My Mortgage Free Mountain - A 7 year expedition to climb to the top

craftingmad

~FlowerPot~ said:

craftingmad said:

Baileys_Babe said:

I don't think you are a cow and I can understand your feelings 🤗

MatyMoo said:

You really are not a cow, it’s a lot of responsibility to take on. I do wonder who would step in as their safety net if you weren’t in a position to? There really are some horrible life interruptions where we all need a safety net & I know they are not always there. A friends teenager was going through cancer treatment & not actually expected to survive (by some miracle they did!) when the father was made redundant & asked for help. Nothing was available as they owned their own home, MacMillan stepped in to pay petrol money to enable them to visit her in hospital but they ended up in serious debt which took years to get out of 😢

Thank you both so much. I still feel terrible about myself and know that they really need this safety net at the moment. It just makes me sad and very scared to know that none of the family would do the same thing for us if god forbid we ever needed it  

This is because 1, you can and 2, most importantly you care, you care a because you are a lovely person. I think we would all be thinking inside 'what if' I didnt give this money away. But you offered because you and your husband are truly lovely people. Please dont be so hard on your self.

Thank you - that means a lot x 

craftingmad

Ok I've just updated my spreadsheet and after seeing the -£2246.99 growth for last month I'm feeling a little deflated so I'm going to try and lift my mood by posting an update of how much we have achieved in the 10 months since we started this challenge and try and celebrate the progress we have actually made:-

 Our Own Mortgage £2338.07 as at 1st January 2023 - BALANCE TODAY £0 

 BTL Mortgage 1 £51,089.10 as at 1st January 2023 - BALANCE TODAY £42173.34 

 BTL Mortgage 2 £81,504.52

 BTL Mortgage 3 £77,497.02 

TOTAL AMOUNT OWED ON 1ST JAN 2023:-  £212,428.71

TOTAL AMOUNT OWED TODAY £201174.88

TOTAL AMOUNT OF MORTGAGES PAID IN 10 MONTHS £10022.21 

TOTAL AMOUNT ADDED TO OP SAVINGS POT IN 10 MONTHS £33040.93 

craftingmad

The update above has certainly made we realise just how much we have achieved so far and made me a bit more positive going forward. 
A new month always makes me excited for the new opportunities there may be to help reduce these mortgages so I am going to try and focus on this rather than the minus figure and do my very best to try and make back the money we are/have paid back as quickly as possible. 

So here's my list for today:-

1. Play on Mistplay - DONE 47 points earnt  
2. Upload some new designs onto Craftsuprint 
3. Make positivity Bee order from Etsy and post off - DONE  
4. Make Cross in my pocket order from Etsy and post off - DONE
5. Make bags of love order from Etsy and post off - DONE
6. Design pink goal planner and stickers for Etsy order and send proofs
7. Monthly Business accounts for Oct (not going to make nice reading) - DONE a small profit was achieved but really nothing considering the effort I put in and I also know that I am going to have to refund all of it when I get the order returned
8. Put all Christmas gifts bought into a box so I don't lose them
9. Renew FB Marketplace listings - DONE 34 listings renewed  
10. List something new on FB marketplace
11. Write and schedule social media posts for months to try and keep my business visible
12. Complete some of an online course included in a membership which runs out at end of month
13. Comment on In Search of Posts on Facebook to hopefully get some more orders
14. Advertise my business in 3 FB groups to improve my visibility and hopefully get some orders 
15. Create a new item to sell
16. Check freepostcode lottery, win a dinner and freeemoji draws - DONE not a winner   
17. Complete surveys on Prime Opinions
18. Complete surveys on Inbox Pounds 
19. Complete surveys on Panelbase 
20. Declutter 10 items from the house
21. Action one idea on my MF list
22. Investigate others ways I could earn a living as businesses are not doing that well
23. Spend some quality time with our daughter - DONE had a lovely trip to Mcds and then browsed around a farm shop  

Baileys_Babe

Could you set a time to review the situation and if both you and Hubby thinks it should continue it does until the next review. When you decide to make changes you could offer to contribute X% for Y time and continue that way until they are paying their own way. At some point in the future could you/hubby offer to help research support they may be entitled to?

craftingmad

Baileys_Babe said:

Could you set a time to review the situation and if both you and Hubby thinks it should continue it does until the next review. When you decide to make changes you could offer to contribute X% for Y time and continue that way until they are paying their own way. At some point in the future could you/hubby offer to help research support they may be entitled to?

This sounds like the perfect plan. 
Now I just have to be able to get hubby to sit down and talk calmly about the situation without shutting me out. 
Thank you x

Baileys_Babe

craftingmad said:

Baileys_Babe said:

Could you set a time to review the situation and if both you and Hubby thinks it should continue it does until the next review. When you decide to make changes you could offer to contribute X% for Y time and continue that way until they are paying their own way. At some point in the future could you/hubby offer to help research support they may be entitled to?

This sounds like the perfect plan. 
Now I just have to be able to get hubby to sit down and talk calmly about the situation without shutting me out. 
Thank you x

Could you give it 3 months without bringing the subject up? He might be more receptive then as the initial shock of the situation is likely to have reduced.

craftingmad

Morning all.

I hope you are all surviving the storm. Its pretty windy and wet here but so far so good and the tree in front of the house looks like it is standing firm.

I am off into the City with my daughter today as I need to find a bright outfit to wear for my niece's celebration of life. I'm most definitely a black and navy kind of girl so I'm feeling petrified but luckily my daughter will be brutally honest so I'm bracing myself for her comments.

Accordingly there is not much of a list from me so here we go:-

1. Play on Mistplay
2. Spend some quality time with our daughter
3. Find a bright outfit for as little money as possible

craftingmad

Morning all.

Sorry had a bit of a blip yesterday where reality sort of hit again and I was not in a good place and very teary but I'm feeling a little more normal again today so am going to attempt a few more little things to help us climb this mortgage mountain hopefully. 

So here's my list for today:-

1. Play on Mistplay - DONE 87 points earnt  Only 70 more points until I can cash out a £10 voucher
2. Invoice Farm Shop for plantable hearts sold - DONE invoice sent for £15.50 (not much but every £ counts)  
3. Answer enquiries for Christmas stickers
4. Upload some new designs onto Craftsuprint - one design uploaded. Will promote when uploaded second similar themed set tomorrow  
5. Make positivity Bee order from Etsy and post off - DONE
6. Design pink goal planner and stickers for Etsy order and send proofs
7. Scan shopping for Shop and Scan (not done for ages so must get back into it)
8. Put all Christmas gifts bought into a box so I don't lose them
9. Renew FB Marketplace listings - DONE 4 listings renewed
10. Write and schedule social media posts for months to try and keep my business visible
11. Complete some of an online course included in a membership which runs out at end of month
12. Comment on In Search of Posts on Facebook to hopefully get some more orders
13. Advertise my business in 3 FB groups to improve my visibility and hopefully get some orders 
14. Create a new item to sell
15. Check freepostcode lottery, win a dinner and freeemoji draws - DONE not a winner  
16. Complete surveys on Prime Opinions
17. Complete surveys on Inbox Pounds 
18. Complete surveys on Panelbase 
19. Declutter 10 items from the house
20. Action one idea on my MF list
21. Investigate others ways I could earn a living as businesses are not doing that well
22. Spend some quality time with our daughter - had a shopping trip to Asda together  
23. Chip Shop Shift - DONE picked up an extra hour as well so that will hopefully be an extra £11 (until the tax man takes his share!) if I get the payrise this month which I was promised last month!

 

craftingmad

Morning all.

Our daughter is back off to Uni today so I'll be a blubbering wreak. Saying goodbye still does not get any easier for me but I will see her again on Saturday for a couple of days as her lectures have worked out that she will be able to go to her cousin's funeral on the Monday so at least there is a small silver lining for me out of the tragedy. Selfish but I have to look for the positives at the moment as they seem so few and far between. 

Hubby has also booked his train ticket to go and collect father in laws car for Friday so once we have it we can hopefully get it sold quite quickly and get the £5k we loaned to mother in law back in our account and earning interest. Not going to lie I think this will really help me as its just defeated me seeing the balances go down this month after all our efforts. We still have to find the £725 a month rent for BIL for a few months but I'm pushing that to the back of my mind for now.

I still cannot decide on an outfit for the funeral. Bright colours are so not me. So far I have bought a bright pink striped jumper (from Asda) which I do love but cannot find any suitable trousers to go with it, two dresses from Bon Marche (I never wear dresses but one of them I love but the rest of the family hate and one which I think is too dark colours when we were told only bright colours allowed), a bright (and I mean bright) red pair of trousers from Primark which I cannot find a top to go with them and two tops from Amazon which I like but neither fit me (XL my ar**) so they will have to be returned. I've also ordered a couple of pairs of trousers from Amazon but am worried now that they won't fit me either! At this rate I will be going in my neon bra and knickers set!!! I will have to go through my wardrobe I think and see if I have something suitable already which is as bright as I feel comfortable with.

Hubby is still feeling pants so is not in work but luckily he should be on shift so has called in sick again but will still get paid. 

I've got a chip shop shift again this afternoon which was due to start at 4pm but they want me an hour earlier so at least that will add a little bit more to the wages for this month. The shifts seem to be getting shorter and less frequent.  

I'm going to have loads of time today to get through a list as I've also got to go and get some more chickens from Lidl for the dog as hubby fell asleep whilst cooking one yesterday when I was at work and it became inedible - even for her!!! 

So here's my little list for today:-

1. Play on Mistplay - DONE 2 points  
2. Answer enquiries for Christmas stickers
3. Upload new design onto Craftsuprint and promote to hopefully get some sales
4. Make anxiety fairy for Etsy order
5. Design pink goal planner and stickers for Etsy order and send proofs
6. Return tops to Amazon - returns started. Just need to drop at post office tomorrow
7. Scan shopping for Shop and Scan (not done for ages so must get back into it)
8. Put all Christmas gifts bought into a box so I don't lose them
9. Write and schedule social media posts for months to try and keep my business visible
10. Complete some of an online course included in a membership which runs out at end of month
11. Comment on In Search of Posts on Facebook to hopefully get some more orders
12. Check freepostcode lottery, win a dinner and freeemoji draws 
13. Complete surveys on Prime Opinions
14. Declutter 10 items from the house
15. Chip Shop Shift - DONE got called in an hour early and opened for an extra hour so 2 hours extra than what I was rota to do  

 

~FlowerPot~

hi Crafting,

how about going for an outfit you feel comfy in and then a really bright scarf and accessories to jazz it up?

By the way I think you are doing amazing, this situation shows your strenght of character, dont forget to give you daughter an extra cuddle before she goes x

My ds1 is home for reading week and is a hiding in a corner not talking, told girlfriend he doesnt want to go back. I need to try an unravel what going on!!! ~ it never easy!