Easter 2025 I’m coming to get you!

Hettyhound

Hello people in my laptop.  I have made another over payment of £8 so my mortgage is now £22,829.  I should get a new mortgage rate through now thanks to the rate cut yesterday and although it doesn't make much difference to my payment the amount of interest charged should drop by approx £7 a month.  That's an extra £7 to the balance!!  Trying to keep a handle on the grocery budget as well.  I've decided 2 online deliveries a month to stop impulse buys and let someone else carry all the heavy stuff like tins and then 2 smaller cash shops in between.  Any change from the cash goes into my sealed pot (which will be added to the 7% fixed savings account I opened a couple of weeks ago).  Any leftover funds from the budget still in the bank will go to the emergency fund savings which currently stand at £554; I want to get this back to £1,000.  Today I have opened a Help to Save account and will put in the maximum allowed of £50 per month.  I had no idea about this but thanks to Martin and my cousin I am now the proud owner of one.  I also thought it would have to stop if/when I come off universal credit but apparently not.  You only have to be eligible at the point of opening it.  Meals are planned through to 17th which is when I've booked my next delivery for but in addition to the plan I have an 18lb pumpkin to deal with this weekend.  Its the only thing that has successfully grown on the allotment this year so I'm hoping to make the most of it!

savingholmes

Well done on the pumpkin - I'm now imagining a whole host of children's fantasy character's setting up life inside it.

Good news on the rate cut.

Hettyhound

Pumpkin is now roasted and puréed.  First pumpkin pie made and enough for 2 more in the freezer.  Some pumpkin purée in the fridge to make into soup tomorrow!

LadyWithAPlan

Wow great looking pie!! Well done on getting below £23k, and that £7 pm interest going to the principal now .. it all helps

Hettyhound

Mortgage payment day so I’ve done a small TT to bring it in at £22, 599.  I’ve had a notification about the interest and my payment will reduce by £13, sadly that will just be for a month as the deal ends on 31/12/24.  I need to get onto the calculators and try to work out what a new payment amount with be.  I hope to get it under £22k by the renewal date.  As I get paid early in December I will be able to move the January allocation across before the end of the year.  Approx 225 will come off in the December payment so I’ve got to find 375 🤞

Hettyhound

Over paid £10.  As with the best laid plans things will have to alter.  My son is 5 years behind where he should be in maths so would never catch up without some serious intervention and going back to basics.  Took him to see his therapy lady yesterday and she has suggested a maths person that takes it right back and uses repetition techniques and daily short practice.  I’m speaking to her today but it’s going to be a long term programme possibly up to his GCSEs (which is 4/5 years off).  Budgets will be getting reworked again!

Hettyhound

I’ve requested a refund from my gas and electric supplier as I was massively in credit even for this time of year.  When it arrives I will send it to the mortgage.  Even though I have lots of other things to pay for this is “unexpected “ money so I’ll send it where most interest is charged.  I will also be putting in a complaint with a request for compensation to the same company.  Over 3 months since smart meter fitted, 7 weeks since technician came out and said it needed to be replaced followed by much fobbing off and inaction.

Hettyhound

I've received my utility overpayment back and also won £12 on the Postcode lottery.  Along with some survey money and a bit from my cousin as she sold a couple of bits of mine on her *inted account I've just overpaid £155.  Total outstanding is £22,448.  Once my mortgage goes out next month I'll probably have around £225 to find to get it under the 22k mark for the remortgage date.  Hope everyone and their pets are managing to keep warm.

beanielou

Coming down nicely. 

Hettyhound

Yesterday I sorted out a remortgage as my rate ends on 31st December and would have reverted to SVR of 6.99%.  I was sent an email saying I could select a new rate and as I didn’t think I was eligible for another tracker I jumped on it as soon as it arrived.  I did a rate change from yesterday as the current tracker rate is slightly lower (5.59 as opposed to 5.64).  The remortgage amount it quoted me with the interest added up to that point was £22,512 so only £500 over where I’d hoped to be and Decembers payment hasn’t gone out yet.  I then also made an overpayment of £81 so I have now reached my MFW challenge amount of £1,500 overpayments for the year.  Happy with that and now planning payments for 2025