Twinklie returns to the property ladder

twinklie

Just popping myself a reminder that 2023 is the year of decluttering. So I need to make a note of any money I make from doing so. And from doing any surveys etc. 

That reminds me, I signed up to do the Royal Mail survey again but it’s with a new organisation now. I’ve done nothing and they sent me Decembers monthly reward including Christmas stamps. 

I mean bonus, but very unexpected. 

twinklie

So we went to IKEA yesterday and spent over 300 quid. Tbf, I'll get some back from work - via expenses and I got some back from the boys (Christmas money). So it was really only about 200 spent. But it was on shelving and bits for the house, so it will earn it's money and make the house a happier place and more efficient. 

DH seems to have caught the lets get organised and declutter bug. I cannot put into words how happy that makes me feel.

Checked on the mortgage and have paid off  £11,728.68 off the capital this year. It's more than last year so I'm happy with that. Will have to work hard this year to get it down to my remortgage figure, but I'm on with it. 

One of my jobs for the new year is to sort the breakdown cover for the car - that runs out in January. And the car MOT is due, but I'm hoping as we've spent about 2K on the car in the last 6 months that it should sale through (I hope). 

Went for a dog walk with my neighbour and her dog today and then just did some general tidying and cleaning. Was a lovely way to spend the day. Tomorrow is a new year however, so it's onwards and upwards and I plan to achieve things tomorrow. 

Happy and safe celebrations for those celebrating tonight. I shall be tucked up in bed snoring with any luck. 

twinklie

December update
I always do a month in arrears, so forgive the lateness of this one. 

DEBT 

Made up of car loan and DH's phone.
I've decided to take this off because I have to rely on DH for updates on these and it drives me potty. But I'll keep a check on it separately. 
Start of year total debt = £5,432 
End of year total (already worked out) = £3,463
Total paid off 2022 = £1,969

SAVINGS
Aim to save £400 per month to build emergency fund and for rainy day expenses (car, house maintenance etc.).  DONE

 

MORTGAGE 

Current daily interest - £13.32

We now own 27.50% of the house - current rough valuation actually puts us as 41.26%.

4 rooms owned (5 if I go with the higher valuation).

Paid off 19.02% of the mortgage. 

Current MF date - Oct Sept AUGUST 2037.

Final figure of 2022 - we paid off in total (regular payments plus OP's) off the capital - £11,728.68. 

It's the most to date and £250.89 more than last year. So woo hoo. All going in the right direction ahead of the remortgage. 

Another key highlight was dropping below 200K owed. 

twinklie

Starting 2023 as I mean to go on. A cheeky OP of £7.45 to set me off on the road. Money came from Prolific. 

twinklie

Inspired by @SandyShores I think I'm going to start a new thread, but not a New Year - new me one. A new mortgage one. So when we remortgage I might start a new one to tie into that so I can refocus on my goals and look at my motivation. Plus I'm planning on some spending this year (on the house), not big by most peoples standards, but definitely big for us. 

I built my desk yesterday and set up my new office area which is exciting. I'm loving it. We fixed the side gate which had fallen off to secure the side of the house. And then DH put up the shelves in the utility room so even though it's a disorganised mess, it's definitely looking better than it was. 

Today is just a bit of tidying, getting the boys ready for their swimming lesson later and just getting things a bit straighter for when we go back to work. DH goes tomorrow and I go back with the boys on Wednesday. However, I have to get up early to go to the blood clinic tomorrow. I think I'm premenopausal and feel a bit like I'm losing the plot. Dr suggested I might be perimenopausal but wanted the blood test to rule anything else out. So I can get that done tomorrow and that counts as me focusing on my health. 

I'm also going to set up an evening walk with my friend once per week to hopefully provide us both with some head space and make us feel a bit better both physically and mentally. Not starting this week, but hopefully next week. 

I'm starting the year feeling positive, but this sounds awful, I'm expecting a death or two in the next year or so. Two family members are in their 90's. One may have cancer, and the other is becoming increasingly frail and unwell. I'm also not entirely convinced my sibling is going to be around too much longer due to mental health issues, alcoholism and a refusal to accept any help. But I'm hoping if I ignore that, the year will be more positive than last year. I'm hoping I get a better handle on work stress, I feel like I let it get to me a bit at the end of last year. So I'm hoping my new office set up will bring with it a renewed sense of optimism and work related focus. 

Clearly I've hit procrastination now and just need to get stuff done. 

I plan to OP £100 at some point, but think I'll wait until the MOT is done so I'm not caught out. I don't want to be in a position where I need to withdraw from my savings. 

I also need to look into the dehumidifier thing a bit more, apparently removing the moisture from your house makes the house feel warmer (which makes sense). And it would obviously help with some of the damp problems we are currently having. 

twinklie

Went to the swimming lesson only to be told the pool was shutting at 6pm! The lesson was at 6pm. 

The instructor thought that she was teaching until 8pm. Bit of a nightmare. 

But still, an earlier tea so not all bad. 

SandyShores

Have you got a humidity meter twinklie?  We bought one a few years ago and I think it was around a tenner from Amazon.  There are lots of things you can do to try and keep the humidity lower - have a look on this site:  https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20271/guidance_for_private_tenants/1129/preventing_damp_and_mould#:~:text=A%20good%20range%20of%20indoor,minimise%20or%20control%20dust%20mites.

You sound like you have a good plan for the year.  With work stress I'm the same - it definitely got to me at the year end and I'm going into this year with a plan to stop that this year.

twinklie

That was an interesting read @SandyShores, thank you. I know where are underlying issues are. But we don’t have the money to solve those at the minute. 

So I’ve bought a dehumidifier today. I had a bad year with my chest last year (underlying lung disease). It was primarily the fault of covid, but I’m sure the house doesn’t help. 

One other issue we need to tackle ASAP is that our extractor fan in the kitchen is on the blink. Just randomly turns off and sometimes refuses to come on at all. I think there’s a loose wire or something. The number display goes fainter when it’s doing it. 

SandyShores

That's not great twinklie, I hope the dehumidifier helps.  We had an issue with our extractor fan the other day - DH took the front off and the whole fan inside was covered in dust and fluff so wasn't turning.  He gave it a dust off as best he could with a cloth and a finger and it worked again - I've made a note to buy some kind of bottle brush to give them all a good clean soon.  They aren't easy to clean and the advice in the guide was to call an electrician (really££!) but I noticed they have some new ones out now where the inside lifts out and you can wash it down yourself - I won't be changing to those until I have to though.

badmemory

From my experience a dehumidifier does a much better job than an extractor fan & an awful lot quicker.