Can I dare to go on the MFW journey

A question about : Can I dare to go on the MFW journey

Hi there!
Have been glued to the screen of my tablet watching this forum for the last few weeks now and am fascinated. Would love to go on the same journey but have so many uncertainties at the moment that stop me from fully commiting to this.
In fairness I have been OPing my mortgage since day one and paid off 30k last year but that was mainly due to some savings maturing and I haven't got any more of these coming up
I thought ill start by listing all the money saving stuff I already do and see if you guys can think of some other stuff I could do

A) I have a lodger- she showers for ever and is hiding an electric heater in her room but on balance still worth it

B) I hardly ever use the canteen at work and rely on packed or free lunches

C) no dryer in my house- all clothes dry outside

D) I dont think I am a massive clothes shopper- quite like second hand which is a bonus

E) I keep a close eye on my electricity and gas bills and I think I'm on the best tarrif I can be
F) just starting to grow my own veg; herbs up and running since last year

Weaknesses

A) spend horrid amounts on my mobile

B) loads on petrol for commute to work- cant be helped

C) certain ethical things im unwilling to compromise on like free range eggs, non battery chicken etc

D) I love travelling- backpacked all over the world on a budget but flights are expensive... love it and will definitely continue

E) the BF hates all money/budgeting talk and hence is not on board...

Right enough for now... any ideas and suggestions let me know

Cheerio

Best answers:

• Hi resilie, welcome to the board, with that list it doesn't sound like we can offer many tips you do lots of them anyway
  A few other ideas off the top of my head are:
  Use cash back sites
  Batch cook
  Sign up for a hal*fax reward account (Ј5free per month)
  Good luck with it all, especially getting your OH on board, mine is getting better but its been 3 yrs worth of work to train him up
• Hi newgirly- thanks for the welcome!
  Got woken up early by the resident feline sticking a paw in my face wanting feeding- pesty little thing but looooove her to bits.
  Already have the halifax reward account actually will need to go to the bank today to pay in a cheque and my plan is to close all my dormant savings accounts and old credit card that seem to clog up my online banking account- will need to make a note of all the account numbers and names before heading into town....
  I do a little bit of batch cooking like making a huge amount of bolognese to freeze individual portions-but freezer space is limited and OH doesnt like pasta (or cheese, soup, anything with eggs or milk etc etc... he is extremely fussy )
  Was also planning to do some gardening this weekend but the weather looks nasty- might have to wait till the sun comes out again (when will that be 2030?)
  Will endevour to get my numbers onto here soon as well.... main complicating factor is that I don't know what I will do job wise from August onwards so planning is difficult..... hmmmm more about that later...
• Hi - sounds like your doing great. From the op calculator ive realised even Ј20 p month makes a difference
• Right guys I've had a look at numbers instead of breakfast
  Drew down mortgage in May 2012 Ј177500 25 year term MF 2037
  its a tracker 1.99% above baseline so currently 2.49%; unlimited OP
  Current balance Ј 146485.71
  Emergency ISA Ј 11466.7
  Now the only question is what my goal should be- really ambitious like OP 1500 a month and be MF in 6 years? But as I said I'm not sure what my income will be next year... or shall I start like this and scale back if needed???? Argh don't know...
• Made a huge pot of bolognese and now having to eat ice cream to free up freezer space
• Hi Resilie
  Welcome to MFW!
  Sounds like youre doing brilliantly already!!!
  Re your mobile - are you in a contract? Switch to GiffGaff if not which is a sim only PAYG deal but works like a contract - see here https://giffgaff.com/orders/affiliate/lisalou1982
  ive saved a fortune on it esp as you get free unlimited internet and texts!
  Good luck with your journey - sounds like youre doing great! (And im definately on board with the travelling bug! I always OP every month but i never let it compromise with travelling!)
• Hi LisaLou
  Unfortunately my contract doesn't finish for another 16months or so.... my main issue is actually using the phone to call family abroad and using it when travelling... my debit card got blocked while on hols last month and I spend 20min on hold to the bank from ASIA the bill was astronomical
  How did you find iceland (other than dark and cold that time of the year)? I went a couple of years ago and it was a bit surreal but good fun.... due to job uncertainty haven't got any massive plans at the mo other than nipping down to Croatia in the summer and maybe seeing some friends in NYC in autumn- both hols get to stay with friends or family so just need to get there which is a bonus where are you off to next?
• Hi Resilie
  From your writing it seems to me you have most things you are able to have under control.
  In your position I would check that the utility gas & electr are at the best rates you can get - myself am on an on-line fixed 5 year rate with Scottish Power, due to expire Jan 2015 - so whatever rates you are one it may be advantageous for you to move to another energy provider or sign on to a group one - check this out with Which who I know are behind such schemes. My lodger would not have an extra heater if there is enough heating in the room. Perhaps she needs an electric blanket instead which is cheap to run.
  As for the shower - are you on a water meter? Whether you are or not tell her you are and that you are. This will reduce the energy use of hot water or electricity. Place a clock in the bathroom (keeps users aware of their time) and/or place a waterproof egg timer special for bathrooms in the shower.
  Does lodger pay anything toward loo rolls - I was thinking she could buy one pack of 4 per month as a contribution to the general outgoings.
  This is all I can think of for now.
  Oh one more idea - drink apple cider rather than wine - goes further and contains less alcohol and always drink it from a wine glass or similar.
• Re Shell offer deadline - you will need to get the vouchers by 25th May and use us by 31st May and use spare 5 litre cannisters for extra fuel
• Thank you summerholiday for your posts.
  As far as gas and electricity are concerned I did the Big Switch through Which last year and just checked the other day and I think I'm on the best tarrif I could be. Plus it's with C00p which I prefer to tax avoiders like NP0wer....
  Lodger is a massive resource drain- but I think she is getting better.... goes to the gym a lot but doesn't like showering there so ends up having 2 showers a day... no reason why she needs an electric heater other than the fact that she doesnt quite understand the concept of jumpers
  On the plus side she usually goes home over the weekend and more often than not gets her mum to do her washing... I like your clock idea- will see if I can find one... my initial approach was slightly passive aggressive- leaving the water bill on the table for 2 weeks
• Just wanted to pop in and wish you well on your MFW journey .
• Thanks sweetdaisy
• Hi Resilie
  Thinking about it - a waterproof timer with an alarm or a voice loudspeaker would be a far better idea, something like: 'Your time is up (her name)....Your shower has taken 4 minutes and 30 seconds and cost Ј.......!!!.' for example. Could be fun to try out.
  I would insist she use the gym shower. She is not going to shower less but more during the Summer months and most probably launder more. I often see gym users leaving the centre without a shower I don't understand it all that smell and sweat.
  Does your washing machine have a night time clock which would be cheaper to use on economy 7 ready for hanging washing out early next morning. The same goes for the dish washer or use 2 short washes as it is quicker and cheaper to run. An investment for you could be a special rotary cover to stop rain ruining your washing when hanging it out.
• All that shower talk reminded me that I got a water saving kit from my water company a while back. Tried to install a flow regulator unsuccessfully on my kitchen tap and gave up... just dug it out again and there is a shower adapter too- just fitted it in under 5min
  I dont know about giving her a fixed amount of shower time- don't want to antagonise her plus she pays a hefty amount of rent (Ј550 all incl) so should be free to cook shower and heat as she pleases- it's just when it's bordering on the excessive that I get edgy.
  I always run the washing machine and dish washer on economy and have no dryer so washing gets hung up outside when sunny or in utility room
  Need to think of more subtle ways to change lodgers behaviour- hmm
• Hi Resilie just wanted to say good luck on your journey
• I am a broken woman- needed to get a new sofa as old one moved out with old flatmate and we only had one small, stylish but not very "loungy" one. So kept my eyes peeled on gumtree for a couple of months and voilа found one. Main problem is always transport but these guys live a 10min walk away... easy me thought..... big mistake! Carrying a huge sofa around town is no fun... also while wedging it through the front door somehow managed to give it a small grass stain (maybe off the hanging basket???)
  I now have 2 bkisters on my hand and am Ј100 poorer but have a comfy sofa to show for it....
• Early payday tomorrow due to Bank Holiday- the question is to overpay at the start of the month and hence forcing myself to stick to a budget or see what I can safe and not get caught out.... thoughts?