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being tight has paid off

regulus said:
He paid off 44k in 9.5 years which equates to something like £360 a month of the course of that time. If he earns around 19k a year that's over a grand take home with around 600-700 disposable income after sinking money into the mortgage.
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He is the only earner in a family of FOUR PEOPLE, one of which is his daughter at University.
 
Pasonix, cheap trainers are crap for kids. Can't have them in discomfort with their feet :)
 
franco_22 said:
You can afford it you just don't want to lower your life style and save up for it.
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Nope. After mortgage, existing loans, purchasing pretty much 80% "smart price" groceries (except for fresh fruit and veg), petrol, my travel (bus etc. as I don't drive), bills and home/car insurance we come out with roughly £100-200/month spare. THAT goes on luxuries - I generally get most of my DVDs/Blu-rays for free due to writing for a high profile website, and any games that I manage to get are generally sourced second hand.

Our lifestyle is as basic as it can be made without becoming infuriatingly horrible.
 
well done, at least if everything goes arse up, you wont need to worry about finding money to put a roof over your head.
 
Morba said:
He's glamorizing a lot of what he is saying and he has a rich girl that he whinges about :p
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Exactly, now if he said he did 65 flights in the last 12 months, did husky racing in the arctic in -35c, snowboarded in chamonix, partied in milan, ibiza, marbella x 2, singapore, sydney, tenerife x 2, cyprus, traveled all over Australia for a month, and spent several weeks in Singapore working with Tony Blair whilst paying off his student loan and £18k masters and buying a powerful sports car whilst investing in businesses and only being 23.....I would have been impressed:D

Partying in London and being a member of a private club isn't special:p
 
gurdas said:
Partying in London and being a member of a private club isn't special:p
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Not to you, but you spend most of your posts in GD telling us about your exotic lifestyle :p

He's not saying its special, he's just explaining the attributes of his lifestyle that he enjoys, and that he wouldnt be able to do if he saved saved saved. Dont worry, you still win the uberness competition, no need to put him down :p
 
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regulus said:
Even though I'm mortgage free, I still need to be a tight wad due to having to save a load of money by the end of next year :(

Have 15k sitting in an account to buy a new car (been meaning to ask in Motors but still plugging up the courage :p) and need to save thrice that amount to take a year off in 2012 to focus on a career change.

It's strange that me and the missus are quite enjoying this money saving expedition. It can be rather addictive.
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I've got a mahoosive mortgage which really is a millstone around my neck. Luckily it's only a third of the value of the house so it's always an option to downsize and live a good life :) But for several years now I've been very careful with money. Not to the point of being tight, but just very careful. And you're right it is addictive. I actually have trouble spending large amounts of money now unless I can really justify it, and I get a lot of pleasure in finding a bargain :)
 
What I'd do to be able to have a property that cheap and to be able to raise a family on a 20K income. How times have changed.
 
regulus said:
He paid off 44k in 9.5 years which equates to something like £360 a month of the course of that time. If he earns around 19k a year that's over a grand take home with around 600-700 disposable income after sinking money into the mortgage. Take a £300 away for living costs and you're left with thousands over the course of years.

When I was a student I lived on £780 a month which excluded rent (£300 a month). I ran a car, had two European holidays a year, went out at least once a week, bought toys galore and still managed to save up around 9k in three years.

It easily adds up if you watch your money very carefully.
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Ok, I'm going to sound totally jaded here...but I also assume 'the family' income is subsidized by the state in child benefit, tax credits and if he has a child at Uni (as mentioned earlier in the thread) free tuition fees. :mad: :mad:

I'm a higher rate tax payer and sick of seeing the amount of my income that goes to people with families who have a lifestyle subsidized by me - I have no children although will hope to be starting a family this year. If you can't afford kids then you shouldn't have them.

I've worked hard to get to where I am, paid off my mortgage coincidently this month on a house worth ~210k that I bought 5 years ago. I'm 29.
 
When i was a lad we never went abroad, had any computers or games consoles. I wore second hand clothes and hand me downs. I was also some times bullied because of this.
But i always smart looking and clean.

We always had stuff from the cash and carry or food left over from dads work.

NOW moving on a few years i completely admire my father for this, and am so proud of him it almost moves me to tears. He did all of this for his family...me and my sisters. At the time i used to get annoyed for not having nice stuff or holidays abroad.

He retired at 50odd(due to having a heart attack from work related stress) paid off the mortgage on a 500k+ house (5 bedroom)

He even bought his old company car which he drove for over 10 years and only now has he gone and bough a honda crv outright.

I havnt worked for a few years due to an accident which some of you may remember.
My dad has been my rock. Gives me lifts, helps me out with food and money when he can etc( i have my own family). With out him and my mother i would have probably finished my life as for over a year i couldnt even walk and needed constant help.

All of this help me and my sisters have received over the years is thanks to his forward thinking.

My older sister has had two children who are mostly very ill as they are allergic to everything and are always in and out of hospital and having ambulances called so my father is also able to help my sister as well

PS not one of my school friends parents who all went abroad and had nice clothes and games consoles can afford to retire and all still do the daily grind.

So just think of what would have happened if he hadnt of scrimped and saved and was still working and had a mortgage?

I can understand both arguments but given the choice i would be 100% behind him again and as i said am very proud of him and his achievement and am just sorry the deck of cards that i have been dealt with means i will never be able to treat him to anything.

Gotta say it but Love ya dad!:)

sorry it got a bit yucky but still!
 
[TW]Fox;17479295 said:
You are proud of your father for ensuring that your childhood was almost completely devoid of any sort of enjoyment whatsoever, often to the extent that other people bullied you for it?

Really?
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Growing up without lots of stuff is not really that bad, you make do and still have fun.

My family have a much better life now but when I was growing up things were very tight but I still have lots good memories.
 
10 years of living your life completely dominated by a mortgage, nice. Personally I'd rather live for the present and let the future be whatever it wants to be. Each to their own.
 
Congrats OP.

I don't even have a mortgage yet! Not found somewhere I want to live for the length of a mortgage yet. Hmmmmmmmmmm Maybe when I spawn some mini-bob's.
 
Congrats. While there are many perceived disadvantages to being uber-frugal, the freedom from debt slavery is worth every single day of living on a tight budget. The trick is finding someone else who shares that mindset, not someone who wants to run the rat race at full speed till the day they die. They're quite rare these days!

The winner of the game of life is supposed to be the one dies with the most toys (in the landfill). But living with zero debt and maximum freedom isn't a bad substitute in my experience. :-)

Andrew McP
 
[TW]Fox;17479295 said:
You are proud of your father for ensuring that your childhood was almost completely devoid of any sort of enjoyment whatsoever, often to the extent that other people bullied you for it?

Really?
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I find that a little upsetting tbh..

I never once said i didnt enjoy myself? I had a very good childhood. We didnt need material objects to enjoy ourself.

and i said i was some times bullied?

We still had holidays etc but not expensive ones.

You seem to have only read those bits and ignored all of the benefits my family have received later in life thanks to his hard work and frugelness.

Im still proud of him how ever you seem to intepret it. I wouldnt change a thing.

Oh and he also put my 3! sisters through university and they all left with no debt.

So hes saved them years and years of struggling as well due to paying back student loans.
 
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