10 years to go .... maybe, with a fair wind

Lauraebrad

Well the end of another month.  Thanks for asking @Grogged all is well here.  No bumper overpayments this month as I've just had some work done to relieve my appalling condensation situation which has wiped nearly £900 from my piggy bank.  As it happens, I've just this very morning set my remortgage in motion.  I'm not normally too cautious, but this time I've decided on a 5 year fixed rate at 1.88% as who knows what the next 5 years will bring?  I could have shaved a couple of pounds a month off with a 2 year fix but on my relatively small mortgage it wasn't enough of a saving to tempt me this time.  Maybe rates will go down further, but they may also go up, and as I'm on a relatively tight income I think at this time the security of a longer fix is more important to me.  So the new payment will be around £10 pcm less than my current base payment (£391 rather than £401) but as I already pay £450 as standard that will remain the same and just be a further £10 over payment per month.   It still has a 10% maximum overpayment, but I'm never likely to hit that lol! 
I'm torn at the moment between really trying to pare my spending back to the bare bones whilst in the pandemic mentality, and being a little more spendy to support local businesses as I'm fortunate to have a (hopefully) fairly safe job.  Just trying to strike a balance.
This morning I've trawled the local shops - greengrocer, charity shops and W1lko's.  Got a mint condition book that my little boy will love for Christmas (he eats through books faster than the library can provide them), and also a Wh1te Stu£f top for £1 that I think I'll eb@y.  So not too bad a morning.
Now out for some bracing autumnal weather!

Grogged

Glad you're ok and sorted your mortgage.
We did the same 2 years ago, it seemed unsettled then, let alone now!

Lauraebrad

Hurrah - I've just made the largest overpayment of this year.  I received my £600 Help to Save part 1 bonus this morning and swiftly diverted £400 of it to the mortgage.  The other £200 will be used to partly fund the damp / condensation work I've just had to have done, to avoid having to put it on another 0% credit card.  Not too far off doubling this years target now so feeling pretty chuffed.  

caeler

Thats amazing news! Well done! 

Grogged

Well done on the OP!
Hope your work fixes the issue.

Lauraebrad

Ah I'd forgotten the bonus I was expecting for switching my energy supplier.  Only £25 this time but every little helps, so added that to this weeks 2 cashouts from Pr0lific and made another £40 OP this week.  With December's regular £49 OP that will take this year to £2400 over paid - twice my target and equivalent to 6 months mortgage payments!!
I'm so happy that I've reached my stretch target in mid Nov .... I think anything extra that I gather from now on I'm going to set aside to kick off next year's OPs as I do like a nice tidy, round number and I know next year won't be as fruitful as this year has been.
Actually now also need to see to my credit card situation as I've been a little bit 'spendy' this month and not quite sure where all the money has got to .... so might spend some time this month trying to figure that out and do some proper budgeting for December which I've got out of the habit of doing recently

Grogged

Well done on smashing your target!
You've reminded me to check my CB on our switch to octopus...

Lauraebrad

Happy New Year!  
Well 2021 hasn't got off to the flying start we might have hoped, but I'm still here, able to work from home and look after / home-school my 8 year old .....
This should be the last month of my current mortgage product payment, with my new product kicking in from February with a slightly lower standard payment.  That means that I'll be able to have a slightly larger standard overpayment each month (that was a bit of a mouthful!!). 
So far this month I've been able to make a reasonable chunk of overpayment from a £90 Quid$0 cashback from changing my broadband supplied last year so fairly happy with this starting point.
We're trying hard to use up the freezer and store cupboard this month which should reduce the grocery bills a bit.  Also any January treats are coming from my Christmas present money so should make for a relatively low spend month.  
See you in Feb!

Grogged

Happy New Year,
Good news about the new mortgage and the increase in your OP.
I think a lot of us are still finishing Christmas stuff and using up our freezer stocks.
ATB, G.

Lauraebrad

Got the letter through from the building society and my standard payment will reduce from £401 to £386.30 from 1st March by the looks of it.  That means that my normal payment of £450 will become a £63.70 over payment rather than a £49 overpayment!  I really can't deal with such awkward numbers so am going to have to round it up ... to £456.30 I think ... so it's a nice round £70 OP.