.

LEGOLAND prices are currently as follows:
http://www.legoland.co.uk/planyourvisit/tickets/TICKETS.htm

Just to keep a record in this diary, as the above page will probably change:
2 x adults (2 days) @ 74.59 each = 149.18
2 x children (2 days) @ 56.20 each = 112.40

Total LEGOLAND ticket prices alone = £261.58

So, via the LEGOLAND holidays link, we got the above tickets, plus two nights hotel accommodation including free parking and breakfasts included for less than just the ticket prices shown above.

Total cost including hotel was £235.62 - a saving over just the LEGOLAND park tickets alone. We also researched separate hotel and accommodation but for what we got with the hotel (pool, breakfast included, free parking for LEGOLAND customers), the LEGOLAND holidays link was the much better deal.

Also booked it via QuidCo, so should see some cash back, although it's not tracked just yet.

Haven't broke the news to the kids yet, but #1 is an absolute LEGO nut and I'm sure he will love this.

I know I can get fixated on the goal / mortgage numbers etc, but it's about the journey, not just the destination and I think this little extra to the cottage break will be great fun and certainly enjoyed by the kids, if not us adults too! Well worth the cost for extending the holiday by two days, if only we do LEGOLAND once, as none of us have been before!

Financial Bliss.