Keeping up appearances.......

Box_of_Fluffies

Hi Happy Now and Honey Bear, I haven't posted in such a long time but saw my name mentioned so thought I'd stop by.

I don't tend to post these days as I have so much going on in my daily life but things are going well for us. The only debt now remaining for us is our mortgage and one small credit card balance that is on 0% for the next 12 months.

We have a lodger who has been with us for about 18 months, she's now more of a friend, which is great. We've had lodgers on and off for about 5 years and it has been a huge help in our battle to repay our debts.

You do need to be a little selective about who you choose to live with you. It's certainly no good if the person rubs you up the wrong way. After all, you have to be comfortable in your own home.

Box of Fluffies x

Honey_Bear

Hi Box of Fluffies! Huge congratulations on your debt-busting.


We are careful about longer term lodgers. We've got a Sardinian scientist coming back in April, staying until December, who goes by the MSE name when I post about her of LovelyLodger. She's known in the house as DishwasherFairy because she empties it and puts everything away and is responsible for her own room so I don't have to clear up after her. Excellent arrangement. She's the latest in a long line of Italians who have stayed here over a decade or so, all by word of mouth, who are delightful. We have no control over who wants to stay here initially but they are all either theatre or scientists who work on a non-permanent basis within walking distance, anything from a week upwards. Either way, they have an leaving date when they arrive because I don't want any permanent lodgers.

A friend told me, years ago, that fish and guests smell after three days. It's not 100% accurate but I have a healthy respect for the adage!

HappyNow

Fluffies! Lovely to see you and well done on your debt-busting. You're nearly there now! Funnily enough I was thinking about you yesterday when I was reading Chevalier's diary. She's feeling really down at the moment and I wondered if, being a fellow NZ'er, you might have any advice or suggestions for her?

When I read back my last post, I had made it sound like we live in a cave. It's really not that bad! The lack of hot water isn't permanent. The plumber is going to fix it, one Wednesday . Having said that, I don't really miss hot running water. Back in December 11 when I came to my financial senses, one of the first things I did was switch off our immersion heater to reduce the electric bills. The shower (we all prefer showers to baths), dishwasher and washing machine all heat their own water, so we only really needed it for hand-washing and wiping down surfaces. But the hot tank is so far away from the taps that by the time the hot water reached the basins we had already washed our hands/rinsed our cleaning cloths. So we started just turning it on for an hour on cleaning days, but I think it rusted up through lack of use so now it doesn't work at all. On cleaning days I boil water in a pan on the hob! It's like those Victorian House TV programmes but without the olde worlde charm :rotfl:

HappyNow

OK, so confession time about the spending. We've booked a holiday . Nothing extravagant, but still two weeks abroad in June, costing just over £942. We used to go abroad quite regularly and that doubtless contributed to our debt, but we haven't had a proper holiday for a few years now and, frankly, we both need the break. Particularly Mr H who has lots of stress at work and with his mum and is looking quite grey and drawn nowadays.

When I first started my diary, I intended throwing every spare penny at the debt to clear it as soon as possible. In the last year or so I have taken stock and realised that we are in this for the long-haul and we can't put ALL the fun stuff on hold until 2019. I am 56 and Mr H is 58; we need to do some things just for fun, and if that puts the DFD back a bit, well I can live with that. The holiday isn't going on a credit card, it will be funded by making just minimum repayments on the cards for around three months, meaning our DFD will now be May 2019 instead of February. I'm not going to change my Sig though, because I intend trying to claw it back if possible.

And the spending doesn't even stop there! I bought Mr H's Christmas pressie yesterday - tickets for us both (see what I did there!) to see Sarah Millican in the new year. Best find somewhere safe to hide them where Mr H won't see them but where I won't lose them completely!

Honey_Bear

HappyNow wrote: »

On cleaning days I boil water in a pan on the hob! It's like those Victorian House TV programmes but without the olde worlde charm :rotfl:

I realised that it was probably a temporary thing, but I'd still mind - a lot. Although of course, we all get used to working around temporary set backs. I think it sounds lovely, to be honest, to be that isolated but as I said, OH wouldn't be able to cope at all.

A few years ago we bought a holiday chalet about 20 mins away from where we live. It's an unusual set up, but the issue here was that it hadn't been used for a couple of years and, to be quite frank, it stank. We spent a week cleaning it, taking crud to the dump and depewifing it; the absolutely worst room as the kitchen. The first thing I slung out the deep fat fryer, but there were fat spots everywhere - yuk yuk yuk. How the kettle survived is beyond me, because it was the only hot water we had access to, or so I thought. After all the cleaning was done I realised - the shower would have produced a lot of hot water, a lot more quickly, and probably a darn sight more cheaply!

Honey_Bear

HappyNow wrote: »

OK, so confession time about the spending. We've booked a holiday .

Good. Looking at your dates, you've been working on debt-busting for four years and it would wear anyone down. I hope you've booked far enough in advance to be able to have the holiday to look forward to, because that prolongs the treat. In a purist, puritanical world there are those who think it's an extravagance, but as you so rightly say, you need to be able to enjoy your life, and it's an excellent trade-off in my opinion.


And as I'm rather fond of Sarah Millican, how can do anything but approve of your choice of gift for Mr Happy? I notice you are selflessly offering to accompany him so that he won't be lonely while enjoying his Christmas present, so all in all, very thoughtful and generous.

Honey_Bear

• Zero spent.
• Zero alcohol.
• Apricots, broccoli, carrots, beetroot, beetroot juice, tomatoes
• Four mugs of fruit tea.
• Hobnobs not resisted. Lots.
• Bins, filing, dusting the flagpole and running up the flags as, ta da, Noxious Lodger Has Left The Building! Much glee here.
• Forms filled in and ready to post back tomorrow.
• Slothful Sunday, too.
• A bit of spider but it was just boring so I stopped. A first, I think.

Honey_Bear

• Money spent. I went into a charity shop ....
• Zero alcohol.
• Apricots, broccoli, carrots, peas, beans
• Four mugs of fruit tea.
• Hobnobs not resisted. A very few.
• Two bedrooms, shower room, vacuumed and fevver dusted the bottom layer. I noticed last night that the area just inside the front door is festooned with the most amazing cobwebs. Better do something about that sometime.
• Forms posted.
• No progress.
• A bit of spider but it was just boring so I stopped again.

I was disappointed by myself by spending money, but when I totalled it up it was peanuts compared to the amount I used to fritter away, and the only indulgence this month. Plus which, it happened in the dentist's town and having been scrapped and polished I needed a pick-me-up.

Still feeling jealous of the Sarah Millican tickets. I borrowed a DVD of hers from the library a few weeks back and boy can she swear! Rather after my own heart - we know we shouldn't, but sometimes only a rude word will do.

HappyNow

Honey_Bear wrote: »

The first thing I slung out the deep fat fryer, but there were fat spots everywhere - yuk yuk yuk.

Awful things. When Mr H and I got married, in around 1066, someone gave us a deep fat fryer as a wedding pressie. They were just becoming fashionable and were considered quite hi-tech - a definite step up from the old chip pan. He was itching to try it, so I suggested he stand it on the hob to use, so the extractor fan could take away any cooking smells. He did, but, being used to a chip pan, he absent-mindedly turned the hob ON underneath it! Then he left the room. The smell of burning electrics, melted plastic and fired oil will stay with me for a long, long time! The new hob was a complete write-off and we were slipping around on the greasy floor for weeks .

Honey_Bear wrote: »

I hope you've booked far enough in advance to be able to have the holiday to look forward to, because that prolongs the treat.
.

Yep, we're going on 12th June, so although the holiday was expensive we got 11 weeks of anticipation thrown in for free

Honey_Bear wrote: »

Still feeling jealous of the Sarah Millican tickets. I borrowed a DVD of hers from the library a few weeks back and boy can she swear! Rather after my own heart - we know we shouldn't, but sometimes only a rude word will do.

Nothing wrong with a bit of swearing in my opinion . It adds some drama to your sentence. As long as you're in the appropriate company (ie not your mum!).

HappyNow

So, Awesome April starts tomorrow. I deliberately ended Magic March a few days early so I could have a bit of a blow-out but I didn't mention that to HB because I didn't want her getting sloppy . The break has given me back my enthusiasm and I'm rarin' to go! Similar goals, but tidied up a bit. So, in priority order and starting tomorrow:

• FINANCES. Zero waste, maximum value, all month. I've been getting a bit too comfortable with money recently and I think that's because I have found it reasonably do-able to pay the £1100 to the debts provided we don't go mad. Now I've bought a holiday I want to re-find my focus so my DFD can stay on track as Feb 19.
• BEACH BODY. Well that disappeared years ago, but I want to make sure I am a toned size 10 before 12th June. So - sensible diet, low alcohol, lots of water and fruit and veg, and some regular toning exercises.
• SPRING CLEANING.I was wildly optimistic thinking I could get the entire house done by the end of April. At this rate I will have only just finished the kitchen. But I'm going to do something everyday because even though I've only done one quarter of the kitchen so far it is looking GREAT and I feel so much better for it. I want the whole house like that.