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Prosperous soul embraces creativity & mortgage neutrality
Comments
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Planter looks great.
Have a restful weekend and enjoy the catch up.Mortgage started 2020, aiming to clear 31/12/2029.3 -
Thanks @Mickyh-s - have a good time with your friend. It was good to catch up with mine - a lot has happened in both our lives - and those of our families!!
Thanks WD, GAP, MF, Jwil, Beanie, @skint_spice @LadyWithAPlan
Got hair done and then took DD grocery shopping. Bought the arbour and it's now in the car. Not sure how we'll get it out - although I have a trolley thing at home. Will be a challenge. She reckons she can put it together so here's hoping she does so in a reasonable time frame - failing that hopefully the handyman will towards the end of the week. Having macaroni for tea.
Need to be good the rest of the (pay) month and preferably sell stuff - to meet my savings goals and help with decluttering. Unsure how much the handyperson will cost but don't want to erode my new savings! I'm already discovering the magic of putting £ in pots and not wanting to take it out again. I've left some £ in what GAP would call a 'dipping' account to pay for any works - but want to add to it if I can. My house is also 'overflowing' so I need to sell stuff so I can be more organised - and minimal - and feel more in control.
I'll let you know how I get on. Hope you are having a good weekend where you are.
Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality in 2030
1) MFW Nov 21 £202K now £167.4K Equity 38% 3/4/26
2) £2.5K Net savings after CCs 14/4/26 (but owed £1.1K) so £3.6K
3) Mortgage neutral by 06/30 (AVC £39.3K + Lump Sums DB £4.6K + (25% of SIPP 1.3K) = 45.2K of £127.5K target 35.4% 8/5/26 (If took bigger lump sum = 67.1K or 52.6%)
4) FI Age 60 income target £17.1/30K 57% (if mortgage and debts repaid - need more otherwise) (If bigger lump sum £15.8/30K 52.67%)
5) SIPP £5.4K updated 8/5/2610 -
The power of pots! They do shift the mindset from spend to don't want the balance reducing.
Good luck with the arbour and selling, I'm sure your cleaner would love to help you declutter more!Mortgage started 2020, aiming to clear 31/12/2029.5 -
Good luck with the arbour, sounds lovelyMortgage OP 2026 £860/2000Mortgage balance: £31,763
Make £50 a month Jan £20, Feb £0, March £31, Apr £20, May £20
Boiler fund £2085/30004 -
The planter looks lovely!
Good luck with the declutter and raising funds from it - it's a win-win situation so I hope it goes well! 😁'Happiness is not a destination but the journey you walk every day'
Jan GC: £74.77/£100
DNF: £1471.53/£6700
Garden sections: 0/21
DNF: 3/45
Save 12k in 2026: #37 £1471.53/£6700
'It's the small compromises you keep making over time that start to add up and get you to a place you don't want to be'4 -
Thanks MF @skint_spice and Left
I stayed in bed super long today which my new watch approved of...
On selling stuff - I need to take some photos - and then list them.
We took the flat pack arbour out of the car in pieces so that made it easier - It looks like it might not be pre-drilled though so could be a bigger job than I anticipated.
DD and I went to the Swedish shop - 12 white boxes for my cube units, 16 white wooden hangers and a sauce pan. £72 spend which didn't feel too bad for there - £4 of it was DD's. We might have slipped in a McD too before heading home.
On non-scale victories - I was able to wear some white shorts/cropped trousers that I'd not fit in to for 2-3 years - and a dress I hadn't been able to get past my hips - now fits fine - and is almost knee length. It was a CS bargain - new - designer multi-layered dress that I kind of wore as a long top before!!
I ordered some boots yesterday as mine have holes in the heels. Just hoping the new ones fit as I need a very wide fitting. Should come mid week.
Still have lots I want to get done but progress of a sort...Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality in 2030
1) MFW Nov 21 £202K now £167.4K Equity 38% 3/4/26
2) £2.5K Net savings after CCs 14/4/26 (but owed £1.1K) so £3.6K
3) Mortgage neutral by 06/30 (AVC £39.3K + Lump Sums DB £4.6K + (25% of SIPP 1.3K) = 45.2K of £127.5K target 35.4% 8/5/26 (If took bigger lump sum = 67.1K or 52.6%)
4) FI Age 60 income target £17.1/30K 57% (if mortgage and debts repaid - need more otherwise) (If bigger lump sum £15.8/30K 52.67%)
5) SIPP £5.4K updated 8/5/2610 -
The planter looks great! Hope you're feeling better for a long lie in
MFW 2024 £27500/7500 Mortgage £129,500 Jan 22 Final payment June 38 Now £68489.08 FP May 36 Emergency Fund £20,000 100% Added to ISA 24 £8,060 Save 12k in 24 #31 £20,034.76/20,000 Debt Free 31.07.145 -
Fitting into those clothes must make you feel great and be very motivating.I saw an article about an artist called MaiYap who does amazing art using a palette knife. The paintings are a bit Monet like. I thought you might find them interesting.5
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Great non-scale victories!"Good financial planning is about not spending money on things that add no value to your life in order to have more money for the things that do". Eoin McGee3
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Thanks @FlacosFloozie and @Blackcats
Yesterday I painted some of the woodwork when we got back. I had to take DD to a site close by for work today so had to be up earlier than planned. I hope to finish painting my bedroom today. Want to spend some time organising (and getting rid of) stuff so my house feels less overwhelming.
BC- I'll look into the artist.
The mortgage came out today - so I now owe around £645 less. That means I'll have paid close to £5.8K off the mortgage since I took it on last November. So far I've knocked around a month off the term. This month I've also added to my savings so heading in the right direction despite my recent spends. Waiting to find out how much the handyman will cost still.
My star flowers are still in full swing and my (old) orchid is also in bloom downstairs while my new orchid is busy looking pretty in my bedroom.
Hope you all have a great day.
Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality in 2030
1) MFW Nov 21 £202K now £167.4K Equity 38% 3/4/26
2) £2.5K Net savings after CCs 14/4/26 (but owed £1.1K) so £3.6K
3) Mortgage neutral by 06/30 (AVC £39.3K + Lump Sums DB £4.6K + (25% of SIPP 1.3K) = 45.2K of £127.5K target 35.4% 8/5/26 (If took bigger lump sum = 67.1K or 52.6%)
4) FI Age 60 income target £17.1/30K 57% (if mortgage and debts repaid - need more otherwise) (If bigger lump sum £15.8/30K 52.67%)
5) SIPP £5.4K updated 8/5/269
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