All the single ladies vs 145k

Sistergold

@sofarbehind
Its really good you are now left with one exam to write and summer will be just for you to enjoy. 

Lockdown really made us to look at our living places differently hey? Somewhere to sit around the kitchen will really be nice. And like you said the sooner you extend if you decide to the better as to be honest the only time is now! We have really “suffered” enough for us to get to where we are and you don’t want to do stuff nearer the other side, for lack of a better word! I just feel after sometime it will be like what’s the point or you do it and someone enjoys the fruits of your labour. Imagine if you live in your house for years putting up with all sort of discomforts you then renovate because you now think it’s the right time and then you need sell and maybe the house market has dropped is it not better if you have had years of enjoyment? 

You have a good plan there to reduce to less than £100k that sounds like a good figure then look at extension. £50k for extension sounds like a good figure for sure! 

Xx

South_coast

Sistergold said:

Imagine if you live in your house for years putting up with all sort of discomforts you then renovate 

That's me 🤣! Been here 4 years and it's worse now than when I got here! Different for me though, as I was confident I could finish the mortgage in a sensible-ish timescale due to it being *relatively* small, so wanted to focus on paying as little interest as possible and then start earning some instead while saving up for the refurb. And possibly I'm a bit of a masochist.... I'll have the best "before and after" though 😀

Sandyra

Good luck on the exam @sofarbehind , I too was planning the move but the current state of affairs makes me think, I'll be here for another 2 years at least. As a new build there's nothing much to do. My aim is to fix up my balcony, make it more glamorous, instead of threadbare . Last week was a nightmare for running, as from today I have had 30 days of running 5k. I make a point of going for my run at 7.45am, the weather tends to be milder, either sun/ rain, which then sets me up for the day. Oh i'd love a social run, but none of my friends like running  but I cant complain as I do go cycling every Sunday with my partner and a pal.

Sistergold

South_coast said:

Sistergold said:

Imagine if you live in your house for years putting up with all sort of discomforts you then renovate 

That's me 🤣! Been here 4 years and it's worse now than when I got here! Different for me though, as I was confident I could finish the mortgage in a sensible-ish timescale due to it being *relatively* small, so wanted to focus on paying as little interest as possible and then start earning some instead while saving up for the refurb. And possibly I'm a bit of a masochist.... I'll have the best "before and after" though 😀

You are so lucky if you can see a close end in sight to paying off your mortgage! If I could pay it off say in less than 5/6years I would pay it off first but my mortgage is so large in my eyes I just can not wait until it’s paid up! With some hard work I hope I can pay it off or make it minimal in the next 10years, that’s why I decided to slow down on OPs and just make the house better sooner rather than later! 

Xx

sofarbehind

Hello everyone!
Been neglecting my thread during the exam fog. It's all over and I have a couple of months off over the summer before the final year begins. Phew! I have a lot of MFW threads to catch up on, going to settle down with a coffee and catch up with you all in a bit.

Another overpayment has been made and next month I will get the outstanding balance under 110k. By the end of the year I would like to get under 105K and will probably make an extra overpayment to do it but hanging fire for now. I do love the round numbers...   If I could make irregular OP payments online easily I would definitely make sure I rounded down regularly.  

I've had one builder around to try and get an idea of the extension cost but he was so vague I don't feel any wiser! Huh. Someone else was just a no-show and the third has had to delay because he's been ill.  I get the feeling dealing with builders as a single lady will be a bit difficult. Very annoying and might just sway me towards moving but I'll see what some others are like. I know @Sistergold wouldn't let this stop her. I am very like you @SouthCoast , just living with the problems in the house for years but without the nearly finished mortgage..ha.

I have been back to running and starting to build up again with some virtual half training a friend is doing. Oh the extra lockdown weight makes it hard! So I am going on a bit of a healthy eating kickstart right after I finish this biscuit..    @Sandyra I am most impressed with your run streak, how are your legs managing? I think it's a brilliant goal but I wonder if my body can manage to run so often without getting an injury. I'm just recovering from an IT band problem so a tad paranoid. 

Right, let's see what you've all been doing over the last month.

sofarbehind

Does anyone know why my signature is no longer saving the changes I make to it in the edit signature section??? 

Sandyra

@sofarbehind sorry I was saying on SG’s diary I’ve been MIA due to:

1. Schools out and the last weeks were manic in preparation for September.

2. Been dealing with Identity fraud.

3. Been out on the bike and walking as I’m not at school.

4. Slow on the OP other than my monthly target and save 12k Savings trying to keep to £1250 a month but I have been naughty. So not sure if I’ll get £1250 so may try for £850 😏

5. I love a Mulberry bag and after being so good for 3 months I splashed out and bought 3 🤦🏾‍♀️.

6. Revamping my balcony, so been sanding, painting and decorating.

7. Currently enjoying the Kent seaside cycling 🚴🏾‍♀️ 🏖.

As far running it’s working well thanks, in fact I’ve lost 1.5 stone. I’m quite religiously taking my vitamin D tablets, but last week I fell so my knees are a bit tender. 

My signature was working ok, did you manage to sort it? Well done on finishing the exam! 🧠  When you get results and how do you think it went? 

Sistergold

@sofarbehind
Good again that you are just enjoying not having to study for a few months! 

I can feel your frustrations with regards to builders! It looks like most people who go around to people’s houses in the building trade just are trying their luck to get money out of us innocent souls?! BUT we can do it! The idea is not to move forward and not to lay a brick and not to part with a penny until we are convinced that we have now come across the right person to do the work! All builders I have come across have insisted that they can only give a cost on looking at a plan. But I have looked at different resources and have established that for London building will come to around £2k per square meter. And in general the building range is £1200 to £1600 most parts of the country. This is for a standard build. The same resources have said if double story then an extra 50% to the above. So maybe since you are not in London look at the size extension you want say 4m x 3m =12 Msqd then 12x£1600= £19k at the upper end of a standard non fancy build. If it’s a kitchen this will not include appliances. You then maybe have an extra £5k for contingency so for agreements sake £25k to £30k could do it! 

Having said all of the above I also know that you were not 100% about wanting to stay in your current location? Do you now like it very much? If you are not happy with this house as your forever home then you might want to just think of moving and not bother to extend as for sure being single has the extra stress in dealing with tradesmen. The economic climate though is really a bit scary at present and the idea of selling then buying has its own stress and even more now with the market being a bit chaotic with reduced mortgage products? 

🙇🏽‍♀️ So much to consider but let’s smile @sofarbehind as we are so lucky to own our houses and be faced with the difficulties of extending! 

I would like to encourage you though to find a lot of architects and let them give you a price? How about if we say you work at getting plans drawn and Then decide to sell or not to sell? Having approved extension plans will definitely be an attractive selling point if you were to sell without even building the extension? But then again the idea of the extension might make you love your current house and you stay put? The extension might be what will make your house your home as you have put a personal twist to the layout? 

sofarbehind

Another month another OP.
Happy to report that the outstanding balance is now under £110K! I now owe £109,050 once the interest for September is added. I will need a little extra payment to get under 105k at the end of the year which is important to me as it will mean I've paid £40k off. That will be a good feeling. 

Feeling pretty meh about my plans. I am STILL stuck in the job I hate and feeling very frustrated with my failure to change anything this year. I will be applying for the dream career change again in a few months but I don't think I'm going to be successful in the first stage because I haven't been able to carry out the projects I was going to use as work experience. Wretched pandemic.  Something about a miserable work environment really affects every part of your life, I HAVE to fix this somehow. I've got so desperate I'm considering applying to going back to university full time to do graduate medicine. I always wanted to be a doctor but it seemed like I had as much chance as becoming Kate Moss, zero. So I did all the wrong A levels and degree but now you can do the course with a BA degree in some places. It seems unlikely I would get in as it's so competitive and I haven't done work experience but I keep thinking about it. As with everything it comes down to MONEY. Sigh. I could probably just about make it work if I stopped overpaying the mortgage but I do wonder if I'm just too old now. It's a mad thing to think about in your 40s but I would love to if I was in a better place financially. I think maybe I'm just going a bit crazy. 

I would rather be successful in moving into the new career but I have to face up to the possibility it won't happen for me. So all extension or moving plans have ground to a halt while I mull this over. I could afford to move now to my dream place but it doesn't seem worth it if it ties me to the current career.  In other news, my course starts again at the end of the month so I will have something positive to focus on again. Still running and struggling but trying to just be happy I'm still getting out and not work about the slow, slow pace. I'm also having a minor operation very soon so have some time off work to recover.

My signature isn't updating for some reason....so Sept mortgage balance £109,050 and £6861 has been overplayed so far in 2020.

blossomandbloom

Another milestone reached, congratulations!!
I read your updates and really do smile because we seem to be on a similar journey! Including the consideration of grad entry medicine
2020 has been a year that people have had to roll with, the level of fundamental shifting has not been kind to those of us who like to feel entirely in control and who set ourselves high targets..."failure to change anything this year" I think is holding yourself to an impossible standard when you are still working, still overpaying and still studying. By any normal viewpoint, that is impressive! 
A dream place might not remain so if it ties you to a line of work that no longer meets who you are, and the new career will happen - it just might take a little longer. If what attracted you to it is still in your gut, whatever that thing is that made you take the leap to take on study in your late 30's/early 40's etc still stands, then the shifting of reality in 2020 can surely be blamed for the frustration and feelings? Bon Jovi said it best, Keep the Faith...
Can you believe I'm nearly in my place a year? I can't! Ha. I've made small overpayments but have mostly just 'nested' as I've spent a lot more time indoors than anticipated, and feel fortunate I could do so. And I too am starting a masters to refocus my career, I know I want my work life in my 40's to be different. Maybe I should start a diary