D'oh! Better get started... I wanna be Mortgage Free!!

A question about : D'oh! Better get started... I wanna be Mortgage Free!!

Hello all!

Hope you won't mind me starting a new thread...

Just a bit of background, I am 30 and my OH is 33, we live in a 3 bed semi just outside Manchester, and we've lived there for the last 3.5 years... We have a Together mortgage from Northern Rock, 152K made up of mortgage part, and an unsecured loan...
As at the end of March (last available statement), the mortgage part was down to Ј136,390.60 and the unsecured loan to Ј11,100.84..

My OH and I have got secure jobs, and we live in a nice area with our cat Elvis...

I am sending today our first ever overpayment of Ј50 towards the unsecured loan...not a lot I know, but we've got to start somewhere

I hope you will be able to join me on this journey... PM me if you want.. I'd love to hear any tips or advice from experienced MFW

Have a great day everyone!

Best answers:

• Thanks TPA, love your name... Am also a Tesco point addict, so I can understand...
  Hoping for the overpayments to increase in value and frequency quite soon... I should have recorded the call I made to Northern Rock, it was hilarious, I could read the operator mind "Oh no, another person following MSE advice, they have understood they could pay their mortgage early... WE ARE DOOMED!!!"
  Thanks again TPA for dropping by, much appreciated...
  Froogy G
• haha, good luck froggy, its obviously a catching trend then! good luck in your quest, so addictive watching these number fall!!
• Well done on first OP xx
  Am too loving cat called Elvis! Goes with one of mine called Zorro
  You'll gets lots of good advice on here especially from TPA - she's brilliant
• The cheque is in the post!! Bring on Freedom!!
• Freeeeeeedoooooom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  Well done on your first OP and what a great name "Froggy - G"
• Welcome to the forums and good luck with your quest
  Well done on the first OP
  MQ
• Good evening
  Have discussed the current situation with OH... She is waiting for confirmation of a payrise thats due to start end of August, but is backdated to March this year...therefore we should be able to increase the payments from then on... I also have to renew Building & Contents insurance in September and will be going through comparison sites and Quidco or Topcashback, hopefully earning a few pounds that will go to the Mortgage..
  I will not be renewing my mobile contract (end of September), and will go on PAYG, as I barely use my mobile, so saving around Ј20 per month...
  Hope all MFW journeys are going well?
• Afternoon all...
  The working day is dragging its feet.. Can't wait till 4.30 so I can go home..
  We are off on a week long summer holiday in Cornwall in a couple of weeks time.. We are taking my newphew, 3 nieces & In laws with us.. Should be fun
  However Elvis is going on his own holiday to the "Cat Hotel" (=cattery) as my nephew calls it.. Am sure he won't mind, a bit of peace & quiet, and a week's worth of not doing too much (no change there )
  The holiday is all paid for, and the pocket money has been put aside, hopefully we won't spend it all and I can pay anything left over into the mortgage..
  OH is away in London today, and should be back late tonight, so that's me busy doing the house chores until she gets home..
  The fact that we have now starting making the overpayments has really given us a buzz , and we can't wait till we make the next one - probably at the end of August, when we get back from holiday...
  Does anybody have any idea please, if Northern Rock will acknowledge the overpayment we have made and send us an updated statement?
  Happy Mortgage busting everybody!
  Froggy G
• Hi froggy, good luck with your new challenge!
• Thanks NewGirly! Hope your Mortgage will come down very quickly too!!
• Hello and welcome!! Well done on your OP! I would suspect that NR won't acknowledge it - too costly to acknowledge small OPs (C&G haven't acknowledged any of mine - even a Ј12.5k one!)
• Its Friday!! Woohoo
  Am feeling shattered, as I had to run around the close chasing Elvis for a couple of hours late last night.. He did not want to come back home!! Does he not understand that I have to work the following morning??
  OH and I have decided to sit down tomorrow to re-do our budget, and see where we can save a few pounds to put into the mortgage.. This should be quite fun... You would have told me I would be doing that 3 years ago when we were in Ј35K + of debts , I would have laughed out loud! ! But times change, and its good to see we can change our focus and look towards the future...
  Will come back on here once we have had that discussion..
  Anybody had any experience making OP to Northern Rock mortgage? Anything I should be worried about or prepared for?
  Thanks & have a great day
  Froggy G
• Good luck in your MF journey, loads of fab advice and support to be found on here. I agree it's quite addicitive (am only a few months into this) but feel bad if i make big o/p one month and then just my minimum of Ј50 the next!
• Hey ATT thanks for stopping by.. I will add the money I save on my Vodafone contract to my OP as soon as I go on PAYG at the end of September... We have also had news from EON that they were bringing our direct debit down by Ј19 per month...
  As we are still working on the budget, its a bit difficult to know how much we will be able to take from the joint account at the end of every month...Only time will tell...
  I have done my first online grocery order from Tesco (delivery tomorrow), and used discount vouchers found on the web worth Ј15.50
  OH has checked her bank account online after getting paid today and transferred Ј150 to me for the August OP!! Bring it on, I think she is also getting excited about the challenge too..
  I am hoping to save another Ј200 from my account by the end of August so that would make an OP of Ј350 in August!!
  All looking good so far...Hope you are all having a great weekend!!
  Froggy G
• Great news Froggy, it's amazing how all the little bits and bobs can add up.
  Well done on your 1st on-line shop, are you signed up to quidco or topcashback or similiar? I believe that you get 5% cashback with Tesco on-line shops with Topcashback
• Hi Froggy,
  Hello and welcome to the MFW board - it's been said before, but the general flavour of everyone is supportive and helpful... It's a nice place to hang out!!
  Re your PAYG plans, when my own contract came to an end, I went to Vodafone via Topcashback and managed to get a SIM only arrangement with a substantial cashback. Not sure if that's exactly what you have in mind, but might be worth having a look to see what's on there
  QB