Getting a mortgage and then becoming mortgage-free!

Kittenkirst · 9 May 2017 at 3:31PM

Afternoon, just made myself a brew and decided to check surveys and read a few diaries on my coffee break.

Not a huge amount going on, NSD yesterday and should be on track for one today if I can manage to get to silver class and back without spending.
Made spaghetti with veg and mozzarella for dinner last night and same again for lunch today. Gf was away overnight so I had a night in just me and the boys which was lovely as they were so snuggly!

Gf will be home late tonight so will have omelette for dinner and I'll probably have soup (from freezer) for dinner when I get in late.

Did a few surveys last night and up to £24.75 on Yougov, £27.05 on one poll and a small amount on prolific. Downloaded some cashback apps a few weeks ago so checking those for anything we would usually buy in the weekly shop too.

Will make a thermal cup of coffee tonight for on the way to class to prevent a drive through Starbucks being purchased! Other than that all a bit quiet for me.

Home developers have called about the drain/downstairs loo and they are sending someone out at the end of the month to dig up the pipe work and check it all out which means pulling up a few patio slabs and some turf

they've assured me it will all go back in place once finished. They've not got back to me about the 'damp' looking patch on the lounge wall...will send a chaser email now!

ch4rly2002 · 10 May 2017 at 9:00AM

I'm sorry KK, house problems are very upsetting. I hope it doesn't cause too much disruption and mess for you when they do the pipe work, but I'm so glad they're going to fix the problem for you and put it right afterwards.

Sounds like the surveys are progressing nicely

and well done on thinking in advance to take a coffee so you won't be tempted by Starbucks. Have a great time at silver class

Kittenkirst · 11 May 2017 at 7:56AM

Morning lovelies, another NSD on Tuesday however a £2.50 grocery spend yesterday as had friend over for dinner & dessert.

On the countdown to payday on Monday so watching the spends more than normal. Kittens off to the vet shortly so need to nip to the parents to get the cat carrier and then take them for their booster vaccinations...they are going to hate me later :P

At parents for dinner tonight so only lunch to sort later but am working from home so can make something quick and easy.

I keep torturing myself by looking at holidays at the moment- we have a week and a bit off at end of May and looks like it lands in school half term so keep seeing 'great' deals advertised....gf and I have discussed and we'll look at a holiday for right at the end of the year to allow us to save.

It's the ladies 40th next month and I'm now stuck for special gift to give her....originally it was going to be the Ecuador trip as a once in a lifetime holiday for her 40th....must get my thinking cap on...

ch4rly2002 · 11 May 2017 at 9:17AM

Wow, 40! That definitely deserves to be celebrated

I don't know if you have one already but we've found our Virgin Atlantic credit cards to be very valuable in discounts for flights, and they also do package deals. If you haven't got one, you could maybe consider getting one and spending on it all year then getting a holiday at the end of the year. The current offer seems to be 10,000 points (you'd need a Virgin Atlantic miles loyalty account and have to spend £1000 within 90 days). Depending on how much you'd spend on it, it may or may not be suitable but just a thought

Hope all goes well with the boosters for the kitties

Kittenkirst · 11 May 2017 at 7:50PM

Ooooh that's a good deal Charley- I will take a look at it most definitely even if just for petrol and grocery shops it'll add up

Just been for some groceries and took advantage of some of the cashback apps; gf and I both have Shopmium as well as her mum so we bought the following to claim back (separate purchases using different cards and we'll all just take the one each so no dodgy stuffs!):
- 3 boxes of Yorkshire tea (will post mine to my bro as one is meant to be like earl grey that he loves)
- 3 pouches of a protein and oats breakfast thingy (will try after the gym)
- 3 bottles of 7 up free

Not too shabby and also bought ys English muffins for freezers (I love homemade egg muffins) and some ys lamb mince for another day so I think not too bad a haul really

Have my poorly pie friend coming over tomorrow night so making turkey shepherds pie with sweet potato topping and will get the blankets out and use the sky movies/Netflix subscriptions to the max and chill out. Quite looking forward to it really!

Kittenkirst · 13 May 2017 at 10:56AM

Happy Saturday folks!
Completed a Pinecone survey on Thursday and just had another through

yay! That should be £6 additional OP once it clears, and my cashback for the shopping has cleared.

I used the new Ocado delivery service for pets, Fetch, on Thursday night as we needed kitten food and litter....am most impressed with the next day delivery, chose a slot at 7pm and it was bang on time, the delivery gent was uber polite & helpful. As it's a new service they had a 15% off code on the site as well as very competitive prices. Win win!

We do now however have 10kg of kitten food and 10kg of litter to store somewhere (oh and toothpaste for them!)

Chilled evening with friends went well: got some blueberries on ys -99p for 400g- at sainsburys on my lunch so we had mango, blueberries, meringue and yogurt for dessert which was delicious (frugal & gluten free)

Now just doing some housework and Jacob a relaxin day with the kittens

Kittenkirst · 14 May 2017 at 10:31PM

Evening all, a rather lovely weekend was had this weekend. Friday night was dinner and movies with friends, yesterday some housey chores and cleaning followed by the gym then dinner with a movie at home.

Today was a little last minute as thought gf's cousins were visiting at 1pm for Sunday lunch but they kept changing minds (they eventually came
Over at 7.30pm) so we went to a lovely little independent coffee shop we keep hearing about and had a coffee and shared a cake. We wandered round that part of town a little in the sunshine then came home and prepped supper so when the guests left we could whack it in the oven.

Made a Jamie Oliver 30minute meal- stuffed Cypriot chicken with cabbage & chilli salad and toasted wraps...was delicious if a little late in the evening. Now curled up watching boardwalk empire- seems good so far.

Small spends on the coffee trip, a rake and lawn seed from Homebase and that's it! Payday tomorrow and all the money shuffling starts....I can't wait!

All snuggled on the sofa with the gorgeous kittens at the moment- life is pretty lovely! :heartpuls

Kittenkirst · 15 May 2017 at 8:08PM

Payday glorious payday! I was paid an additional £300 and lookin at payslips it's because I had an annual bonus last month so a ridiculous amount deducted for tax-this month hardly anything deducted.

This also means the pension pot is £203 richer (I put £103 a month, work doubles my contribution) and my first instalment of the sharesave scheme of £140.

That makes May savings so far

£250 2/5
£140 15/5

Awaiting the regular saver deducting on the 18th to be another £300 snaffled into savings.

GF away with work tonight so I've Just scoffed a lovely broccoli and stilton soup- Stilton leftover from a work buffet and snuggled home

I also made mini pizza bread wheels to go with and to take to work tomorrow.

Traveling with work for the next few days down to London and up to Carlisle which I'm dreading a little but it's a good way to meet lots of the people I work with in the new role.

£6 credit in Pinecone so have requested a Paypal withdrawal and will OP that next week when it clears.

That's it for updates from me, back to twin peaks, some diary reading and kitty snuggles

chumpy45 · 16 May 2017 at 5:34PM

Great figures going on there KK. Always love reading about your meals. My DH has been watching Jamie Oliver on TV recently and made a 15 minute cauliflower curry which sounded lovely but sadly wasn't too successful :rotfl: Hope the toilet scenario is all sorted now. Enjoy your kitty snuggles

Kittenkirst · 16 May 2017 at 10:35PM

Ooooh Chumpy I too have tried that cauliflower recipe and was not impressed at all! Similarly I tried making that cauliflower 'rice' and was all excited; quite an anticlimax really as I loathed it!!

Today's been a busy day- was in London first thing, then back home for quick dinner (yesterday's soup) and then to silversmithing class- managed to hammer my forefinger and burn my thumb tonight! :-P

The drain is being looked at by the house builders at the end of the month- luckily we have some time off (using up annual leave before we lose it!) so will be around when they investigate. I've not heard back from them regarding the 'patch'; I think I've found another upstairs too

hoping it's nothing untoward, we've left all vents open, all windows on the latch etc to ensure ventilation...will see what they say.

Mortgage payment should clear on 20th so I usually OP the £89.81 (rounds it up to £900 you see!) on the 20th but chucked it across yesterday as thought five days will all help the pennies.

Quidco funds cleared today so the £6 went across followed by a tilly tidy of 24p... will be a much lower OP month compared to last month but should still be on track... £112.77 for May making it £1083.71 50% of the 2017 target of £2150.

I've been playing with figures to calculate what my emergency fund should be for 3 months expenditure and 6; I should hit the 3 months in savings by 3rd Kune, and have six months stashed away by mid November...this is putting my mind at ease and feeling like I have a target for the savings

Still no win on postcode lottery (the free one)- got to be in it to win it though so will keep checking it! Off to read some diaries....

Getting a mortgage and then becoming mortgage-free!

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