Another Month, Another Check-In
Oops — the month is almost over and I’m only now writing my update. My plan is to publish a recap around the 15th of each month, right when we pay our mortgage instalment, to reflect on our wins and failures. My main goal? Pay off our mortgage as fast as possible.
🏡 Mortgage
Unfortunately, we didn’t make any overpayments this month. That’s because my wife and kids went to visit the grandparents during half term, and that’s where the extra money went.
As of now, we still owe £161,200 on our mortgage. Every month we chip away at it, and while this month didn’t bring us closer with an overpayment, we stay focused on the bigger goal: wiping it out completely.
💸 Dividend Investing
Lately, I’ve been drawn into the world of dividend investing after watching a few YouTube channels discussing it. I got pretty excited and even considered jumping in myself.
But then I came across a video by a YouTuber called The Compounding Investor, where he summarized his 15 years of investing in dividend-paying assets. Turns out, if he had just put everything into the S&P 500, his portfolio would be worth twice as much today.
So… yeah. I’ve decided to hold off on dividend investing for now.
🛠️ My Estimating Problems
Since my wife and kids were away for a week, I thought it’d be the perfect time to wrap up a few DIY projects around the house. Spoiler alert: It didn’t go as planned.
For some reason, I always think I’ll get more done than I actually do. That 80/20 rule? In my case, it’s more like the 20/80 rule 😅.
🤔 Random Thoughts
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the world, people, money — and a bunch of other things. One thing struck me: there are more of us on this planet every minute. To meet our growing needs, we consume more — more food, more housing, more resources. But Earth’s resources are finite. So, simple supply and demand tells me: things will just keep getting more expensive.
💷 Extra Money Wins This Month
£50 from Nationwide
It felt really nice to receive a message from Nationwide in March saying they’d be sharing their profits with loyal customers like me. And they kept their word — on April 10th, £50 landed in my account. Thank you, Nationwide!
£28 from JamDoughnut
I discovered this app about a year ago. We mostly use it to generate Tesco gift cards. In April alone, we earned £28 worth of rewards, which we’ll swap for another gift card to do even more shopping. I love this app!
£9.60 from Revolut
Revolut isn’t just great for currency exchange — it also offers savings accounts. Even on the free plan, you can earn 4% annually. We keep our sinking and emergency funds there, and this month they earned us £9.60.
£7 for Cycling to Work
I should do this every day, but often come up with excuses — too wet, running late, or just… something. Still, it saves fuel, improves my health, and helps the planet. Win-win-win.
✅ Final Thoughts
April/May didn’t go exactly as planned — no mortgage overpayment, some unrealistic home improvement goals, and a short-lived flirt with dividend investing. But that’s life, and that’s the journey.
The important part is that we keep showing up, learning, adjusting, and moving forward. Even small wins like cashback apps, interest from savings, or cycling to work are steps in the right direction.
Onward to June — one pedal stroke, one pound, and one lesson at a time 💪🚴♂️💷
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