FtbDreaming wants to clear £69,700 before Im 40 (2027)

slm6002

You are doing a great job on the financial side of things.  It sounds like everything is coming together really well.  The job sounds like it was a great and you are benefiting from it in many ways.  Keep going like this and you never know, you will hit mortgage free by the time you turn 40

FtbDreaming

Aww thanks for all your kind words! Yes @slm6002 mortgage free is still the goal and hopefully around the 40 point… we’ll see! Got to be in it to win it haven't we 💚

FtbDreaming

Hi everyone!! Long time no post! I hope everyone is well. I’ve just been plodding along really. Not up to much apart from working full time and being my usual busy self. 

What on earth is going on with these interest rates 🫣 my fix is up in April and I just hope they drop a bit by then otherwise my mortgage payment is gonna double 😬 I am still doing my bare minimum overpayment so the mortgage balance drops by £150 a month but I’m thinking I need to up that now maybe to £250 or even £350 if I can stretch to it. (It’s probably worth me doing that now so then I won’t feel the pinch as bad when April comes if I’m used to paying more anyway) 

I’ve been thinking…. It’s naughty when I think but I have lol so that’s that. I want to move house. I don’t know if you seen a thread I posted a long time ago about the neighbours building an avery in the back garden; well anyway as predicted the back garden is now overrun with rats. I haven’t sat out all summer and am absolutely miserable here tbh. I am dreading the winter when we have always had mice in winter but the rats will be the death of me. 

Anyway: if I move that will be the end of the mortgage free dream. I would be going from very cheap house in a terrible area with mortgage freedom being relatively achievable. To a 4 bed mortgaged up too the hills house in a much more desirable area. 

Pros being: area: rodent free; bedroom each for kids; something to be proud of (I know keeping up with the joneses is ridiculous but hey Ho); peace of mind 

cons: probably shackled to a high mortgage until I’m 68; lack of financial freedom until that age; I’d probably have an empty nest after 5-10 years and be full of regret 

I’ve been on the mortgage calculators and I could get one for around £200k as my income has doubled since buying this.. it wouldn’t be for 2 more years as I am stuck here for 5 at least before I can sell. In those 2 years would I be best saving cash or paying down the mortgage? Im thinking overpay mortgage to avoid paying interest and whatever is overpaid can then be equity as a deposit for elsewhere. And if I decide in 2 years that the rat problem is cleared and my daughters have stopped fighting 24/7 then I'm still on the journey to mortgage freedom.

in an ideal world I’d rather the kids calmed down and the rat problem got sorted. I don’t want to be tied to a mortgage forever. This house needs more spending on it but its doable. Im not going to do a loft conversion because I just don’t have the time to invest in it and as I said before I think the kids would start leaving home long before it’s paid for.

aww well a little ranting post. Probably the result of a long summer holidays 🫣 roll on September 5th! Xxx

slm6002

I totally get the feeling of wanting to move,  however sometimes we have to just make the best of what we have, knowing that in a few years the benefit of being debt and mortgage free will be worth it.

I think a call to the council (I think that would be the people to call) about the rat issue would be the first step.  At least that way you are trying to get it sorted.  Are you on good terms with the neighbours and maybe could have a word?

As for the children I totally get it and you know, like you had to find an extra room which has solved a lot of issues.  Is there any way to split a room, move rooms around to provide a room that can be split, room for an extension?  Building on an existing property is probably a lot cheaper than moving. 

A new shiny property sounds great but who can say if your new neighbours wouldn't suddenly decide they need an avery in their garden.  Better the devil you know.  School holidays are nearly done, keep going

Oh and keep posting - always helps to keep me on track mentally and money wise

FtbDreaming

Thanks. I did put in a complaint to the council a few months ago about the avery and they replied saying they’ve been out and the avery is kept to exemplary standards so I gave up. That was before the problem got this bad. 

I am thinking of buying a night vision wireless cam that can video the rats running into my garden from their aviary then sending that to the council. If they don’t want to act on the aviary complaint I am thinking of putting another one in about the decking. From what I’ve read you need planning permission to deck more than a certain amount of your garden. Theirs is easily 150sqm and they’ve decked the entire thing so there’s a whole city for the rats to nest in 😓

we don’t speak and we don’t argue. We tolerate each other so I’m not going round about it because we will start arguing and I can’t be bothered with the stress of it. 

I know this diary did keep me on track and I will start posting again. Last night I downloaded Karl’s mortgage calculator again (I deleted it because it stopped working) and according to that I’ve knocked 7 years off the mortgage with the OP I’ve made so far so that’s brilliant news and really motivating going forward! 

My help to save account matures on 1st Dec so that’ll be around £1750 by then. I’m gonna OP £1000 into the mortgage and find somewhere else to put the £750 into savings x

skint_spice

Don’t the rats bother the neighbours? Hopefully they might address the problem soon.

 I think I would keep plodding on for the next couple of years and see how you feel then. Paying the mortgage down will save more in interest unless you can get a good rate for savings.

slm6002

What about the neighbours on the other side?  I would keep on at the council because there may not have been a problem, but there is now.  And yes if you can get proof of them running around they cant say there isn't a problem then.  

I am hoping that when my help to save account matures I can use it towards a new car.  Well new to me as mine will probably be on its last legs by then.  A chunk being paid off the mortgage is a good idea anyway

FtbDreaming

They’re the corner house is it’s just me next to them. I will deffo get the footage to the council though and see if there’s anything can be done. I think it’s because there is a gap under the fence in line with the decking cavity the rats run out to mine more than they’d be on top of the decking. I do want new fencing to make it tight but oh is refusing to do it because he’s saying it’s a waste of money and won’t change anything when there’s nothing wrong with the fences we already have. 

The help to save account is great isn’t it! I can’t believe how fast 4 years have gone. There were points when I was skint and only put £1 a week in but it’s still added up. I’m saying that about my plans lol but let’s not forget it will be December and I have 3 spoilt kids 😵‍💫 

anyway I’m going to pull up my big girl knickers and spend a couple of hours in  the back just brushing the leaves and tidying up. I’m gonna take the dogs and a loud radio out to hopefully protect me from any invaders xxx

dawnybabes

Eek, I’d hate the rats, have you tried environmental health ? 

Is OH working after passing his test ? My brother did it but then struggled to get a job with no experience 🤣

FtbDreaming

dawnybabes said:

Eek, I’d hate the rats, have you tried environmental health ? 

Is OH working after passing his test ? My brother did it but then struggled to get a job with no experience 🤣

I’m gonna try them. I don't have any blooming time to pursue it when I’m working all the time.

No it’s the same for him. Just hoping time pays off 😵‍💫 he’s doing bits and bobs and still needed here to sort the kids a lot so I’m not stressing anymore. Just plodding along with life lol x