Pay off mortgage and start having even more fun 😁

newgirly

Thank you Ramouth thats very kind of you to say 😊

Well it’s been a busy and also spendy week, two rehab sessions in London (one by tube £12.70 including bus fare 😩) as dh upset me so like a child I refused a lift and went on my own which was probably not a good idea yet as I didn’t feel well 😆 plus a GP appointment and two visits to the dentist this week, £26.80 and the £73.50 for a filling for the tooth I broke, I got off lightly there really! 

Plus Prosecco, a couple of banners and crisps and cake for dd’s birthday and then a splurge on clothes 😱 I went to an outlet place and got a few very cheap bits - gym top for £3 instead of £28, sweatshirt £6, a pair of n@xt jeans for £4, plus a couple of tops. This then tipped over into me buying a few full price items in primarni, cardi and a jumper. So the end result is I’ve spent the day clearing out my clothes ready to sell on vinted and am going back to a large “capsule” wardrobe and a no buying clothes for the rest of the year challenge! 

I started in December last year and managed a few months, but to be honest even if I had better willpower I needed to get quite a few bits for hospital and recovery afterwards anyway, so would have quit. Still, there’s no excuse now. I have been way more brutal than ever before 😬 four huge sacks of clothes to list on vinted - stuff I’ve hung onto for years that doesn’t fit , things I don’t wear but are sentimental etc. Buying clothes is the addiction I need to quit, I’ve sorted cigarettes -30 years ago , - and booze, ooh 5 &1/2 years ago, meat and fish 38 years ago, just the unnecessary clothes buying to stop 😆

Financially, I’m skint this month already 😩 personal spends down to about £20 and I may be going out for brunch with dd tomorrow if she still wants to, the food budget is at £94 😱 I’ve reduced it further again to £450 from £500 last month and £600 prior to that. The extra may mean finishing the mortgage that extra month earlier, so I’ve got to give it a go 😁 

Jessy103

You got this NG! Get them clothes sold and that mortgage gone! 💪

newgirly

Cheers Jessy 😊

I’ve been busy and not popped in for a while, but also was kind of avoiding posting on here as everything has been a bit up in the air financially. The long and short of it is I’m really struggling to stick to a low food/petrol budget since I reduced it and have overspent. The bigger issue though is we need to get a car before we are mortgage free 😩 mum is now selling her car and going down to one between them and we really can’t manage ( or at least dh doesn’t want to manage 😆) with just my very small old Aygo. We have borrowing hers for a few months as dh couldn’t use the work one and we usually take it York as I doubt mine would make it.

So I’ve been trying to work out how to do this and spend minimal money and still be mf in the planned timeframe of 33 months! I’m still working it all out but it may well be possible with a lot of juggling. 

Anyway, we have the boys’ birthdays on Wednesday and we had FIL’s 80th on Sunday so it’s been hectic along with all the rehab and appointments still, heart rate seems to be much improved which is a really good sign and a relief. 

Back later or tomorrow with a full update and hopefully a plan of how to magic a car and still be mortgage free before June 😬

South_coast

Looking forward to the new plan, is there any chance of you buying your Mum's car from her? 

Great news that your heart is on the mend 🩷

themadvix

That's excellent news about your heart rate NG!

I guess with the car, it depends how many clothes you have to sell! 😆

newgirly

South_coast said:

Looking forward to the new plan, is there any chance of you buying your Mum's car from her? 

Great news that your heart is on the mend 🩷

Thanks sc 😊

No there’s not really, it’s nearly new and so would be way too expensive compared to what I’d wha t to spend right now, it’s a nice car but not what we would choose probably. 

Hi Vix, I have a lot of clothes to seek so it might even pay for a car 🤣 unfortunately selling clothes on vint@d can be a slow process! 

Still not done the finances yet as it’s been such a hectic week, hospital visit to check warfarin levels was Tuesday and the first one for a month, it clearly should have been sooner as I’d also just started new medication which dropped my levels way to far down resulting in me needing injections in my tummy daily, open heart surgery- fine, injection in tummy at home - not fine 😆 Dil has reluctantly agreed and has done better than the nurse, her one was painless , the hospitals is so painful and swollen I’ve taken painkillers, she should have a change of career! 

Yesterday was the boys’ 24th birthdays ❤️ I managed my first evening out , gate crashing their wings night with friends at the local craft beer chain, it was chaos and they shut the kitchen half way though the limitless wings! We didn’t eat as I was back late from rehab, it was great to go out and see people though, even if I’ve not managed to give ds2 his presents yet 🙄 hopefully later today. It’s so dear we didn’t buy a round of drinks as there were about 15 and it’s not that cheap there, so I sent both sons £20 to buy a couple of drinks and text them to go to the bar 😂

Best get up, I’m seeing a friend today, she just text and I feel terrible but I’d forgotten 😱 I need a rest today but forgot to get back to her last time so I’m not cancelling today, I really need to get that brain training game, I am sooooo forgetful since the op, I hope it’s just the medication! 

newgirly

Finally, I think I’m a bit more together with the finances. It’s taken a while as my brain is still working at a reduced capacity due to the medication I’m on, well more reduced than usual 😆

Im still on daily injections and running around at rehab and hospital clinic appointments, it’s very time consuming especially as our local hospital has closed the car park for months while they repair it, so I have to drive to dh at work to get dropped off and then drive home. I still need to work out the bus route from here, but I’ve enjoyed visiting the guys at work to be honest 😊

Anyway, back to financial matters and after over a week of looking at cars, we have decided not to buy one just yet (or probably until the end of 2025) as mum has said they are going to hang on a bit longer as they are not sure what to buy so it’s a bit more breathing space, but mainly dh wants a way better car than we can afford 😆 he wants to carry on the private extra work he does on the side - this is an ongoing argument as I want him to stop but he likes doing it, his last lot of extra money he saved for over a year went to the mortgage recently, so I think he will put some money by from that.

So I’ve done a plan (love a plan!) for the rest of 2024 and the whole of 2025. I have to go this far ahead I’ve we have so many trips booked that need paying for 😬 It is my 50th though so I’m going to make the most of it, especially after everything was cancelled this year! 

Current end date is now estimated to be March 2025 - the month I turn 50, I’d hoped for feb, however we settled on March as we have a little more breathing space and it means we can cover the holiday insurance which will be £££, plus spending money for our Xmas night away and an extra trip to York over new year we are squeezing in. I’ve also booked a mini cruise the week of my birthday as we had £500 credit, so an actual cost of under £300 for a balcony and I’ll book a night in a hotel prior to stretch it out a bit with a voucher I have. So this would take us to month 30 instead of 33 in the challenge if we can do it, I’m pleased with that 😊

Food budget wise, I’m leaving it at the £450 as I’ve finally given ds2 and wife use of our second small fridge aka the drinks fridge as they want to buy and cook everyday now, I’m still getting lots of other bits but it’s saving on dinner costs a bit. I have however rejoined WW again as the weight is going on quickly since the op , plus I want to be as healthy as possible in food choices and it kind of forces you to be, so £40 this week in M&S on fruit and salad 😱 my first time eating figs when it’s not on a cheeseboard on Xmas day 🤣 I’m living like a Queen! 

Time for the monthly update: 

newgirly

💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙MONTH 22 OF THE 33 MONTH CHALLENGE💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

Balance at start Oct 2022: £61,452.11

Balance at 31st July 2024: £18,242.00

Total since start: £43,210.11 

Total for July: £1308.82 


Getting there slowly! Payments each month will vary since we have added another month to cover other payments we need to make like the holiday insurance and some money to take to York again. 

August should be a little easier than July as we had all the kids birthdays and fil’s 80th, this month is just Son in laws birthday which is budgeted for present wise, but I’ll see if dd wants me to do a little tea party 😊 we had a “kids party” for his 30th in lockdown while they lived with us and it was fun, cheese and pineapple hedgehogs and pizzas shaped like animals etc. 

Other plans for the month are : 

Curry with the girls tonight - if I make it back from rehab in traffic and can stay awake 😆

Dinner with other friends Saturday at bell@ itali@ whom we haven’t seem for ages 

Have a monitor to check heart and follow up appointment in a couple of weeks hopefully and some good news fingers crossed! 

Lose some weight now I’m paying for WW 😩 (it was on offer £4.45 month one then 5 months at £9.45) so not too crazy! 

Join and start at a local gym 😱

Do “something” with the dolls house, not sure what yet 😆

Start shopping for stocking fillers for them all for Xmas - I do a bits and bobs Santa stocking not included in the present budget , usually a budget of £10 ish each for the 6kids and partners, dh and dgd. We are doing Xmas this year so I will need to spend on lots of other extras. Almost cashed out on my new vista for a £50 M&S voucher so that’s a start! 

newgirly

So glad it’s nice and cool first thing, it’s too hot! I’ve got pumpkin candles I want to start burning now 😆

So I’ve done some money saving today already and cancelled weightwatchers 😂 there’s a 2 week cool off period and after a few days I remembered just how much I hate it and how difficult it is when you are veggie and fussy. It will make my trip out for dinner later much more enjoyable too 😆 back to a more sedate route of my fitness pal, and having a couple of days off a week of not tracking. Ds2 walked in last night, looked down at my bowl of strawberry ice cream and said that was a long stint on WW this time for you 😁

Its a busy day today, I’m meeting best friend for a coffee first thing to catch up after her holiday, then cinema with dh before we meet friends after for a very early dinner.  I might try and see dd is she’s around at all, but ds1 is away for the third weekend in a row so I won’t see him. 

Living here is a little noisy here at the moment , it’s always worse in summer but there’s very loud scrambler bikes racing around day and night which the police won’t stop as they don’t wear helmets. Not that we see many police ever anymore! We are on the main road so it’s getting quite annoying and making me go on rightmove much more, if that is even possible. I think the hard part for me is realising where I think I want to live versus where I actually want to live. I love the idea of moving to maybe near the river further up and east where it’s small towns, shops shut half the week, very quiet and quaint like the one we visited last week, but what I’d be probably happier actually doing is living next to a shopping centre with a primarni, restaurants and cinemas 🤣  I don’t know all I do know know is I’m sick of people taking very loudly as they go past late at night when the windows are open 😩

Ah well moan over, I feel better now 😬

Oh in more positive finacial news …….I’ve finally sold a bag on vint@d, a posh one my mum gave me years ago for £130! She’s doesn’t want the money either. It’s not in my account yet as I only sent yesterday so there’s still a chance of being scammed I guess, everything I  usually sell is pennies 😆 but if it goes through it raises my vinted sales and saving pot to £454.50 😱 this is now a lot and I want to do something special with it, I’m now leaning towards buying something for the home maybe or using it to decorate and makeover the living room perhaps, I don’t know. I’ve still got tons to get rid of on vinted but it’s just finding the time and space to sort it all. I’ve just had too many appointments, four days out of five this week again 😩 plus still on the daily injections which surprised even the nurse yesterday. Perhaps I will start going through it after next week when i have finished rehab. 

themadvix

Thought I’d commented after your last post, but it doesn’t seem to have come up. I’d said, perhaps Christmas should be a bring and share do? Not so much for your budget (although this would help), but for your health - entertaining is hard work. Your kids are big enough now that they could be asked to bring various bits (starters, desserts, cheese, even prepped veg).

Re the Vinted money… why don’t you pop it in a high interest savings account for a while and think about it. If you’re really fed up with the house, it could always be the start of moving savings. But equally it might just be the time of year and you chill about the noise again when the windows shut (I speak very much from experience - all neighbourly/outside noise (smoke) is more irritating at this time of year). There’s no point spending all that money on decorating if you’re not happy there - and I’m fairly sure you’ve decorated it fairly recently too (although that might have been due to water damage).