Mortgage Free by 53!!

crunchy_time

So I handed my notice in today. I finish in 4 weeks. I need to register with the supply agency. The rough plan is to do supply for the summer term and then find something for the new school year - even if it is two terms of maternity cover.

I was going to see if I could last out until Easter after feeling refreshed from half term but after an hour of being there I was already stressed so I printed off my letter and handed it to my boss.

I feel sad but also massively relieved at the same time. There are a few people that I will miss and maybe meet up for coffee with but I’m feeling very ready for a fresh start somewhere new and weirdly feel excited to go back to teaching for a bit. I have a more long term plan to leave mainstream teaching anyway but need a balance of that and the school holidays whilst my children are still young.

So the aim for March is to hold on to as much money as possible to use to pay the bills that come from my salary so that I don’t have to dip into the emergency fund. But it is there if we need it.

I do like a challenge me!

i think quitting my job and finding another one has made me feel more motivated again. I felt stuck in a rut for the last year or so.

Crunchy x

ohdearhowdidthathappen

I think when the time is right to leave, it becomes impossible to ignore... the next 4 weeks will fly and then a fresh new start

crunchy_time

ohdearhowdidthathappen said:

I think when the time is right to leave, it becomes impossible to ignore... the next 4 weeks will fly and then a fresh new start

You are so right!  Now I've actually handed my notice in it is like a huge weight has been lifted.  I didn't really pay attention to how much the role was affecting my mental health.  I love my team, but that is about it.  There are lots of people asking me where I am going and I haven't got an answer.  If we hadn't got the money we did a few months ago I would have had to have found something before quitting.  Husband says not though, maybe he is right as I am a lot more motivated to get something and I will have the headspace to focus on it.

I only have two weeks left now!!

crunchy_time

Morning all

Lovely that it is March now!  We have been having people over to measure up and quote for the home improvements that we are using some of the money for and it is very exciting to think these are just around the corner.

I have two weeks left at work.  I'm registering for supply so hopefully, I will be able to work supply for a few days in the two weeks before Easter and then start in a long-term placement after Easter.

As my pay cycle will change to weekly, I am making plans to accommodate that and have prioritized my outgoings.

The direct debits that I pay, come to around £60 a month will be the first priority, and then childcare and pocket money, followed by my own spending money (although I will limit this) and then our sinking funds - oil, Christmas and birthdays and my long term savings and pension.  I'm going to tick off the payments as I go off my spreadsheet so over the year it won't make any difference.

The mortgage overpayment pot has £585 in it currently but this will now be the pot that is used to ensure all our bills and pots as detailed above are paid so a slight change of plan for now.  But it is weird how much we don't want to spend money now we have money (as in cash in the bank.) So I think we will be back on track with mortgage overpayments once we get into the swing of things.

We also have nearly £400 in the holiday spending money pot from not spending our spending money and not having as big diesel bills as expected from over budgeting.

And the mortgage is now £253,996 thanks to normal direct debits.

Crunchy xx

missymoo81

Hey @crunchy_time I’ve just found your MF diary after reading your DF one. And big changes are afoot for you! Congratulations on your windfall! It’s really taken the stress off for you. I’m in a similar boat as you, same age, £250k mortgage and two children. You’re such an inspiration. I was holding off moving over to MF as I was a bit scared as I’m not sure how much I’ll actually pay off as I’m self employed and money comes in dribs and drabs, but I guess I need to start somewhere. So thank you for the inspiration! 

crunchy_time

missymoo81 said:

Hey @crunchy_time I’ve just found your MF diary after reading your DF one. And big changes are afoot for you! Congratulations on your windfall! It’s really taken the stress off for you. I’m in a similar boat as you, same age, £250k mortgage and two children. You’re such an inspiration. I was holding off moving over to MF as I was a bit scared as I’m not sure how much I’ll actually pay off as I’m self employed and money comes in dribs and drabs, but I guess I need to start somewhere. So thank you for the inspiration! 

Hello! Thanks for reading my diary! I did used to be called crunch_time before it all changed and actually been on here for nearly 9 years (gasp!). 

Nice to meet someone exactly the same age and situation. 

We are so very grateful for the windfall and it has made such a difference to our lives already. I wouldn’t have been able to just quit my job without having another one lined up and have a few weeks unpaid for staters. 

We are determined to start the mortgage free journey this year but we are getting used to not being in debt first and I’ve got to find a job first.

I’ve found your diary and subscribed so I can properly read it and cheer you on!

Crunch xx

crunchy_time

Hi everyone!

Currently curled up under a blanket with one eye on Harry Potter that the kids are watching and psyching myself up for a workout. 

A couple of things going on to note:

- I’ve agreed to an extra at work so leave with one week before the Easter holidays start. If I don’t get any supply for that week I will work on house projects that we were thinking of outsourcing so in that sense it’s sort of a saving/cost neutral in some sense. 

- My manager said I will get a bit extra in my last pay but I don’t seem to know why!!
- I haven’t had an alcoholic drink for 26 days! I found dry January very hard but feel I have finally cracked it. No desire to drink at the moment but I like non alcoholic lager and Prosecco. I feel clearer and calmer and a lot more balanced.
- I’m trying to tie up little financial things and start small changes for the better at the moment e.g tracking more things on our spreadsheet like clothes bought etc so we can make sure we re using our money more efficiently.

Right, I had better go and do my workout now! Once I am done I can have an alcohol free lager and a stir fry!

Happy weekend everyone!

Crunchy xx

ohdearhowdidthathappen

Well done on the alcohol free thing Crunchy. I did dry January and found it ok, but haven't continued.  I'm tempted to do 100 days as my perception has changed and I feel it may be beneficial just to quit completely.  Good luck with the job hunt

crunchy_time

ohdearhowdidthathappen said:

Well done on the alcohol free thing Crunchy. I did dry January and found it ok, but haven't continued.  I'm tempted to do 100 days as my perception has changed and I feel it may be beneficial just to quit completely.  Good luck with the job hunt

There are times when I think I'll just have a beer but I don't want to break my run.  I'm up to 24 days now and feel so much better!  I wasn't getting drunk anymore but have a couple of beers or half a bottle of wine to take the edge off life 2-4 times a week just didn't seem ok anymore.  I felt like I was escaping something and I was constantly thinking about when was acceptable to have another couple of beers and would find excuses to do so which was worrying.
Thanks for the good luck - nothing yet but busy manifesting it!

crunchy_time

Happy Saturday!

I have one more week left at work and then that's it.  Thankfully they are holding interviews this week so I feel as bad just quitting with nothing to go to.  There is only one job to apply for at the moment so I need to crack on with that.

We now know what the work will cost on the house and have rodered and paid deposits for things. Becuase of this, I am separating out the £10k emergency fund from the money set aside for house stuff.  The £10k can be dipped into if necessary (but I don't think I will need to) to pay any bills that normally my money does if I don't have enough during this transition period.  We can then add the household money left over to the house pot ready for future things we need to do to the house.

I'm setting a target to see what apps etc I can sign up to to get rewards and cash back - so far signed up to Cheddar and Topcashback but haven't actively done anything with them yet.  I'm inspired by the people I follow on instagram who seem to make a great part time income with their apps.

Anybody ahd any luck with them?

Crunchy xx