Keep calm and carry on....

QueenJess

South_coast said:

QueenJess said:

Lol.  I feel the same when I get screened out because I don't earn more than 150k or something.

Yep, I had another one that screened me out for not being a CFO or similar. Then there's the ones where you need to be buying designer goods....🙄

Oh yes.  The latter one always takes you through loads of questions before you get the "How much have you spent on designer goods in the past X months" question.  Always really annoying as a complete waste of time!

South_coast

I'm £14.13 behind on the free money target at the moment....can't see me catching that up. Although I am owed £5 for testing those face products 🤔 Maybe they're not paying out because I gave them such a terrible review 🤣!

rugbymadfamily

I was a bit behind on your diary but all caught up now, absolutely loving the early retirement plans. We are hoping to retire around 60 to travel in a campervan for a few months at a time, but had spoken about getting part time jobs when back in the UK, would be mad not to take advantage of the tax free allowance each year (thats the accountant in me talking haha). However, also need to get rid of a significant chunk more of this mortgage before we start thinking about early retirement. I know people will say you can do both, but we want to have kids soon possibly and do enjoy holidays and living, so as you mentioned, don't want to go full FIRE where people seem to just exist through that period without doing anything just to save the money. Sounds morbid, but you could spend time and then get hit by a bus and never get to enjoy any of it! So it's all about balance I think!

South_coast

It is indeed! And it's such a tricky one 🤔 Every decent plan means you need to have lots of cash in your 20's/30's, which is exactly when most people don't! I wish I didn't have the refurb to factor in, or I'd be going full steam ahead, but if I'd bought somewhere in better condition it would have cost me more, which would have meant more mortgage, which would have meant more interest....

Definitely time to make hay if you can though before any future kids start wanting expensive gadgets etc. Have you looked up Coast FIRE? I do quite like the thought of that (and not just because I live on the coast 🤣) - essentially you pump a chunk of money into investments ASAP, then just leave time and the markets to take care of growing it x

rugbymadfamily

I'll have a look at CoastFIRE.

Funny you should mention it....we are keen to move to the coast in the next few years!! DH grew up a stones throw from the sea and misses it desperately in London and I've never lived near the coast so would love to give it a go!

South_coast

I would highly recommend it 😀! I grew up about 45 minutes to an hour from the coast and it was always a very exciting trip out. I loved it so much, when I applied to Uni a lot of them were by the sea! My first student house was 2 minutes walk from the beach and I was hooked. Just something very calming about the sea and knowing that whatever is going on in the world the tides will keep on going and the waves will keep on coming, and hearing seagulls (I can hear them now 🤣!) Summer traffic not so fun, but that's where being within a sensible walking distance comes in handy 😀

tudorfan39

Absolutely love living by the coast, can hear it from my house. Its gorgeous in all weathers, in fact I think I prefer it in mid winter when the waves are crashing! I like to think of all the poor people on boats or cruise ships and thank my lucky stars I'm on dry land! (I've done a couple of cruises and found out I don't sail well, ive never been ill-er!) 

South_coast

It's blowing a gale here this morning though (although the seagulls are loving it)!

South_coast

This is the article I was thinking of about Coast FIRE the other day (although that term's not actually mentioned) - the story about Kate:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/theescapeartist.me/2016/01/21/the-3-numbers-that-can-make-you-a-millionaire/amp/

Theoretically, this is what my two frozen pensions should be doing, although there doesn't seem to be much evidence of them taking off at the moment! Purely by chance, they're both hovering around the same value (3 years with higher contributions in higher-paid job vs 10 years with more modest contributions in more modestly-paid job), so I like to think of them as having a race - old job is beating old-old-job at the moment, but only by £123.34 🤣!

debtfreeoneday

Another one for the coast here. Love that I can be on a beach in 5 mins.