Mortgage freedom/FIRE diary

Legs21

Just poking my head in to say that it was me that signed up yesterday but didn’t think it had gone through though. Read your diary from start to finish and was really inspired. Good luck 😉

Poppycat1

@Chiglepig - I did do it for March but would like to do it from the start of the year.  I have a target for the year so need to work out how much I've received so far.  It seems that you can do lots of things to get the extras and nothing happens for ages then it all comes at the same time.  The £100 for switching bank account and the Echo money is a really big contribution to my target.

I hope you find something nice to spend your £10 at Amazoon @greent.  @DancingInTheRain what shop will you use yours with?  I spent some more money today, I must stop this, lol.  DS1 wanted to get some things from A£da so I took him.  I did use £10 of my A£da voucher.  I bought a new mattress protector for DS2 for £3 and a plug (£2) for his electric toothbrush he has had since Christmas and not been able to charge.  Also got some vegan cheese x 4 and a few more small bits of food.  Only £4.37 of my own money spent.

@Porridgecat oh dear that is a real pain.  Mine get Burgess dry food and if they don't eat it tough.  Chiglepig you made me laugh out loud.

@Legs21 thank you so much for saying that, I do witter on a bit, but so glad it inspired you.  Thank you very much for using the link.  Just sorry you only got £5 and not the £10 it was originally.  Has it come through now?  I can chase it if it doesn't.  

Olio has been generous with the Pret goodies tonight.  I collected 4 breakfast bowls and 3 baguettes/wraps for myself.  My DS1 signed up and collected lots of tuna baguettes/sandwiches and took them back to uni to share with his flatmates.  They were very impressed and are signing up themselves.

DancingInTheRain

I've gone for Amazon but as there's nothing we need from there at the moment I've offset the voucher by sending a £10 overpayment to the mortgage account so that it's in keeping with the spirit of your diary 
I continue to be jealous of your Olio successes, I keep an eye on the app but nothing ever comes up local to me. One day perhaps... 

South_coast

Poppycat1 said:

It seems that you can do lots of things to get the extras and nothing happens for ages then it all comes at the same time.  

Ditto! I really struggled in March and just barely made my target, yet in April I'm already well above it and feel like I've barely tried!

Poppycat1

@dancingintherain - that does make me happy.  @South_coast - well done.  PA survey seemed plentiful yesterday but none today.

Anxiety playing up today after several days without it.  At tea time I tried to tell it to bu**er off.  So I went outside to play in the green house.  Replanted the cherry tomato and separated the geranium plants.  Got 17 strong looking plants out of a £2.99 starter pot so good value for money.  I have now left them in the green house leaving my window sill nice and clear.  Marigold seedlings are doing well but the cucumber and tomatoes aren't up yet.  I can't remember the other seeds I planted, sure I mentioned it here so will go back and check.  It helped a little but it kept trying to poke it's head up.  So I have been trying to keep busy, washed up, stripped the bed, remade it, started watching a murder and went out and collected some Olio Costa products.  A couple of toasties and a vegan panini.  Hopefully it's a blip and I'll wakeup fine.

Off to finish off watching the murder and find out who done it.

Poppycat1

The extra £500 arrived in my bank account today for being in receipt of tax credits.  I paid it off the mortgage with an extra £15 I had spare (£5.72 from PA).

So I now owe - £84,672.45.
12 years and 10 months left to pay it off (should be 16 years 8 months).
£1,975 - left of the 10% overpayment allowance for this year.

I have done a well paying PA survey tonight and have £7.45 waiting review and an unknown bonus to be paid.

Collected lots of fresh Olio stuff last night including raspberries x 3, strawberries x 2, avocado, mango and a basil plant.  Today collected some Pret stuff. 

I hardly spend any money and I think there isn't any more savings to be made on my monthly bills.  I now need to maximize the money I make on extras like surveys.  My bank offers cash back on some of my bills and I get around £4.50 each month.  Any ideas?  Already used Shopmums, PA, Popul,  I can do overtime at work but don't want to rush in to more work at the moment.  It wouldn't be in my normal position so would add pressure that I don't need at the moment.  I did think I could sell some of my little plants if I don't kill them.

FtbDreaming

Glad you got your £500 and used it to overpay! I used £200 as op and keeping the rest as a ‘float’ for now! Your balance is coming down nicely!

Some people make money doing market research. I did register with one company but it involves zoom calls and focus groups and I’m just not that confident to participate lol. I used to do mystery shopping pre-kids. That was a decent little earner but as soon as I had dd1 it slipped by the wayside. Xx

Poppycat1

@FtbDreaming I was tempted to keep a little back and put some in my SIPP but I'm really motivated at the moment to pay off the mortgage as soon possible.  Especially seeing how near Caeler and South_coast are to paying theirs off.  I have 3 years and 8 months until my target date.  I have done some sums and I'm only £500 above the amount I need for the whole 3 years and 8 months, so very tight.  I haven't counted the extra income through surveys, cashback etc but I haven't budgeted for a few things like hair cuts and unexpected things.  I really don't mind living like this for such a short amount of time.  I think I'm quite enjoying it.  I'm lucky that I chose to live like this and I don't have to.

Today has been good again for Olio collections, 2 packets of 8 pancakes, loaf of Finest bread with seeds, bag of baking potatoes, mini panettone, pain aux raisin, oat cookie, acai and almond pot x 4, stuffed peppers, chips, rocket, small bag of mixed veg.  I think the bag of potatoes will have to be thrown away because they are going green.  The only thing a have eaten or drunk today that I bought myself was soya milk, a tomato, three slices of cucumber and a squeeze of salad cream and ketchup.  Getting a bit fed up with Pret food so didn't ask for any tonight.  Still got lots of the fruit pots left which are my favourite item from there.

No money earned from surveys or any other means.  Tidied the kitchen, gave the fridge a good sort out and put some washing out to dry.  I do like tidy food storage.  I have to prep some food for the freezer tomorrow, mango, celery, onions, limes and lemon.  I prepared the strawberries and raspberries last night.  

Pay day on Friday but they haven't posted the wage slips online yet.  Hoping to pay £1,075 off the mortgage.  I don't think I will be able to pay off any more until May's pay day after that.  Unless I get some cash back. paid.  Not far from this years 10% overpayment allowance.

Poppycat1

I've had a lovely day doing, not much.  I spent an hour or so in the garden wedding under the Camellia and removing as many of the grape hyacinths as I can.  Managed to cut a few brambles at the base before they start to take over.  Will eventually try and dig these up but suspect they will be a problem each year.  I managed to fill the brown bin full of weeds and dry branches.  The bin is collected this Thursday so wanted it ready.  Found some hollyhocks growing in the pavement so gently pulled them up and planted them in some pots.  One of the reasons I fell in love with this place is the garden was full of self seeded hollyhocks growing everywhere.  When I moved in they had pulled them all up but some of the self seeded ones came up the next year.

PA have been good today, 2 x £4 surveys.  I collected some Pret stuff via Olio.  A toastie, baguette, 2 two cookies and two pastries.  All food and drink was from Olio accept soya milk, cucumber, tomato, potato waffles, bag of crisps, some ketchup, mayo and salad cream.  I have an Acai and almond butter bowl for breakfast tomorrow, oat cookie for snack, baguette and rocket for lunch and homemade curry and rice ready meal.  So soya milk, curry and rice will be paid for.  I may add the last tomato to the rocket.  12.5 hours at work tomorrow so all food will be eaten at work.

Pay day/overpayment day Friday, did I mention that? 

Chiglepig

Poppycat1 said:

I've had a lovely day doing, not much.  I spent an hour or so in the garden wedding under the Camellia and removing as many of the grape hyacinths as I can.  Managed to cut a few brambles at the base before they start to take over.  Will eventually try and dig these up but suspect they will be a problem each year.  I managed to fill the brown bin full of weeds and dry branches.  The bin is collected this Thursday so wanted it ready.  Found some hollyhocks growing in the pavement so gently pulled them up and planted them in some pots.  One of the reasons I fell in love with this place is the garden was full of self seeded hollyhocks growing everywhere.  When I moved in they had pulled them all up but some of the self seeded ones came up the next year.

That's hardly a day of nothing @Poppycat1, I love the look of a freshly weeded patch.

Enjoy you OP day .