Crunchy pays off the loan early, and other stories

crunchy_time

I forgot to mention.  On the loan is £2800 from my course fees from 2 years ago.  The one that I was supposed to be setting up a business after I completed it but different.  Lesson learned.  I have decided to pay £100 a month off it so it should take 28 months to get rid of it.  Then I can decide what to do next in my career.  So loan is now at £16,525 and £553 overpaid so far.
Crunch xx

crunchy_time

Whilst procrastinating checking my work emails, I rounded down my accounts and slushed another £7 towards the loan.  Now stands at £16,518 and £560 extra paid off so far.
Crunchy xx

ZaSa1418

Hi Crunchy, i have just read your diaries (new and old) from start to finish. You are doing so well. 
It is hard to get the balance right especially with house projects, we bought a house 3 years ago and the previous owners had done everything recently so we are ok for the minute but I see some stuff will need doing before the debt is gone   
It is also so hard with little ones as they are forever growing and need clothes/ shoes etc. 

crunchy_time

ZaSa1418 said:

Hi Crunchy, i have just read your diaries (new and old) from start to finish. You are doing so well. 
It is hard to get the balance right especially with house projects, we bought a house 3 years ago and the previous owners had done everything recently so we are ok for the minute but I see some stuff will need doing before the debt is gone   
It is also so hard with little ones as they are forever growing and need clothes/ shoes etc. 

It is hard to get the balance right and have a life as well.  Let's cheer each other on!
Crunchy xx

crunchy_time

Cor I have been a busy bee today!  Right after lunch the postman delivered a letter from our mortgage company saying our rate was ending soon as was expected.  I went online and checked what they were offering us and signed up for exactly the same as we are getting now which is £1136 a month for 3 years at 1.73%.  Before I did this, of course I checked a comparison site and the best three-year deal was this one!  There are no product fees either and it will be easy to just extend it rather than switch to another company who will need to do their own valuation etc etc.  Interestingly, they valued our house as about £13k more than what we paid for it which is great and our loan to value is now down to 76% which is awesome.  We have paid about £25k off in three years.  Husband said it was depressing thinking that the mortgage will only be £250k in three years time and not any lower but it should all be paid off before we retire which is the main thing.  Hopefully when the loan is gone/I earn more than £15.5k a year, we can afford to reduce our term by a few years but we also want to have fun with our little people while they are young too.  It's all about balance and priorities isn't it.
I'm really pleased that I can tick sort mortgage renewal off my to do list - what weight to be lifted!
Crunchy xx

ZaSa1418

great news you have sorted it out, at least you know what you will be paying for the foreseeable. 

ohdearhowdidthathappen

Sounds like you've got lots of exciting missions and plans
I agree, this summer holidays seems less daunting than usual.  I think expectations will be lower, both from the children and myself!

Sarahwithlove

That's great that you don't have to worry about changing your mortgage etc. Makes life much easier. 

crunchy_time

Morning all
Such a weight lifted this morning about the mortgage.  Until we consolidated all the credit cards into the loan, I had it in the back of my mind that we would struggle to renew at a good rate as we had built up lots of debt since we were given it.  I have focussed on getting rid of as many lines of credit as possible because of this reason.  I built it up in my head as a huge issue but it turned out to be a non-issue.  Just goes to show, doesn't it!  Things have shifted in my mind a lot.
I checked my P45 yesterday and it seems to be wrong for reasons I really can't be bothered to explain but I've contacted HR about it.  I really struggle to understand tax.
Husband wants to buy a new mirror for the bathroom (needed) but I have said no because we have to wait until he gets paid next week as we have some things on credit card to pay off.  Last year I would have just done it to make him happy and popped it on the credit card to pay back when he gets paid but then have been so disorganised I would have 'forgotten' too.  Things are so different now thank god.  He needs to learn that he can't just have his whimsical needs met whenever he wants.  
Today I am enjoying my last day without kids for 6 whole weeks!!  I'm trying to sort out lots of issues in my head.  I feel like I have come a long way since the beginning of lockdown when I struggled with my decision to leave teaching and take a lower paid job.  I now know it was to do with my self worth.  I'm beginning to see myself as more than just a salary number.  I'm getting reconnected to my real self.  Lockdown enabled me to reflect on what is most important to me.  I feel like I am getting to know myself again after about a decade of doing what I thought I should do to please others.  Money was a huge part of this.  It feels like a line has been drawn and I can start again where I like and build a new me.  Cheesy as it is.  That is where I am at. 
I hope this helps someone out there: If you are an emotional spender and feel anxious about money, ask yourself, who are you trying to please?  I asked myself that question last week and journalled what came up - I was trying to please just one person from my past that I didn't actually like or value.  I had built my whole existence around what they might think of me from what other people might tell them and I didn't really realise it until - LAST WEEK!!  Now all the old values are falling away and I get to build new ones that are about who I really am.  I no longer feel desperate about money or in a rush to get rid of the debt in case 'people' find out and I no longer feel guilty about it either.  It is what it is and it doesn't make me less of a person.
I do really hope that helps someone out there today!  Like this post if it has so I can see!!  Right - better get on with the organisation day that i planned for myself today.  Have a good one.
Crunchy xx

ZaSa1418

crunchy_time said:

Morning all
Such a weight lifted this morning about the mortgage.  Until we consolidated all the credit cards into the loan, I had it in the back of my mind that we would struggle to renew at a good rate as we had built up lots of debt since we were given it.  I have focussed on getting rid of as many lines of credit as possible because of this reason.  I built it up in my head as a huge issue but it turned out to be a non-issue.  Just goes to show, doesn't it!  Things have shifted in my mind a lot.
I checked my P45 yesterday and it seems to be wrong for reasons I really can't be bothered to explain but I've contacted HR about it.  I really struggle to understand tax.
Husband wants to buy a new mirror for the bathroom (needed) but I have said no because we have to wait until he gets paid next week as we have some things on credit card to pay off.  Last year I would have just done it to make him happy and popped it on the credit card to pay back when he gets paid but then have been so disorganised I would have 'forgotten' too.  Things are so different now thank god.  He needs to learn that he can't just have his whimsical needs met whenever he wants.  
Today I am enjoying my last day without kids for 6 whole weeks!!  I'm trying to sort out lots of issues in my head.  I feel like I have come a long way since the beginning of lockdown when I struggled with my decision to leave teaching and take a lower paid job.  I now know it was to do with my self worth.  I'm beginning to see myself as more than just a salary number.  I'm getting reconnected to my real self.  Lockdown enabled me to reflect on what is most important to me.  I feel like I am getting to know myself again after about a decade of doing what I thought I should do to please others.  Money was a huge part of this.  It feels like a line has been drawn and I can start again where I like and build a new me.  Cheesy as it is.  That is where I am at. 
I hope this helps someone out there: If you are an emotional spender and feel anxious about money, ask yourself, who are you trying to please?  I asked myself that question last week and journalled what came up - I was trying to please just one person from my past that I didn't actually like or value.  I had built my whole existence around what they might think of me from what other people might tell them and I didn't really realise it until - LAST WEEK!!  Now all the old values are falling away and I get to build new ones that are about who I really am.  I no longer feel desperate about money or in a rush to get rid of the debt in case 'people' find out and I no longer feel guilty about it either.  It is what it is and it doesn't make me less of a person.
I do really hope that helps someone out there today!  Like this post if it has so I can see!!  Right - better get on with the organisation day that i planned for myself today.  Have a good one.
Crunchy xx

It is so easy to get lost in being a mum and our jobs that we totally forget who we are, this is very common. Always pleasing other people and not thinking about ourselves.