Lolu's Mortgage Free odyssey

savingholmes

I think pots can really help with guilt-free spends. it also helps with that continued motivation.

misslolu

killerpeaty said:

There are always new goals. Life changes in brilliant and/or terrible ways and suddenly your priorities and goals have changed. I've decided to start ticking things off of my list, the things I always fancied doing but was always too busy studying or saving to do them. Not great timing with the cost of living crisis but cutting back is worth it. It feels pretty good.

Sounds like your sportiness is a fantastic move!

Good luck with the teeth!

For sure, i'd like to do the things I can while i'm still young(ish) & child free. It's a lot easier to justify spending money now because there is no particular goal in mind. I can imagine i'll be loathe to spend money I could be using for my child's clothing, care or future.

South_coast said:

Well done on the savings 😀! I'm definitely a splitter-outer of pots, it helps my brain no end to know what's set aside for what rather than look at a lump and having to keep working it out in my head

Yeah, one thing about a big pot is i'm constantly amazed at how the numbers add up. The £20 & £50 here and there add up to £1000s really quickly and it can be a bit bewildering. I'm hoping that with smaller pots I will see the money as it goes out and won't feel too bad about it.

In other news I finally got myself a dining table and have hosted my first dinner! A friend basically volunteered my place for a get together so in the spirit of saying yes I made a 3 course menu for our girlfriends. I definitely cut it a bit close with the timing and not everything came out exactly how I liked, but it was so much fun. From planning the menu, upgrading my serveware, cooking to the actual night having fun eating and drinking with the girlies.

I'm thinking of making it a once a month thing, not necessarily with the same people, but a group of 3-4 people. Could potentially become expensive so I have to watch myself with that though, but it seems like a great way to bond with people again.

savingholmes

You could get people to bring different courses or drinks to help keep the costs down and rotate around people's houses.

killerpeaty

Or! (And this might be my best idea ever) you do this first dinner and everyone has loads of fun, but you cook really horrible food so next time they bring the dishes themselves.

misslolu

savingholmes said:

You could get people to bring different courses or drinks to help keep the costs down and rotate around people's houses.

That's actually a good idea, a pot luck would be less effort/stress for me, while still getting the fun of hosting.

killerpeaty said:

Or! (And this might be my best idea ever) you do this first dinner and everyone has loads of fun, but you cook really horrible food so next time they bring the dishes themselves.

😂😂😂 you're hilarious. I actually enjoy cooking, so that's not a problem. I would be sooo upset if someone told me they didn't like my cooking even if I did it on purpose.

In other news, i've just won my first bit of money on premium bonds after 9 months. I was hoping it was the £1 million prize but alas it was only £25 but every little helps. I'm keeping it invested since it's such a small amount but hopefully this is the beginning of a run of wins.

killerpeaty

£25 v £1mill... Not much difference! But it's gotta feel pretty good regardless.

On a serious note, hosting dinner would still likely to cheaper than buying it at a restaurant regardless so I think you're onto a winner.

savingholmes

I think I may look at doing something similar again in terms of hosting. I've got out of the habit... need to get more social again.

Have fun.

misslolu

@killerpeaty that's a good point, upgrading my serveware aside, it probably only directly cost £10 or so because I usually buy my food in bulk. That was for fresh veg & meat. The girlies brought some sides & the drinks so I would say we all spent the same amount when you factor in the travel. £10 for a 3 course meal is a bargain tbf so definitely money saving. I'm having another one this month with some old school friends, so every other month seems to be a good timeline.

In the land of money - saving i've been chased by HMRC saying I owe loads of tax only to find out that they've given me 2 tax IDs and i've paid correct tax in one and none on the other. That was a challenging few days.

Purchased October flights for the birthday blowout, and a new dining table and chairs set so another £1k on the CC i'll need to pay off this month. Unfortunately this means i'll be dipping into savings with my other commitments for the month. I'd rather use savings than pay interest so i'm fine with that. Service charge is also due next month which likely means i'll be dipping into savings for that too. I could pay by CC but all i'm really doing is kicking the payment down the road, though it's better this way for cash flow purposes so may actually do that.

Service Charge: £49/1000
Summer events (wedding + parties): £101/1000
Invisalign: £370/3500
Birthday holiday: £90/1500

£611.56

/7030

= 8.70%

I also joined some groups for people from my "country of descent" that live in London. I've been to a few outings so far and really had fun, and i'm so glad my weekends are spent going out rather than on Netflix again. Unfortunately, I managed to get food poisoning so had to call in sick today. Feeling much better though and I will be in tomorrow.

Work wise, a few weeks ago I really thought I was on the verge of losing my job, it all seemed to just get away from me. Now I oscillate rapidly between feelind like I'm doing amazingly and feeling like I'm the worst person ever. It's actually quite bizarre! My boss never seems to have an issue when I give him progress updates though so I wonder if I'm actually just going loony.

And finally I committed to competing with my new team, so I am now doing serious training multiple times a week. It's been so long I did this so I hope I don't freak out during competition ha ha.

All in all there've been some highs and lows this month, and it's ending on a medium level. One thing I will say is that I do feel like I'm actually living for once rather than just existing.

savingholmes

Living is good. I can relate to that.

Imposter syndrome is common. Hope things settle down for you

Poquito

@misslolu Just read your diary, I’m gripped. We have been through some similar experiences. I remember despairing when being made redundant (on the same day) 3 months after getting my mortgage, anxiety through the roof. The financial lows made me 100x more resilient, vowing to ensure an employer would never pull the rug from under me again. You are doing great, you WILL achieve those financial goals as your determination is amazing. Something to ponder… you may look at others and feel like you haven’t achieved certain things before 30, but conversely some people may look at your fantastic achievements and feel reflective also. We’re on individual journeys and we must remember to enjoy the view. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, you’ve got this!!! 🤗