LJ's Mortgage free road to early retirement

DawnW

Just a thought, but have you checked out the old-style board for ideas for saving money on food and around the home, eg by cooking meals from scratch and cutting spending on cleaning products? Also perhaps try to grow some of your own food, fun and educational for kids, cheap, and everyone can grow something even if they only have a windowsill. If you have a balcony, patio or garden there is obviously lots more scope. Also try foraging for wild foods (in season, not great right now unfortunately) also fun for kids and free!

financialbliss

Hi LouiseJ.

Thought you weren't going to start your own diary? Good luck in your quest.

See you've mentioned the "F" word - Florida. We're hoping to go there once we're mortgage free.

Mrs bliss went there for the first time for her 30th birthday and she can't wait to go back.

I'll be keeping an eye on your progress!

FB.

setmefree2

Good Luck LJ:money::j Florida is a great destination and everything feels really cheap out there at the mo because of the dollar....who could ask for more from a holiday:p

LouiseJ

financialbliss wrote: »

Hi LouiseJ.

Thought you weren't going to start your own diary? Good luck in your quest.

See you've mentioned the "F" word - Florida. We're hoping to go there once we're mortgage free.

Mrs bliss went there for the first time for her 30th birthday and she can't wait to go back.

I'll be keeping an eye on your progress!

FB.

What can I say, you inspired me FB. I really needed a place to write down the ramblings going on in my head as its isnt the most riveting dinner conversation topic and I am certain my OH thinks I am bordering on having some sort of obsessive disorder.

I do feel a little guitly about Florida (1st time) but we are sharing a Villa with other friends and family which has really kept the cost down and we booked our July (expensive time of year to go but neither I or my OH can take the holiday any other time) flights really early to get a good price. Also the boys are both teenagers now so I wanted to take them before they think we really cramp their style.

Just got a cheque through from Home of Research surveys so another £20 for the pot:T

LouiseJ

DawnW wrote: »

Just a thought, but have you checked out the old-style board for ideas for saving money on food and around the home, eg by cooking meals from scratch and cutting spending on cleaning products? Also perhaps try to grow some of your own food, fun and educational for kids, cheap, and everyone can grow something even if they only have a windowsill. If you have a balcony, patio or garden there is obviously lots more scope. Also try foraging for wild foods (in season, not great right now unfortunately) also fun for kids and free!

Thanks for that DawnW I do quite a lot of cooking from scratch and am a regular on the grocery challenge thread. Not so sure about growing own food I have not been very sucessful in the past but I will give it another go what is the easiest thing to grow?

Not sure about foraging for food, I will probably kill us all off! I can see the headlines in the local press "OBSESSIVE MOTHER WIPES OUT FAMILY IN A BID TO CLEAR HER MORTGAGE"

Have picked blackberries before and we were all OK I suppose (as she reaches for her calculater to find out how much it costs in electric to boil a kettle).:rotfl:

Thanks for the advice everyone

LJ xxx

LouiseJ

These are my objectives for 2008

Keep to my budget by using my spending diary and continue to participate in forum monthly grocery challenge.

Try to cut down on petrol this is my single largest expense, even bigger than the food budget which comes as a result of work travelling (2 cars) there being no public transport to kids school plus my relatives live within 7 mile radius so as I only work part time I tend to get errands to do for my family and inlaws. Must find a way to reduce this as last month the petrol spend came to £260!!!

Increase my income via extra work, paid surveys, mystery shopping, cashback sites selling on Ebay.

Make sure my money is in the top interest paying savings account.

Pay any credit cards off in full monthly (currently £0) but may need to use them on Holiday

Overpay Mortgage by at least £310 per month.

These are enough to be getting on with for now.

LJ xx

financialbliss

LouiseJ wrote: »

What can I say, you inspired me FB.

Gosh !!!

Lost for words!

FB.

LouiseJ

Just off to take kids to spend some of their Christmas money, they always get quite a lot of cash at Christmas and would like to see whats left of the sales.

I have booked us all in for lunch at Cafe Rouge for a yummy French lunch courtesy of £30 leisure vouchers from Pigsback, just have to be careful that we dont go over by too much.

Back to work tomorrow Boo!!

LouiseJ

Too late on not going over £30 budget at Cafe Rouge. Meal came to £71 for the 4 of us!! No wonder they dont put their prices on their internet site.

Never mind it has been our only moneyspending treat over the Christmas hols and the meal was lovely.

LouiseJ

I have applied to AQA and am waiting to hear if I have been accepted. I hope I do as I have worked out by answering Just 15 questions a day can earn me a gross amount of £135 per month (£105 after tax).

That amount extra per month would really make an impact on the mortgage overpayments.

Just hope I get in.

Had some good news today regarding extra teaching hours this term, looks like I should have an extra 8 hours per week until July. That takes my working hours to 19 and just had email from another department wondering if I would be interested in teaching a personal finance course to some 16-17 year old school leavers.

How good would that be!!!

Just log them all onto this site and skive off for the afternoon.:rotfl: