Quest for (mortgage) freedom

Sensiblesaver

Congratulations on becoming mortgage free, your diary is very inspiring, I really enjoyed reading it! Keep us updated on life after mortgage

f0xh0les

It is well worth setting up a 12 month regular saver in November,  to pay out around the start of December   - that is what I use to pay for all of C-word.   Same goes for October half term, and the start of the long summer holidays, and of course the ISA pays out just before Easter.    Sometimes when an account pays out is more helpful than how much is in there.  Timing is crucial.   You might not  need to spend it all, but knowing it is there, allocated, and you don't have to dip into EF or other savings is another stress gone. 

eat_that_frog

I received my 5 year anniversary badge a few days ago. Can't believe it's been 5 years since I became a member here and started this mortgage free diary, I am so grateful to this community and all the things I've learned on here. Genuinely and literally life changing. 
Those 5 years have flown by.

I'm continuing to make good progress health wise. I've been doing strength and resistance training since late May; 2 months later and I am still really enjoying it. I've lost 3 kg now since starting to focus on my health back in May. I haven't had to make any adjustments to my eating habits, which is lucky as I love food. I'm looking really toned in the arms, back and legs. My stomach is still flabby - but 2 beautiful children later and I wear my mummy tummy with pride 

I've made a bit more progress with decluttering too. I've spent a bit of time this week sorting through my kids' wardrobes, and I recycled 25 items of clothing that were damaged/holey/stained etc. 

eat_that_frog

It's approaching 6 months since we paid off the mortgage, so I thought I'd provide an update. We've had a great summer, have been on a few mini breaks within the UK, and generally had a great time. We've also increased our savings to £30k from the £10k we had back in March - it's incredible to see the rate of saving we've been able to achieve now that the mortgage has gone. 

My husband has been promoted at work, with a pay rise which kicks in end of this month. He loves his job and is quite career driven, so I'm thrilled for him. So with the increased money coming in coupled with us being mortgage free, I've made the decision to drop a day at work. I'm going to continue to make the same payment into my pension every month so that that's not affected, but my take home monthly pay will obviously be lower. Being mortgage free coupled with my husband's upcoming payrise makes this a pretty easy decision and I can't wait to spend more time with my kids and be at home more. And I've always got the opportunity to increase my hours again in the future if I want to or find another full time job, my profession is pretty common.

Elsewhere I'm continuing to declutter the house like a woman possessed! Having a great time sorting through my kitchen cupboards at the moment. Not a huge amount being decluttered but I think I've recycled/rehomed another 20 or so items. It's just about keeping on top of it regularly.

Eldest Froglet is back at school this week, we've had a lovely summer but it's time for a bit of routine again.

KajiKita

Sounds like a good summer and congratulations to Hubby on his payrise

I suspect that extra day of 'life' outside of work per week will make a huge difference to your quality of life - really pleased for you

KK

beanielou

Lovely to have another day. 

eat_that_frog

Can't believe Christmas is just round the corner, not sure where this year has gone...

2025 was a big year for us, getting the mortgage paid off and I love that the house is now just ours and no one else's! I also managed to continue slowly losing the baby weight - I'm 10lbs lighter than I was at the start of the year. And I've done a bit more decluttering in the house too.

My goals for 2026 are pretty simple - I'm going to save £6k in a 'house renovation' pot. In 3 years time we'll have been in our house for 10 years and at that point we'll need to give it a small refresh (lick of paint, maybe some rooms will need new flooring/carpets, replacing anything that's broken etc etc) so saving £6k per year for the next 3 years should give us a decent pot at the end of it. I've signed myself up on the MFW challenge to track my savings progress. I'm also going to try and continue slowly losing my baby weight - I'll aim again for 12lbs but I'll be happy with anything close to that really.

Hope everyone has a peaceful Christmas and a happy new year!