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

craftingmad

Morning all,

It's still flippin' freezing on the Broads again today. The heating is just about to go off after being on for two hours and I'm wearing my oodie snoodie thing and slippers and I'm still cold so I'm not holding out much hope for using the heating as little as possible today!!! I will give it a go though. I'm debating about cutting the fingers off a pair of an old pair of gloves and starting to wear them whilst I'm working as well An extra layer of fluffy socks will deffo be coming out I think  

In other news - I have got an interview for The National Trust tearoom job on Tuesday so that was a nice surprise. I honestly felt the assessment had not gone that great but clearly I was better than I thought I'm feeling quite proud of myself  

Hubby has advised me that he has the weekend off so that will be nice. We will probably spend it looking at a couple of campervans which are for sale in readiness for him having to work away from July and other than that just pottering around and walking puppy dog on the beach  

Nothing exciting planned again today (such a shock hey!) so I'm going to knuckle down and get on with my list for today.

Today I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - 27 points so far  
2. Get chicken out of freezer ready for tomorrows dinner (to stop us resorting to takeaway) - DONE
3. Make plantable robin shapes for Etsy order and post off - made just need to post off later today  
4. Post in three FB groups to hopefully get more orders
5. Comment on In search of posts to hopefully get a few more orders - commented on two posts so far  
6. Promote Craftsuprint upload from yesterday (as long as it has cleared quarantine) - still in quarantine so may have to delete and start again  
7. Keep looking for Scan and Shop booklet so I can start scanning and earning points again
8. Take a survey on Prime Opinion - DONE 82 points from 8 surveys
9. Carry out searches on Inbox Pounds - DONE 7 points earnt today  
10. Take some Panel Station surveys (they email me everyday) - 200 coins earnt  
11. Check OhMyDosh for free offers I can apply for
12. Apply for more jobs found on Indeed - DONE applied for two more jobs at a local pub Well that was a quick no - within 15 minutes of applying online  
13. Claim for bus fares had to pay whilst waiting for bus pass
14. List board games we no longer play on FB Marketplace along with necklace found during decluttering
15. Check free postcode lottery, winadinner and freeemoji - DONE not a winner  
    
16. No heating on until at least 4pm so it is then warm for the boys come home (this is getting harder the colder it gets but I'm determined) - DONE it is not going on until 4pm no matter hoow cold I get  
17. Action one thing from my business growth list - DONE contacted local craft centre about having a pop up shop during the school holidays  
18. Evaluate ideas I came up with for low cost start up businesses
19. Take a course from one of my memberships
20. Design a new product to sell
21. List a new item on Etsy
22. Sort more of craft room
23. Scan CD's and see how much Webuybooks will offer me 
24. List car for sale on Autotrader
25. Renew library books
26. Action one thing from my list of new things to help be MF
27. Enter 10 competitions - one entered so far to win an all inclusive UK holiday and 5 craft competitions 
28. NSD - DONE £5 transferred into OP savings account  

Jessy103

Good luck with the interview x

craftingmad

Jessy103 said:

Good luck with the interview x

Thank you. I'm so nervous. I haven't had a proper interview in years!!! the two chip shops I just had a quick chat over the phone and got the job  

craftingmad

Morning all.

Good news - I have an interview on Monday for the Burger King job. It's literally a 10 minute drive from my house (in the same town as the second chip shop I used to work in) so fingers crossed I don't get so nervous that I make a fool of myself!!! That's helped to restore my confidence a little bit after the pub turned me down so quickly yesterday  

Hubby has the whole weekend off so I won't be doing much the next couple of days as I think we just need to spend some time together chilling before he goes away to work, which seems to be coming around very quickly now! 

We plan to go and have a look at a campervan today (£17K) which makes me a bit terrified and will obviously eat into our mortgage repayment pot quite a bit so I'm hoping we really hate it and can find a much cheaper one than that!!! 

We also must get the car listed for sale on Autotrader - I want rid and then at least we can put that £5k towards the camper van we will have to get. 

Other than that we will just potter and do a few jobs around the house and walk the puppy dog on the beach I think (although the weather is not very nice at the moment - it's throwing it down so we will have to see if it clears up later!!!). 

So today I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - 147 points today thanks to a 50 point bonus  
2. Post off plantable robin shapes for Etsy order - DONE  
3. Post in three FB groups to hopefully get more orders
4. Comment on In search of posts to hopefully get a few more orders - DONE 5 posts commented on  
5. Take a survey on Prime Opinion - DONE 78 points and earnt enough for a £10 voucher  
6. Carry out searches on Inbox Pounds 
7. Apply for more jobs found on Indeed
8. List board games we no longer play on FB Marketplace along with necklace found during decluttering
9. Check free postcode lottery, winadinner and freeemoji
   
10. No heating on until at least 4pm (although this may not happen as son has a really bad cold and is feeling really rough) - FAILED son got cold so the heating went on  
11. Sort more of craft room
12. Scan CD's and see how much Webuybooks will offer me 
13. List car for sale on Autotrader
14. Renew library books
15. Enjoy some family time - DONE looked at van and took dog for nice walk  

craftingmad

Morning all.

Well we really like the first van we looked at, It is beautiful inside, has an extra bed so hubby and I and our son would be able to sleep inside and it needs no work doing to it at all. He says he will take £16500 for it but we are thinking of offering £15k when we go back to see it today. We also have another to look at first which is £14k but it does not have a heater in it and is an older van so we are leaning towards the first one at the moment.
Sadly it will mean that we take the money from our mortgage OP fund but needs must as it will eventually pay for itself after 3 years of hubby working away as it will save on accommodation costs (plus the fact that we can go away for spontaneous weekends etc). It is terrifying to be using the fund for something like this but when you are thrown curveballs you just have to try your hardest to catch them I suppose! 

We really need to get the car sold as that will at least put the £5k back into our account (truth be known its nearer £6k when you add in the work it needed, petrol to bring it to us, insurance, advertising fees etc). I have to knuckle down and get this done today. 

I've also found a brand new over the door airer on FB Marketplace for £5 which is in the same town as two of our rentals so we are going to pick that up this morning and will have a quick outside check on the houses to make sure they still look ok. Then its on to take a look at the vans before having the rest of the day to ourselves. I'm hoping hubby might fit the new shower required for upstairs today to get it out of my hallway but he's not in the best of moods so I may just have to wait for that.

So today I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - 62 points so far
2. Invoice repeat customers for stickers - DONE invoice for £39.50 sent via Paypal
3. Answer enquiry about plantable business cards - DONE will hopefully turn into a £23 order  
4. Post in three FB groups to hopefully get more orders
5. Comment on In search of posts to hopefully get a few more orders
6. Look for box for something I ordered off Amazon which I have decided I no longer need so could return
7. Take a survey on Prime Opinion
8. Carry out searches on Inbox Pounds 
9. Apply for more jobs found on Indeed
10. List board games we no longer play on FB Marketplace along with necklace found during decluttering
11. Check free postcode lottery, winadinner and freeemoji - DONE not a winner  
    
12. No heating on until at least 4pm
13. Sort more of craft room
14. Scan CD's and see how much Webuybooks will offer me 
15. List car for sale on Autotrader - DONE  
16. Renew library books - cant renew today I forgot its Sunday  
17. Enjoy some family time - DONE  
18. Meal plan for next week - DONE and it does not involve much shopping either as using up lots from freezers, fridges and cupboards  
19. Prepare for interview tomorrow - outfit ironed and ready to wear  

craftingmad

Morning all.

It's the morning of my Burger King interview and I cannot work out why I am so nervous! I suppose it is because I haven't attended a formal interview with strangers for years. I can only do my best and hope that I don't embarrass myself! I think I won't be able to concentrate on much until it is all over so 11.30am cannot come soon enough  

In other news we have agreed to buy the campervan for £16300. Wow writing that figure down seems so much money to spend but I'm trying to think of it that it will actually save us money in the long run with hubby's accommodation costs when he works away - plus it has the added bonus that we can use it to go away for nights and weekends away as well as our main holidays but still it terrifies me seeing that amount going out of our savings!!! It means we have just over a year and a half to add that back in so that we can clear BTL1 when the fixed rate expires in July 2025. I'm determined we can do it. That's £1045 a month so that doesn't sound too bad - although I'd rather not have to find it obviously but I've got it into my head that we shall do it so do it we shall!!! It was advertised for £17k and he said he would take £16.5k for it originally. I tried to get him down to £15.5k and then £16k but we decided that as it is perfect for what we need it was worth paying the extra £300.  

We also managed to list father in laws car on Autotrader yesterday and almost straightaway had a local garage phone up about it and subject to looking at it (we have to take the car to them which I think is a bit cheeky) have offered us £6k so we think we will take them up on the offer (as long as they do accept it) as it will put the £5k (plus around £400 for all the things we have paid out for on it) back into our bank account earning interest and more importantly give us a bit of space back on our drive so when we get the camper we should only need to put two cars on the road so hopefully we won't annoy the neighbours as much! We are hoping to get the car there today so we can get it done and dusted asap. 

Other than the interview and taking the car to the garage, I don't really have anything else planned for today so I will potter around and try and cross as many things off my list as I can  

So today I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - 22 points so far  
2. Check sticker stock for order received and if have none order them in - DONE sadly none in the right size so have had to order them in but did save £1.83 from shopping on Ebay shop instead of their own website as postage was cheaper  
3. Make custom order book for Etsy order and post off
4. Make cross in my pocket for Etsy order and post off - DONE  
5. Burger King Interview - DONE and I got offered the job  
6. Post in three FB groups to hopefully get more orders
7. Comment on In search of posts to hopefully get a few more orders - four posts commented on so far  
8. Look for box for something I ordered off Amazon which I have decided I no longer need so could return - DONE found box and will take to post office today Will be £8.70 refund and one less thing in the house  
9. Take a survey on Prime Opinion
10. Carry out searches on Inbox Pounds 
11. Apply for more jobs found on Indeed - DONE applied for waitress job at the pub in our village  
12. List board games we no longer play on FB Marketplace along with necklace found during decluttering
13. Check free postcode lottery, winadinner and freeemoji - DONE not a winner  
    
14. No heating on until at least 4pm - DONE the heating is not set to come on until I tell it too  
15. Sort more of craft room
16. Scan CD's and see how much Webuybooks will offer me 
17. Take car to garage to hopefully sell for £6k - DONE got £6k for it so we have got back the £5500 we spent and mother in law will get an extra £500 plus the car tax rebate coming her way  
18. Renew library books - DONE
19. Prepare for interview tomorrow - clothes hung up ready to wear again and done a little research on Horsey Wind pump and the National Trust. Now just to remember it  
20. NSD - DONE stickers are not included as they are a business expense and I already have an order for them so £5 transferred into OP savings account  

    

LadyWithAPlan

Well done on getting the job! brilliant news - hope you enjoy it and the hours are workable around your life.
I think maybe you need a chat with your DS that him missing the bus costs you time (2hrs!) and money and that if it happens more than eg  once a month you will take petrol money out of his allowance,..

Teaching moments in money are so important and most of us never get the why to not overspend  or to fritter away money til we have made a few mistakes..  far better to teach him now.

craftingmad

LadyWithAPlan said:

Well done on getting the job! brilliant news - hope you enjoy it and the hours are workable around your life.
I think maybe you need a chat with your DS that him missing the bus costs you time (2hrs!) and money and that if it happens more than eg  once a month you will take petrol money out of his allowance,..

Teaching moments in money are so important and most of us never get the why to not overspend  or to fritter away money til we have made a few mistakes..  far better to teach him now.

Thank you. My fingers are tightly crossed that this job works for me and the manager is much nicer than the other two I have had recent experience with  

I sat son down yesterday funnily enough and explained what it means for him to miss the bus and he seemed to understand so fingers crossed it will only happen on the very rare occasions now. His lunch money is £10 short this week too (he has £5 a day rather than the £7 he is used too) so hopefully the message will get through.  

craftingmad

Morning all,

Yesterday was a good day.
I got the job (due to start 4th March although have some paid training before that date) and we sold father in laws car the relief is immense. Every time I saw the car, I associated it with the tragic events of the last few months so hopefully time will be able to start the healing process now and financially, with us buying the camper van, it could not have come at a better time   

I've got another interview today at a local National Trust run cafe so I've been swotting up on a few facts about that and will go and see. I know I have been offered the other job but thought it cannot hurt to go to this one either of only to give me more experience. I also have an interview tomorrow for another position at the same holiday camp that Burger King is on so I'll go to that as well. Lidl have also tried phoning me yesterday (annoyingly I had no signal so my phone went straight to answer machine) so I will phone them back today as I can get 10% discount if I work there so that would be an added bonus and also a year round job rather than just seasonal   At least I don't feel quite so nervous today (yet) about my interview. Yesterday I was terrified!!!

It's our sons parents evening at college tonight so my plan is to make a chicken casserole in the slow cooker so it is ready for us when we get home and we wont be tempted by a takeaway  

So today I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - 12 points so far 
2. Get chicken casserole in slow cooker ready for tonight - DONE and I've made enough to hopefully be able to freeze at least one portion too for a quick dinner later in the month   
3. Make custom order book for Etsy order and post off
4. Make proofs for plantable business cards for an order received from my website - DONE  
5. Phone Lidl and hopefully get invited to an interview - DONE had a telephone interview which I passed and now have a face to face interview with the store manager tomorrow  
6. National Trust Cafe Interview - DONE think I done ok but not too sure. Will find out Monday or Tuesday next week  
7. Answer dinosaur invite enquiry - DONE proof sent so fingers crossed it results in an order
8. Raise claim with Royal Mail for order which has not been delivered - DONE £21.15 claim submitted  
9. Post in three FB groups to hopefully get more orders - DONE I advertised some little wish bracelets I made last year for valentines day  
10. Comment on In search of posts to hopefully get a few more orders - commented on two so far  
11. Transfer over money from car sale into savings account - DONE it may as well earn interest for a few days before it gets used to help buy the camper van  
12. Take a survey on Prime Opinion
13. Carry out searches on Inbox Pounds
14. Look for birth certificate to provide to Burger King 
15. Apply for more jobs found on Indeed 
16. List board games we no longer play on FB Marketplace along with necklace found during decluttering
17. Check free postcode lottery, winadinner and freeemoji - DONE not a winner  
    
18. No heating on until at least 4pm (oil is getting low so we need to be careful until the delivery (which hubby is ordering today) arrives) - DONE  
19. Sort more of craft room
20. Scan CD's and see how much Webuybooks will offer me
21. Research Lidl and work on some answers read for interview tomorrow
22. NSD - so close we popped into Tesco on way home and grabbed some reduced bread and I picked up two packs of ribbons as they were only 38p each. Think I'm going to count it as a NSD anyway and transfer the £5  

Baileys_Babe

Congratulations on getting the job and good luck with your future interviews.

It must be such a relief that you have sold FIL's car.