My 2 year battle to try to keep our home

Suffolk_lass

Tiredbutdetermined said:

Child benefit I do get..just!

Had a letter from the water company this morning and you get the branded envelope sense of impending doom but my bill is going down by £4 from March so very chuffed with that. It reduced in August when I packed the hot tub away but that is a £4 saving as a result of my boys being filthy
Go boys

Juar bttled with my mouth not to spray the mouthful of coffee across the keyboard and desk when I read that!! 

elsien

Tiredbutdetermined said:

Feeling grumpy today. In my mind I was going to be semi productive today but I feel totally wiped out. Stupid blooming covid.

I need to have a look at reasonable paying surveys as 10-15mins here and there should be doable at the moment so I at least feel like I am getting something done

Have a look at prolific, if they are taking people on at the moment. Very little screening out, and they have to pay the equivalent of minimum wage. Plus they’re more research so can be more interesting than rating your broadband provide for the 23rd time. The only downside is that the surveys go within seconds sometimes, so you have to be logged on to see them. 

I also do reasonably well from opinium. Populus used to be good but now I’m in another age bracket they’ve gone massively down hill. 

savingholmes

Get them to bath at their Dad's

 Save your water. My DD had multiple baths at the weekend... And tops water up.... Not sure my bill will go down anytime soon

Tiredbutdetermined

I like the idea of my children just showering here there and everywhere to save my water bills

I have added a bit of detail to my signature and removed the debt free date as that just isn’t the biggest deal right now.
I expected to feel a bit sick but actually I feel so chuffed with my progress. If I can achieve that with my crazy single lady life over 8 months then imagine what I can do in 2022
Once the ex grows a pair and we sort the financial order then I can finish with the burden of solicitors fees and put that money to better use too.

I really want to put the car balloon payment on the signature but it is due September 2023 and I really don’t think I can pull off squeezing my chunky self and 2 x nearly 16 year olds plus 1 x 13 year old in a fiat 500 by that point! 

Once the mortgage is in my name then I need to get everything settled I need to have a look for a 5 door rather than 3 door car.


On yet another grumpy note, the ex has finally for the first time since he left 9/10 months ago taken all 3 kids over night. They won’t go to his so they are at a premier inn for the night. How frustrating is it that I am stuck in with covid and can’t embrace the freedom! 

satchmo1

You are doing so well, keep up the great work. 

In terms of showering, I have blood cancer (bear with me) and one of the associated symptoms is the most painful itching after showering, so I have reduced down to twice per week, with just washing at the sink in between. It's amazing how much water is saved.

Plus, make sure everyone turns off the tap whilst brushing their teeth, just turning the tap on to rinse. Tell the kids it's to save the planet, that'll have more impact on them than money-saving. 

Can you sell the blow up hot-tub? And the tumble drier (nasty eco-enemies).

I have motion-sensor lights in the hall, main bathroom, en-suite and freezer/laundry room (the rechargeable type). I was fed up of OH leaving the lights on.

I have turned the radiators off in rooms we don't use, and down in the bedrooms. Folk never used to heat the whole house, and we never actually froze, even if the windows got icy!

I know it's radical, but I've given up milk in my tea and coffee and find I prefer the taste. Porridge is soaked overnight with water, and I add just a splash after I've microwaved it.

Years ago, when I was divorcing, my solicitor said "you could argue about everything and be awarded £10k but my bill would be £10k - do it the way I suggest and although you won't get as much my bill will be £4k", so that's what I did. Thankfully, I didn't have debt or dependents, but the things my ex swindled still rankled. But as I always overpaid my pension (and therefore hardly paid any tax) I'm now financially comfortably and ex is stuck in a dreadful house in a dreadful area. 

Suffolk_lass

I also have a motion sensor light in the downstairs loo. It was intended to be an outside one but it is on the ceiling. We did it because the light switch is outside the toilet door on the hinge side (why?  - other people, eh!) so it was a PITA for visitors (when we used to have those). I do have a tumble dryer but it is a 10 minute thing before hanging stuff on a Victorian-style pulley rail in the airing cupboard or using the range. It makes all the creases drop out so no ironing  We also turn off the shower while soaping and turn off the tap while teeth cleaning. It really is surprising how much it saves. I was told by my parents to always use the showers at Sports Clubs too, for hygiene reasons and so always have. When we got a meter for water the Anglian Water offer was to try it for a year and compare - ours more than halved!

vampirotoothus

Hi 2nd hand car values have really shot up. Put your reg in Web8yanycar and see what you would get. It could be enough to clear your finance and give you a deposit on a more suitable model. Good luck with your journey and fab news on the mortgage. Rooting for you

nannygladys

My youngest dd, sold her car to one of those sites when she read how much they were going to give her, she was very pleasantly surprised!!!!! She put it straight into savings!

Tiredbutdetermined

I have had a rubbish couple of weeks with covid working it’s way through each of us. I still feel horrific but think I am heading in the right direction and my youngest can start trying to test his way out from tomorrow.

My exciting news of the week is that my credit card is now on zero. I have had it on zero before by taking consolidation loans but it is so satisfying seeing it on zero from my hard work and determination.
I am now working on building savings. My mortgage was approved a week and a half ago but is now stuck on the conveyancers/solicitors stage and going nowhere fast, which is deeply frustrating. My existing Heliodor mortgage is going up in monthly payment at the end of the month so it would have been great to have it switched before then but it is now looking unlikely, which is frustrating.
I am looking forward to having that finalised so hopefully the divorce can move forward and I can have the clarity of position with the house and finances.
I still feel like the mortgage offer is too good to be true so will continue saving at the moment in case a thing goes wrong and I end up back at square one needing a deposit. I am hoping that the deed and title change costs I can almost absorb into this months pay as I am saving on petrol due to being stuck at home with covid but the savings can be used for those changes if needed or my mortgage advisors fee. If not, then I have the start of a lump sum towards paying off a loan. The first loan doesn’t seem to have a way of accessing accounts online so is always a phone call and it seems like that one will be easier to build overpayments to send every few months rather than my current method of flinging tiny overpayments at it every day!

Once the mortgage eventually goes through then I can look for a car that better suits our needs as a family. I don’t like the idea that I will be taking on further and greater debt but The Fiat 500 really doesn’t fit our needs as a family anymore and I haven’t a hope of saving enough for a reliable car to buy outright. My commute to work is quite remote and small country roads that wouldn’t be safe to break down on.

Hope to be able to post some updates this week on the mortgage but not holding my breath.

nannygladys

You're doing really well, congrats on paying your credit card off its a big achievement and I'm glad your starting to feel better again.
Fingers crossed that things will start moving swiftly for you.
Nannyg