The second hurdle - Nichelette v the huge mortgage

Nichelette

@ladysummerisle Ah lovely! I do have age at the back of my mind, but realistically we couldn't afford two lots of childcare at the same time so we have to stagger. The aim is if we could have another and I can have him at home from age 2-3, he'll qualify for some free hours when he has to go back to nursery. We might be able to just about be able to survive on one salary, but really I need to work, and we'd need a bigger house with a second which isn't achievable unless I work full time. The stamp duty on that alone will be about 20k . 

I was on rest for the first 6 weeks so couldn't do much, but I'm definitely picking it up now. I gained about 3.5 stone though a lot of that was from water retention from the pre eclampsia. I have 10lb left to lose which I definitely feel is manageable. I did my second run yesterday and know that keeping it up will help. I was honestly an asthmatic PE dodger before but I love it now!

Nichelette

Just had £50 become payable on Topcashback from insurance from back in January, and baby fell asleep in his cot whilst I was getting ready so I can have my coffee in peace. Win win! 

savingholmes

Glad things are settling down for you again.

Nichelette

So last month wasn't exactly the best financially. We ended up with a bit of a CC bill which has been paid with this months pay. I also took £500 from our savings to stick in baby's Vanguard account as it took ages to set it up as they wouldn't let me fund it with my current account as it was in my maiden name, despite me providing our wedding certificate and the fact that my name is pretty rare and I just double barrelled it! so anyway, I gave up and opened one in husband's name in the end. That £500 covers the £100 a month I wanted to save as you can only deposit a minimum of £500 as a lump, so I couldn't do it for the right number of months as it was less. That means that no more money will go til September at least, but I had to backfill that from this months pay too, in addition to adding the £500 I'm saving each month from my full pay.

In addition to that we've had a £150 water bill (it's rubbish you can't choose who supplies water because it's SO much more expensive than the rest of my family who don't live that far away). Husband has decided to join the gym (£40), though that includes swimming which we paid for separately before so it's only really an extra £20ish. The plan is it should save us in the long run as he's an absolute disaster for going to the shops and frittering on drinks etc. He likes to get out the house where we're working from home and all his little trips really mount up because it's literally every day. We've also had £40 this month for 10 weeks of his 5 a side football and we're going to a wedding on Saturday so that will be another £50 as the gift. To be honest I'd be surprised if we have anything left to overpay the mortgage this month, but we'll see. 

I've opened a little shop hoping for a few extra pence (https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LingfieldDesignCo). There isn't much in there at the moment as baby does not like napping at all, but I'm hoping to add more to it, not just printed cards but handmade more embellished ones when I can get a moment to do things. I keep in touch with my manager fairly often, and work is just horrendous from the top, so I'm not particularly looking forward to when I have to go back. Like everywhere it's all about cutting, so when people leave they're not being replaced. We were already pretty lean so it really pulls on those who are left. Morale is pretty low too, though that was the same as when I went on leave.

We're getting on well with the reusable nappies. I love seeing them all on the line, it's so satisfying! I was hanging them out earlier and our neighbour with the tree that is destroying the fence was staring at me. I really hate it, she's so incredibly nosey. As soon as I heard the window open I knew she'd be staring. I kept hanging for a bit and then had to go up the other end of the line. There she was staring at me.. Honestly I'm not an angry person but she makes me rage! I went inside and finished the rest a bit later. I moaned to my husband. He was in the house opposite the other day as we have a new neighbour he has befriended, and she was staring at him too apparently. It's just so rude! I love this place but honestly can't wait to get away from her. We need more space, and it's not really the best time financially yet, but I'm going to ask if our mortgage could be ported in the future in case I see anything good that we can afford.  

savingholmes

Sorry about the neighbour. Your plans for your shop sound interesting but the link doesn't work...

Nichelette

It's okay, hopefully we'll be able to move in the next few years, though there is absolutely nothing for sale at the moment around here, possibly the stamp duty break! What with working from home we need more space really...

Whoops, it should be https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LingfieldDesignCo but the site thought the close bracket was part of the address! I've been looking at the Etsy fees I've been charged. I was an early adopter when I was at uni and opened a shop in 2006 as I used to sell jewellery, but the fees were less then. I closed it when I started working full time so I wasn't up on it all. Anyway, they charge a fixed fee plus a percentage which obviously hits lower cost items more so I'm going to make some more heavily embellished boxed cards that I can list for a bit more. Hopefully I can get rid of some of my stash that way too as it's in baby's room at the moment and there is literally nowhere else to put it. It's not great because I'm on the floor with stuff all over the place as it's all quite well packed up. It looks like a complete disaster  . 

We've been paid today so I've taken another £500 off the mortgage. I'm also trying to declutter and have some bits on eBay & Vinted so I'm getting extra in dribs and drabs from that. We'll need to think about sorting a cot soon. Where my husband has been working from the spare room we've never really been able to have a nursery as such. It's annoying because he works on lots of big spreadsheets and databases so he has two separate monitors where as I'm happy using the one on my laptop when I'm working. I know he needs it really, but it's just annoying. I don't want him going back to the dining table really as I don't like not being able to eat at it, and it's no good now really as baby would interrupt his working. 

Still can't stop buying nappies, though I'm trying to cool it now as it is getting a bit out of control  

LadyWithAPlan

Lovely to read your diary... and the idea of a bunny tattoo! Amazing you so focused on your op despite the arrival of a  baby as well. 
Will be watching your mortgage free journey with interest. 

savingholmes

Sounds like you are still juggling lots of money making schemes. Well done on the OP and staying sane in the face of little ones demand....

Nichelette

LadyWithAPlan said:

Lovely to read your diary... and the idea of a bunny tattoo! Amazing you so focused on your op despite the arrival of a  baby as well. 
Will be watching your mortgage free journey with interest. 

Thank you and welcome . I think being short on space really focuses the mind! I got the tattoo done last month, I think he did a good job of it, and every time I see his head popping out the top of my sleeve it raises a smile and reminds me of him. 

savingholmes said:

Sounds like you are still juggling lots of money making schemes. Well done on the OP and staying sane in the face of little ones demand....

Sane is questionable 

savingholmes

savingholmes said:

Sounds like you are still juggling lots of money making schemes. Well done on the OP and staying sane in the face of little ones demand....

Sane is questionable 

Cute tattoo 
If it's any consolation I recently said I did art to stay sane and my BIL said, "You call this sane?"