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More Effort Required - the next 5 years
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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.
"Think of many things, do one"
Mortgage est. 30 Apr'26 est. £201,500 £309,749 2020 (ends 2038 - aim for 2031)
Seven Goals; and healthy diet/walk/run/exercising/weights/yoga1 -
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.
Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality in 2030
1) MFW Nov 21 £202K now £167.4K Equity 38% 3/4/26
2) £2.5K Net savings after CCs 14/4/26 (but owed £1.1K) so £3.6K
3) Mortgage neutral by 06/30 (AVC £39.3K + Lump Sums DB £4.6K + (25% of SIPP 1.3K) = 45.2K of £127.5K target 35.4% 8/5/26 (If took bigger lump sum = 67.1K or 52.6%)
4) FI Age 60 income target £17.1/30K 57% (if mortgage and debts repaid - need more otherwise) (If bigger lump sum £15.8/30K 52.67%)
5) SIPP £5.4K updated 8/5/261 -
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 :)
"Think of many things, do one"
Mortgage est. 30 Apr'26 est. £201,500 £309,749 2020 (ends 2038 - aim for 2031)
Seven Goals; and healthy diet/walk/run/exercising/weights/yoga3 -
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.
Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality in 2030
1) MFW Nov 21 £202K now £167.4K Equity 38% 3/4/26
2) £2.5K Net savings after CCs 14/4/26 (but owed £1.1K) so £3.6K
3) Mortgage neutral by 06/30 (AVC £39.3K + Lump Sums DB £4.6K + (25% of SIPP 1.3K) = 45.2K of £127.5K target 35.4% 8/5/26 (If took bigger lump sum = 67.1K or 52.6%)
4) FI Age 60 income target £17.1/30K 57% (if mortgage and debts repaid - need more otherwise) (If bigger lump sum £15.8/30K 52.67%)
5) SIPP £5.4K updated 8/5/261
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