Prosperous soul embraces creativity & mortgage neutrality

edinburgher

I try hard not to think about remortgaging, it's too painful at the moment 

Alchemilla

Shame about the car. Reminds me of when someone offered to give me her horse which had cancer...

savingholmes

Thanks @edinburgher and @Alchemilla

Well the bike sold for £15. Because I got it free I didn't have the heart to ask for more. But a welcome addition to the pot. It seems to have gone to someone that needed it. I also cancelled a CC and it had £15 credit so that's on its way back to me. So I would be £38 up today - however I put it towards clothes. 2 new tops in gorgeous blues and greens - £43 after a 15% mother's day discount. I'm thrilled with them.  I bought an eyeliner and a brow pencil at a discount shop - so only £1 each. Those 4 things were at an outlet mall. I also spent £33 on the new tree pruning tool on Am****. Trying to find the right balance between enjoying life and budgeting. At least getting in new funds helps offset the spending.

I just made myself Cajun chicken with potatoes, onions, mushrooms, pepper, sweetcorn, tinned tomatoes, passata and mozzarella. Very tasty - and spicy as I also added a little garlic, turmeric and cayenne pepper. Should have enough for another 3 meals I reckon.

skint_spice

Cajun chicken sounds lovely!

MovingForwards

Bills are looking good, shame sh3ll are beings silly, but it will be another savings pot back.

Could you fill the pond in and have it as another patio type area or a flower bed, with flag stones round it.

L9XSS

Doing something similar to what you discussed at the beginning of your diary. I’m utilising some pension at 55 to clear my remaining mortgage. I’ve built up a good DB pot for retirement and have a healthy SIPP in place. I’m using a smaller SIPP to access my final overpayments to be mortgage free. My plan is to then focus on building savings and pension whilst continue to work for another 5 years taking me to 60. I won’t miss the £1077 to the Nat West each month.......

Orangetoes

Chicken sounds good!

savingholmes

Thanks @skint_spice , MF, @Orangetoes

@L9XSS - Good luck with your mortgage free plans. You have been making stunning progress

I want to sulk! My oven just broke. I thought it was about 3 years old but turns out it was 7. Still - not exactly a great run!  I am looking at one I quite like the look of for just under £200 but I am not 100% sure it will fit the gap. I also don't know how to get the other one out - it slides out - but I think there are some supporting screws holding it in - not sure where they are attached. Also not sure whether we wired the oven in when we replaced the hob. I remember paying an electrician for the induction hob bit but don't know if we made both elements wired in. Either way it sounds expensive. I probably wouldn't have bought my new tops and the tree pruner if I'd known this was around the corner. 

I do have an EF - I just didn't want to have to use it! Especially as I also need an optician appointment soon - and I am supposed to sort out my brakes April/May. I've asked my BIL for advice on whether the oven will fit okay... I just feel like every time I seem to get ahead - something comes along and knocks me. I'll probably put it on a CC initially - and pay it off in May. 

In better news - both the kids made some effort for Mother's Day. The weather has been great this weekend. I think I will go and take out my frustration on the tree with my new tree pruner. Hopefully that will be therapeutic! 

savingholmes

Well I've done 90 mins of pruning. The new loppers are fab. I still need to do more another day. Bin nearly full and not finished chopping things up yet.

DD and I are going halves on a Chinese.

Alchemilla

That's too annoying about the oven.