Second Time Lucky

amycool

Got a text this morning to say my first mortgage payment will be taken on 1st September. So, my starting balance is

£70,250

We probably won't overpay until October as then I'll be able to see exactly how much all of the bills will be and get myself sorted. By then I'm hoping the new boiler will be fitted.

We are umming and ahhhing over the bathroom. We definitely need to get a shower fitted ASAP as we can't keep sharing bath water! But I'm not sure I can face the upheaval of a whole bathroom replacement so soon after moving. Might have to look into replacing the suite and leaving the tiling until next year, but not sure how that works.

Furniture/stuff to buy:
Garage/shed door
Double bed
Single bed
Bedside cabinets
Sideboard
Lamps
TV Cabinet
Doorbell
Various sized energy saving lightbulbs
Step for the kitchen
Toilet roll holder
Safety goggles for hedge trimming
Tumble Drier
Lampshade for bedroom
Scaffolding boards for raised beds

amycool

Bad money news - there's talk of more redundancies the year after next at my work. Eek.

giblet1979

Congrats on the move, but sorry to hear of all the stress. I do feel your pain!

Hope you're feeling much better now? x

amycool

Thanks Giblet! On the plus side, being so busy takes my mind off feeling ill so I can't mope around. The sinuses are definitely improving. I'm hoping the new house and surroundings will help my lung condition.

Boiler man is coming on Thursday night. Going to prepare myself for the quote! I know I should probably get 3 quotes but as he's a family friend it means I don't get all stressed about having a stranger in the house and I can go out without worrying. They're not the cheapest but not extortionate either.

amycool

I'm looking forward to finding some time to actually read some diaries soon! Off to work soon so just a quick update.

Got the solicitor's cheque of £825 so I'll probably pay this in next month so it seems like extra money. The bank is a bus journey away too so I'd rather not spend £4 just to pay in money.

Got the van deposit back too.

Had to make some figures up to make my spreadsheet add up!

The threat of redundancy sounds very serious. It will be next year and it looks like they're cutting a third so ideally we need to reach a point by then where we can live on one wage. I'm not totally pessimistic as I am good at my job, but you never know. It's tough finding new work with a chronic health condition as it's hard not to mention it (and once you do they'll find a reason not to employ you) and I'm limited in the type of work and the hours I can do. I love my job so hopefully I can hang on a little longer.

So the plan is to sit down with my OH at some point and take a hard look at the figures. I think it would be wise to save a larger emergency fund so some of the big projects we had planned may have to wait. I'll still overpay though as that will save us money in the long-term.

giblet1979

Hey amy,
I think that's a really good plan - if you can live on one wage and save and/or overpay the rest (pretty much) you'll be in an excellent position for any eventuality
Fingers crossed for you tho x

amycool

Thanks Giblet!

I've just sent off for a code so I can access my mortgage account online. I think then you have to phone to get the sort code and account number and then I can start to overpay!

The boiler man has been and I was relieved with the quote. I had budgeted up to £4000 as it could have been complicated but he thinks it should come in somewhere around £2500-£2750 depending on the boiler we choose. I've opted for a larger boiler in case we want to add more radiators in the future and a snazzy wireless thermostat thing. The old boiler had a basic dial for setting it and we'd often set it to come on early on weekdays then forget and waste all that heat at the weekend when we're still in bed. I should get a proper quote soon but unfortunately they're really busy right now so it might be quite some time of having baths to come!

I have begun to tackle the mega hedge and now have blisters. I'm using a rather rusty pair of hedge trimmers. Now I have a shed I'm hoping to sort all the tools out and look after them properly in future.

I was about to order a compost bin and then remembered that my Mum has an old one buried under some bushes. It might be knackered but it's worth looking and seeing if we can put it to use. Then we just need to remove a few slabs so it can sit on the earth and we can start using the garden waste and food waste. There's a weird pointless gap between the shed and the hedge so that will be perfect and out of the way.

amycool

Oh b*gger. Just checked TCB and the £70.70 I am owed for the home insurance hasn't even appeared! Then I read loads of negative comments saying they never pay out. I'll be gutted if they don't pay as I could have got it much cheaper. Never mind.

amycool

The postman has been. He has brought the following news:

• Council tax is so much more expensive here! :eek:
• The old mortgage is officially paid off:j
• We owe £1.19 to the electric company
• The bank have written to my old address to let me know they have updated my address details :rotfl:
• We really did need the redirection!

Seeing as iMeasure has gone weird, I'm going to make a spreadsheet for my utility usage.


This week we have used:
2 units of gas
29 units of electricity
<1 unit of water


We've been using the electric immersion heater so that should come down (and the gas go up unfortunately!) once we get the new boiler.


No idea how much those units have cost as BG still haven't set us up an account.

amycool

Got the final quote on the boiler - £2718

But didn't get to be optimistic for long as there is now a leak in the bedroom! Went up in the loft and at first it looked like the water tank, but on closer inspection there's no water coming out. However, a quick look outside showed the probable culprit - a removed chimney. It's capped but the tiles around it look a bit old and knackered. The soaked ceiling and wall are exactly below it. So now we need to find a roofer and hope it's a straightforward job.

Looking on the bright side, our loft is huge! Definitely looks convertible if the need ever arose.

In the meantime I have been hairdrying the wall!

Today's jobs:

Pay in solicitor cheque
Take some boxes back to work
Get details of roofer from in-laws
Food shopping
Drop post round to old owner
Buy doorbell/toilet brush/bin/blu tack/other things I have forgotten
Go furniture shopping
Drop off spare keys at old house
Mow front lawn

That seems like a lot.:o