Easter 2025 I’m coming to get you!

savingholmes

Well done on the challenges and coming up with a plan. You're so close now.

Jessy103

Good luck with the target, hetty! Must be exciting to know you're so close now! 

Happy New Year! X

greent

I've just read over 2 years' worth of your diary - you have done so well! X

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Hi hetty
i've been reading your diary so popped on to say hello Interested to read your views on the rest of your mortgage once your fixed deal ends - my deal ends in July 22 so i think i'll do the same as you, stay on the base rate and overpay.  I'm on the mortgage free wannabee thread too! 
I am meal planning today & batch making soup
love Deni 

Hettyhound

Hi everyone and thanks for popping by 👋 @greent and @Deni_debt-free_dreamer thanks so much for reading.  Yes when I read my first post I can see how far I’ve come.  Before I changed deals with my mortgage I fiddled around with reducing the remaining term and found it wasn’t actually worth it for me.  So when I go onto the standard rate on 1.1.23 I’ll leave the term as it is (will be 8years left) which will reduce my monthly payment as I’ll have about £30k ish left to clear over the 8 years remaining.  This gives me the flexibility of extra cash in my bank to spend how I want (on overpayments) and as I won’t be on a penalty I can move cash to overpaying as circumstances allow.  That’s the theory anyway! I’ve nearly finished drafting 6 weeks of meal plans so I’ll try and type them up over the weekend.  Want to get my sewing machine out and finish the blind and make cushion covers for my work chair cushions; there’s one more coat of paint to go on the chair later today but it has definitely spruced it up.  Planning the remaining items for the study, carpets will have to wait until funds allow but it’s actually not too bad with just the underlay still down.  I’ve won £10 on the postcode lottery so once that is paid it will get directed to the mortgage 😁

greent

We never officially reduced the term on our mortgage - I just calculated what the new end date would be by my spreadsheet.  We also went into SVR for the last few years - our svr was fixed at max 2.5% because of when we took our mtge though - which was great for us in reality with the flexibility of unlimited overpayments:) x

Hettyhound

Happy new year everyone 🥳. So I have “plans” for 2022 although I’d rather call it a direction of travel rather than a list of targets/must do’s then you don’t “fail”; you just may need to reassess along the way.

i want to keep a firm handle on the grocery spends.  It went a little awry towards the end of the year but generally wasn’t too bad.  Prices are rising faster than my funds so need to keep an eye on things.  Six weeks of meal plans drafted ready to be typed up and printed out.

i want to keep a float of £1,000 in my EF.  I have calculated I can transfer £400 a month into this pot and when it reaches £2,000 I will transfer £1,000 elsewhere.  I want to increase my Premium Bonds to £8,000 this year and get some more off the mortgage.  Any survey/TCB money gets split to SPC for next Christmas funds and EF pot, any postcode/greyhound lottery wins get paid off the mortgage along with any remaining funds in my bank account on payday (maybe £40/50?).

so this year I achieved my goal of meditating everyday 🥳 we started junior parkrun and my son (and me!) reached the marathon equivalent last weekend 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ I have made a start on renovating the upstairs which is slower than I’d like but realistically it’s happening and there’s is no rush (we have been here 6 years).

looking forward I would like to add yoga and HIIT sessions back into my weekly schedule and also do some training runs twice a week with my son to aim for a 5k parkrun once the weather warms ups a bit.  Plans are in my head for the garden and some seeds are growing in the cold frame.  The small front garden is to have the grass taken up and planted with flowers only for the wildlife.  The same was done with the back lawn this year and the wildflower seeds I spread in the autumn have already taken hold there.  I also want to start knitting and sewing again (I nearly have the back of a sweater finished I started at the beginning of the Christmas break) and I have plans to make a folding table for my sewing machine to make it easier to get that out (I have an old table top, bought some legs and have ordered some folding mechanisms for the attachment).

I think that is more than enough considering daily life goes on as well!  Here’s hoping 2022 is kind to us all ❤️

savingholmes

A kind 2022 would be fab. Happy New Year Hettyhound. Look forward to reading about your exercise plans

Hettyhound

So 2022 sees a £1,000 premium bond bought (actually on 31/12/21 to make the February draw) and a £10 overpayment thanks to a postcode lottery win 🥳

savingholmes

A great start to the year