Empty Nest, Empty Pockets

Julie67 · 18 July 2017 at 6:36PM

This is my third or fourth diary on here but I am really going to work hard to jeep this one updated.
We are at a point where all the kids (four of them) have left home, well the youngest is travelling in Australia and we are really thinking about the future and how we want to live.
We have had a DMP since 2011 and we are both working really hard to get rid of this.
We are also working towards a much more minimalist lifestyle. We've had the flash cars and big mortgages and as we have got older, well not that old , but we really want to downsize, get rid of all the clutter and stuff we have collected over the years that now sits in cupboards or the loft gathering dust and weighing us down.
So to that end the plan is to do the following

-Sell the house, it's far too big for us and we are rattling around in a big four bedroom house when one bedroom would be perfectly adequate. Add to that the related costs to maintain and heat it and it's a no brainer.
Currently we are doing all those jobs that have needed doing for the last couple of years that you never get round to until your planning to sell. Hopefully by August, September it will be on the market
-Both me and DH have put in PPI claims, these may not yield anything but worth a go.
-Have contacted all the creditors and requested CCA's thanks to the lovely people on the DMP board. I self manage the DMP and I am hoping this will lead the way to negotiating full and final offers.
-Selling lots and lots of stuff, if it can't be sold it's been donated , given away or tipped as a last resort
-looking round for our new home. We have a couple of ideas depending on what the house sells for. We quite like the idea of a park home, but equally I fancy a narrow boat. The funds we end up with will probably dictate this but lots of research needed in the meantime.
It is hard work trying to do all this and both working full time (I work from home, I am an online seller and dh is a telecoms engineer.
I'm going to use this diary to keep track of the debt repayment and successes and a diary of our journey to our new minimalist lifestyle.
Well done if you have stuck with me this long. Another update tomorrow, bye for now

[purplesignup][/purplesignup]

louby40 · 18 July 2017 at 9:07PM

Wow, exciting times for you now. Looking forward to hearing how your journey pans out.

My parents had a narrow boat for 11 years, they didn't live on it permanently but spent April to September travelling all over the canalways. They loved it (we did too), we used to track them down and stay with them for a few nights. They've now swapped it for bigger boats and are going on a succession of cruises!

Louby x

Julie67 · 19 July 2017 at 8:16AM

Good Morning

Louby40 thank you for your reply. Yes very exciting! I can't wait to get on with it all. Ideally we would like a base (park home) and a boat but it very much depends on what the house is valued at hence working so hard on it at the moment. Sounds like your parents have a great time!
Last night we managed to fit a new cooker. This was a necessity, I managed to melt the knobs on the other one:o I set the grill on fire and by the time we had managed to put it out it had melted all the knobs. Anyway it wasn't possible to replace them but part of my online selling business means I go to the auctions a couple of times a week, so managed to get a new cooker for £120. Bargain, would easily be 3 x that in the shops. Dh was very pleased as it meant he could have cheese on toast in front of Game of Thrones, happy man:rotfl: he deserves it as he did fit the cooker. Very handy having an electrician and all round super handyman for a husband.
This morning I have several parcels going out so that's my first job.
Next I have a lot of listing and a F&F offer to send to one of the creditors, doubt they will accept but it's worth a go
Tonights jobs include checking the spare bedroom. It's all decorated and done, just a couple of pictures to hang and that one can be checked off the list.
We also painted to the hall stairs and landing this weekend:T looks lovely and bright now, managed to get a door curtain from the charity shop.
The house is really coming together quickly but the British Open starts this week so DH will be on strike until it's finished.
Have a good day all whatever your up to.

jwil · 19 July 2017 at 9:56AM

Good luck

Julie67 · 20 July 2017 at 8:11AM

Good Morning,

A bit more completed on the kitchen last night, as I've said before now the open has started I can't imagine the house will move much further along until it finishes on Sunday.
I have a few parcels to post this morning and then working for the rest of the day.
I'm currently reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Mare Kondo. It's an interesting read. I won't be taking everything she says on board but i certainly think it will help as we are downsizing. The main premise is if you hold it in your hand and it doesn't spark joy get rid of it, TV remote, bin?:rotfl: so no won't be following to the letter but I've got the gist:)
I re-organised my files with all the DMP paperwork last night. 4 are on hold while they try and find the CCA's, 2 have come back as unenforceable so I'm negotiating with them
Anyway better get on, have a good day

[Deleted User] · 20 July 2017 at 8:24AM

One bedroom sounds great - until you want to have some family visit.

Julie67 · 20 July 2017 at 8:29AM

ringo_24601 wrote: »

One bedroom sounds great - until you want to have some family visit.

That's the idea lol. We are the ones that have all the family get togethers , sleepovers etc. The older three kids all have have big houses. It's there turn. We will be quite happy to go and stay at there place:T

another_casualty · 20 July 2017 at 8:42AM

What a cheerful diary

I haven't seen your others Julie so don't know the full picture .
A few things to ask if I may : boat .. mooring fees etc. Affordable ?
One bedroom ..do you have a cat / dog? Would you,like a nice small garden / courtyard ? Only asking that , as going from too many rooms to a bear minimum may be too much of a squeeze. Would you perhaps like a room as an office for your job / online business?
Do you plan to live in the same area ?
You sound like a nice talented couple .

I wish you all the very best in your new journey:)

JoJoC · 20 July 2017 at 8:44AM

I like that plan Julie! You've had your turn, now it's theirs

Have a great week. J

PasturesNew · 20 July 2017 at 8:55AM

I'd not recommend a park home, especially for "older people". Just last week an entire park home's residents were given their eviction letters - one's in her 80s and been there nearly 40 years. You never own the land under your van, you rent the space. Some of the vans on that site have sold in recent years for £100-200k and now they are "worth nothing" as the owners have to try to find a new site and pay to have them resited.

I owned a park home donkeys' years ago - a few years after I'd sold/moved the owner sold the land and all the vans were cleared and brand new ones put on the space and the "site rules" changed to something else.

One bedroom's a nice idea, but it's so little extra to get 2 bedrooms - and, when you're downsizing, you'll suddenly be surprised at all the "stuff" you need for living (airer, vacuum, 2nd airer, brooms, Xmas stuff, beach/holiday stuff, a few tools, sentimental items in a couple of boxes.... etc) and you'll feel overly cramped.... especially if/when you get a visitor staying for a few days.

Downsizing is a culture shock for most, especially from a large house, as the reality hits you that "half the money doesn't buy you half the house" .... but more like 1/4 of what you're used to.

Julie67 · 20 July 2017 at 9:42AM

another_casualty wrote: »

What a cheerful diary
I haven't seen your others Julie so don't know the full picture .
A few things to ask if I may : boat .. mooring fees etc. Affordable ?
One bedroom ..do you have a cat / dog? Would you,like a nice small garden / courtyard ? Only asking that , as going from too many rooms to a bear minimum may be too much of a squeeze. Would you perhaps like a room as an office for your job / online business?
Do you plan to live in the same area ?
You sound like a nice talented couple .

I wish you all the very best in your new journey:)

Thank you. We are currently investigating mooring fees, insurance, boat licence etc but it doesn't seem too bad, but more work to look at. We don't have any pets. We are planning on moving about an hour away. The Park homes we've looked at often have a little garden
and a home office which I would need as I don't plan to retire any time soon. I work from home and DH can work from anywhere so staying in one area isn't an issue. Thanks for the compliment, don't know about Talented, we do our best lol
Nothing fixed yet, we are exploring lots of options but it feels nice to be doing something for us for a change.
Thanks for reading

Empty Nest, Empty Pockets

Comments

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

🚀 Getting Started

Categories

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free