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Prosperous & Creative Soul & MFW Year 3

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  • lovely pics and I am glad you are getting out that and doing art classes, great for your social and creative parts!
    You certainly have a forward plan to your AVC - its the balance between fun now and the future thats difficult but as long as you feeling you are weighting your priorities well that is the main thing

    I would only keep clothes and buy new ones you absolutely love, I always find if I am iffy from the start on a dress, the same reason I am not sure is the same reason i then never wear it

    Yes the Death cleaning book is short, lent mine to my mum now - I actually prefer the tv series but good to have read where it came from. 
    I am back in London and feel like I have too much stuff... So more GAOSDC to come, flat is looking better. 
    DON'T BUY STUFF (from Frugalwoods)
    No seriously, just don’t buy things. 99% of our success with our savings rate is attributed to the fact that we don’t buy things... You can and should take advantage of discounts.... But at the end of the day, the only way to truly save money is to not buy stuff.    Money doesn’t walk out of your wallet on its own accord.
    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6289577/future-proofing-my-life-deposit-saving-then-mfw-journey-in-under-13-years#latest
  • savingholmes
    savingholmes Posts: 28,974 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Good luck with the declutter LWAP. I think you're right and I should return the dress too. I need to look at the instructions... 

    I've belated put the heating on. I have a big furry hoodie on now but I'm struggling to warm back up. 

    Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality in 2030
    1) MFW Nov 21 £202K now £174.8K Equity 32.77%
    2) £1.6K Net savings after CCs 14/8/25
    3) Mortgage neutral by 06/30 (AVC £25.3K + Lump Sums DB £4.6K + (25% of SIPP 1.2K) = 31.1/£127.5K target 24.4% 15/8/25
    4) FI Age 60 income target £16.5/30K 55.1%
    5) SIPP £4.8K updated 29/7/25
  • skint_spice
    skint_spice Posts: 13,436 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Lovely photos SH.
    Mortgage OP 2025 £6250/7000
    Mortgage OP 2024 £7700/7000

    Mortgage balance: £36,210


    Money making challenge £38/400

    ”Do what others won’t early in life so you can do what others can’t later in life” (stolen from Gally Girl)
  • TallGirl
    TallGirl Posts: 6,233 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    That is a lot of wins definitely be proud of yourself and what you have achieved even when you are not feeling your best. Great news on the AVCs you can always review as you say but when the money isn't there you cannot really spend it. 
    Save £12k in 25 No 49
    PB Win 21 £225, 22 £275, 23 £900, 24 £750 Balance Dec 25 £32.7K  
    Plan to move to Denmark for FIRE by Autumn 2025 “May your decisions reflect your hopes not your fears”
    New diary aiming for fire https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6414795/mortgage-free-now-aiming-for-fire#latest

  • jwil
    jwil Posts: 22,000 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Good luck with the exams.

    Well done on the AVCs as well.
    "Good financial planning is about not spending money on things that add no value to your life in order to have more money for the things that do". Eoin McGee
  • savingholmes
    savingholmes Posts: 28,974 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Thanks TG and Jwil. DD has been visiting part of the weekend plus I've been revising. DD and I had McD Friday evening and one meal out yesterday.

    It looks like I may only be doing one exam tomorrow as I have to prove I've passed the first to be allowed to do the second I think. I meant to check Friday but time ran away with me. 

    I batch cooked this afternoon using prepared veg etc but totally over-estimated how much to cook (closer to a family of four requirement rather than me and occasional DD) and my freezer is already full! I burned my hand too on a ladle which was too near the cooker. I have also over-bought!! I may set up the spare fridge freezer at least for this week so I'm not wasting food. One step forward three back?
    Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality in 2030
    1) MFW Nov 21 £202K now £174.8K Equity 32.77%
    2) £1.6K Net savings after CCs 14/8/25
    3) Mortgage neutral by 06/30 (AVC £25.3K + Lump Sums DB £4.6K + (25% of SIPP 1.2K) = 31.1/£127.5K target 24.4% 15/8/25
    4) FI Age 60 income target £16.5/30K 55.1%
    5) SIPP £4.8K updated 29/7/25
  • savingholmes
    savingholmes Posts: 28,974 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 29 September 2024 at 10:23PM
    Well I re-did both mock exams online which I last did during the course almost a month ago and barely passed - and this time did really well on both - so my technique - which included having the system read the book to me - as well as me drawing, writing, highlighting etc on a printed version (and doing some workbooks) has worked which is a relief. I've probably spent about 5 hours of yesterday and similar or more today doing it - as well as working very late Friday. However - this is for my benefit / career not just work - I may be able to reclaim some of the extra hours. If not it's swings and roundabouts...

     Feel relieved that I'm in a much stronger position for my two exams and that my recent efforts have been worthwhile. As I listened to the book - including repeating some chapters - it's as if it suddenly clicked and my brain started making the links. It was a huge relief when that happened. I've found - I need both versions of the handbook though - the type I can write on and the type I can listen to (especially when you can see the cursor move and highlight where its reading - if you need to doubly pay attention to something). I'm not even sure the course made that much difference as I personally felt the trainer spent his whole time boasting about how in demand he was rather than necessarily explaining stuff. What was useful though is he gave us a load of pdf templates and some trainees shared their notes and key diagrams. He also shared the mock exam rationales on why an answer was good or bad. I can't see that elsewhere online - haven't looked much though. It has made me want to explore other courses as it looks like I can get to the mock exams for a range of courses...

    One real exam tomorrow - the other doesn't seem to be confirmed but I'll ask about it. Before the second paper - I need to look at the rationale for about 17 questions and try and make sure I understand why it wasn't right. I remember the trainer telling us though that some of the questions - especially those in the last section were badly worded - to the point he didn't bother getting us to do that part of the mock. I didn't do too badly on that. TBF - I think I did reasonably evenly across the whole syllabus this time so I was really happy as last time my results were very uneven. What I do need to do tomorrow/before bed - is empty unnecessary carp out of that room so the examiner doesn't freak out. It's a remote video invigilated one... I'm chilling for a bit first though.
    Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality in 2030
    1) MFW Nov 21 £202K now £174.8K Equity 32.77%
    2) £1.6K Net savings after CCs 14/8/25
    3) Mortgage neutral by 06/30 (AVC £25.3K + Lump Sums DB £4.6K + (25% of SIPP 1.2K) = 31.1/£127.5K target 24.4% 15/8/25
    4) FI Age 60 income target £16.5/30K 55.1%
    5) SIPP £4.8K updated 29/7/25
  • KajiKita
    KajiKita Posts: 7,770 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Fourth Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    Oh well done, sometimes it is so important to identify the how as much as the what and it sounds like you have learned something new about yourself here 😊

    KK
    As at 15.07.25:
    - When bought house £315,995 mortgage debt and end date at start = October 2039 - now £233,521
    - OPs to mortgage = £11,816 Interest saved £5,28 to date
    Fixed rate 3.85% ends January 2030

    Read 41 books of target 52 in 2025, as @ 9th August
    Produce tracker: £276 of £300 in 2025

    Watch your thoughts, they become your words.
    Watch your words, they become your actions. 
    Watch your actions, they become your reality. 
  • I usually find that I don't seem to be taking the information in at first go round but later on I find that I know it.
    I think that it records rather than interprets on first glance and only develops meaning when it is used.
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