The second hurdle - Nichelette v the huge mortgage
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Chair, Martin Lewis · Editor, Marcus Herbert
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Is there any way you could do apprenticeship route into role or get paid to train?
Sadly I think you need to have a degree for everything now
Haven't posted for ages again. It's difficult when baby is sleeping because typing noise always wakes him so I'm trying on my phone.
We're still plugging away. Mortgage is very nearly in 220's and we've got 2k in vanguard though half belongs to chunky. I don't want to touch it but we could if in absolute dire straights as it's all in our name. We've also got 2k in an easy access account.
Had to spend £200 on a 25kg car seat as chunky is 12kg and his only goes up to 18kg. Teaches me for buying anything thinking it would last until 4ish... He's nearly too long for his pram so I expect he'll be in a pushchair soon though I got one bundled with pram so at least I don't have to buy one. Also looking at him in his cot now regret not getting a cot bed, but I did it because we're not blessed with lots of space. With things going as they are with covid can't see husband vacating his room any time soon..
Unfortunately about a month ago I made the mistake of taking chunky to soft play where he caught covid. Obviously we both got it too. We're all fine now but it's typical as I'd been wearing a mask everywhere but didn't there because obviously babies like to see your expression 😩.
Got car tax bill for husband this morning but it's only £30 for the year. Also waiting on water bill, estate bill and my car has first MOT in March plus my car insurance and house insurance also due in January. I love this time of year 🤣.
Have been thinking and we want to move when mortgage fix expires in 2 years. We're going to go back to the town I went to school in. Will really miss it here but it's better for secondary education and we can't afford to keep moving so just need to do it, plus want to go before chunky starts school so we're not taking him away from friends and making him start again. Hoping we can afford somewhere with enough space.
Treated self to expensive coffee machine but it's on 0% for 4 months and hoping to get it paid off with prolific surveys. Was £230 and only have £200 left. Was so worth it though.
Pay this month is £768. We're managing okay. Also helps that I'm getting some Overpaid tax back each month.
Anyway, onwards...
I can understand you wanting to move. I have a spare cot bed... why I've hung on to it all this time I don't know... my kids are grown up. I think your down South though so a bit far for it to be of use to you. You can probably get good deals on FB...
Anyway, happy new year!
Thankfully no lasting effects from the covid. I'm hoping one day chunky will have a sibling so my plan is to hopefully keep him in the cot he has for now and then get him something bigger and backfill the one he's in now. I did look at used ones before I bought his, but I messaged so many people for one thing or another who completely ignored me and just couldn't face it in the end! I did get his little cot, play mat and jumperoo used though, so that did save us a fair bit.
We have about £500 left until payday. Still waiting on huge water bill (boo) and estate charge which will take the bulk of that I expect. I hate water bills... Its rubbish you can't swap suppliers. My dad lives about 10 miles away and his is nothing compared to ours.
I'm trying to do no spend January. Failed on 2 days, but I think today will be no spend so at 50%. Other 2 days were only small amounts but needed some food bits so semi necessary. I'm trying to be good and use the masses of food we have in. I made the nicest tomato soup for lunch. I'm not usually a big fan and think it's a bit boring, but it was so nice!
Confirmed nursery start date earlier. My sister is going to have him on Tuesday and Thursday which will be a massive help. She doesn't want paying but I'm going to give her £20 a day so still far cheaper than nursery. I know it will be here before we know it. Mortgage went earlier so no more regular bills, but I did remember my car will need an MOT in March which I'd completely forgotten as it will be first one. Thankfully I'm not expecting issues as it's fairly new and we're not doing a lot of miles at the moment.
Oh. Forgot to add I've weighed and calculated how much formula chunky will need as I get a subscription. I've now basically got enough to get him to 1 (think I may need a tin or 2 depending on how long he takes to transition to normal milk) so I've paused the subscription for now.
I'm also aiming to overpay mortgage by 5k this year, but it is a randomly plucked amount so that could go either way.
Have paid about £70 off coffee machine using prolific money so I'm on course to have it all paid off in time if I countinue at the same rate 🥳
Got my payslip today. I'm into the no pay month now. I thought it would straddle 2 pay periods so I'd at least get something, but conveniently because SMP is 39 weeks, he was born on 7th and our payroll goes from the end of the month I've literally got nothing bar £215 refunded tax 🤦♀️. I don't want to use savings if I can avoid as I'm conscious of the inflation situation, higher NI and impending nursery fees, but equally husband is generally worse than me with the exception of food shopping. I did a KIT day the other day and I'm doing 4 more over the next 3 weeks as I need to get them in before 7th February as that's when I'm technically back, though I'm using my accrued holiday so I'm off until the end of April. KIT days mean next month should be bumper pay as I'll be back on full pay plus I'll get paid for the 5 KIT days. He's starting nursery right at the end of April. I've managed to string it out another week by using a couple of days of my own holiday, some of husbands, and some help from my sister so that will save us at least a couple of hundred-ish.
Still waiting for massive water bill. Their cycles are so strange I literally have no idea when it will arrive. Fortunately I was wrong about estate bill as that isn't due until April. Not sure how I managed to forget paying it at the end of October but not complaining.
Have about £300 left and paid on Friday so not terrible. Work gave us £30 gift cards for Christmas so I used mine on a tesco shop which was handy as it only cost us £2. I'm also doing dry January so that will save a little. I'm very on earning and using vouchers for things at the moment. I've got a budget book too as I feel like we've slacked off a lot in the last year or two and really need to get our heads down again if we're ever going to move.
I think we've got in the region of £500 after bills left this pay month. Really hoping not to touch the savings, but it is a long month as 31 days and we were paid a day early due to weekend.
I did my monthly sweep and asked DH if he thought I should keep it back or overpay mortgage. He said overpay, so that was another £322 paid off.
Ironically water bill arrived that night after the sweep. £165. Similar to last time so not awful as was expecting worse with the nappy washes. Conveniently I also set up a DD (must have messed it up as I wanted to chip away monthly), but fortunately its not going until 15th February which will be bumper payday. Sadly it nearly balances out the no council tax month, then DH car insurance negates it the following month.
I don't think we'll end up on the edge so to speak, but I am concerned about how the cost of everything is shooting up so much and trying to adapt my behaviour. I'm trying to use our air fryer instead of the oven as much as I can because it's sooo expensive to run, even before this situation. I think DH is different to me because he feels a bit like, we've managed to buy the house (albeit mortgaged to hilt), have a nice car, okay job, don't necessarily have to watch money in the same way some people do. I think he never thought he'd have that and thinks he's 'made it' where as I'm (mostly) trying to be sensible and it's always in the back of my mind we could end up jobless etc with our big mortgage. It's interesting because we are both one of four kids and financially grew up in similar situations where we weren't short of food, but parents always had to be careful and budget. I think it has impressed itself more on me than him. I also think he compares things to Glasgow prices in his head and I use southern ones.
We're expecting a second child soon, luckily I still have access to childcare vouchers, so am not *too* worried about nursery costs. Still, even 2-3 days a week is about £500 for us (Glasgow suburb)