bitbybit's road to freedom

bit_by_bit · 30 January 2019 at 7:31PM

Reporting in with an overpayment today of £274.57 . With the regular payment this brings my mortgage down to £27,100 ( I do like to keep things tidy).

The next payment will take me below £27,000. I fee that the end is in sight and I can't wait.:T

The mass declutter continues. Tall sjhelves gone, bags and bags of stuff given away or binned. DD could walk to her bed without having a trail through the clutter as I have cleared her room a lot. More to do there but trying to declutter Son no 2 into his own place first so I can have my craft room back.

bit_by_bit · 2 February 2019 at 12:52PM

I have been monitoring my spending on eating out. This is my only hobby that costs me any money really.

In January I spent £105.46 on eating out, mostly in the evenings with friends with the odd lunch date. I also didn't spend £42.29 on takaways and popping into Md's on the way home from work.

The total would have been £148.05.
So this month I am going to continue recording my spending. Each time I don't eat out I am going to add it to the overpayment pot. I am also going to challenge myself to keep each outing to below £15.00.

Will report in.

As a positive result of this avoiding eating out. I have lost 3lb in weight. Long may that continue.:D

bit_by_bit · 16 February 2019 at 9:29PM

Well it is my birthday today which means I have 24 months until I retire and so the pressure is on a bit.

We have just had a holiday but kept it as frugal as possible. Apart from accomodation and we spent about £100 on eating out (two big meals in a pub plus one small one and food shopping ) we were in a B&B so ate a big breakfast and ate tea with a minior snack in between. We did fill up on free cake though. A permanent plate ready for eating as you walk in. Naughty but nice.

Apart from a few books (second hand) and a basket, planned for, we didn't spend much. We used our NT card to go round the grounds of two National Trust properties and walked in the Peak Park.

I like ambling round the shops on holiday and want lots but really work hard these days to hang onto the cash and buy nothing. It being my birthday I had a few treats but really that is it now until my next holiday in Greece.

Catanddogs · 16 February 2019 at 10:50PM

Hello bitbybit, you are making fantastic progress! You have prompted me to update my signature which I haven’t done for some time

bit_by_bit · 6 March 2019 at 9:14PM

Back in to report and overpayment of £340 this month. I have already started saving for the next overpayment.

Sadly on friday my DSis died after a short illness.

She had recently moved into a town house sharing a mortgage with her partner. She didn't get mortgage protection as she was a diabetic and it was very expensive. She left no will.

We can only guess what her wishes might be.

We hope the deeds are clear about her partner's status of occupation so we can forget about it. She had no kids, just brothers and sisters. Even that isn't easy because apparently in the eyes of the law my step brother and my two half sisters don't count.

So anyone reading this and you live with a partner - make a will, this has caused a lot of unintentional heartache. Wills can be done cheaper if you donate to a charity at a solicitors. Ours did a great job last year for a donation to the Macmillan fund.

bit_by_bit · 9 March 2019 at 10:43PM

Good news this week. We found out that my DSis's partner has jount tnennancy which mean he will automatically inherit her part of the house.

As much as I want to pay off my mortgage, and had we inherited and sold DSis's part I could have obliterated, I have never cared less about money.

I am relieved that there will be no question, just the rest of her stuff to sort now.

bit_by_bit · 16 March 2019 at 2:53PM

Good day. I just realised I only have 23 months before I can retire. Yay

bit_by_bit · 30 March 2019 at 10:50AM

Pay day had come and gone and Ihave had a bit of a spendy months. Funerals are not cheap.

However i have managed to overpay £141.15 which with the usual payment of £291.19 brings the mortgage to a tidy £25,900. I usually overpay more but can't. It is a great relief to see this total though.

Managed to finally sell something on #bay and still make a profit despite charges and ridiculous postage fees.

May not be able to make a payment next few months because of funeral fees, Ging to see if my Credit Cards will let me have interest free.

bit_by_bit · 31 August 2019 at 11:15AM

So the holiday season is over, all the main expenses paid bar one and my mortgage, after an overpayment today should be £23,9950.

I have overpaid about £1592.93 this year so not displeased with the progress when I consider the spending I have done.

Looking at Mays entry I was really looking for a reset, but it was not the time really. too much on my mind.

Things are a little bit more settled now and as I often do at the beginning September I am ready for a reboot. i think it must be something to do with when the kids went back top school

Plans:
So the spending diary returns.
I am taking over food shopping as DH has been doing it and spends twice as much as me.
I have cut down on going out but as holiday season ends that may actually go up.
Apart from last month I had been doing well avoiding MaccyD's but I was having a down patch and thats where I go. Things have improved now.
I buy food about twice a week from M&S at work, when there are no leftovers. Not buying extras very much but working on this.
i am working at the Charity shop on Sundays and am trying not to be tempted to buy. Not doing too badly and more is definitely going out of the house than coming in.
Continue to work on decluttering challenges and also to increase my efforts to raise £2019 in 2019. I am halfway there and of course clear the mortgage.

The next few months are to be spent working on the house. We are working on finishing all the small jobs, repurposing rooms and decorating. most of this will be really cheap as I don't have wall paper anywhere.

That will keep me busy along with the allotment which I have let go a bit but need and want to get more food out of in the next year. Was rubbish this year.

So today I will be clearing more of my Room of Doom this morning and in the afternoon going over the allotment with my Nephew. he is helping me cut back a plum tree and clear the ditch that runs alongside. I am preparing the ground for to try the 'no dig' method of growing veg, but also setting out what will grow where next year.

I will try to update more frequently.

bit_by_bit · 5 October 2019 at 11:16PM

Another month and a bit has passed since writing and lots has been going on.

There has been some spending going on. I needed new uniform, which cost just under £90 for shoes and trousers. I did get a discount of £20.00 for the shoes with a code though or it would have been over £100. These items will be worn every weekday when I am not on holiday or off and they need to last until I retire in 2021. In other words, I see them as an investment.

I spent quite a bit on running the MacMillan coffee morning but see that as a donation.
Then there was the £50 going away for the weekend with my friends and £150 I spent going to the Breast Cancer Care fashion show in London this week. This included train tickets, event tickets and various fund raising activities.

Also this monthy we stripped and redecorated DD room, now to be my sewing room. It was cheap apart from the wooden flooring which we lay ourselves.

The really big spend though was the installation of solar panels. This cost over £5000 but is an investment. We are not paying for any electricity in teh day right now. I reckon it will take a long time to pay for itself.

On a positive note we didn't shop at all except for milk last week due to DS3 bringing free food combined with shopping from the allotment and freezer.

Nothing else big for a few months so hoping to make a bigger overpayment in November.

A small overpayment of £50.31 went over tonight so my mortgage will be approximately £23666. This represents all my account sweepups for the last month.

bitbybit's road to freedom

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