I'm paying how much interest a year??!!

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So it may not look it with the figures but this has been a tough month. Dance Camps, school uniform / supplies purchases and a couple of birthday parties as well July 2025 has felt like January 2025! We took a decision to dip into the savings pot for these to maintain momentum with the OP's, justified as the saving rates on one small account of ready to access cash down to 1.75% so it wasn't doing much for us anyway compared to the 2 regular savers and main emergency fund (still in excess of 6 months essential expenses, really good metric for saving that) though as I type the washing machine is making a interesting sound when it drains so it might be taking a hit soon.

Anyway summer holidays are a killer for the funds and no mistake. Roll on 14 August.

Got a new distraction with OVO energy, PowerFlex challenges to shift electricity use away from peak times and into selected slots to win "Free" electricity each Sunday. I knew as soon as we got the smart meter put in I would be looking at it constantly so might as well get something back in return.

Started present shopping for the eldest's birthday in September as well, turns 11, not asked for a party but might want to do something with a couple of her pals, maybe cinema and McD's but will see. She's getting her first mobile phone as well, repurposed Samsung from her Uncle so that's going to need a sim card as well for another monthly expense but we want her to be savvy with it prior to high school. Want her to be independent getting around rather then relaying on us but confess rightly or wrongly we'll be tracking as well. Honestly don't know how my mum and dad coped knowing I was out of the house dawn to dusk most summer days with no idea where I was.

Redirected my small saving payment into the S&S ISA for £100 a month into it just now. Logic says it's better against the mortgage just now but suppose we're going against logic this year so why not. The ambitious portfolio has increased in value by over 4% so far and I feel good for taking the step towards supplementing the retirement income / bridging the gap between finishing work and pensions kicking in. It's really not a lot in the grand scheme of things but it's something and I can ramp it up over the next 10 years. Start of month figure to follow shortly.

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We sit at £54,624.07 after the direct debit is off, so side mission for this month is to have the next monthly check in under £53,215.87 for £10k off the mortgage in 8 months. Ambitious £1,408.20 target for the month for sure, only reached that level once so far this year at the start with no council tax and some cash gifts from Christmas but we'll give it a go!

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Reading back and need to correct myself on years shaved off. Must have used the original rate a few posts back when looking at years shaved off. At the current rate according to MSE we're just over 6 years ahead of schedule in 7 months and on course for 9 years at the end of the year.