Pay off mortgage and start having even more fun 😁

newgirly

Thank you SC and Lady, I shall do that 😊 There’s so much to think about, it’s all been about the mortgage for so long now. 

We had a fantastic day yesterday taking best friend to see St@rlight expre$$, I have to say say we all thought the show itself was bad 😆 great for young kids but not us, so bad we almost ditched at the interval 😂 we had the best seats on the edge at the corner at the front so it was expensive. Best friend had wanted to see it as a child but never did, hence why we chose it. Still a memorable day for that reason, then we had a wonderful laugh filled meal at the local Mexican afterwards and when we left it started to snow, one of the best days out the three of us have ever had, and I’ve known them 48 and 35 years 🥰

Dh had a lovely day by himself, he never gets to be home alone, he made Stilton soup and watched tv all day apparently 😆

Today I’m hoping we can see nosferato, we didn’t go New Year’s Day as it was really busy and people tend to spoil films, hopefully dil is not working today as it will be the four of us going together. I’ve also got to find and package up fourteen items I’ve sold on vinted - to one person 😱 for £33 in total. Not sure how to package them yet! There’s no money in the vinted pot anymore so it’s nice to sell something for the first time in ages. 

newgirly

No cinema yesterday and no posting the huge vinted parcel as the machine was out of action 😩 I’ll go back today, it took ages to sort out as well, I’ve not really been selling lately. 

Today I’m taking mum to the shopping centre for a couple of hours, then back home to continue the washing, do some cleaning and make a casserole. 

I’ve managed to log into mine and dhs main work pension that ended in 2018 (need to find out where the current one is and the tiny one from years ago) I’m shockingly under informed, I didn’t even know that we can’t take them until 57 😳 it’s kind of not that relevant as they are so small anyway 😆 but it’s the start of what we need to know and how to plan things out. The biggest challenge is how much we can actually take from the factory rent as dh runs lots of extra private jobs through the same company as owns the factory, I believe we can take more out from the rent but he’s made it a bit complicated and probably doesn’t want me getting my sticky fingers on it all as previously I would have had the lot for the mortgage 😁 Although under informed as I said , my gut feeling is it’s probably doable for him to retire at 57 if we save for say three years (he’s 52 1/2 but I’ve spent a lot!) and use that to boost things up so we can still do stuff. It seems pointless to not travel during those years as we should be making the most of being able to do more when younger. 

We can afford for him to retire and get by until state pension, but that seems a shame if we can have say an extra three years (saving and travelling) and be able to do more until state age. I do worry as he’s a smoker - I HATE it and he’s so reluctant to give up 😡 he now smokes roll ups and vapes, it’s so frustrating and uncomfortable for him to have to freeze in the garden, I just don’t get it and I used to smoke as a teenager. So it worries me from a health perspective delaying things too much ☹️

Anyway we are a long way off a plan, but it’s highlighted the work I need to do and info I need to know 😊

newgirly

It’s been a quiet week so far, i went to the gym yesterday which was as expected busier than usual. I’ve had a few weeks off due to Xmas, going to York and feeling a bit off a couple of times. I’m also trying to eat healthier at the moment to lose weight, in a slower fashion though due to the medication, somehow I managed to put on almost a stone and a half last year 😒

Im debating whether to go food shopping today or get an online delivery tomorrow, I got a delivery for the first time in ages last week on Thursday, I think a regular shopping day would be a good idea perhaps, it might make me more organised in the kitchen. We still have leftover Xmas meat and some reduced Lidl meatballs and chicken in the freezer to use up so I need to meal plan first for dh and I (separately). Yesterday I made a rather uninspiring “cheat” curry with a a jar and some frozen mixed veg, it was very quick and easy though I have to say and not super unhealthy, I’ll have the other half tonight. Dh is having beef and ale stew in the slow cooker, I might even turn it into a pie if he’s lucky for tomorrow if there’s enough 😁

I’ve ordered a few basics from n@xt I need to collect too, they have a new range they don’t seem to be advertising really called “the s€t “ I’ve got a pack of five ribbed summer vests in various l colours for £22.50 and they are really nice quality, the medium fits now so even if I lose weight as they are ribbed I’m sure they will be fine. So I’ve ordered a pack of long sleeved too. I’m  very much sick of wasting time on thinking about clothes, so my plan this year is to go back to a neutral seasonal capsule wardrobe, but a very casual one with mostly jeans and T-shirts 😆 once I lose the weight I’ll get a pair each of blue and black jeans and some shorts and then I’m more or less done. 

daisy_1571

your capsule wardrobe worked well before so thats a great idea.

I've been finally reading a few of the books I've bought over the years that I never had time to read till now.  One thing that's been in two of them- we don't chew our food enough.  One food should be chewed to mush in your mouth, the saliva starts breaking it down. Two when it's in your stomach the process there is based on mush, its not goid at breaking down lumps of food so they actually begin to rot causing gas and bloating.   Buts then go out tge stomach and slowly along the rest of the tubes.  

Chewing each mouthful 30 times or more also gives you time to feel you are full.

I know we like to eat when the food is still hot so have a habit of chew chew swallow, shove the next forkful in.  I've been trying to remember to chew more.  I've lost a pound and a half in 2 days.  Unheard of for me!  Definitely also feel less solid about the middle too.

I remember a programme from years ago where they compared old fashioned diets.  One was 'banting' which was popular in the 20s.  Another was what they called the chew chew diet.  That group was far and away the winners in weight loss so I should have practiced what I saw then lol. 

Dxxxx

South_coast

Ooh, I remember the "chew chew" diet as well! They all had to dress up in period costume from the eras the diets represented too 🤣

daisy_1571

Oh so they did south coast, had forgotten that.  I cant remember the presenters either but I remember quite enjoying the programme 

Daisy xx

newgirly

Ok thats weird I definitely posted a reply yesterday 😆 I remember seeing p@ul mc kenn@ on tv taking about eating slowly, chewing and putting your cutlery down in between mouthfuls. I must remember to follow this advice as it does help 🙂

Probably too early to mentioning this as dh has just talked to me last night as is not sure what he will do, but his boss (in a kind of loose sense of the word not the owner) has told him they will probably move the business to the other side of London and give is six months notice on the factory 😩 I’m not sure if he’s expecting everyone to just trot along over there but im not sure that will happen. Dh said it will add at three hours a day to his commute and the answer was they might pay your tube fare 😂  So that’s a big old spanner in the works! I knew I was getting too complacent with the mortgage coming to an end. 

So the plans I was making are up in the air, we have luckily 20k in the offset to fall back on as a safety net, hopefully we won’t need to use it. Dh can get a job on maybe slightly less money quickly from his friend the builder if he really had to and the factory will need to be re let. It’s a task that will take time and cost a lot due to the heavy machinery , both theirs at their cost and also dhs as he has some heavy machines there. Mostly it’s just sad, the company started in 1895 up the road from West Ham teams football ground which also started in 1895 as the ironworks, so much history ☹️ we have walls full of black and white photos of the staff and the machines that are still in use now. 

I’m not sure if this is a way of binning the staff without paying redundancy (they have to move or leave) or just the arrogance of the staff can move they have no choice. One has an hour and a half commute to the current location each way, it would be over three hours each way for a below average wage. Anyway, I probably should post all this on here, but I’m so upset for the guys! 

It’s tricky to plan the finances now not knowing how much will be coming in and when. I’ve said to dh (annoyingly I’m sure) this has come at a time when things are the best they have ever been for us, it would have been way more stressful years ago. 

Off to the a pen and a notebook to see if I can work out what to do! 

newgirly

Yesterday turned out to be quite busy, i went to the gym, then a quick coffee afterwards then a dental appointment and a hygienist one followed by dinner out with my parents as dad wanted to try a new restaurant and we haven’t gone out in the evening for years. So a bit crazy, oh I also dyed and cut my hair 😆 
Today will be a lot quieter, dh has gone to work so I’ll take a look at our finances and see what’s what. It’s a bit tricky to work out but I guess I need a plan for no rent and perhaps a reduced wage as dh has said he can always work for the builder neighbour as the owner has always more work than staff and there’s always a job for him. Then work out the pension situation, I’m still not sure if dh wants to retire or go very part time yet in the future, all of that might have an impact on what he does next. 

Health wise I’m starting feeling a bit more normal since Christmas, the tiredness is way less and I don’t look so grey 😆 still pain in one shoulder from the operation which the gp said she would refer me for but I’ll wait longer I think first, i feel like it’s better than it was. At this time of year I would usually have a list of new year plans and aims, I’ve only just realised I haven’t made one! So off the top of my head: 

• Pay off the mortgage! Still three months away but now a cliff hanger of will dh lose his job 🤣
• Lose minimum of a stone 
• Manage to go on the trips we have booked this year 
• Have a total of a minimum 12 holidays /nights away or proper days out this year 
• Have at least one date a month with dh- even if it’s the cinema or a sit down meal with candles etc, at home 😬
• Start reading again, my brain has been quite fuzzy and it was hard to focus, back to reading though now and a minimum of two books a month I’d say.
• Do more online puzzles, just doing daily sudoku now but I’m convinced it’s helping get my brain back to a sharper focus
• Less time wasted online, I do waste a huge amount of time especially this year, this needs improvement.
• Try and give the garden some love ❤️ possibly clean and crank up the hot tub in spring as we didn’t turn it on last year, and have a few early mornings (noisy jets off) with a coffee and a book when dil is off work like we did in lockdown before we finally get rid of it.
• Continue the vinted selling 
• Get ds2 to take his stuff so I can decorate his room 😩
• Decluttering, this is always ongoing but honestly the worse bit is the shed which is full of the kids stuff and spiders 😳
• Plan for the future - turning 50 , mortgage paid off, dhs possible work changes all big things and no plan for beyond the mortgage yet.
• Spend as much time as I can with the kids, since two have moved out it’s hard as they are so busy trying to see them 🥲 it’s normal but I miss them, perhaps a catch up date with each couple once a month or whatever as a routine if I can persuade them , perhaps by paying 😂
• Continue at the gym but step to up a bit, felt too tired to do much lately when I’ve been so it’s been light exercise 
• Same as the gym but with healthy eating 😁
• I think a step challenge perhaps, this weeks daily average is 8664 apparently, so a minimum of 10k a day to start with 

That’s all I can think of at the moment 😊

South_coast

Plans sound good, NG. I think in the long run, the business relocating might end up being a blessing in disguise. DH hasn't been happy with the new owners from the start, they have taken the micky out of him, and you've said many times that they are paying a rent below the market rate. This way, he has his hand forced into going, and you can get more rent coming in. If some of the equipment belongs to DH, could he use it to set up on a very small scale elsewhere? In your spidery shed (think I might have suggested that before and it wasn't feasible 🤔)? Then he would still be doing the job he loves, but on his own terms.

And I don't think they can just give a "move or go" ultimatum to the employees, they will have rights, and if the new location isn't sensible for them to get to, then I think it might tip into a redundancy scenario (I'm just guessing here, not my area of expertise at all). It would be worth doing a bit of research - now that would be useful time spent online! They would also be hugely shooting themselves in the foot, as these are skilled workers in a very niche trade and will be very difficult to replace!

daisy_1571

I agree with south coast.  These folk have been a pain since they took over.  Your dh went from running the place to being an employee on lower wages, still with all the worries and responsibility but none of the authority.   If they go, its a clean start for your building.  Yes its a shame about the length of time the business had been running but its already had a few incarnations in its time and as none of the family wanted to take it over, sooner or later it was going to change considerably/cease trading.   Thats probably sounding harsh, I'm not meaning it that way but I'm of course looking at it without the emotional aspect which will be entwined with your thoughts about it.

Plus if there's work still needed they will still be doing it and the new photos/new location will just add to the earlier b/w ones? 

As far as letting the building out again.  Only you guys will know if the machines dh uses can be moved together, a door cut and a wall built so its completely self contained.  Then the rest of the building can be leased without interfering with him coming and going as he pleases.  The rest of it gets leased out, rent in, proper landlord relationship and less hassle.   Dh could maybe then give it 6 months or a year or whatever to try doing the work he enjoys on a part time basis.  See how that goes. See if he get into a much better working time frame than all the 4 o clock starts and long hours he currently or previously does.  Less hassle, no employees, just whatever work you and he can handle, if folk want his work they go on the waiting list.

Just a thought, rather than him go to be a builder at this stage in his life? 

Dxxxx