After our November payment, our mortgage is at just slightly below $101k. Our December payment will be approximately $343 principal. So ... if we added an extra $650 or so, we'd start out 2021 owing less than $100k on our house.
I was telling DH this, and he asked how much we'd started out owing. Well, we paid $140k, but our loan was for $112k. So, since May of 2016 we've paid a little over $11k on our balance. He wasn't too impressed with that - interest, what are you going to do? (We pay 3.875%)
I did look briefly into refinancing, but for whatever reason, the low interest numbers weren't coming up for us (i.e. under 3%) or they'd require buying points AND a new inspection/appraisal. I told DH this, and he admitted that an appraisal wouldn't be helpful. Yep, that's for sure.
So ... I flirted with the idea of making that extra payment.
But then we started talking to our insurance person about increasing the coverage for the delivery vehicles ... and that will take finding an extra $1k in the budget for the first 6 months premium if we go with 500k coverage. (I actually know where this can come from - I'd set aside money for auto deductibles - but all of our vehicles are liability only now - so no deductibles.)
DH has finished fixing the muffler on the Acurra - so before he can drive it, it needs to be insured. It is really necessary to have at least two vehicles delivery insured - so if one is in the shop .... On the personal insurance we have my Yarris and the pickup. We won't use the pickup during the winter, but taking it off would only save maybe $100.
I told DH that if he were to have another at fault accident, he'd have to quit delivery driving because the insurance would be too much. His most recent accident (backing into and breaking a pole) was in April, 2019, the one before that was in August, 2018 where he hit a bicyclist crossing the road (he was turning right.) If he can at least get through 2021 with no at fault accidents, the August one I think will drop off his record.
November 15th, 2020 at 02:49 am 1605408570
November 15th, 2020 at 07:50 pm 1605469840
November 16th, 2020 at 07:22 pm 1605554546
November 16th, 2020 at 11:02 pm 1605567758
November 27th, 2020 at 10:54 pm 1606517681
Rob - I do send an extra $25/mo. I don't really want to do more than that since the mortgage isn't our priority right now.
Petunia - Considering I'd wanted to stay under 100k total ... not a small number for me. But I know other parts of the country, this wouldn't buy much.