Mortgage Free now aiming for FIRE

TallGirl

Morning hope you all had a lovely Easter I did lots of golf and some gym but also lots of relaxing. Friday I was due to go to the gym but got stuck in traffic. We did make it up there for golf which was nice. 

Saturday I played 18 in the competition DG did 9 as she was not happy about her golf but all was good. I played better than by hcp and I WON!!. £20 coming back to me how nice to finally play well after so long. The trip to Spain has already paid off 

We then went to our friends and luckily they can do the date of the civil partnership and he was very touched I asked him to be a witness. They are so lovely both of them and I had not seen them since after Christmas so really good catch up. 

Sunday we just chilled but got a few jobs done around the house but not as much as I would have liked however nice to relax and I did some knitting too. 

Monday I did a gym class in the morning then we were due to play at lunch time. DG got herself all worked up as she struggled to sort her spikes out on her boots. I did help her and we got it sorted but a tool is missing from the tool box and as I am the one not putting things away I have lost it. (It may well be me but it was my tool). She got herself so worked out she did not want to play but went out regardless and could not hit a ball because she was so wound up. She got slightly better but it was no enjoyable. We were due to try out the new pool and spa afterwards but I did not feel like it so we went home and she sulked. 

She is basically stressed out about a club match she is playing in today. It is a friendly and the result does not matter one bit. She is still in a mood this morning but I am just ignoring her. She will come around eventually. 

We did order our new trollies and bags from the shop. Slightly more than what we had planned but the upgraded bag does make sense. We get 10% off so it will be the same price as the lower priced ones. The good thing is if anything goes wrong we can just pop them back to the pro and no need to send them anywhere as if we bought them online. I cannot wait to get mine my trolley is so broken now so is my bag. We did actually see the bags in real life Sunday they are lovely I am getting a blue one DG a pink one. By the way it is only the trim that has a colour the main part is black. I love it already  .

Anyway I need some breakfast and then I have my 9.30 meeting. Gym at 6pm but will go early so I can use the gym. Not sure about using the spa afterwards tempting but we shall see. 

LadyWithAPlan

Loving that house - the kitchen is gorgeous! And your £20k pension contribution- I also normally put a chunk in the last few weeks of March/April 5 and markets always rise a bit as everyone is maximising their tax situation 
I wouldn’t worry about it crashing - it’s v unlikely to crash beyond what the HMRC uplift is 

Sulking at ages beyond 10 is to me childish - and only harms herself and is annoying to others - but it’s up to your SO to grow up - you can’t change her - however I’d broach her about tackling it eg with therapy etc / there  will always be things in life that don’t go right - from little things to huge ones like death and job loss - 
Think ignoring her is the best policy to minimise hassle to you ! 

My trip went well - he is planning one for my mid summer birthday now! - feels a bit forward keen mind you 4 months in a long time ahead in new relationships 

glad and impressed you got to the gym - I ended up working on lots this weekend - only managed one run .. and ate a lot but not stressing - today is a new day 

savingholmes

How lovely on the golf win. Congratulations.

TallGirl

Thanks Savingholmes yes it was very nice to play well long may it continue. 

Booked the next round of knockout DG is back to her normal self so long may that continue as well. I did make the gym class and worked out afterwards it was really good to get out of the house after a non productive work day. 

I am hoping today will be better started off with a £125 Premium Bond win which is nice after I removed £12K to put into my pension. I am going to try and continue with the £500 a month saving into it but my pension contributions have doubled so. Currently £730 goes in every month that incl my employer contributions and my NI savings of £50. Once I double it I recon I will be saving an extra £410 per month of my salary and poss some NI savings but roughly £1140 a month which is £13.6K a year which is not to be sniffed at. I have just checked and over the last 3 years this is how much I have paid into my works pension.

21/22 £4696
22/23 £5728 (better job)
23/24 £8536 (increased my contributions to 10%).

Just shows how much it does help saving into a pension. I know I am lucky I can save that much each month and I have had pay increases I know not everyone have.

I am going to cash in my Money Box GIA once I get into the new tax year. Then that will be invested in a S&S ISA or I could go cash ISA. Money Box does have one at 5.15% which looks good. I want to continue with the saving of £50 a month and round ups but thinking of opening a new S&S ISA in Monzo. This year you can open two types of ISA in the same year and I do not have a cash ISA. 

I need to make sure all my cash is sheltered from Tax at least in this country. 

The joint account has been refilled which is nice but we need to be careful not to spend too much this month so the holiday funds can recover a bit so there is spending money for Ireland. 

Best ask the neighbours to look after the kitties while we are away. 

Hope you have a lovely sunny Wednesday.

TallGirl

Morning was due to go to the gym this morning but refusing to pay £80 more for cheap gym membership so trying to stick with expensive one for now. Class is at 10am but DG has a phone call and I did go last night so having a break and getting some work done instead. We are both being bitten a lot and we were sure it was mozies at the golf club but we now think it is the cats. They get done monthly via the vets but we did miss a month so just done them both. Really annoying if it is fleas!!

Our cleaner has put her prices up it is now £37.50 which is annoying as we now have to find even more change or pay 2 weeks ahead. Still she is excellent and so worth it. 

It is yet more rain today so I am going to be kind to myself and forget about all the chores that still needs doing such as the blown out fence, the front door surround etc etc. Today is a new day and an almost new month so I am going to make the most of it.  

TallGirl

Confession I have just ordered a pair of golf shoes my last pair was a cheap pair for £40 but they are broken to bits and are my Summer ones. I have winter boots but they are no good and my old winter pair of shoes are 10 years old and again falling apart. I do look after my shoes but the summer pair only lasted 3 years and were my most comfortable so tried to get the same. Bought a pair for £60 and they were reduced from £89 so not bad. It was online so fingers crossed they fit. DG also got a pair but she is paying herself and paying me back. 

I have also updated my signature for the for Premium bonds

Finally another spend on coffee beans I had a £5 credit with the Beans coffee club so got an extra bag of caffeinated cost £4.89 as you had to pay postage but still nice to get an extra bag cheaply. It has saved me loads as I used to buy coffee out all the time. Started when I was on expenses but now I am rarely on them so they are an even bigger treat. Reminds me I must claim for my last trip to HQ. 

I have also signed up for a free zoom course via my local library in mindful pattern cutting. It is 6 weeks in the evenings so will need to change my gym around but that is fine. I have also seen a local thing that people are planning on starting a sewing group in the local hall it would be £5 a session but again something to force me back into things. I have so much fabric I just need to get started really but the pattern course could be a great start not sure how it will work on Zoom but lets see. 

TallGirl

No more spending yesterday and no gym either I think 5 session is enough for this week. We do plan to use the pool and spa tonight for the first time but DG has a cold so she might not be up for it. 

I did start looking at flights to Denmark for the summer but DG wants to come back on a Saturday and Norwegian does not do any times that really work. It might be better to go straight to the cottage and then stay at my mums afterwards. I recon it will be about £350 all in but remember the cottage is paid for by my mum so cheap for 10 days really as we would spend on food here and we do not tend to go out for dinner when over there it is usually BBQ or something easy.

Just got this pop into my inbox £230K with its own lake as well. Too much maintenance for us. 

Sun is out here but it has rained non stop so everything is so wet. I really would like to get into the garden this week not feeling very inspired so think I will do just a few bits maybe some cut flowers and a few bits of veg. I will not go crazy just the 4 raised beds should be enough. I would like to get some new potatoes in bags like I usually do but not as many as last year. I think a visit to one of the garden centres or B&M is in order over the weekend. No comps this week it is medal so really do not fancy that in the mud. 

Hope you all have a lovely weekend. 

savingholmes

Well done on the extra £ into your pension and isa. You sound like things are going well.

TallGirl

Thanks SH I do look forward to the money showing up in my pension account. They did say it would take a while. My complaint is also still outstanding. 

Watching Gardeners World while DG is sleeping. Didn’t get into the comp was too late to sign up but I’m coming down with the same thing DG has got. 

Went to the posh pool spa Friday but the hydro pool was closed so we came back yesterday after golf. It was really nice and not that busy. Might as well use it when it’s part of the membership. It’s got steam room sauna posh rainfall scented shower plus obviously the larger pool. 

Finished my knitting box just need to put buttons on the cushion. I do want to do some gardening it is sunny but windy. I do need to chill as I can feel my sore throat developing which is annoying. 

The golf shoes we bought did not fit me so I need to send them back. Will cost £4 unless you exchange for another pair so I’ve asked if they have that might be more of a true size 7.5 as they do not sell size 8s. Saves £60 but I still need a pair and DG has paid for hers which is a bonus. 

Hope you have a chilled Sunday.  

Watty1

Love that house!  And what a bargain compared to the UK