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

Baileys_Babe

Your attempted call to the mortgage company sounds very frustrating, hopefully it will be easy on your second attempt.

craftingmad

Good morning.

For some reason I couldn't post for the last couple of days but it seems to have cleared now and I'm back up and running.
In fairness nothing exciting has happened at all so at least it saved me boring you for the last 48 hours  

I've been doing my training at Burger King and pretty much coming back home and flopping on the sofa as I've been so tired afterwards. The guys I am going to be working with there seem really nice though so I'm still not sure what to do when it comes to which job to take. I have my first proper shift there tomorrow (5pm-9pm) so I'm going to do that and hopefully that will help make it clearer in my mind. I am also working at National Trust cafe tomorrow from 12pm - 3.45pm so it's going to be a busy one which means today I must try and get all my orders sorted out and posted off as I know I won't get much time tomorrow. 

I still feel like we are wading through mud and not getting anywhere at all at the moment but hopefully that will change when I start getting paid from whichever job I decide to take. I also think it is payday for hubby today so fingers crossed we can add a nice amount from his overtime into the OP savings pot and move ourselves a little closer to our MF goal. 

I finally got through to the mortgage company for BTL1 and it turns out we can still overpay another £1300 until August this year before we get any penalities so we will continue with the £500 overpayment for the next two months and then pay £300 in May before then putting the £500 we were overpaying into the OP savings pot ready to pay it off in one lump sum when the fixed rate expires. 

So today I MUST:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - 27 points so far 
2. Check to see if hubby has been paid and transfer overtime amount along with what was left in account today into OP savings pot - DONE hubby paid and managed to transfer £1900 from OT and £600 from money left at end of month into OP savings account That's made me feel like a little progress has been made at least  
3. Pay on cheque from Royal Mail using app - DONE £6.70 cheque deposited and will be transferred to savings pot when cleared  
4. Find something for dinner tonight to save going out to the shops - DONE going to have a use up night so left over shepherds pie for son, chicken kiev for me and hubby's favourite soup for his dinner  
5. Print stickers for Etsy order and design thank you card - stickers printed
6. Amend birthday invites design for a FB customer and print and post once approved - amended. Now just got to wait for customer approval before I can go ahead and print and post  
7. Send proof to customer for plantable cards order on Etsy - DONE
8. Chase previous enquiries and see if I can help them further
9. Post in three FB groups to hopefully get more orders
10. Comment on In search of posts to hopefully get a few more orders  
11. Write social media posts for March and schedule this weeks
12. Check free postcode lottery, winadinner and freeemoji
13. Complete Prime Opinion survey - DONE 3 surveys completed for 149 points plus I found a bonus code in my inbox for an additional 20% on points
14. Create new item for Mothers Day using chip bracelets - come up with a design
15. No heating on until at least 6pm - DONE
16. NSD - sadly had to buy a new printer as mine just stopped working. On the plus side I did use Topcashback and Airtime Rewards and my Nectar card to gain cashback and points and I can class it as a business expense to offset a bit of tax but still £160 I didn't really want to spend  

~FlowerPot~

craftingmad said:

Good morning.

1. Check to see if hubby has been paid and transfer overtime amount along with what was left in account today into OP savings pot - DONE hubby paid and managed to transfer £1900 from OT and £600 from money left at end of month into OP savings account That's made me feel like a little progress has been made at least  

This is a huge amount, well done. your hubby must do alot of overtime!! and thats  a fab amount to have left over!!!!

craftingmad

~FlowerPot~ said:

craftingmad said:

Good morning.

1. Check to see if hubby has been paid and transfer overtime amount along with what was left in account today into OP savings pot - DONE hubby paid and managed to transfer £1900 from OT and £600 from money left at end of month into OP savings account That's made me feel like a little progress has been made at least  

This is a huge amount, well done. your hubby must do alot of overtime!! and thats  a fab amount to have left over!!!!

He certainly does plus at the moment he is also getting £100 a day for being away from base (as officially he should be working in Portsmouth now). It is working in our favour for the next few months as he is still based at Norwich so able to come home every day  

Sadly when he actually starts working away the overtime will be non existent so planning on making the most of it while we can. 

I'm super pleased with how much was left in the account this month. We have obviously been more frugal than we thought   

craftingmad

Good morning and Happy March. Another month has flown by already - where does the time go!!!!

As it's the first of the month, it's time for a monthly update so:-

February 24 progress=

 BTL Mortgage 1 balance 1st February £39667.32 balance 1st March £38830.62

 BTL Mortgage 2 £81,644.71 NO CHANGE

 BTL Mortgage 3 £77,497.02 - NO CHANGE

TOTAL AMOUNT OWED:-  1st February 2024 £198,829.05  1st March 2024 £197,992.35 

Total amount paid off mortgages in February 2024 = £836.70

Savings added to OP savings pot in February 2024 = £5535.22

TOTAL AMOUNT FOR FEBRUARY 2024 =  £6371.92 

TOTAL AMOUNT FOR 2024 SO FAR = £10596.25  

Wow I've actually impressed myself with how much we have managed last month and for the whole year. It's really cheered me up as I though we hadn't really managed that much this month at all but it turns out we have not done too badly  

craftingmad

Well it looks like I've got my work cut out to beat Feb's total this month but you know me - I love a challenge  

Sadly I have had my National Trust shift cut today as they are not getting enough people using the cafe to justify me being there which is a shame as quite frankly the £50 would have come in handy but hey ho. that means I have lost 8 hours from the cafe this week where I was supposed to be working but they have dropped my shift. This has lead to me being even more confused about which job to take now  

I've still got my first proper shift with Burger King today though and have to admit to being terrified!!!. I'm sure it will be ok but the thought of not really knowing what I'm doing is messing with my anxiety a little so I'm going to try and keep busy all day so that I don't have time to think about it and make my head worse than it already is. At least it is a new month so there are always so many things I need to sort I won't be short of things to do. 

I've also got to set up the new printer today so that I can hopefully finish off all the orders I have and then I can focus on trying to get more work into my little business so we can smash last months total if it is possible. I'm not sure it will be as we had the unexpected tax rebate last month which I'd only just remembered but I'm going to give it a darn good try  

 So today I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - 92 points so far thanks to a 50 point new game bonus 
2. Check to see if cheque has cleared - DONE should be cleared tomorrow  
3. Transfer money from Paypal account into OP savings account - DONE £65 added into pot  
4. Renew library books to avoid overdue charges - DONE
5. Amend thank you card design as per customers instructions - DONE and got approval to print so will try and post off today on way to work
6. Amend birthday invites design for a FB customer as per instructions - DONE will hopefully print as soon as customer confirms they are happy  
7. Set up new printer without swearing too much - DONE it was actually quite quick and easy today  
8. Print remaining plantable cards for Etsy order and post off on way to work - printed - will post on way to work to save petrol
9. Contact people from clearance group who wanted to buy the items I won as have had no luck selling them so would be happy to just get my money back to be honest - DONE fingers crossed they want them so they can be out of my craft room
10. Chase previous enquiries and see if I can help them further
11. Post in three FB groups to hopefully get more orders
12. Comment on In search of posts to hopefully get a few more orders - DONE commented on three  
13. Business accounts for February
14. Write social media posts for March and schedule this weeks
15. Read MSE newsletter and see if I can get any new ideas for earning/saving
16. Check free postcode lottery, winadinner and freeemoji
17. Complete Prime Opinion survey
18. Burger King Shift (4 hours) - DONE and I loved it
19. No heating on until at least 5pm - DONE
20. NSD - DONE £5 transferred into OP savings account

That should stop me fretting too much.

craftingmad

Good morning all. 

Despite being so nervous I loved my shift at Burger King yesterday. I really like who I am working with there and we had a laugh which I think means so much so although the hours are nowhere near as good as the cafe as it will be late nights I think I am leaning towards this job more but still have not fully made up my mind. I think while I can I shall do both and then when it gets to the full season I will just have to decide then. Not going to lie - really looking forward to a payday soon though as at the moment I feel like I'm working for free. 

I feel like I achieved lots yesterday as although I didn't manage to complete my full list (but lets face when do I ever! ) I did get all my orders finished and posted off so today I will be able to do go hunting for lots more and hopefully get a few things done which I have not had time to do since starting a proper job. I really should also go food shopping as didn't go at all last week - good for the bank balance but so good for my meal planning and sanity as we ended up all having different things which is much more effort for me!

I'm still on a high from how much we achieved last month and am determined to get the same sort of progress this month so I need to knuckle down and find some more ways to add cash into the pot (especially given that hubbies OT will be stopping from July).  

So today I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - 47 points so far today
2. Check to see if cheque has cleared - DONE £6.70 paid into OP savings account  
3. Answer enquiries - DONE fingers crossed I get an order out of them
4. Chase previous enquiries and see if I can help them further
5. Post in three FB groups to hopefully get more orders
6. Comment on In search of posts to hopefully get a few more orders  
7. Business accounts for February
8. Update spreadsheets for February - DONE
9. Write social media posts for March and schedule this weeks
10. Read MSE newsletter and see if I can get any new ideas for earning/saving
11. Check free postcode lottery, winadinner and freeemoji
12. Complete Prime Opinion survey
13. Meal plan for week and stick to list when food shopping - DONE sort of as a few bars of chocolate may have fallen into my trolley too
14. No heating on until at least 5pm
15. Find two more ways to add money into savings
16. Tidy craft room
17. Make something new to list in my Etsy shop
18. List something on FB Marketplace
19. Complete two courses from my memberships
20. Get three loads of washing dry outside (weather dependant)
21. Raise claim with Royal Mail for item which has gone missing
22. Enjoy a lovely dog walk outside
23. Photograph receipes from cookbook from library so it can be returned

  

craftingmad

Good morning.

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday as was at the Cafe for most of the day (7 hour shift) and by the time I got home I was absolutely shattered so had an early night. I did also manage a NSD yesterday so that will help towards the totals this month. 

I've got another cafe shift today but only 3 and a half hours so that should be ok although I am locking up by myself so I'm slightly terrified but I'm sure I'll manage. Only time will tell I suppose! I really must ask when we get paid as well so I know when to expect it. At the moment I feel like I am working for nothing as I've seen no benefit from either job yet but it cannot be long before the wages start hitting my account I hope.

Hubby has got the next four days off so I'm not sure how much I shall achieve whilst he is at home. He needs close supervision when he decides he is going to do something around the house as his track record isn't that great

It is Etsy payday today so the money earnt last month will be hitting my account around 3pm so I can then transfer that into the savings once I get home from the cafe shift. Hopefully that will give me a little boost.

We have managed to save 75% so far of our first £8170 (10% of mortgage amount for BTL2) so I'd love to be able to get to that magic 10% saved as quickly as possible so I need to up my game a bit I think and find a few new ways to make some more cash (especially given as hubby's overtime is coming to an end very soon). 

I'm going to get on and see what I can achieve.

So today I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - 49 points so far today  
2. Raise custom order for Etsy enquiry - DONE will be a £15 order when she purchases  
3. Make proof for Jewellery planner for Etsy order - DONE  
4. Make proof for sewing planner for Etsy order - DONE
5. Chase previous enquiries and see if I can help them further - DONE fingers crossed I may get a little order from one of them  
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  
8. Business accounts for February - DONE sadly made aloss because I had to buy a new printer
9. Update spreadsheets for February with new mortgage amounts
10. Write social media posts for March and schedule this weeks
11. Read MSE newsletter and see if I can get any new ideas for earning/saving
12. Check free postcode lottery, winadinner and freeemoji
13. Complete Prime Opinion survey
14. National Trust Cafe shift - DONE 3.5 hours of wages to add when I finally get paid for them (apparently it will be around 25th of the Month
15. No heating on until at least 5pm - DONE  
16. Renew FB marketplace listings - DONE 38 listings renewed
17. Transfer Etsy earnings into OP savings account - DONE £256.32 transferred into OP savings account  
18. Find two more ways to add money into savings
19. Tidy craft room
20. Make something new to list in my Etsy shop
21. List something on FB Marketplace
22. Complete two courses from my memberships
23. Raise claim with Royal Mail for item which has gone missing - too early apparently I cannot raise until 12th Feb - fingers cross it might still turn up then
24. Photograph receipes from cookbook from library so it can be returned
25. NSD - DONE £5 transferred into OP savings account

 

craftingmad

Morning all.

I've woken up this morning to find that somebody has hacked my Prime Opinion account and cashed in a £5 voucher I have contacted the site and hopefully I will be able to get my points back. I've also changed my password so I'm just hoping they have not managed to access anything else  

Putting that aside, I am determined to have a good day today. I've not got to go to work all day but I do have orders for my little business which  I need to be working on so panning to crack on with those and get them posted off before helping hubby try and tidy the conservatory a little bit as it has become a bit of a dumping ground. I'm hoping I will find lots more things to list on FB Marketplace even though nothing seems to be selling on there at the moment

Other than that nothing exciting planned although I do have a free dinner tonight as the Haven site where I work has got a pizza and pint night for all the staff from 5.30pm tonight to mark the start of the season this weekend so what is not to love. Who doesn't like free pizza  

I have £1780.72 to find in order to reach 10% of the 2nd BTL paid into the savings account so this is going to be my focus and hopefully I will be able to "find" it in the next week or so. Optimistic but I do love a challenge  

So today I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - 12 points so far today  
2. Print and post  Jewellery planner for Etsy order - printed - will post later   
3. Print and post sewing planner for Etsy order - printed - will post later   
4. Make draft for care cards order from Etsy (custom order raised yesterday) - the typing and design part is done - just waiting for customer to come back to me with actual size as there is no way the cards can be the size she said as the writing would just be too small  
5. Design drafts for stickers, thank you cards and business cards for facebook order - DONE proofs sent  
6. Comment on In search of posts to hopefully get a few more orders  
7. Update spreadsheets for February with new mortgage amounts
8. Write social media posts for March and schedule this weeks - posts written for month - now just to schedule
9. Read MSE newsletter and see if I can get any new ideas for earning/saving
10. Check free postcode lottery, winadinner and freeemoji - DONE not a winner  
11. Complete Prime Opinion survey
12. No heating on until at least 5pm - DONE  
13. Find two more ways to add money into savings
14. Tidy craft room
15. Tidy conservatory
16. Make something new to list in my Etsy shop
17. List something on FB Marketplace
18. Complete two courses from my memberships - one course completed
19. Photograph receipes from cookbook from library so it can be returned
20. NSD - DONE  

  

craftingmad

Morning all.

Well despite working really hard yesterday I appear to have achieved absolutely zilch!! Oh well today is another day so let's see if I can actually make a difference to our totals

I really enjoyed the pizza and pint night for work last night. The pizza was good and we were treated to a show and a quiz so all in all for free it was fab. No free dinner for me tonight though so I must work out what we will have to try and save me from wanting a take away tonight  

 So today I WILL:-

1. Play on Mistplay (126 points target) - 72 points so far today 
2. Work out what is for dinner to save us having a take away - DONE Toad in the hole
3. Post off 4 planners made yesterday for Etsy orders - DONE  
4. Print double sided care cards for Etsy and post off - printed and cut. DONE posted
5. Print stickers, thank you cards and business cards for FB order and post off - stickers and thank you cards printed so far  
6. Comment on In search of posts to hopefully get a few more orders - commented on two so far   
7. Update spreadsheets for February with new mortgage amounts
8. Schedule social media posts for March
9. Read MSE newsletter and see if I can get any new ideas for earning/saving - DONE three things to follow up  
10. Check free postcode lottery, winadinner and freeemoji - DONE not a winner
11. Complete Prime Opinion survey
12. No heating on until at least 5pm - DONE  
13. Find two more ways to add money into savings
14. Do one thing to grow my business - DONE gone through costings ready to raise my prices tomorrow
15. Tidy craft room
16. Tidy conservatory - hubby on it  
17. Make something new to list in my Etsy shop
18. List something on FB Marketplace
19. Complete two courses from my memberships - one course completed
20. Photograph receipes from cookbook from library so it can be returned
21. NSD - failed popped to Morrisons and grabbed some salt and pepper bread