The ultimate incentive worked! Now onto phase two

Poolie

Hope everybody has had a good weekend.

U2 were excellent. The stage is something else. Although the pain of standing for 5 and half hours is not funny. Still stick and achy.

Managed to dive round some back roads to avoid the traffic last night only to find that the slip road onto the M4 was shut at J3. Had to go back to J2 to get on and come past it again - second time at 70mph. Concert finished about 22:45, back at car by 23:30. Out of traffic when I got fed up and nobody was moving - 00:30. In house by 01:25!

No bad going once I hit the back rounds of Harrow!

Lara44

Hey sounds great Poolie. Nice to see you back Flower x

Dinah93

Sounds like a long night, I'd love to see U2 though.

So, we got a cancellation and went around to view the house. Needs more work doing to it than we expected, but its still a very real possibility. There is also a fair chunk of land out the back with good road access we could possibly put a whole new house on, but its very near a tree which looks like it might be protected, so not counting on this! We have done a costings spreadsheet, worked out the percentage profit. The house side of things looks good. The accounts side of things is terrifying though. If we can't get NIMs dads money here without paying a staggering 40% on capital gains tax, the project isn't possible.

Tete_en_l'Air

Hi everyone, just popping on before bed, am poped after a good night out last night

Don't even know what CGT is but 40%!!!! Yikes, hope you can work a way round it if the place looks good.

Poolie, glad you had fun, I can't stand U2, luckily OH didn't know they were touring til they were sold out

Hi Flower, hope all is still well with OH's parents!

Weighed in yesterday as I knew I'd be at my friend's this morning, was at 10st 13 - hallelujah, under 11st! And that makes 7lbs lost which is half a stone so double milestone. Haven't put last night's alcohol into Food Focus yet though!

Lara44

Well done Tete!

Another Monday, the weeks just fly by at the minute. Still trudging on with the proposal, and OH is still working almost 24/7. Nothing at all to report! Looking forward to our trade show in Paris. Even though it's hard work and long days in a giant NEC type place outside the city, at least we will get 1 day off to explore. It's getting close - we leave on 31st August.

Two weeks to get everything sorted - eeek! Then we have two shows for London Design Festival when we get back. Then 29th September is enrolment day - yipeee!

Dinah your project sounds super exciting, I hope you can sort the money side out so that you don't have to pay all that tax. You'll be a property supremo!

Birdie85

Hello! Well done on the half stone Tete! I've put yet another pound *on*!!! Eeek! Back to normal now though so I hope it'll start coming off, I've got the Idiot Proof Diet book with me (found it after having a brain flash on Friday night!) so I can bring myself back up to speed with what I can and can't eat and I'll get some meals planned so I don't stray!
That's exciting stuff about the house Dinah! Is there any way to get around the CGT, like having NIM's Dad as an investor (on paper anyway!)?

Dinah93

Thats what we're looking into. We've accepted this may mean we miss out on this property, but it's more important to get the right business structure together, there will always be other properties. So I'm guessing its maybe an accountant we need to ask about structuring a company? His dad would be an investor, no doubt about it, but it is how we structure that investment, as a directors loan, or as an outside loan into the company. Urgh. It's all so new to me! NIM is going to ask his brother (accountant, but in Ireland) if he has any idea. If he doesn't, guess we're going to have to find ourselves one in England.

I'm still ploughing on pricing up the baking, I'm not letting that idea drop either. It might well be a while before we can get the property thing off the ground, and at present there is no actual investment into the baking thing so no harm in looking into a business plan, website etc.

No weigh in for me yet - keep forgetting!

Had huge trouble sleeping last night, tried to get to sleep about midnight, and just couldn't. Didn't sleep until well after 3am in the end. So, today new plan. I'm going to go for a run after work to try to tire myself out a bit.

I completely forgot I have the dentist for a check up at lunchtime as well, so I can't even eat my cereal bar for breakfast as I don't have a toothbrush with me!

Tete_en_l'Air

Maybe I'm over simplifying it, but could you transfer the money in a few smaller chunks to avoid tax?

Morning all, feeling all worky and diligent today, not sure how long it'll last! Hopefully til I get home so I can clear up the pile of bank statements, wage slips, etc on my floor - why don't I just file things when I get them instead of piling them up for weeks?

I was chatting to my friend at the weekend about the job I applied for, and she said she'd seen it too but a couple of days after the closing date - she rang to ask if they'd still accept an application and they said they'd already filled the position. So it's quite annoying to know that someone was already nailed on for it when I spent so long doing the application, but quite comforting at the same time that it's not a reflection on me. And annoying because it was so perfect for me!

Birdie, one pound isn't so bad when you've been eating doughnuts etc!! You'll soon shift that! I've got couscous today made with cherry toms from the greenhouse which I slow roasted, nomnomNOM, love slow roast tomatoes!!

Lara, sounds like a busy few weeks ahead of you, and exciting with shows and Paree and such!

Dinah93

Mmmm sounds yummy Tete. I have quorn and veggies in pesto with some leftover potatoes for lunch today.

I don't know if we could do that, last thing I want is to be accussed of tax fraud. This is why we need to sit down and talk it through with someone who knows.

Tete_en_l'Air

Oh of course - isn't that what the last developers did?! Hehe! This is why I don't do big projects like that, I'll just potter on making a cat from a pair of socks, that's about challenging enough for me!

Dinah do you run on the treadmill or on the streets? It's something I'd like to start but I've never really done it before and am a bit nervous...