FinancialBliss: My mortgage free journey…

financialbliss

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS wrote: »

Hi FB, I think that is such a beautiful thing to be planning. No idea how to do it, but perhaps choose whatever she thinks is extravagant, meal out, new frock, and when she says, we can't afford it, tell her you can

Good luck and you really are an inspiration
Tilly x

Here's the deal. We've booked two nights away later this year (without kids). Mrs Bliss knows we're going away then, but has no idea I want to spring the "we're mortgage free news on her...". Which means a few things:

• I've imposed a new mortgage free date on myself
• I know when I'm going to tell Mrs Bliss
• I know (roughly) where I'm going to tell Mrs Bliss

The only thing I don't know is the "how". Over dinner, an envelope casually left in the hotel room, some specific public location, etc.

Plan falling into place... :j
Financial Bliss.

financialbliss

Peonie wrote: »

Oh my goodness, she does not know! Do you think she will be upset or over the moon?

Does she like a drink? You could always buy a bottle of champagne and have a fancy label made with a mortgage free message on it.

Peonie, No not quite... :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Over the moon I suspect and hope. And therein lies the problem and also the surprise. She can view our mortgage account, but it's showing somewhere in the region of £18,850 today. She has a savings account that we're stashing the cash into, specifically for the mortgage - I also have one. We also have a few other accounts spread around, so she can't really see the full picture from her savings accounts alone.

Bottle of champers was certainly on the cards :beer:
I've a few months yet to thrash out my plan, but in true Financial Bliss style, I'm keeping quiet about this at present.:A

FB.
PS Daughter sitting next to me and has wanted to use some of the icons, so I've had to attempt to slant the information towards the icons she wanted to use! :rotfl::cool::D:p:o;):mad::):(

See what I mean. Free for all there! :money:

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Morning FB, when she says "wouldn't it be lovely if we could this more often" say yes and tell her why.

How truly wonderful that you have worked so hard behind the scenes to push the plans forward. However you tell her, I have no doubt you will remember it for ever. I would be a like a bottle of pop with excitement if i was in your position.

Tilly x

gallygirl

I think if the weekend is planned that is def the way to go. Order champagne to be in the room when you arrive. When she comments just casually say 'Oh, didn't I mention it? We're mortgage free'. I would LOVE a surprise like that (but as I'm 60k behind Mr GG in the mortgage stakes it ain't gonna happen :rotfl:).

:wave:to DD

greent

Oh, brilliant idea fb - what a fantastic thing - I want you to be mf now and go away now and then come back and tell us how it went!!

Iona_Penny

Hello financialbliss

It has taken me about a month to read your blog from the beginning-I randomly started reading some blogs and was captivated by yours. I feel I have come in at just the right time to see you reach your goal!

OH and I had a new motgage deal start from April 1st - we have signed a 5 year fix which will see our mortgage complete. Luckily we had been overpaying for the last few years to allow this to happen HOWEVER we will be late 50s. There were times in the beginning we could have overpayed, but in 1980 we just signed and payed what we were told, and kept any extra monies in our pocket.

I think this blog is something every person taking out a new mortgage should read!!

Anna_Glypta

Iona_Penny wrote: »

Hello financialbliss

It has taken me about a month to read your blog from the beginning-I randomly started reading some blogs and was captivated by yours. I feel I have come in at just the right time to see you reach your goal!


I think this blog is something every person taking out a new mortgage should read!!

Hi FB

I agree totally with Iona. I am currently on page 52 and working my way through it gradually. Obviously I can see from your signature how well you've done even though officially I'm still in 2009 but your thread is interesting and informative and it's certainly giving me food for thought.

I wish I had found this site ten years ago because I'm sure I wouldn't still have a mortgage now! Oh well onwards and downwards with the balance.

I look forward to following your final stretch to mortgage freeness :T

AG

financialbliss

@ Iona_Penny / Anna Glypta

Thanks for the praise /comments.

When I originally took out this current mortgage (95k), it was quite some mortgage for us considering our previous mortgage was just £4k – new house and baby on the way.

I’d say for anyone just starting out – don’t expect to make massive inroads into your mortgage and clear it within a year or two. For most of us, it’s a long haul /life choice, which can have massive long term benefits.

For that reason, I’d recommend breaking the task into smaller chunks / goals and cross each one off as you reach it. In hindsight, I’m not 100% sure that setting a very fixed date is the right thing to do, but it’s perhaps the very reason that I’ve put forwards a public goal that I’m still striving to achieve it.

Once again, thanks for the support – I’ll keep posting / blogging or whatever you want to call it, although no more this evening – far to many late evenings of late. I’m aiming to get in early at least twice this week, which means leaving home earlier, so I’m turning in now.

FB

financialbliss

Oops. Money spending expert.com here this evening :eek:

Perhaps it’s just me, but I feel that the further I get towards my goal date of 12/12/12, the more I’m getting distracted from that goal.

Had a little spending hiccup this evening.

1) Cycling.
Decided I needed some more ‘kit’ and purchased 4 short sleeved cycling shirts, 1 long sleeved cycling shirt, 2 pairs of cycling longs, 3 pairs of cycling shorts and some decent waterproof trousers. Now have enough of either longs or shorts to last an entire week. Cycling shirts instead of normal t-shirts as they’re cut lower at the back meaning when you’re leaning forwards you’re not uncovered. Total of £97 and should track with cash back from QuidCo.

2) Bed.
When we fitted out or master bedroom with wardrobes back in 2004 (yes - I know, 2004), we left enough space for a king sized bed. Trouble was that we never agreed on a bed. By chance, Mrs Bliss pointed one out just last week and I also liked it – a quick call today led to the discovery they only had one left in stock, so a quick click and a credit card later and we’ve ordered a king size bed and king mattress to go with it.

Bed RRP was £689 and we sourced it for £329. Mattress RRP was £349 and this was on sale for £179, so instead of £1,038 we got both for £508. Free delivery over £500, so we scored there again and the QuidCo cash back has already tracked at £30.48, making it, ahem, just £477.52

A bit dubious about purchasing a bed over the internet, but I did spend a substantial amount of time over the weekend lying on different mattresses in a few local bedding / mattress centres.

Just a small matter of decorating our bedroom now. Got a Wednesday discount on paint from B&Q via mother in law.

FB.

financialbliss

financialbliss wrote: »

Allergies. On a similar line, it was confirmed last week that #1 son has a peanut allergy. Was tested for: almond, brazil, cashew, hazelnut, peanut and walnut. Fortunately, only peanut gave a positive and that said, they have high hopes that he may grow out of the allergy – it’s not a severe allergy. Further tests when he is 5, so providing I’m still posting updates in late 2009, I may have an update.

Thanks,
FB.

Quoting myself from 13th December 2007, when son was 3

Turns out I mis-typed that. Five years on, not when he was five...

So, today we had an appointment for further tests. This time our little cherub who is now 8 was tested for:

peanut, grass type 1, grass type 2, cats and a control test.

As we suspected, he is still allergic to peanuts, but as we have subsequently found out, allergic to grass, especially freshly cut grass - oh and cats too.

We have today received an EpiPen, had some training, updated his care plan and took a deep breath. It could be much worse - another child next to us was being tested for an allergic reaction to chicken!

Just found this site - http://www.epipen.co.uk/ where there appears to be the facility to register your pen, after which it will send an e-mail advising of its expiry.

FB.