Making a big decision and staying out of debt

Mumoffourkids

I’ve been missing for about a week but I had a weekend away over the bank holiday and then I needed a few days to recover after that. The weekend away was all paid for and budgeted for and was great to just get away.

Good news in that I contacted a different mortgage broker who has got me a decision in principle for what I need so all go ahead on the house purchase. I’m still saving like mad and have most things saved for now. Just need to keep going as I’m sure there will be more things to pay out for. So far I have the money saved for solicitors, searches, survey, stamp duty and most of the deposit. The remainder of the deposit will be saved by the middle of this month and then I just need to start getting quotes for removals and then save for those fees. It’s been such a long time since I last bought a house that I’m trying to remember what I need to buy. If this certain mortgage deal goes through, I will get £500 cash back on completion and I should also get my rental deposit back on the house I am currently in, so that will help a bit with money should I wish to get anything done in the new house.

I am still on prolific and have cashed out nearly £20 in April and already cashed out £7.20 in may with another nearly £6 pending. I’ve also been selling on eb@y and so far have made £15 after fees and postage. It’s only small but it definitely helps. I get paid this week and I got £150 more than my estimate due to overtime worked last month. 

Things to do this week are get some more sewing patterns photographed and put on eb@y. Check prolific website daily and start making a list of what I need to do to move house!

Mumoffourkids

Well my first week of budgeting weekly did not go well. I went over on all three main budgeted items, so food, kids and my spending money. I have tried to catch it back up this week and this week is going slightly better but I think I won’t be able to catch up the whole overspend from week 1. I am hoping that next week I can catch up the overspend but if not I might have to up my budgets slightly. The problem being that this seems to be a very expensive time of year with regards to things going on at school and end of rugby season events. 

In house buying news, I have sent off all forms and info needed to mortgage broker and solicitor, so waiting on them at the moment. The person I am buying from is not buying a house so the chain is just me buying and them selling. In theory this should be straight forward but I know it never goes like that normally.

I have been continuing with prolific and am doing quite well on there. So far I have cashed out £24.03 in May. I have £1.62 approved and another £9 pending. I have also opened a chase current account and savings account. The savings account I am getting 1.5% in interest paid monthly and the current account I am getting cash back on all my spends. I have to spend a certain amount on my card for my main current account in order to get the £5 monthly reward fee, but anything over and above this, I am putting through my chase account as I get 1% on all card purchases. 

Mumoffourkids

It’s all progressing on the house move. The valuation is booked for monday and I have an interview to transfer my job on Sunday. It’s all looking good. But a little scary to be honest. I have no one else to make the decision with me so if it all goes wrong, it’s all on me.

In money saving, I think I am finally getting used to the weekly spending amounts. This week I am on track with all of them and will have also caught up from the disaster that was week 1. I have also been continuing with prolific and have now cashed out £49.60 in May. This has helped enormously with the extras I have spent this month. I have £2.41 on there still with another £3 pending. I have also got 11 items listed on eb@y with five having got bids on them and still have five days to go. I’ve also listed three items on vinted and will continue to list items on there to see how they go. I’m desperately trying to declutter ahead of the house move as we just have far too much stuff in this house and that includes mountains of fabric that I have hoarded!!!!!

Mumoffourkids

So I have been missing in action for a little while but that’s because we went away for a week to Cornwall. We go to the same place each year at the same time and it is just lovely. I ended up coming home with £100 left of my spending money so that was amazing and something I have never done before. 

I have saved all the money I need for the house purchase now so any savings now are going to a general moving fund which I hope to get to at least £2000 by the time I move. This is to cover any new furniture, any extra petrol needed going between the two houses and takeaways when I can’t be bothered to cook when we move. I might even be able to save more money and then that could go towards paying for some little jobs which I want to do in the new house.

I am waiting on the mortgage still but other than that house purchase is progressing nicely. It is also looking very likely that I will be able to transfer to a store near the new house so I won’t have to look for a new job. 

I managed to generate a lot of extra income in May due to prolific and eBay sales. I think the total was about £110 which included bank interest and cash back on my chase bank account.

My prolific start to June was a bit less as I was on holiday for the first week but I now have £2.50 verified and £11.10 pending. I have also just listed 6 items on eb@y. Hopefully they will sell. I need to carry on decluttering this house as otherwise I am going to have a lot to move!!!

Tiredbutdetermined

Wowsers, you are doing brilliantly.
The house and move sounds exciting.
I think I need to start prolific for some extra savings money

Chrystal

Brilliant that everything seems to be falling into place. XX

Honeysucklelou2

Exciting times for you!

Mumoffourkids

Thank you everyone. It does all seem to be falling into place. I keep thinking something will go wrong. Fingers crossed and everything crossed that nothing does go wrong.

Prolific is amazing for earning extra pennies. It is also interesting and not like other survey sites. I get bored of those very quickly but keep coming back to prolific. I tend to have it open in a tab on my iPad.

I’m only working Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week so I have had plenty of time to check and also seem to have more time this week for some reason. Usually I am stressing about cleaning the house and tend to have loads of stuff to do. But for some reason this week, I have managed to keep on top of the cleaning using The Organised Mum Method. 

PearlRose

Wish you all the best on your house searching and buying journey. It can be tiring but worth the effort 

onlineanonymous

Best way to keep out of debt is to save up and buy things with cash. Don't take the easy option of financing unnecessarily.