Balancing not just the budget

kerri_gt

Oh that's frustrating about the pressure washer. I'm sure ours just has a hose attachment but to plug the hose on to. 🤔 that said I haven't used it for a bit, last time I did i accidentally took out quite a lot of pointing between the patio slabs. 

RosaBernicia

kerri_gt said:

Oh that's frustrating about the pressure washer. I'm sure ours just has a hose attachment but to plug the hose on to. 🤔 that said I haven't used it for a bit, last time I did i accidentally took out quite a lot of pointing between the patio slabs. 

Looking around it seems you can get a garden hose adaptor for it, so I've cancelled the other orders and will sort it another time.  I was going to pick up a garden hose today but things did not run to plan! 

kerri_gt

That's good, at least it sounds less expensive. It's so frustrating when it's not clear on items what is / isn't needed in addition.
Actually I'm not sure our hose would now connect. DM gave us her hose last year and I sold our other one which had lots of connectors as her hose was better overall (and matched the sprinkler she'd prev given us when the lawn was returfed). 🤔 oh well. Shan't worry atm.

RosaBernicia

kerri_gt said:

That's good, at least it sounds less expensive. It's so frustrating when it's not clear on items what is / isn't needed in addition.
Actually I'm not sure our hose would now connect. DM gave us her hose last year and I sold our other one which had lots of connectors as her hose was better overall (and matched the sprinkler she'd prev given us when the lawn was returfed). 🤔 oh well. Shan't worry atm.

It looks to be worth checking around for connectors and backflow preventers (which I didn't know were a thing but are apparently now a legal requirement) - the brand name one is £50 but I found another option from a pro dealer on 3bay for £12. 

kerri_gt

I replaced our garden tap last year (the prev one was leaking and I couldn't get into the thing to get the washer out so new tap it was), and I'm pretty sure the one I bought had the backflow valve in it (did quite a bit of reading at the time on it). The hose connects to our tap fine but I can't think what's at the other end between the spray gun that's currently on it and the hose itself.
Shan't worry atm, I don't use the pressure washer for the cars usually as we have a gravel drive and its just begging to kick up, and i washed our patio at the weekene Cinderella stylie with a scrubbing brush and some Pink stuff cream cleanser and it came up pretty well.

Buffythedebtslayer

Rosa, if it is any consolation I have both a normal hose and curly wurly hose and I can't get either of them to fit any where, I would be hopeless with a pressure washer! 

RosaBernicia

Well, I have just faced up to entering all my holiday transactions into YNAB.  I'm pleasantly surprised and slightly suspicious to find that they all seem covered and I appear to have enough left to pay the sparky!

I had a fab time, spent less than I thought I guess as we didn't eat out much and I didn't need as much fuel as I thought either. 

Bit to find there is still loads to be done with this house, but I was happy to come back here - oddly more so than I ever was to get back to the last one.  So hopefully the move will turn out to have been all worth it 

RosaBernicia

Oh and another small moneysavi!ng thing - the van loan now has less than a year to run and is more than covered by its value.  Still a stupidly massive cost given that I've only just got to use it, but it's not as if I could have predicted lockdown or the other factors.  So pleased that that is now an asset rather than a weight. 

RosaBernicia

Well, the good news is it's only a week to payday.  The bad news is that I am £350 over budget, need all my spare cash this payday to cover work on the house in August, and have had my first late payment fee in YEARS after getting distracted from my usual budget reviews with visitors here.  Oh and the car insurance falls next month and I haven't got that covered in the pot either... plus I've booked the van in for review.  And I've got an exam resit to pay for!  Arrrg!

It's mostly remediable next month, I will just make use of the credit card if necessary.  Groceries and petrol are high due to visitors and I've had a few spends on the house and on me.  I think I'm going to have to do some online ordering for clothes as the year changes, I seem to have gone off everything I had pre pandemic and all my in-the-house stuff is wearing out!

Hopefully another visitor next month, but not likely to be expensive as she is low on funds atm and we know each other well enough to be upfront about it and find cheap options.  Tbh I feel a little exploited by one of my recent visitors.  I thought I had clearly suggested local exploring and was expecting we would eat out for some if not most meals and split costs - instead I appear to have done all the driving, paid for double groceries as she wouldn't eat out at all - not even coffee - and covered two extra days of it as she had an issue that meant she worked from my house for two days before going back!  And that was after clarifying that I had no recollection of offering to take the campervan away to the mountains which would have required cat boarding, campsite fees, advance shopping and organising weeks in advance!  It was lovely to have company again but I obviously need to be clearer about expectations. 

I may be able to get the car insurance down further than last year as I drive a lot less and I'll try going through the same broker as the van.  Once the booked costs for the house are done I hope the rest will be smaller except for carpets, but tbh I've rather given up on getting things 'finished' any time soon and am accepting the house will just have to evolve along with me. 

So I suppose still plodding in the right direction... just a bit of a stumble and getting back on track! 

Hope everyone is well out there

RB xx

RosaBernicia

MSE win to report!

£80 saved off the car insurance renewal   very pleased with myself.  £45 better quote, still Defaqto 5 star rated with legal insurance included.  And £35 cashback to come.  Worth the 45 minutes of faff resetting comparison site passwords and checking when I got my Pass Plus after all. 

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