Quest for (mortgage) freedom

caeler

OMG I think I need this in my life! How does it do with long hair?! I ask as sadly my carpet gets covered in it! 

eat_that_frog

@caeler I have long hair too but it does need emptying frequently because the bin in it isn't huge. So for example after it did the 3 bedrooms this morning I had to empty it because it was full. But looking at it from purely an input time perspective, the time it took me to carry it to the bin and empty it (30 seconds I reckon) is far less than the time it takes to get out the vacuum, hoover the 3 bedrooms, and put it back again.

I just wish it could do stairs!!!

SandyShores

Long hair in my house too - I find it picks them up just fine.  I clean out the brushes regularly as they seem to get twirled around them - but its easy to do.  Mine came with a tool to get the hair off and I just take the scissors to it - all the brushes just lift out or off.  And there's a filter you can just lift out and tap into the bin.  Definitely lots easier than getting the vacuum out.  It came with some spare side brushes, but I think I might look into getting a replacement filter and side brushes for spares.

SandyShores

SandyShores said:

Long hair in my house too - I find it picks them up just fine.  I clean out the brushes regularly as they seem to get twirled around them - but its easy to do.  Mine came with a tool to get the hair off and I just take the scissors to it - all the brushes just lift out or off.  And there's a filter you can just lift out and tap into the bin.  Definitely lots easier than getting the vacuum out.  It came with some spare side brushes, but I think I might look into getting a replacement filter and side brushes for spares.

Just under £50 here for the Goblin/Asda one if you don't mind a damaged box:  https://www.directvacuums.co.uk/catalog/product/view/id/10837?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvf2b7fmD8QIV2prVCh3tfwhcEAQYASABEgIfOvD_BwE  (I've just been trying to find genuine spares for my Kyvol and at the moment can't find any - wish I'd known about the Goblin ones before).

eat_that_frog

No mortgage OPs yet this month, waiting for payday. But I only have a few weeks left of my current role before I start my new job and start earning more money! So my July paypacket should reflect my new earnings and I cannot wait to be honest with you.

I am having a rather MSE week and weekend so far. We went out for a nice brunch as a family this morning, this is a lovely little tradition we started a few weeks ago when the cafes etc reopened. But otherwise we've spent our free time outside in the garden, we've especially enjoyed making use of the paddling pool! We shopped at Lidl this week and picked up a couple of the fruit and veg boxes which we love for their good value, going to make a ratatouille tonight with some of the veggies, yum!

Landscaping the back garden continues. Not sure if I mentioned previously but we picked up our new patio second hand online to cover the whole area. They are such nice limestone slabs and after a power wash they look like new - and they look more expensive than they were! So we're currently building the patio area at the back of the house and it looks great. We've now removed 3 out of the 4 flowerbeds we were looking to take out, and the grass seed we planted to cover the area looks fantastic one month on. What with having busy jobs and a toddler we're trying to make our lives easier, and a simple lawned back garden with 1 flower bed to manage is much easier than having to weed and dig over 5 flowerbeds. It just means an extra 10 minutes more mowing once a fortnight.

My little Goblin, aka my robot hoover, is doing very well still. I'm trying not to use Goblin all the time (although it is so tempting!) but it can do the whole house across 2 days, with charging in between, and that suits me down to the ground.

Starting on the decluttering again on Monday next week. I've had a 2 week break and now I'm ready and raring to go again!

Jessy103

I purchased a little Goblin of my own after reading your diary! I've named her Veronica Vacuum and she's great! Thank you, I no longer have to get hot and sweaty lugging a vacuum around 😃

eat_that_frog

That's great @Jessy103! Yeah I absolutely love mine too. Wish I'd got one a lot sooner to be honest!

eat_that_frog

It's my first time on the forum since it's changed, I'm not sure how much I like it!!! It'll grow on me I'm sure 

I've done a bit more decluttering the last fortnight or so, I'm now up to 644 items decluttered, so around 144 more than a fortnight ago. I tackled a big hotspot, my son's room - mostly outgrown childrens clothing were the problem. I have also had a sort through of my plant pots, I had 10 spare in the cupboard so I've kept the best 5 and donated the rest. I also found things that haven't been unpacked since we moved house over 2 years ago and had been put in the cupboard and not touched! So they went straight in the bin. My utility room is my next target and that'll be a big one, sorting through my cleaning cupboards and coat and shoe rack.

It is my final day in my current job today and I start my new one next week. I'm looking forward to doing something different. I also can't wait to be £500 a month richer 

No OPs yet on my mortgage but hoping to get one in before the end of the month after payday

South_coast

Good luck in the new job 😀

eat_that_frog

Thanks @South_coast!

Well I'm 2 weeks into my new post and so far it's going ok, so I hope that continues. It was odd saying bye to my previous team but I'm glad I've made the move.

I made an OP of £5k on my mortgage this month, which is a combination of an OP I should have made in June but forgot because of starting my new job and being all wrapped up in that, and this month's OP.  

This month's OP means that I am now on the verge of the outstanding amount ticking down and going from the £210k bracket into the £200k bracket, which feels like a big thing for me psychologically. The OP also means excitingly that I'm now more than halfway through my target of £20k OPs this year. This is really exciting for me as I set myself a stretch goal of £20k OPs for this year, knowing that £18k of overpayments was in fact more realistic but I wanted to stretch myself. So if I get to the magic total of £20k overpayments by the end of the year I will be absolutely delighted with what we've achieved.