The 'scenic route' to mortgage freedom...

savingholmes

themadvix said:

Box to charity shop is a definite win! 😁

🤞 the bonus is good - definitely exciting if it’s a new experience! 😊

Nice to have something to look forward to.

PiggyBankShaker

DH's bonus meeting got postponed until today, so he'll find out this afternoon instead.

The window fitters rang yesterday and they are coming next week to install the new windows in the front of the house. We ordered these on the 1st July last year so it's been a while. They are sash windows (we live in a Victorian house) and are replacing some ugly 80's white casement windows complete with diamond pattern leading. Needless to say I'm pretty excited about the transformation.

DH has also made new enquiries about getting our front path laid in Victorian tiles (there were patio slabs down, but now there is just mud) It costs quite a lot but I think it's one of those areas that will make a big difference, so we'll see. In theory, the tiler has availability in May. The other option is finding someone to lay a concrete bed and then laying the tiles ourselves. It'll be half the cost but twice the headache...

Nothing else financial to report, just trying to keep the boat steady until the end of the month. 13 days until payday!

PiggyBankShaker

DH found out he should get approx £3300 bonus, but he won't know the exact amount until pay day.

After much (much) deliberation we've decided not to go ahead with the ground floor extension and I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. We'll order a new kitchen tomorrow and once that's done there's no going back because the kitchen will be placed against the wall that would have been knocked through for the extension. It's now 17 working days since we heard from the architect and DH is adamant that we don't contact him first. He thinks that we won't hear from him again and to be honest I tend to agree. The whole experience has really knocked my confidence. Other than the kitchen (which we always planned to replace) we're going to stick to manageable improvements that we can do or organise ourselves, such as the front path, new windows etc and whilst we do those we'll simultaneously pay down the mortgage and build up our savings to give us the best launch pad for whatever come next. Maybe that'll be moving to the 'dream house' or maybe it'll be getting a really good rate when out mortgage fix ends. We don't know yet but I'm open to it nonetheless.

One thing that's really helped is the diary - writing stuff down has helped my process my thoughts and feeling about everything - so a big thanks to everyone who's read and offered suggestions and encouragement.   

savingholmes

Lovely bonus. Sure new kitchen will be fab too

themadvix

You sound very relieved to have made a decision. I think it’s a wise one if the house was never going to be your dream house.

 That’s a great bonus!

powerspowers

I’m glad you’ve found a decision you’re happy with shaker. It gives you options later on and your plans sound lovely if you do decide to stay longer term. 

PiggyBankShaker

Its official. We've placed the order for the new kitchen. We bought the cabinets and doors from Wren. The worktops from Gemini (thus getting the identical one for half price) And we'll shop around for the best priced appliances separately. The window fitters are measuring for the new kitchen window when they fit the front ones next week.

DH also paid a deposit with the tiler for the new front path, which will be laid in May.

And we looked at our finances and agreed a plan to overpay the mortgage by £1000 a month. 

Really feel like we turned a corner today after months of uncertainty. 

savingholmes

Lots of progress all at once. Exciting times.

PiggyBankShaker

Quiet day today. Not a lot to report. DH did a small amount of grocery shopping (fresh fruit, veg and bread mainly) but he hasn't yet updated the spending tracker. I think we have less than £100 to last us until payday, which should be doable as long we are sensible.

This evening we've got ticket to be in the audience of a BBC radio programme that DH really enjoys. They were free and he's been looking forward to it all week. DS is cooking dinner a family dinner tonight and DD is cooking tomorrow so it feels like a real treat for us. I'm not in my 2nd job tomorrow as I'm doing a training course over zoom, but it finishes at lunchtime so I'll have the afternoon to myself and be able to pick DS up from school, whereas normally on a Friday I don't get home until 6.30pm at the earliest. I'll also save on diesel as my 2nd job is a bit of a trek. 

Stay safe everyone. 

savingholmes

Sounds like it will be a lovely time out at the radio show. Is it just for DH or you too?

Glad you get to finish early tomorrow.