Cottage Countdown

family355

Love the refurb project @LeighofMar, glad your health has been good too. Hopefully nothing too serious for your DH health wise! 
Great figures on the mortgage front and business account. It is diaries like yours, spinning [albeit different] plates that assures me, I can do this too so thank you 🙂

Moneyfordreams

Your pictures are great. I've never understood the use of wood to build so many houses either. I suppose that's just a cultural thing. Very pretty though. 

LeighofMar

Thanks @family355 and @Moneyfordreams. I'm definitely all over the place with finances but trying to rein it in before I lose it!

Payday today. I'm paying everything off with this paycheck because the last paycheck of the year coming December 23rd needs to pay the increased healthcare premium of $468.00  and the mortgage payment of $550.00. Just those two bills alone are over $1000.00 from that paycheck. I'm hoping our company may have a little extra to bump up our checks so that we're not squeezed so tight. End of the year is always hectic with medical premiums and auto insurance renewal, business payroll forms and fees to get ready for taxes. Sheesh! 

But I'm making good progress. I paid off all but $200.00 on my general CC. Now I can focus on paying down my CC that has the wisdom teeth surgery on it. Down to $2790 from $3800. This will be my last month using this card as I only get 1% cash back that I redeem towards the mortgage. I'm going to put everything on this card, redeem my $25.00 to the mortgage at the end of the month, then close this one and upgrade to a 2% cashback CC. 

Since I'm mindful of trying to pay down debt, instead of putting my usual $200 into savings, I just look at the balance and then round up to the next $25 or $100. So my house fund was at $2906 and I deposited $18 to get it to $2925. Same with my general savings topped up with $89 to get it to $4800.00. Then I paid a medical bill from my mammogram and pelvic exams a few months ago and I owed $158.00 from that. So I paid that off. Looks like my insurance paid $330 for the rest. Thank goodness. I pay enough for insurance, it's nice to see them actually pay something. 

We went to check out a potential investment property yesterday. Roof looked to be brand new and the foundation was solid so we were excited to see it. Inside is stripped down all the way but new windows are installed or onsite and it looks like all the framing was done. DH went into the attic. Fire damage all the way. Scorched roof trusses and everything. This in itself does not scare us. It's the fact that the beautiful new roof has to be torn down and all those trusses have to be replaced so we wouldn't save money on a new roof after all. They want 65k for the property but with this, all we would offer is 45-50k max and they probably won't go for it as they bought it for 43K. But that's their problem if they didn't do due diligence or if they tried to pull a fast one by putting a brand new roof over damaged trusses and joists in the attic. I've been working the numbers like crazy and we will see if it's doable. I've added a few pennies to the business savings pot for investments and it stands at $52k now. DH is getting some estimates for the roof work and a falling retaining wall on the side garden and that will decide if we offer or not. Bummer. I really like the house too and can do something really cute with it. 
 
Mortgage OP of $90 today brings me down to $21,000.00 even. Yay!!!!! I will put in another $5 just to see it in the $20s now. Getting there. Getting there. So excited. 

They're going to do Beauty and the Beast at our historic theater in our little downtown so I think I'll get us tickets. It's an extra $42 I have not budgeted for, but hey, we gotta live while we save, work, and pay down mortgages and debt too, right? We'll just come home after the theater and eat cereal or PB&J sandwiches for dinner 

savingholmes

Theatre sounds like it would be fun. 

Well done on the debt clearance.

LeighofMar

Thanks @savingholmes. The theater was fun. It's a small, intimate theater for about 500 people, but it felt like a wonderful, close-up production. It was so nice. I got so emotional with the When We're Human Again song. Pathetic, I know. But it was beautiful. Afterwards, DH suggested we just make a night of it and walk to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants across the street. We had a great meal and $45.00 later plus the tickets of $42, you would have thought we went out on the town in downtown Atlanta instead of our little city. But it was worth it and sometimes, you just gotta live. A bonus was the boy who played Chip the teacup was there waiting on his to-go order and I told him what a wonderful job he did and how we had a great time. Sweet thing was blushing and so cute. 

$55 to the mortgage today brings me to $20,945.00. We made it to the 20s, hooray!!! I have big plans for this year. We will have to see how and when things get done, but it's shaping up to be an expensive year. I want to:

Obviously, pay off the mortgage. I want to OP as much as I reasonably can, and by the time my birthday in December rolls around, whatever's left I will just pay with the savings. That way I can technically say I was MF by 45, even if I turn 46 the day after, hee hee.

I need to finally get dental issues resolved. Better late than never and I KNOW it will be expensive as all get out. I will get a consultation in January to find out the damage but I'm not expecting less than 6K, maybe more    This would most likely go on a 0% CC and pay that off in chunks, hopefully, less than 6 months.

Remodel the bathroom. DH will be doing that depending on time off between projects and his health. I have $2925.00 for that as I already bought the tub and we should be able to do what we want which will be a walk-in shower with the tub inside, a new vanity, light fixture, toilet and relocate the linen closet. I will keep adding to this remodel project $25, $50 at a time since every little bit helps.

Sunroom. This is the big one. DH wants to build it, but reasonably, we should let some of our colleague/tradespeople do it even though it would be more expensive; they could get it done faster. We are waiting on a quote for the base and framing. Inside I would want enough windows obviously, tile floors, a wood-burning fire stove and I already have patio furniture that can go inside. Once completed, this would be my go-to lounge room so I could expand my indoor garden and have a place to relax by a real fire. Depending on the quote, I would pay this with a line of credit.

It'll be interesting to see how and if I can stagger all these goals as it's not like we make a ton of money. But I am determined to get stuff done so I can enjoy my house exactly as I would want it and enjoy it the way I've always imagined it. 

In the meantime, I've ordered for myself a multi-tiered wooden plant stand that I will put in my dining room. It's on the opposite wall of a corner window, so it will be my low-light plant garden and I can't wait. I was happy too that it was only $38.00 on sale plus 10% cash back on Rakuten. I also have my eye on a gorgeous black iron vintage birdcage for plants. If I can find a good cash-back offer on that one, I will order that for my living room, again on an opposite wall from 2 windows that doesn't get a lot of light, so more low-light plants. 

Off to do a standing ab workout so I can feel I'm moving around today. 

savingholmes

Glad you had a lovely night out. How lovely to meet one of the actors afterwards.

Good luck with your plans.

LeighofMar

Payday today. Last check of the year. Mortgage payment for January sent off. Balance is now $20,695.00. Only 3 payments from my goal which was to be high 19ks. Considering that while we were waiting for our investment property to sell, we didn't pay ourselves for 3 months, I'd say this is pretty good. Starting now, the countdown is on. Come hell or high water, I'm paying off the mortgage before early December 2023. 

Progress, progress. I've paid off my main credit card and can now just focus on the card that has my dental surgery on it. Balance is now $2645.00 from $3800.00. Getting it down. 

Just did the grocery shop today. I've upped our budget to $250 every two weeks and we are hitting that number, sometimes surpassing it no matter how many coupons and sales I use and the cooking from home. And it's just the two of us. But I'm determined that $500 for two people is more than enough. We just have to make do and be smarter with our purchases. 

Our CC bonus cash-back rewards came in, about $235.00 each. We save all our cashback all year and then give it to ourselves as shopping money. I've already purchased my plant stand, which I put together myself and absolutely love, and a pair of black combat boots as it's been years since I've had any. 

House savings added to, $25.00. $2950/$Unlimited. No need for a limit on house savings as this covers remodeling, decoration, and maintenance. General savings received $88.00 to get to an even $4900.00. $4900/Unlimited. This will most likely end up paying for the sunroom later in 2023, so I want to save as much as possible in cash and then use a line of credit for the rest. 

Sadly, it looks like my lovely chronic illness beast is trying to awaken. I'm staying calm and immediately upping my medications back to their usual amount. I decrease them when in remission. I'm also upping my probiotics as I can take extra of those with no side effects. Only problem is they won't be delivered until Dec 28 and the beast started stirring yesterday.    I will make a double batch of yogurt at least to have nightly.

Here's my plant stand: 



Can't wait to fill it up. Will just have to shop for more plants 

ElmoR

Congratulations on reaching the 20,000s

Mrs_Money_Penny

Love the plant stand. Love reading your diary. Wishing you a very happy Christmas x

savingholmes

Sorry you are feeling ill again. Hopefully you can rest over Christmas.