Our forever home

caeler

I admire your courage to endure regular testing for your job @bellevie what crazy times we live in. My annual mortgage statement is due this month but no sign of it yet. 

bellevie

I've read your diary @caeler complete dedication whe whole way through!

I hope I continue, I'm wary as our Overpayments are limited at least for the next 2-4 years that I'll lose momentum, will try my best not to of course! 

caeler

Well yes and no! @bellevie
I think in the last 3 years has been a real focus and very much so over the last 6 months. It hasn’t always been number one priority and there have been other priorities and early on i simply couldn’t afford to OP.  My view is do it when you can!  I think when it finally sunk in what difference it could make and in turn creating a habit, then it got a bit addictive! 

bellevie

Payday has been!!!
Our 3rd payment & overpayment is due out Monday. 
Front door target reached will be ordered in the next week.
Carpet is also on order, DH wasn't quite there but as it was on a sale ending tomorrow we didn't want to wait and have to save more.... We've saved £565 based on our original price up a couple of months ago, I borrowed money from another long term pot to get the order in. I'll put it in my spreadsheet to get that back up ASAP. 

I'm excited to have an order pending for seed potatoes, cucumber and garlic and compost. I had a trial with standard shop brought potatoes last year it went surprisingly well so will try the real deal see how it goes. 

I've never tried growing cucumber, or garlic first time for everything 😊

Also ordered some pots and shade tolerent plants. I'll be potting things as the garden is quite boggy, I'm not confident to now what will and won't work. 
Realised I have a bit of leave to take before it renews in May, so have booked a week off in Feb and April to coincide with school hols. Hoping I'll get DD into pottering around the garden for a little while. 

caeler

Good luck with the veg! @bellevie

I’m trying runner beans for the first time this year. My grandparents inspired me last year so I thought I’d give it a go! 

bellevie

caeler said:

Good luck with the veg! @bellevie

I’m trying runner beans for the first time this year. My grandparents inspired me last year so I thought I’d give it a go! 

I tried runner beans last year, not sure I got the position right they grew but fried in the sun. When the heatwave eased my dog decided to nibble at new growths!!! I've ordered a little border edging so will see if I can create a safe area this time 😊

bellevie

3rd payment out, 297 to go!!
We've over payed by £126 in total since November... Baby steps but still better than nothing.
I worked out what our daily interest is now and what it would have been without that over payment. We've saved 10p a day. Still a shocking daily interest amount at £25.25. 

We had a weekend of painting the hall and stairs. Makes such a difference a fresh coat of paint. 
Carpet upstairs due to be fitted next week, I can't wait to get our wardrobes up at long last!!! 

Seeds, compost and some fresh pots have arrived. I'm excited to get started on the garden in the next few months. Nothing big to start just some potted plants. We've been having a look at the gardens in other houses down our road which have sold to get some ideas, getting quite excited about what we could create. 

Work is intense, trying to get better at taking breaks and stopping on time to get a better balance, it seems to take over at times. 

Dd is back in school from Monday, with work being so busy I just can't homeschool her, it's becoming apparent in her behaviour and submitted work. So decided with the support of class teacher to request her critical worker space. She wasn't happy at first, it caused a huge meltdown. Since she discovered a friend who is also taking up a space she's started to get a little excited which is a relief. 

Car is in for its Mot next week, I'm hoping no nasty surprises 🤞🤞

Kakiste

Hi @bellevie found your new diary! Congrats on the overpayments, 4K is such an insane amount to drop in interest for such a small sum. I adjusted my DMP payment up by £30 per month and was told it had brought my DFD forward by 6 months! Mad

Really happy for your daughter on her coloured room. One of the big plusses of my house is that its a long term rent from a traveller who isnt fussed about what the rules of renting usually are and told us we can paint whatever/put up whatever so I painted my daughter's room (also pink!) Just after we first moved in and its been the first house with any non magnolia rooms ive had since i moved out of my parents 12 years ago! 

bellevie

Hi @Kakiste it's great the difference small payments can make.
Really want to do more but conscious of everything else we needs to save for and building our emergency pot back up. 

She loves her room, we finally had our carpets laid last week, really finished off her room nicely. 

Just popped over to your diary, well done you are making amazing progress!! 

bellevie

Carpets are in, so the first floor of the house is really starting to feel like ours. It's so lovely to wake up in a calm, beautiful bedroom.... Before we descend to chaos!!

Car passed its mot yesterday with no issue - I was really quite stressed as the first garage cancelled twice due to machine fault it ended up being done on the day it was due, I started to panic something would need doing. 

The past 3 days I was able focus on two uni assignments one needed wrapping up the other started from scratch. Both in ahead of time to stop myself repeatedly rewriting and over thinking. It took an age to find references I'm really going to have to log them as and when I come across them to save time in future.
I have to do homework and watch advanced lectures tomorrow, I'm hoping to get through it in the day as DH has to work, so aiming not to work or study on Sunday. 

Front door should be arriving this week with a bit of luck DH should get it fitted next weekend.
Almost payday...woohoo!!