Buying a little piece of Middle England; Manifesting my way to mortgage free.

debtfreewannabe321

Well I had a wonderful day yesterday. I met up with some friends for lunch, four of them and a new baby I love baby cuddles I ate before going out as I checked the menu before leaving and there was nothing I really liked. I had a big pot of chamomile tea for a couple of quid instead. That lasted me the whole two hours I was there, and to be honest everyone was eating at different times as they arrived so it didn't matter that I was the only one not eating. Lovely morning had for sure

Work- I shall skimp over that. Was an absolute train wreck of a shift because so many were off, and we were sent workers from elsewhere that I had to supervise 9 new people a 'foreign' place for them. It was hard work.

After that we had a chilli and rice at home, one out of the freezer so nice and quick. Showered and ran out the door to a really lovely evening watching a tribute band that DP & I both love, all old 70s songs (a few early 80s) and we were home and asleep after such a tiring week by 11. rock'n'roll eh. However I don't know whether it was the nice music, the no tv, or absolute exhaustion that hit me but I slept pretty well last night and no alarm to wake me this morning.

Which meant I was up and had the house blitzed by 10.30am. DP helped me so that made it twice as quick. I walked in yesterday after work to plates everywhere, cups in every room, washing all over the place, clean clothes scattered throughout the house too. Ironing board in the front room, shoe polish and rags all over my dining table and the carpet was filthy as was every side with bins overflowing. I recall standing there last night just like, WOW, how does this happen in one day Anyhow it is lovely and clean now. And working my way through the piles of washing.
Dog has also been bathed, he's still being a FLD fussy little dog refusing some foods, but he is back to normal now. 

Yesterday DP finally got his refund, he is refusing to part with it though telling me he wants to buy my birthday present from it and valentine's gift. I don't need it for the budget but it would have been nice to send to an OP but never mind.

One MS thing I have done today- inspired by all the diaries I visit- I have hung TWO washes out on the line to dry!! In February this in unheard of for me I shall report back whether or not anything actually dried lol

Yesterday I sold £52 worth of stuff. I put the cash straight in my EF envelope. I have EF scattered over two accounts (one joint, one not) and cash in an envelope too. I tallied it all up and I now have £504.67 I am really happy with that and have decided that any TT now for this month shall go straight to the Mortgage OP instead. 

I have declared a goal on the MF wannabe thread of the maximum I am allowed to pay off, but I don't think this will be achievable to be honest. I am wanting to build an EF, finish off DIY and build some other pots up this year so I have decided that I would like to set myself a more achievable lower goal of paying off approx £208 per month. My interest that is added on every month is approx £208 . so If I can pay off that amount in overpayments I will feel like I am getting somewhere with my monthly DD. Meaning the whole payment will go off the balance. Hoping this is achievable enough, I will keep revisiting it along with the budget though as things change all the time. 

I was also paid yesterday, I had just over £50 worth of overtime on that pay, it wasn't in my budget so I took the extra straight out and put it straight over to the Mortgage OP. Running total on daily PADs and one offs to the Mortgage OP is now £117.69. So to reach my new goal of OPs I need to pay another £91.12 off really before the 25th. It may be achievable. We will see.

DP interview has been rescheduled, for either next week or the one after I can't remember. I have a week off work now, coinciding with DD half term and I am so ready for it! I intend on listing some bits for sale, sorting through cupboards that have become cluttered, hopefully doing a bit of DIY and getting out into the garden for more tidy up (we have front, back and side garden here which I thought was a lovely idea at the time, but now feel very quickly overwhelmed with it!) And I would like some NSDs too. I would love to be batch cooking food this week but in reality we will be eating our way through the last lot of batch cooking as we are near the middle of our month and I have already spent too much on the GC budget oops You win some you lose some huh ... 

debtfreewannabe321

Goals for Feb (Jan 26-Feb 25):
1- 15 days free of social media 9/15
2- Practice gentle yoga every day for at least 10 minutes 
3- Read 1 book to the end 
4- Catch up with 3 friends in real life 
5- Two weeks of no sugar (I meant to do this in Jan but had too much Christmas sweets left)
6- NSD 6/10 
7- Get out in the garden and start the clear up after winter (we've dead fallen trees everywhere)

Happy with this progress. AND although I haven't done the no sugar, I have cut down which is great, I feel better for it. 

redofromstart

I think just being mindful of the sugar is a good thing. Cutting anything out all together just makes me resentful of myself. 

debtfreewannabe321

redofromstart said:

I think just being mindful of the sugar is a good thing. Cutting anything out all together just makes me resentful of myself. 

I like a challenge but I think I might have taken on too many challenges at once 🤣 I will revisit this one maybe next month. I would like a sugar detox really so need to quit it for at least a month. But right now I am tired from lack of sun and sleep and I don't think it's worth even trying to quit now. I am pleased with cutting down though. I was using it as an energy boost whereas now I'm just going to bed earlier or eating healthy energy boosting foods 😁

debtfreewannabe321

Well DS2 has gone off to his dad's house. We met half way and did the handover. DP & I went shopping after dropping him and spent a small fortune. NONE of it budgeted for Oh dear.

However we had spoken about a few of the spends, like a new tweed style suit jacket and white shirt for DP, he wanted one to go with his smart jeans for smart casual events. He's actually been invited to a big event in a few weeks where he is filling in for someone who can't make it. The person who can't make it is the man who had to cancel the interview last week! So he wanted to look the part. So can't really say no to that. Neither of us have spent very much on clothes since we bought this house thanks to DIY spends. It was a designer brand jacket and had around a hundred quid marked off it. It was still £100 or just over even with that off though It does look nice though.

 Also got some new pillows, colourful bowls for the kitchen and some wallpaper (It was a designer outlet we went to hence the randomness of our purchases ). I also bought a new summer dress which was 50%  off and a nice colourful shirt from j0e br0wns which was 65% off- we have called these early birthday presents as it's my birthday in a couple of weeks. We have taken money from the DIY budget and the clothes budget to cover all spends. So although not technically budgeted for we did have money for them. I am grateful for my budget pots today for sure! We also got some lunch whilst out, paid for out of pocket money so again all okay. 

DS2 & DD had their passing out parade last night, there was a buffet and a raffle. I won the raffle and I didn't even realise I was in it I now have a very large bottle of wine sat on my side. I am feeding my neighbour's cat this week as she's on holiday and she's left me a bottle of prosecco on the side, so that is two free bottles of booze in two days happy holidays lol. 

The washing on the line didn't dry yesterday, some of it was semi dry when it came in, some just as wet as when I hung it. I think I will have to wait until the temperature warms up a bit. 

I am supposed to be cooking a roast today but I honestly feel peopled out and exhausted to the point I have my trackies on, fluffy jumper and cosied up on the sofa, by myself, laptop on and movie on in background and I don't want to move! I intend on having a couple of NSDs and doing nothing now. Will see if there is anything to TT over to the mortgage OP and catch up on some diaries on here.
Is there anyone on here that doesn't bother with the surveys. I keep seeing everyone cashing out money and wondering how the heck they even ever qualify for surveys. I spent about 25 mins yesterday starting them only to have it direct me out and say not quite right, try another. So annoying and frustrating and I am wondering if it is even worth my time. 

beanielou

I was thinking exactly that about surveys. 

Soul destroying. 

redofromstart

This is why I only do the pr0l1f1c surveys

ladybird1106

I tend not to do surveys. 
Love 🐞

debtfreewannabe321

Morning all, 

Thank @beanielou @redofromstart @ladybird1106 I tried again this morning and got kicked off more than yesterday's try this way of making money doth not sparketh any joy for me! I am instead venturing onto Et$y to have a look at selling some products I have made on there. I am already overwhelmed at the "let's list an item" bit now. Doesn't help I suppose that I am not feeling great. I think my body and stress levels have held on until they knew I was on holiday for a week and gone "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh she can be ill now" ...all day yesterday wandering around the shops I had feelings of nausea and dizziness. It is why we ate out actually as we intended to be good and wait until we were home. But I kept feeling faint. Yesterday I totally flaked out on the sofa when we got home and barely moved. I did make a mini roast though, par-boiled some potaotes and made herby roast potatoes (they were lush) and made some veg sausage and stuffing mix and some steamed veg on the side. Considering DP & I had already had a veg lasagna when out and about we shouldn't have been hungry but we were still so we also had veg dips and houmous watching a movie. I slept much better last night with a new pillow although I dreamt about serial killers all night after watching Monster as our film choice oops.

I have done a few more TT over to the mortgage OP (MOPs in my budget- if anyone were reading my paper budget they would think I have some sort of fetish for mops and have a stash somewhere). To be paying off the rate of interest going on each month I need to find another £117 this month for the £208 goal. Hence my decision to tackle an online shop. I have fears over online businesses, mainly because I am a massive tech-phobe. I intend on conquering those demons though as I have some digital (& paper) products already ready for sale that I made last year so I don't see the point in them just sat there when they could be making a small income!

So that is my goal this week, as well as to totally de-stress in whatever way I can. I am feeling dread of going back to my job but I want to earn money. DP has told me to quit several times but I just can't. It takes me straight back to feeling like I am sponging off DP- something my EXH used to say to me all the time- even when I was looking after his 3 children. I like earning money of my own, I just don't like that job any more. I have thought about asking for a demotion back to the original job as the supervisory part is just unbelievably stressful and I never actually wanted it it was kind of put upon me as I was the only one with any experience at the time. I just know they will expect me to do the supervisory part anyway -paid or not so that's why I stay as being paid slightly extra for doing that rather than asking for the demotion. Hmm. 

The sun is shining here, I may get my old clothes on and go out and prune some bushes, I saw lavender and buddleia are good for pruning in Feb as well as roses. I have a few of each of these so might go get some fresh air, and ask DP to help me with the online listing bit as he has booked a couple of days off this week to coincide with me and DD/DS holidays. 

DP new interview date is the 22nd so fingers crossed everyone for him, he really wants this job and it is a step up but he's more than capable as he does most of the same stuff in his current job now, it is just handling bigger accounts. He wants to move as much as I do, so if he gets this I will aim to get the house finished by Easter and valued to see where we stand. I think the prices have dropped since we bought this in 2022. And we have put a lot of money into it bringing it up to a nice standard, however, friends keep telling me it doesn't matter if my house is worth less, because that means the houses I want to buy will also be worth less. I hope they're right. We will probably aim to buy another do-er upper if we do end up moving so we are able to make the leap into the right areas/ neighbourhoods we want to be in. This is the issue with divorces and middle age....DP & I effectively started from the beginning again on the housing ladder but with two teens in tow and a dog  

We have veggie burgers and veg/ salad for dinner with homemade savoury rice which we all love. So a nice easy dinner and one that DD should eat. DS I hope, is eating exH out of house and home like he has done to me for weeks on end now.  

Money round up
MOP this month are £91. This is on top of the £300 I have already put into a high interest savings account.
TT and selling some of my products have got my EF over the £500 mark. My next mini goal is £750. I hope to reach that in March as I am using the money from the council tax free month for that as well as usual savings out of the budget each month. 
Other pots- well some are looking sparse now after our spendy day, I have enough money in my current account to buy food this week and that is it (I transfer the rest out now elsewhere otherwise I spend it thinking it is available).

I need to get DP a valentine's card, and maybe a small gift, I might just look online as there isn't much in town in the way of gift shops. 

Okay off to finish looking at this et$y thing before I get timed out or something, and see DP off to work, he is off to some football stadium today to do business.... thanks for popping by all I appreciate the company

debtfreewannabe321

Valentine's Day sorted, card and gift on their way and less than £20. I think the gift might be late. I am so last minute at all of these things, so I doubt he will be surprised too much card is on prime delivery for tomorrow so at least that will arrive on time. And DD is having a sleepover the night after valentine's day so I did say to DP let's do it then instead as the house will be quiet, we can eat what we like then without DD moaning and have a nice peaceful evening...so perhaps it will arrive on time after all lol.