Mortgage Free now aiming for FIRE

daisy_1571

Many many congratulations tg and dg  xxxxxxxxxxx  oh, df now ?

Daisy xx

vandanfc

Congratulations to you both. 

skint_spice

Congratulations on your engagement 🎉🎉🎉

savingholmes

Congratulations. Sounds like you met both of your wishes for specialness and simplicity

greent

Congratulations! 🍾🥂💞

Ramouth

Congratulations!  It sounds like you planned it all perfectly to be meaningful for you and df.  Lovely. 

TallGirl

Thank you so much everyone I am loving the community on here. Yes we are still really happy about our choices and DG said to keep quiet about her proposal as it does sound a bit strange the way we planned it. I am happy to let it go. We have also been sharing the news with friends and family not the finer details yet as some do not know we are planning on moving to Denmark and also some might insist on coming to both weddings lol.  

We had a lovely anniversary yesterday saw One LOve (Bob Marley) I would not recommend it as in paying to see it at the pictures could just as well have been a netflix series. They missed so many bits out you really did not know his full story. It was very interesting and I am glad we went. We did have a beer in Spoons first and also a bottle of wine and some halloumi fries afterwards. I think the night costs about £45 in total. for us that is quite good and we actually do not go out to the pub a lot. 

In other money news the insurance has agreed to pay almost the full amount out that is £1100. We have kind of agreed I will get everything done plus repairs to the rest of the wall and I have offered him £1000 for that. He thinks he can do it next week. He does actually sound ok and I quite like him. 

I have also booked a financial adviser meeting with my current ISA provider so I can start moving my ISA into my pension. It is not until March but it is now booked at least. Also reached out to my pension provider to see how I go about transferring the money over. I cannot really do much more other than try to understand the Danish tax system. It looks like if you have a pension you have to pay tax on any increases in value 15%. Just seem absurd but maybe I am reading it wrong. I know 100% they do not have any tax free savings and the personal allowance is only £6K a year plus no allowance for interest like we have. 

Still have my looming deadline so best crack on as per usual. 

TallGirl

Morning today is the day my frog work piece has to be presented. There was a massive curveball last night but I think we can get past that for now just means it will be sticking around for a while until that bit is resolved. 

Did do my weight session in the gym before Combat there was only two of us in the class so was quite hard. Tonight is Pump if DG or (DF if I can get used to saying that) goes I will only do a small cardio session beforehand if she doesn't I will do the full 45 min then pump. I feel better for being back in the routine of gym and it stops the bad eating in the evenings. 

Payday tomorrow which means the credit card for the Irish trip will be paid so will need to move savings into the wages account. It is only until DG can pay me back then I will have savings again which will be nice. 

It is heavy rain here so depressing I really cannot wait for the holiday. 2 weeks and 1 day as so today so not that long. DG booked us in for a leg wax so that is sorted just need to try on the clothes and see if any of it still fits. Gym is helping on that score so onwards and upwards. 

-Get start date for fence work 
-Paint the front door surround 
-Order hot tub cover cleaner
-Get cleaner for hot tub cover and clean cover
-Sort freezer and label stuff.
-Book trains in Ireland and bus to airport
-Try clothes on for Spain ready to pack it
-Get travel bag x 4 for golf checked and ensure they are ok. Throw old one out or list as give away. 

LadyWithAPlan

Congrats on the engagement  
glad you can educate your fiance on the pension stuff 

I am literally a one woman pension prodder to my friends - last April 5 I walked 5 of them thru setting up a Vanguard SIPP (all self employed or co directors) after my many lectures 

FreetodoasIlike

Congratulations on your engagement. I’m sure you’ll both be very happy. I read diaries, but don’t normally post. I was in debt several years ago, but have now been able to turn things around. I now am mortgage and debt free, thanks in the main to this site and the people posting on diaries.

As I say, I hope you don’t mind me posting on your thread, but I gravitated to your thread when I saw you posted some good advice on other threads. In particular, it was when I saw that you were from Denmark. Denmark, as you probably know, is one of the best places to live (and for you to retire) in the world. The system seems to work there and a survey said people there are happy and content. Quality of life is good, and your decision to retire there with your fiancé (soon to be wife) is the best decision you will have made. It looks like you’ve made good financial choices and to live in Spain in the winter months would be ideal too. I worked with an older lady (whose job I took over, and who continued to work two days a week) whose husband was in the police force. He had a Danish colleague with whom he kept in touch with, and they both spent many a happy holiday with them in Denmark. I don’t know whereabouts in Denmark, but she always loved it there and wanted to retire there. Family/language barrier and all sorts of other things prevented this, but she always loved the country. To be honest, I wish we had the same quality of life here in the UK. To retire to your home country, with your partner, is the best decision all round. 

I really can’t really comment on your  financial situation, as it is so different  from mine. Mine is reasonably straightforward, in that I have a Local Government retired benefits pension, which I took when I was 60, but still worked, and then ploughed the money into my works private pension (salary sacrifice) and retired at 62. My OH also had his own teachers’ pension, so our circumstances are very different. I realise that, because of a career change of direction, your OH didn’t have the opportunity to built up a pension pot, but it looks like she’s getting the idea of pensions now, and it’s never too late! I was with my Local Government job for 44 years, then joined my company scheme when I left so I guess it was all done for me and something I didn’t have to think about. However, I always realised the benefits of pensions and ploughed quite a bit of my salary into the salary sacrifice scheme my company offered. I worked with some colleagues who I know used to scoff at me behind my back (or even openly to my face) and tell me I was silly putting money into my pension, when I could be enjoying more holidays, fun time, and some told me they couldn’t afford to put more money in their pension. These were colleagues who spent thousands on expensive holidays/cars etc. Why not have a balance? Save AND have fun, in proportion to your income. We’re all living longer these days, and I wouldn’t like to live life to the full whilst working and then have a fairly miserable retirement! 

Obviously, you need to get sound professional financial advice regarding investments/pensions, as you will be retiring in a different country, but you seem to be doing so - so well done! Get the financials sorted, and then have a lovely life together in Denmark and Spain (if possible in the winter months). The world is your oyster for you and your DF - go for it girl! From what you say, your UK home is ideal! You have a pool/hot tub in an area that you like, but you need to also (and I know you have) think about retirement plans. This is your forever (for now) home, but your future in Denmark seems to be where it’s at.

@LadyWithAPlan  I also read your diary with interest and realise that if you’re self-employed, it’s important to get a good financial adviser or do it yourself. However, you obviously know what to do, and well done on being such a good “prodder“ and educating your friends!  My OHs middle daughter is self employed, with her husband, and as well as having a good a good accountant, they also use the services of a good financial adviser. It is worth ever penny to them to get professional advice, as they don’t really have the financial knowledge to do it themselves. I’ve worked with people who have scoffed at pensions, just simply buried their head in the sand, enjoyed life to the full or were completely ignorant about pensions.

@TallGirl  I can understand your DF, at nearing 60, would absolutely hate to work until she was nearly 70, and wouldn’t get her state pension until she was 67 (in the UK) which is not a lot to live off, although I realise that some people have no choice. The Danish SP may be more, or paid earlier - I don’t know, and I wouldn’t know how to claim/transfer it, but your plan about paying into a pension for her is a good one, which you could both contribute to. Certainly one to think about and I think it would make her happy and less stressed in financial terms about the future. It’s a big step but you will be married!!! So that makes a difference. Congratulations again.

Just one last thing - and I really don’t intend to mean this as a criticism. I know you love your holidays, but maybe rein this in for a year or two? Still have them, and your golfing trips, but maybe less or less expensive? Sacrifice a little now, in the short term, for your future self? Just a thought and please feel free to tell me to go away if you don’t agree!!!! Right - slips quietly back into lurking.