Budgeting

@maximax8 (31046)
United Kingdom
November 14, 2020 5:16am CST
Can budgeting be any fun? I like to list on paper my money and my bills. It is scary in the middle of the month as I pay my regular saving account on the 16th and my pension on the 20th. From August 2010 to June 2017 I had a mortgage to pay. I tried to pay it off more quickly than the 25 years. In 2012 I changed it to 10 years. It would have been 23 years if I hadn't done that. Then in 2013 I began overpaying it. I was allowed to pay up to 500 pounds more per month than my direct debit free of fees. I felt over the moon with happiness when I paid off my mortgage.
8 people like this
7 responses
Anna
@LadyDuck (472074)
• Switzerland
14 Nov 20
We saved for many years and we paid our home in full, it is a blessing not to have to pay a mortgage.
1 person likes this
maximax8
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
14 Nov 20
Hello Anna. It is excellent that you also paid off your mortgage. Yes, it is a special and wonderful blessing not to have a mortgage.
1 person likes this
maximax8
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
14 Nov 20
@LadyDuck That is even better. Saving for a house isn't very easy.
1 person likes this
Anna
@LadyDuck (472074)
• Switzerland
14 Nov 20
@maximax8 We never had a mortgage, we paid the house, it took many years to save the money.
1 person likes this
Just an Ordinary Owl?
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
14 Nov 20
I don't know about 'fun' but it can certainly be very satisfying to do all the figures and find that everything works out and that one is going to be able to cover the outgoings after all. I do my budgeting on a spreadsheet and (if you like spreadsheets, which I do) it is very pleasing to be able to enter all the figures and see them calculate the monthly income and outgoings automatically (from the formulae you've devised and set up, of course) so that you can see that everything is going to balance.
1 person likes this
Just an Ordinary Owl?
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
14 Nov 20
@maximax8 Setting up the spreadsheet is, of course, the hard work. Plugging in the data in the right places is the easy bit (if the sheet has been designed properly) and seeing the thing magically produce sensible and reliable results is the satisfaction part!
1 person likes this
maximax8
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
14 Nov 20
Owl About my Lot. Is is excellent that you do budgeting on your spreadsheets. This probably makes it easier to calculate.
1 person likes this
maximax8
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
14 Nov 20
@owlwings I wish I had a spreadsheet for my finances. The money saving expert has a useful budget. I like to pay for home insurance and car insurance once a year. I think it is cheaper than doing it monthly.
1 person likes this
Heather Echola
@GardenGerty (160949)
• United States
14 Nov 20
We have no mortgage on our home, and that is a blessing.
1 person likes this
maximax8
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
14 Nov 20
Heather Echola it is wonderful that you don't have a mortgage on your home. Yes, that is a wonderful blessing.
Notlilie
@prinzcy (32305)
• Malaysia
14 Nov 20
I know that feeling really well. It's like a huge load of your shoulder. Suddenly you can breath much easier too.
1 person likes this
maximax8
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
14 Nov 20
Hello Notlilie. I am delighted that you know that feeling well. Yes, it is a huge load on your shoulder. Yesterday my neighbor said remove the old bed out of my garden. She knows someone that can do it for 40 pounds. Lately I have had lots of expenses with all the things going wrong.
1 person likes this
[eds]
@ZedSmart (19786)
• Philippines
14 Nov 20
Being debt free is not burdensome.
1 person likes this
maximax8
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
14 Nov 20
Eds yes being debt free means no burdensome. Debts can be very bothersome and scary.
1 person likes this
Teti ariani
@Cheyee (8344)
• Pakanbaru, Indonesia
14 Nov 20
Congratulations!! I will finish my mortgage next year (after 15 years).
1 person likes this
maximax8
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
14 Nov 20
Teti ariani well done for being close to paying off your 15 year mortgage. Think how wonderful the pay off will be in 2021.
1 person likes this
Teti ariani
@Cheyee (8344)
• Pakanbaru, Indonesia
14 Nov 20
@maximax8 independence Day!!!
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maximax8
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
14 Nov 20
@Cheyee Yes, American Independence day is my birthday so I paid my mortgage off in June 2017.
1 person likes this
Jim Bauer
@porwest (92588)
• United States
14 Nov 20
Budgeting can be fun if you feel like you are seeing results from doing it. From what you have said here, it seems like you have. Not having to worry about a mortgage is joyous to boot. Keep it up. Next up? Retirement.