hey meatball!

The cards are shuffled away somewhere safe where I won't touch them.=20 Rates weren't too bad. The MBNA was constanly offering my 0% on transfers and purchases if I=20 transfered a balance to them. The Northern-Rock was was 1.5% above N-R mortgage rate as long as we had=20 the mortgage with them, highest it had ever been was 7.2%. Egg was always offering promos the latest being 5% for 9 months from the=20 anniversary of you opening the card account. So by shuffling things=20 arround I was getting fair rates.

When we first moved in, we had everything planned. But as they had left=20 us a cooker, dishwasher, and full central heating that was usable we=20 didn't budget for one of them. but within the first year, the diswasher=20 blew up, and the washing machine flooded out one day, andthen just=20 stopped. Theinsurance didn't copver the first central heating as it was=20 wear and tear, and the guys we got to do it were conmen (we didn't know=20 at the time), It cost us over a grand for a new boiler, and all the=20 pipes they said needed changing as they were too small and had strained=20 the pump (what do I know I'm not a plumber/Corgi service engineer). That=20 boiler decided to pack up after a year, but this time we got a local=20 corgi guy out He gave us a diagnosis of storm damage water getting in=20 arround the flew and dmaging the electrics.

Plus with DIY and furniture it was difficult to get finance or a loan=20 for anything because I had changed jobs within a couple of years, and=20 only bought the house with a couple too.

We did eventually get a loan, but it was only =A310k as that was the max=20 they would lend, and at 9.9% from Royal Bank of Scotland. That paid off=20 about 50% of what we owed and made it easier to find the rest, but it=20 was much easier when we remortgaged as almost everything was cleared=20 completley. Reckon (depending on how interest rates play out) that I am=20 going to be about =A3250-400 a month better off in the end.

Now cards will not be used for small stuff unless paid off at end of=20 month (more convenient than cash), or large stuff if not paid off within=20

I've managed to build up limits (without ever going anywhere near them)=20 of over =A310k a card of 3 of the card I have, and all together on the 6=20 cards I have, I probably have something like =A350k of credit available,=20 as well as being approved for a =A365k re-mortgage.

I have loads of available finance, but don't want to use it, to avoid=20 getting back into the trap of compound interest.

--=20 The poster formerly known as Skodapilot.