All the single ladies vs 145k

skye_blue

Hi
I phoned car insurance firm today to check why my renewal amount was high and to tell them i could get a much better deal and cash back as well
So after a long wait the lovely guy came back and said they would match the amount plus the cash back amount as well.  So i saved £65 and made it to up to £100 with a bit of survey money and sent it on its way to my mortgage.  Result and no waiting for weeks for cash back, it makes you feel good when something goes your way doesn;t it
Keep safe everyone, 

Peaches113

Popping in as you'd commented on my diary and just binged on your journey so far. Wow, you have achieved so much, a huge inspiration! It must feel comforting to really start to see the inroads you're making. I am so impressed by your self investment in furthering your skills, now if you could just bottle that drive and determination and throw some my way I'd be most grateful I was glad to read that you've 'nested' and are feeling better about your house. It struck a cord with me, the first thing I did when alone in my house on completion day was have a good cry and tell myself I'd bought the wrong house! I've subscribed and will be following closely ( Convincing myself that reading about your regular running will somehow by internet osmosis mean that I will also reap those benefits... )

sofarbehind

Peaches113 said:

I was glad to read that you've 'nested' and are feeling better about your house. It struck a cord with me, the first thing I did when alone in my house on completion day was have a good cry and tell myself I'd bought the wrong house! I've subscribed and will be following closely ( Convincing myself that reading about your regular running will somehow by internet osmosis mean that I will also reap those benefits... )

Thanks for the lovely comment Peaches. I think feeling you have made a mistake is a really common reaction to a new house. It's even more overwhelming when it was a solo purchase and there is only you paying the bills. People on here were just lovely and were right when they said give it time. I love my house and street now. I think you will get there too as you start to nest and make it yours. 

In the early days someone wise pointed out that going solo (which I just resented!) has advantages. They were absolutely right. I can set all of my financial goals and they can't be undermined by a partner who isn't on board. I have had complete freedom to skip expensive holidays and do a degree. I understand that there are also strengths in our position. It just takes a while to see that, particularly in those expensive easily days. I'm really glad you have started a diary - it's lovely to read about other people in similar positions and lovely when you look back in a few years and can see your progress. 

sofarbehind

Hello gang,
New month, new OP! It's more exciting than payday these days. Really happy with the OPs I have managed to make so far this year - I'm very grateful to have been able to do this when I know other people are struggling. Hopefully we will have a slow return to something nearer normal in terms of work load over the next couple of months  and my income will be back to normal. I am a bit anxious with all the uncertainty but for now I have left the OPs in place and am just saving every penny to boost the emergency fund. 

I'll keep reviewing this every month and if things change I will suspend OPs. I have found a lot of other single lady MFW blogs recently that are very active and it's been really helpful to read them and keep my focus.  In other news I am in exam season for my course - another 5 weeks and they will be done. Then I am in final year! Wow. Been a big stretch paying for this and Oping but I have managed it and pretty much have it paid for.  Woohoo! 

I have applied for another job in my field - not the Big Job and career change I am aiming for but it would hopefully be a nicer environment than the one I'm currently stuck in. The bullying, sexist culture has really knocked my confidence so I need to get out.  Crossing my fingers. I have really hit a glass ceiling in my male dominated field and  longer term I just want to move on to something with a better opportunities.

Running is still a big part of my life but gosh I am struggling in the heat! Lots of walk breaks but never mind. 

Moneyfordreams

Good luck with your job application. 
Hopefully all of your dedication will be recognised

Sandyra

@sofarbehind
just wanted to say hi, good luck on the job and I went running today for the first time in ages. It felt great albeit tiring at the time.

Sistergold

Hey @sofarbehind
You are really doing well with OPs welldone. Welldone with the running keep it up!
Good luck with the exam and one more year and you are done for now! 

Good luck with new job! Don’t let the current job drag you down so if it’s possible to move try and move even if the money is the same! Change is always good! 

🥰

sofarbehind

Thanks @magritte, @Moneyfordreams, @Sandyra and @Sistergold!  What a lot of lovely things to say  Sorry I have been so busy following everyone else's diaries this month I have neglected my own.

First of the month so it's mortgage OP day! Hip Hip Hooray an OP for me today. Cough. I do like how the numbers suddenly seem to be going down faster. Getting under 100k is looking possible.

Funny old month for me, been a bit of an exam blur. One week and one exam to go then I get the summer off, so close to the halfway point now. Still waiting to see if I can get back to going in to work come August - fingers crossed some normality is coming. I am missing earning overtime so it would be nice if that eventually started to come back slowly too. I had to withdraw from my job application because they weren't flexible enough to offer a WFH option, annoying but hey ho. I made getting a new job an aim for 2020 but these are weird times and I am now in career preservation mode like a lot others. I'm actually OK with it for now and have my eye on the bigger picture and long term career change goal.

I have been thinking a lot about upgrading the house if I decide not to move next year. I have wrestled with thinking about moving since I got the keys for this place! I have really settled, spending all my time here over lockdown has highlighted how lovely my neighbours are and how peaceful the area is. I realised last year that my feelings had changed. I was initially thinking of paying off the mortgage ASAP then saving for moving the bathroom and building a kitchen diner extension. Then I read @Sistergold's thoughts about upgrading earlier so that you get to enjoy spending more of your life living in a nicer space! I don't know if it's to do with hitting middle age but this resonated deeply with me. I spent so long living in horrible house shares to save for this place, it was the right thing to do but it really affected my quality of life. I want to make the most of my time on earth now and enjoy the best environment I can give myself because it really matters.

Having nowhere to sit in the kitchen is the big flaw in my living space.  I definitely need to build more equity so I will keep up with the Oping to get under 100k then decide. At that point I would probably *shock* switch to minimal OPs and save aggressively. I think I would need around 50k for what I want so I would be aiming to fund this half through savings and half from re-mortgaging. I just need to investigate a bit more about planning permission and find out if moving a drain is possible -  if it is I should be able to do exactly what I would like.  Either way I need to make a big financial investment in my home, be it through moving or extending. Extending looks as though it would be much cheaper.

In running news I am slowly building back up after getting back outdoors, although last week was a non-starter in the heat. I'm glad it's a bit cooler this week because I've actually ran! Only another week and I will be able to have my first social run for 15 weeks!!!! So excited about seeing my friends again, I've really missed them.

Well that was quite a ramble to start July. It is helpful to get my thoughts written down, it always clarifies my thinking.
   
  

Moneyfordreams

Good luck with all of your plans. It sounds like you on the path to future proof yourself  
We had our drains moved last year. They were blocked with tree roots therefore an essential fix. I knew I want to move bathroom fixings around so had the repair the weeks before the bathroom replacement. Our 1st quote was £5.5 thousand and the second one was less than £2k. We had them moved for the rear of the property to the side. They just dug a new trench for the new pipes leaving the roof bound other ones in place and connecting new fittings. Simples  

sofarbehind

Moneyfordreams said:

 We had our drains moved last year. Our 1st quote was £5.5 thousand and the second one was less than £2k. We had them moved for the rear of the property to the side. They just dug a new trench for the new pipes leaving the roof bound other ones in place and connecting new fittings. Simples  

Thanks @Moneyfordreams, it's great to get an idea of how much it costs. That is a serious difference between those two quotes! I have a pesky drain inspection thingy where I would like to build in the side return. I don't know anything about building or renovation so I wasn't sure if it was possible - from google it looks as though you need to get permission. I know you can have it under the floor but the thought horrifies me!

 I am also paranoid that the dream side return option would make all the neighbours hate me forever....someone in the next street has done it in the last couple of years so that suggests it's possible.  I need to do a lot research while I save.