Prosperous soul, mortgage neutrality & creativity Year 2

MovingForwards

That's a lot of thinking and planning you've done recently, with really good ideas. Exciting times ahead.

jwil

Loving the targets and the financial plans, it all sounds great!

savingholmes

Blackcats said:

Really excited to hear about your offer being accepted - a big step forward towards your new home.
pension plans and future financial options looking positive too.
hope your whirring thoughts settle until the morning so you can get a good night's sleep tonight

Thanks Blackcats - sorry I didn't see your post yesterday. We must have cross posted.

It's seeing you and Mark take those steps towards early retirement that is also motivating.

savingholmes

Thanks Jwil and MF

If I make the planned move - that is something I've wanted for years - and I've got a much better quality of house than I perhaps expected as rural prices are still quite high.

Freezing the tax bands boosts my pension so works in my favour. In a way inflation hasn't been horrific for me either - because I'd fixed my mortgage for 5 years. Still got 3 years and 3 months of that to go. My main pension got uprated by inflation last year - and my smaller one by 5% I think so it's going well. It's energy, fuel and food that's been a pain but alleviated a lot by the fixed rate mortgage. 

If I can build up my AVCs as described - then it offers such freedom of choice. I doubt I'd actually repay the mortgage with it if I could avoid it. I would use it almost as self insurance for any health issues and future care home needs. I'd also look at options to travel. It could also fund a further move if needed. I'm also mindful at some point I may want to give a helping hand to DS and DD with weddings, kids and maybe a little towards housing.

Currently I'm expecting to get to around £19-20K guaranteed income by age 60 - I need to consider how to bridge the remaining gap - which the AVCs may need to help with. Once I hit 67 I should have more than enough £. I may want to carry on working in any case - or my creative pursuits could start bringing in an income - a lot could happen over the next 6-7 years. Feels exciting.

EssexHebridean

What great plotting and planning SH - and fingers crossed for your seller loving the house she is viewing and offering on it immediately! 

savingholmes

EssexHebridean said:

What great plotting and planning SH - and fingers crossed for your seller loving the house she is viewing and offering on it immediately! 

Well that wish was granted EH. So I now have a complete chain - as she's offered on an empty property.

I tried and failed about 5 times to get through to the mortgage company. They've set up a new department to deal with porting - but they drop the call every single time you transfer to it!!!  I can only do it on a call too according to their web page despite their phone messaging saying I can do it online it doesn't appear to be true. Will try again first thing tomorrow.

I've got updated solicitor's quotes - but my understanding is that I have to use one from an approved panel - so I need the mortgage part resolved first before I can commit to a solicitor.

I need to do the ID check within 24 hours with the other EA. All good fun or so I'm told!!

I got another urgent piece of work suddenly landed on me today so that added to the stress. The workload that had been keeping me awake at night is going well though so I'm hoping the worst part of that is behind me.

I'm tempted to drive to the Swedish place and drool over kitchen and other options... Going to eat something first and then decide.

savingholmes

A friend rang I'd kind of given up on - and we chatted for almost an hour so shopping temptation largely avoided. I did nip to the corner shop for some groceries. 

Tomorrow:

1. Need to complete ID check
2. Need to get through to the porting department
3. Find out how to arrange surveys via mortgage company
4. Need to follow up on solicitors quote and provide to both EAs
5. Investigate cattery solution
6. Work
7. Counselling
8. Art Class

Still spending chunks of my life de-fleaing the cat. They are definitely much slower moving - but hate it! I think ignorance was bliss before as never had to do this before on the cat.

skint_spice

So pleased for you that your chain is complete, I hope it is all smooth sailing from here on in.

jwil

Brilliant news on your seller finding somewhere as well.

Hope you manage to get through to the mortgage co ok, and that work stuff settles down.  Glad the big project is mostly resolved now.

mark55man

Fleas are the worst, but will go eventually.  Our little horrors have turned into hunters - and there is normally a present for us most mornings.  The thing that bothers me though is before we had the kitties what were all the mice doing, presumably there were even more of them running around unchecked and unnoticed.  we're on the edge of a large field so presumable from there