The impossible dream

Tahlullah.H

The builder has delivered the materials for the base of the garden room.  The project is locked and loaded!!  Hopefully, he will lay the base next week - weather permitting - and then it's wait for it to dry before the suppliers can come and deliver and erect.  Really excited.  Have already got the desk and chair, the tiles for the floor, paint for the walls and an easy chair.  Not sure about the easy chair, but it would be nice to be able to just sit and relax a moment, before returning to the desk to get on with more work.  Next thing to concentrate on is the power supply and the light source.  But I can't really determine what will happen until it is erected and I can see how much space I have to play with once the desk is in. Anyway, stage 1 of world domination!

Have managed to buy a tilting parasol.  Not had opportunity to try it out, but why would it not work?  I will try to sell mine a bit later on in the year.  It's really big and made from wood, somebody might want to take it off my hands.

Surveys are going well for the year, I have already made over £145, plus I have more to claim but there is an issue with my cache not allowing the claim to go through.  Certain I will be able to get it sorted.  Sales not doing as well as hoped, but that is the way of ebay.  I may try to sell one of my Dyson vacs.  Not sure if it will sell, but far too good to go in the bin.  May give that more thought as well.

No spend days are going ok, I seem to be doing about 4 out of 7 days per week as no-spend.  Fuel usage is under control as well, despite the awful storms we have experienced recently.  I am hoping I don't need to fill the gas tank until next winter.  If I do, then I don't have it under control as much as I would wish.  Still waiting for British Gas to sort out my electricity, no doubt it will be expensive, so pointless looking for an alternative supplier at the moment.  I may as well sit and wait along with everyone else.

Mortgage is coming down slowly, but that's no surprise as I don't have that much disposable income to syphon off in it's direction.  I just need to ensure that I am able to pay the normal bills as they come through from April onwards and the building work bills as they are demanded.  Everything else is chopped liver.

Lost my mojo in relation to work.  I can see my tasks list growing longer because I don't seem able to focus at the moment.  I am not panicking as I am certain I will catch up, but not sure why I cannot be bothered.

savingholmes

Sorry you lost work mojo

Could be distraction of building work?

Have a good weekend

Tahlullah.H

Updates.  NSD's are going well, so is making money - have managed £233 this year so far.  If this continues, I will make at least £1k from surveys etc.  Happy with that result.  £1k for doing nothing.

Still eating out of the freezer with fresh fruit and veg being topped up by Lidl's £1.50 box per week.

The garden room base is down.  Not sure it is the right size.  Will have to wait for the wood frame to be removed and then measure.  No idea what you do if it's the wrong size!  He was sent the measurements, and asked before he started, but anything could have happened.  Will wait and see.

The glass in the staircase is progressing.  The workman should be coming next week to make the template for the glass, then it would be how long it takes from ordering to delivery and then fitting.  This should be relatively quick.

So, update on my building life.

• Chimney still not done.
• Scaffolding still up since August last year.
• Base on garden room slowly drying in the rain.
• Garden room to be erected.
• Underfloor heating and tiling to be done when room built.
• Bedroom still to completed for guests.

Lots of half projects, but progress always being made, considering how little money is available.

Mortgage still being paid down, so that is positive.  Building work being paid for from my PB's, which is my Emergency Fund.   Perhaps I should be concerned about this, but right now, I would rather use my money and enjoy it, than have it sat doing nothing in the Governments account.

British Gas are enjoying themselves with the electricity bill.  Currently they have set the rate, but I don't think it will be anywhere near what it needs to be, so I will probably fall into arrears with it.  But, I am not going to stress about preparing for the worst. I would rather be in comfort in my home, considering what I have to do to pay the electric bill, than sat on lots of money, dissatisfied with my home.

Small steps to where I want to be in 3 years time.

TallGirl

Well done sounds great progress home some of the half finished projects starts to be completed soon so you can reap the rewards 

savingholmes

Hope your garden room is okay. Have you spoken to the builder about it just to check?

Tahlullah.H

Quick update since 10 March.  And, there has been no progress.

Had a family bereavement, so been off grid for a while.  Funeral coming up, not buying a new dress.  Have a black one I can squeeze into, so will go with this.  Not really the time to be spending money I don't have on things I don't need.

Chimney still not done, despite being told they were coming last weekend.  Oh well, at least the scaffolding bill is not going up.
Garden base is awful, if you can have such a thing.  But no fear, I have a plan which will disguise it's poor quality build once the garden room is erected.
The glass for the staircase had ground to a halt, the workman didn't come as arranged to dot he measuring, but I can cope with that.  I am certain that given time, he will come back.  He said he was busy last time we spoke and he has to travel all over the country, so he could just be out of area.  No reason to panic when all that is happening is that I am not spending money.
No progress on the guest bedroom, so have missed the Easter holiday opportunity.  Bit difficult to have guests when there is scaffolding hindering access to the garden, which itself resembles a bomb site due to the poor quality of the base build.  Oh well, Rome was not built in a day.

NSD's going as well as can be.  Money being spent due to the bereavement, time with family, travel etc.  Work have been good, so no pressure from that end. 
Took the car in for some work, which was amazingly cheap.  Not made a difference unfortunately, so my car has a particular quirk which does not hamper its functioning or performance.  I just have to accept that this is the car!
Surveys have slowed during the period of grieving, so my make money plans have faltered.  But, still at over £300 in March, so on track for £100 per month, hopefully.  It occurred to me that I am not including money made on Shop and Scan or Top Cashback, because I don't take the money until Christmas, so I am really at more than the £300.  All good.

My emergency fund is depleting as work gets done.  At least I have the money to pay for the work, when it eventually happens, and in between, there is the remote chance I might just win something on the PB's where the money is saved.

Selling on ebay is becoming a waste of time.  I may give it up as a bad job and just take everything to the charity shop.  I want stuff gone and they may have more success.

The freezer is still full.  Not gone down much this last week or so as I have been away from home a lot.  I had planned to try and eat out of the freezer, but I am now thinking this is not a great idea.  Perhaps keeping the freezer as full as possible is the correct plan, in preparation for when I have to choose between buying food and paying the exorbitant electric bill, at least I will have food in the freezer to eat.  There is no need or reason to empty it, beyond spending less now, but as I am already frugal, there is no reason to go beyond what I am already doing.

Fuel prices are still stupidly high.  I filled the car yesterday and it cost £92.00.  A normal fill used to be around £60.00.  Oh well, hopefully, that will be it for another week.  Expect the same spend next week and then we will see what happens.   Hopefully the cost of fuel will reduce enough for me to see a return to normal operating the week after.

All new bills have come in, so I know what the monthly spend will be.  Not as bad as expected surprisingly.  The one which will cause the most pain will be the electric, but the DD is set at an amount I can cover at the moment, but I expect it to be wrong so it will increase as my electric use is always high.  Still not heard from British Gas regarding any money owed from the demise of Together Energy.  Pointless getting concerned or upset about it, whatever will be, will be.

The mortgage is still going down, however slowly, but at least it is in the right direction.  Still on track currently to end in 2.5 years, assuming I can continue to pay at this rate of overpayment.  The car loan is coming down as well, again expected to be paid off in 2.5 years.  I have made the decision that I will keep this car and run it until it dies.  Not something I usually do, but I really like this car and I know I do not have the money to buy a newer model at present, and perhaps not in a years time, when I really should be replacing it due to the high mileage.

Bought an air fryer, after all the positive comments from other frugalist's on this site.  Bought one with a removable basket as recommended.  It says its not supposed to go in the dishwasher, but I really cannot be bothered to stand there washing by hand, so shoved it in.  Came out fine so will continue to do this with the removable front section going forward.  It's ok to use, I can see how it will reduce the electricity use in the kitchen, swapping from the oven, but I have to learn to use it instead of the oven and it's not been possible all the time as yet.  But I have high hopes that between it and the microwave, cooking costs will reduce, along with cooking time.

Using the open fire regularly at the moment whilst it is cold in the evening and making the most of solar gain during the day.  But we are going back into another cold spell, so the heating will be on a few times and I will be making the most of the open fire and the heated throw during the day and the electric blanket at night.

All good, we are heading to summer.

savingholmes

Sorry to hear about your bereavement. Gentle hugs.

Irritating about the workmen.

You seem to be managing your competing demands well. Hope things improve soon.

Tahlullah.H

I have been a member of this forum for a long time, but I am now considering leaving.  Not because I feel it has nothing else to offer, quite the opposite, I feel there is much to be gained from hearing what others are doing to achieve their dreams, whilst surviving in this current perfect storm. However, I just find that the nastiness and judgementalism of others, who believe themselves to be superior and perfect, where others are less deserving and not living to their exacting standards, I just find unpalatable.

It is one thing to think it, but to feel comfortable declaring that others are below your standards and that they expect more from people who they have never met, just really turns my stomach.  So, I will see how I go on.  I will read and perhaps keep to myself, monitoring my own progress and try to stay away from those who believe that others are not worthy and are only deserving of their contempt.

How sad that this forum is turning into every other forum, but why do I expect anything else?  Society is full of people who look down on others because they don't drive the right car, don't send their children to the right school, don't wear the correct brand of clothing. 

And every forum is made up of people from that society.

Humdinger1

@Tahlullah.H I am so sorry that you've been on the receiving end of such behaviour! This is all about them and not about you.  I'm a volunteer debt coach and the first and biggest step is to get people to realise that they have a value as a person that's not based on stuff.  You are doing brilliantly and are a fab person. 

Please keep going as you have so many admirers on here.  Love Humdinger xx 

Mrs_Money_Penny

Please don’t go. Love your diary your doing so well xx