More Effort Required - the next 5 years

SandyShores · 9 April at 6:18AM

Hey @kaycastle and thanks for the reminder re. my goals. There's a saying something like life happens when you are busy doing something else, and although I haven't been as frugal as I wanted, it feels very much that things are going in the right direction :)

You've got me thinking - good question, I hadn't thought about it before. When we first moved in, I estimated that our 'ownership' amounted to the downstairs cloakroom (smallest room in the house apart from the under stairs cupboard). It also felt like we were just foot inside the door of home ownership - felt very precarious with the bank owning 95% and every penny accounted for.

What a difference six years has made and our home is our sanctuary. It somehow feels right to start in the room furthest from the front door, back to the wall if you like and pushing that mortgage out of the front door and eventually the back gate :)

@savingholmes I bought a plum tree from Asd@ last year and that's doing quite nicely - managed to squeeze it into a spot in the garden. A cherry in a pot will be nice though, especially as the willow I bought from MrM died so I have a spare container.

savingholmes · 12 April at 11:06PM

I have planted my cherry tree in the front garden and the plum tree in a pot for now. I was going to replace an apple tree that I thought had died - but there seems to be fresh growth from the bottom now so who knows it may work out.

Huge congrats on the speedy increased equity.

SandyShores · 15 April at 9:43PM

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81960383#Comment_81960383

Nice, I would love a cherry tree, I'll keep my spare pot in reserve and maybe find space for a fig tree one day. I've been looking at Fatsia Japonica for a shady part of the garden too, along with ferns and hostas.

Careful with the apple tree growth - it may be root suckers that aren't very productive.

Thanks :)

savingholmes · 17 April at 10:58AM

Thanks for the warning on the apple tree. Only time will tell. On the cherry tree - I got it for about £6 I think so good investment.

I have a couple of fatsias and love them - as they are large, evergreen and flower in winter.

savingholmes · 14 May at 10:29PM

Just checking in - are you okay?

SandyShores · 25 May at 9:40PM

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81999150#Comment_81999150

Hey Savingholmes I'm good thank you. Just been really busy, mostly good stuff. Will have a catch up in a bit too.

SandyShores · 25 May at 9:52PM

I started writing a post last month and then got distracted with things like gardening. So, I'd managed to buy a lovely fatsia for a fiver, and also bought a fern or two or three, for a shady spot. Got them planted up in some pots that were gifted. We also bought some wild flower seeds and planted those in a new bed, then extended the bed and bought even more seeds. I'm looking forward to seeing them all grow.

I took a couple of fig cuttings, which will hopefully root, otherwise I may look at getting a cherry tree for my spare pot. I need to buy some more plum slate to make a couple of seating areas at the bottom of the garden - and buy the seats as well! My credit card has been taking a hammering - which as you know for us debt-free people is mildly uncomfortable but I'm keeping on top of it. Would love to finish it all in time for summer, but I'm hanging on for payday to do the next stage. (Also my back likes a bit more rest between tasks these days).

The plum tree I bought from Asda has put a huge spurt on this year, starting to wonder if I did the right thing planting it in our smallish garden, but I think you can prune them quite hard and keep them in check. I'm forever pruning our apple tree back too so probably along the same lines. I think we've done really well to turn our blank plot into a lovely green oasis in five years. I daren't add up all the garden spends, always seems to be another spot for another plant - the most satisfying spends have been things like the olive tree for £25 from Morrisons that's now huge, and the photinia I found in the bargain corner of the expensive garden centre.

Not much going on with OPs, its all been going into the garden, but I'll update my signature as we have now left the 200's and are into the 100's (and as we started off in the 300s its very satisfying).

SandyShores · 4 June at 7:49AM

Mortgage payment went out today and I still can't believe we started in the 3's, made it through 2's and the the amount we owe now begins with a 1 :). I've made a decision to pay the PBs off the mortgage - mortgage OP calculator says we'll save £10k interest over the life of the mortgage so its the right thing to do. I've requested the first part of the money and will make the OP/request the rest when it arrives.

More spending has happening, almost finished the garden now but I'm definitely at peak spend. Some juggling may be needed or selling of stuff, to be able to make the OPs and finish the garden off.