SLLM (Single Lady Large Mortgage)

savingholmes

Great progress on the mortgage. Well done on renovating without debt. Hope you get full cost recovery through rent etc moving forwards... You have a complex financial life

My Ex pretty much moved out last weekend. Just coming back for odd bits. Completion from mortgage perspective confirmed as next Wednesday. I can then progress the decree absolute - so nearly done.

Sistergold

Thanks @savingholmes, £3xxK on the mortgage just seems more real now and am feeling a little excited as it seems to be drawing nearer! Yes my financial life is really complex as there are a few loose ends still to be tied with Mr Ex. Past few years have been too busy with children still being young, trying to finalise divorce, move forward, buy/secure where to live and have some personal savings I just did not want to add more to my plate. Everything we still have together is fully paid for so we can deal with it whenever one of us requests it I guess, I am not fussy. 

Wow @savingholmes, your Ex has moved out? Has Ex handed over the keys to the house? Single life is now going to be real for your? Next Wednesday for completion is now round the corner! Remind us to celebrate when it’s all done! 🪗🥁🎺

MaddyHale

@sistergold I get the complex financials. Dreams and Plans for retirement in a different country.
My Update since I posted last
I finished renovated most of my house over summer before moving in. The work continued for weeks after that.
It was the most delightful and draining thing I have done in a long time.
I sit in the house and I can't just believe I (part) own this. I run my hands over my newly painted walls atimes 
The bedrooms and upstairs bathroom make me sooo happy. I didn't do much with the kitchen because I (i) ran out of money and (ii) wanted to know if I could live with smaller kitchen and/or extend it into the garden or side return.(iii) I don't know for sure if I need a bigger kitchen or just a seperate utility for laundry elsewhere?
What are your thoughts big kitchen, kitchen diner or kitchen and seperate utility. Which do you prefer?
So I am giving it time to see what I come up with.
Kitchen diners look amazing usually but how do I hide my kitchen mess when I make one?
I don't usually like the smells of food wafting round the rest of the house or dining. I like to close the door to my kitchen industrial complex as I like to call it


I started overpaying 2 months ago. I hope to have the LTV down to 60% in time for my next remortgage.
I was thinking I wouldn't overpay the mortgage by much but concentrate on filling my pensions and ISAs but the desire to see the mortgage shrink is very strong. Its below 276k now

savingholmes

My decree absolute should go through next week and mortgage Wednesday. Just need to get life insurance assigned to me. I have to give him half of one pension then it's sorted. He's bringing the dog for a visit tomorrow for me and DD. Then hopefully final meter readings and return of keys.

He's still going to be dropping DD home from work once a week so still will have some contact until she passes her driving test. Hopefully that will be with 1-3 months. After that who knows? She expects to live with me until around May and then hopes to move out. She's doing an apprenticeship where she's hotel based other than weekends for most of the time in between.

Sistergold

@MaddyHale, well done on the OPs. A utility room is really ideal if you have an option to have one and so is a good size kitchen. As to have a big kitchen , well depends if you are a Big cook? I also “ran out of money” and my kitchen was not done when I renovated the rest the house, then covid came and somehow so far I just can not be bothered to have it done! It’s is nice to have a big kitchen/dinner plus separate utility room for sure! 

@savingholmes, looks like things are tying up nicely at home. 

Queen_of_the_Hive

savingholmes said:

My decree absolute should go through next week and mortgage Wednesday. Just need to get life insurance assigned to me. I have to give him half of one pension then it's sorted. He's bringing the dog for a visit tomorrow for me and DD. Then hopefully final meter readings and return of keys.

He's still going to be dropping DD home from work once a week so still will have some contact until she passes her driving test. Hopefully that will be with 1-3 months. After that who knows? She expects to live with me until around May and then hopes to move out. She's doing an apprenticeship where she's hotel based other than weekends for most of the time in between.

Hi @savingholmes, best wishes for this week and the start of your new journey. Exciting times ahead for you.

@Sistergold - a bit more chipped away, well done for getting closer to your targets. 

No big updates here, apart from having an informal chat this week with a mortgage advisor to investigating a potential BTL mortgage next year on #2 purchase. Also looking into options to re-invest a couple of near to mature regular savers. This year is the first year I have absolutely no idea what to do with them as saving rates are so poor. They may just get drip fed into S&S ISA instead. Any suggestions appreciated . 

curlywurly82

Queen of Hives, i did the same last year injecting my s&s isa with my regular saver savings when they matured.

This years regular saver will mature in January, i plan to use it to pay the credit card and then any left will overpay the mortgage. 

Since moving i have racked quite a bit up on the credit card in a very short time.  Only about 50% of the total was for big purchases of furniture. I had intended to put furniture on the credit t card for protection due to the wait times after ordering and intended to pay it of with savings, but i can't bring myself to withdraw savings so I'm paying it off over several months.

The tax man wrote to me this week to say i had overpaid tax so i have claimed a refund. A welcome surprise and that will go against rhe CC.

I am starting to find/consider all the bits which need doing but weren't evident on viewing. Or, the nice to haves such as replacing the rather old radiators with new. 

savingholmes

Thanks @Queen_of_the_Hive

Well I've got his key back. MIL's had disappeared but she last used it about 7 years ago so doesn't sound unlikely. I now need to clear decades of junk and get organised. I have a plan - but have struggled for time - as DD came home ill mid week and gave me the lurgy. I seem to be getting over it now though. I have bought some office furniture from FB and feel I have some bargains - so plan to decorate the study first and then get set up in there. It will mean that I can finally move my work stuff out of the living room which will be fab! I then have plenty of others areas to be getting on with...

Sistergold

@Queen_of_the_Hive, well done on being in a position to be able to buy your 2nd BTL. After 2 or so properties it will start getting much easier getting together significant savings quickly! Wonderful feeling getting rent especially if you have used savings which are not earning you much interest xx 

Sistergold

@curlywurly82, “i can't bring myself to withdraw savings so I'm paying it off over several months”, it is painful when it now comes to having to pay off the credit card hey? When I moved in by end of renovations I had used my credit card quite a bit with renovation/house purchase to the tune of £20k plus or so and it was so painful when I completely paid it off in one go. Always nice when you get a tax refund! Xx