A few people have asked me how I became mortgage free in such a short period of time. So I thought I’d share my story below, as well highlighting how I boosted my overpayments through cutting expenses and increasing my income.
For me, 12 years was much longer than planned but life threw a few financial curve balls my way.
While going for my morning walk, I realised that it’s been 3 months since I attended the Pop Up Business School. Since then, my life has changed so much and the course was pivotal to that.
I’d initially heard about the Pop Up Business School on a Choose FI podcast featuring its co-founder Alan Donegan. And I recall rapidly checking their website to see if they were running any events near me.
Decision fatigue has hit me hard this week. With the hustle and bustle of being back at work I’ve found that my energy levels have really dropped.
Heading home I’ve been tempted to buy takeaways or stop off at the shop to buy something quick and easy for tea. My brain just couldn’t deal with any more decisions and because I was hungry, I wanted food fast!
But thankfully, because I’d taken the time to write out a meal plan for the week ahead and had planned super-quick but nutritious batch cooked meals for work nights, I didn’t give in to the temptation.
Since turning 39 last Sunday, I’ve been thinking about what I’d like to focus on over the next year and I’ve come up with my four before 40 list.
I was going to list 40 things I’d like to do before I turn 40, but I know myself well enough to see that this would reduce my enjoyment of the journey, potentially turning it into a tick-list exercise. So I’ve decided to focus on just four things.
As I’ve grown older I’ve become aware of a strange phenomenon – I prefer buying things second hand.
I’m not sure if it’s the bargain-hunter in me. Afterall, there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of finding a coveted item for a bargain price. But for me, buying preloved items is more satisfying than buying them new.