Debt and mortgage free wannabe

strandedinaber

Quick update post-payday - thankfully I got pretty much my usual salary from my last job, so I'm now very grateful I continued to ignore my boss when she told me to book leave rather than me selling it! And I should get a nice bump at the end of next month because I'll get six weeks' salary from the new job. The extra will go straight towards the credit card. 

I also got an unexpected £50 payout - royalties from a book I wrote with a colleague a few years ago. We don't make much from it, about £50 every two years, but it's always a nice surprise when it comes through!

Budgets have now been updated for the new month. I love when they're all appearing as green on clearcheckbook, and I get increasingly grumpy as they turn orange/red throughout the month. This month should be a much less spendy month though - last month was purely because I had so many goodbye meals etc at old job.

This should be a relatively quiet and low-spend weekend; the only thing planned is a visit to the local botanical gardens with a friend and more than likely, lunch afterwards. The rest of the weekend is deliberately remaining unscheduled after a very busy few weeks!

enthusiasticsaver

Good news on the salary and royalties.  Hope you enjoyed the Botanical Gardens if you managed to skip the showers. 

pebbles01

I saw your comment on my diary and thought I'd pop on and say hi.  Just think, once your CC is cleared, you will be able to make some fantastic overpayments!

I should also start thinking about putting more to one side for when my car needs replacing, as I think mine is 8 years old.  It's amazing where time goes!

With regards to mortgage overpayments, even £15 is better than nothing.  I'm selling what I can on vinted and will send every little bit of extra income to my mortgage.  Even if it is only £2, it all helps.  

LadyWithAPlan

£50 royalty - how fun!! It all takes that mortgage down... Are you tracking your daily interest as many on here do?

strandedinaber

It's been a few days! I need to catch up on my budgets for the week and then update here - well laid plans etc have fallen to the side as I spent £100 on vet bills and medication on the cat today (in addition to the £65 last week). Not his fault; the cat across the way got into the garden and attacked him. I need to speak to my neighbour about repairing the fence. The cat would likely come in anyway but I'd like to make it a little hard for him!

Cat's OK just sorry for himself - he's now on both steroids and antibiotics so feels miserable. And I DEFINITELY need a cat envelope budget.

strandedinaber

@ladywithaplan I'm not quite sure what to do re. interest tracking! I don't think it will motivate me to be honest. What I would like to do is go part time (4 days a week) in the next few years. I think what I'll do is look at how I can best reduce my mortgage by the time my fixed term is up to get a lower monthly payment and then I can overpay on that. Mortgage free is a marathon rather than a sprint for me

@pebbles01 thank you! I'm so excited to clear that cc. I think I'll look at what I might be able to sell as well.

redofromstart

Oh poor cat, so frustrating. We have similar problems with a new neighbours cat which has resulted in infected bites and antibiotics. Hard to know how to stop it. 

Cheery_Daff

Poor cat! But don't think of your vets bills as meaning your plans have fallen to the side. You are still gathering information about your budget - and you now know you need a vet envelope 😊 Vet bills are one of those expenses that you know are definitely coming, but you don't know how much they'll be, or when. They're not derailing your budget, they are part of your budget - just not as predictable as other things. In a few months you'll have a lovely chunk set aside in the vet/cat envelope that will hopefully just sit there minding its business and will never be needed, but if it is, you will be congratulating yourself for your wise foresight and fabulous budgeting skills. And that's always an excellent feeling 😁😂

Archerychick

redofromstart said:

Oh poor cat, so frustrating. We have similar problems with a new neighbours cat which has resulted in infected bites and antibiotics. Hard to know how to stop it. 

Do you know whose cat it is? If it’s a tom cat it’s often because they haven’t been done, and so a chat with the owner is often an idea, I’ve even offered to pay for someone else to have their cat done to avoid the vets bill. 

In the meantime get a water pistol, as a cat owner myself this is a very good way to deter other cats, they hate it and it doesn’t harm them in the slightest. It’s worked for me in the past

strandedinaber

Cheery_Daff said:

Poor cat! But don't think of your vets bills as meaning your plans have fallen to the side. You are still gathering information about your budget - and you now know you need a vet envelope 😊 Vet bills are one of those expenses that you know are definitely coming, but you don't know how much they'll be, or when. They're not derailing your budget, they are part of your budget - just not as predictable as other things. In a few months you'll have a lovely chunk set aside in the vet/cat envelope that will hopefully just sit there minding its business and will never be needed, but if it is, you will be congratulating yourself for your wise foresight and fabulous budgeting skills. And that's always an excellent feeling 😁😂

That's a very good way of looking at it, thank you @Cheery_Daff! I'm almost certain it will be needed as so far the cat has proven to be good at getting himself in trouble My pet insurance (which includes free video vet consultations) has already paid for itself multiple times over.

I've no idea whose cat it is I'm afraid @Archerychick but I've not seen him (or her) around since the bust-up. I suspect they do have an owner as they seem to be in pretty good condition. Either they've now been scared off or  they're grounded until they heal up.

In terms of updates, I've paid the extra to the credit card for this month. Several budgets are already in the amber which isn't ideal on 6 April, but also not unusual for me! And I did a huge bulk food shop last month, so there's plenty in the cupboards - just need fresh food.