Scuba's Saving the Ha'Pennies

ZTD

scubaangel wrote: »

Had a lovely day out yesterday, wandered around the Christmas Market at Winchester with a friend and one of her other friends from Uni. Got the train home from her house and walked from the station up to my house as it was a lovely mild dry evening.

Lovely days are what you need right now.

scubaangel wrote: »

Spent today trying to find a ladder I could borrow so I can get in to the loft and try to get at the water tank which is overflowing.

Annoyingly after getting in to the loft hatch the tank is too far from the opening for me to reach and the location of the hatch is so akwardly placed half over the bath that I can't safely climb in fully to have a proper look while I'm home alone - not seen my friendly neighbour around for a week or so or I'd have asked him to come in and help (albeit I'd not ask him to climb in to the loft as he's had several operations lately). This means I am going to have to get hold of my landlord which I've been avoiding doing since they sent the S21. I know I need to as they want to do an inspection, and now to get this sorted out, but given how busy I've been at work and how stressed work, home etc has been making me the idea of having a stranger in the house while it's a complete tip - not dirty just very untidy as I've been trying to declutter which has the effect of making everything seem so much more cluttered....... - has just made me feel worse.

Right...first questions.

1. Is the overflow internal or external? (i.e. out of the pipe)
2. Are you metered?

Do *NOT* attempt it on your own. Breaking something (of your own body) by falling out of a loft hatch is not an option.

Also, get some big bags (the IKEA zipped ones are good) and stuff all your clutter into it. Out of sight, out of mind and all that. If at this stage, you just divide the bags into "keep" and "unsure", it'll help.

I know what you mean about the clutter. I'm up to the stratosphere in boxes, yet have empty wardrobes...

scubaangel

Its external and yes, hence wanting to look at it today given the size of the available loft space I can touch the wall/roof at every point except the side of the tank which is the one causing the problem.

Breaking something would be a bloody good reason for not going back to work for a while and mean I have time to job hunt and move.

The problem with the clutter is that alot of it has lived in bags and boxes since I moved and now I have to move again I really need to get it sorted out. Plus the stuff I have which I don't need like the set of cutlery I bought when I first moved in but still have sat in the back of a cupboard after I picked up my decent stuff last year - if I put it back in the cupboard I'll just end up packing it and moving it to the new place.

Got all the ex's DVD's in a large storage box which I'm slowly getting sent away to music magpie and CEX when I have appropriate sized boxes from work - only managed to get the last of them in there tonight so I also have a DVD rack to get rid of (argos wood look thing, ugly but functional and now un-needed) so I'll get that and some of the other household stuff on to gumtree and the local facebook groups tomorrow.

ZTD

scubaangel wrote: »

Its external and yes, hence wanting to look at it today

Internal would be bad. External, not so much. Water rates are a couple of quid per metric ton. A ton is quite a bit of water, so don't worry about it too much.

You can always close the stop !!!! a little to stem the flow if required.

scubaangel wrote: »

The problem with the clutter is that alot of it has lived in bags and boxes since I moved and now I have to move again I really need to get it sorted out. Plus the stuff I have which I don't need like the set of cutlery I bought when I first moved in but still have sat in the back of a cupboard after I picked up my decent stuff last year - if I put it back in the cupboard I'll just end up packing it and moving it to the new place.

The issue is "time". Promise faithfully you will sort it out when you get into your next house...and just put it into a bag to move.

No, it's not ideal, but biting something else off to chew when you're already biting off something to chew isn't ideal either. Especially if it's stressing you.

Write a list, and prioritise it. You'll have to accept that some things at the bottom of the list won't be done yet, but keep the list as a workplan for when you move.

ZTD

Wow...you can't even say "cock" these days.

What about "throbbing member"?

scubaangel

If I get the flat I've gone for I get the keys mid Jan, but wont have time to actually move until almost a week later - so my plan right now is until I go north for Christmas sort out stuff I want rid of gumtree/facebook/mm/CEX it.

Stuff I want to keep but don't need particularly like the autographed/dedicated books from goodreads can go back to Dad's house and live on the shelves there. Along with anything else like bedding for the double duvet I dumped the other week - still have a double duet at Dad's but only kingsize here now.

Once I come back from Christmas and New Year in the north I'll start packing in earnest - I should have a week or so between coming back and getting the keys to the next place. Then I'll start taking stuff over there before/after work until I move fully, things like the boxes which live on the IKEA shelves in the bedroom can just be moved as they are, and once they're off the shelves I can dismantle the units and shift them in the car as well. I figure the more that's packed and shifted before my final move day the easier it'll be to unpack and get organised once I'm fully in. Assuming I get the flat it has a huge built in wardrobe so clothes can all be moved pretty much first thing and it'll be out of the way when the rest of the furniture arrives (currently torn between van hire and talking male friends in to a pizza and beer party - they're squaddies they're easy to con/please and likely to be cheaper if I can get a weekend off work to do it, if it has to be mid week then removals will have to be the chosen option).

While I'm home I plan to retrieve the good vacuum I had before from Dad's, and hopefully Mum will let me take the carpet cleaner - if I can get the vacuum I can dispose of the not particularly good small one I have now.

So there is a plan, just not one which allows for clean tidy house so the landlord can inspect before New Year.

There is some stuff I know I need to fix, couple of small holes where I've put up a mirror, and some scuffed paint in the porch from when I was keeping the bike in there and one fairly long dent in the plaster from furniture moving when I moved in - works handy man from looking at photos reckons its self fixable I just need filler, some way to sand it flat if necessary and to find out what colour paint it is to try and match it (thankfully the check in report mentions patchy uneven paintwork).

PS That would be the red stop valve on the pipework next to the tank I can't reach or the brass one under the sink that I've tried to turn but can't get moving......

scubaangel

Today's decluttering has involved realsing the fruit tea bags in the jars in my cupboard must be at least 5 years old and throwing them out, washing the jars and refilling them with the pasta that didn't fit in my pasta jar.

Also sorting out one of the boxes under the TV which has mostly pens and pencils in it, all the not working biros have been rehomed in to the bin along with an electronic sudoku game I don't think I've ever actually used. Then doing three pages of sudoku from a book - the finished ones were then torn out and chucked in the recycling.

I've also finished reading Testament of Youth, which was a goodreads win a few months ago, whle I did enjoy it it doesnt meet the criteria to find a space on my bookshelves as its not autographed or personalised so is in the box of stuff going to my Dad's so I can add it to the books I plan to sort out disposing of while I'm home.

ZTD

scubaangel wrote: »

Once I come back from Christmas and New Year in the north I'll start packing in earnest - I should have a week or so between coming back and getting the keys to the next place.

Is work going to be easy enough to allow you the time?

PS That would be the red stop valve on the pipework next to the tank I can't reach or the brass one under the sink that I've tried to turn but can't get moving......

If I had a lever, I could move the world...

Just don't wrench it off the wall... :eek:

scubaangel wrote: »

Today's decluttering has involved realsing the fruit tea bags in the jars in my cupboard must be at least 5 years old and throwing them out,

I take it you're not a fan of that flavour then...

I had 4 year old passata a couple of months ago (back of cupboard, not deliberately aged). It had a lovely mellow flavour, but would probably be outrageously expensive to do commercially.

scubaangel wrote: »

Also sorting out one of the boxes under the TV which has mostly pens and pencils in it, all the not working biros have been rehomed in to the bin along with an electronic sudoku game I don't think I've ever actually used. Then doing three pages of sudoku from a book - the finished ones were then torn out and chucked in the recycling.

I can't get away with sudoku. I think one of the problems is that I'm mathematically minded, so most of the ones I've seen have been pretty easy. The only really difficult one I've had, was a one with a non-unique solution (i.e. too few filled in numbers). It took me embarrassingly *ages* to realise what the problem was.

scubaangel

If I had anything I could use as a lever........

I have a feeling the assorted tea flavours were from a phase my sister had when she didn't want to have caffiene but like many other things I ended up with them when I moved out. The fruit teas I like I tend to only drink at work when I don't have to pay for it.

Mostly the sudoku were testing the biros, they're something if I do a few I find them incredibly easy but just don't have time or patience to sit and do often.

Work today was more of the same, hassle from some people over things which aren't by fault and guests with no concept of time keeping. But it means I have only 1 day before I get to face the M25, M40 and M6 to head home - best do some packing tonight.

scubaangel

Didn't pack last night, just finished doing it now. I seem to have an awful lot of stuff for a 10 day trip to my parents - suitcase, bag with running and swimming kit, bag with shoes, bag with contents of my wash basket, carrier bag with bottled water and energy drinks, laptop bag and handbag.

Also got the payment for the books - decent service, they arrived at the place on Monday, were checked yesterday and the money is in paypal today.

Unfortunately I've also had a payment request from the new letting agent - £1.9k in remaining fees, deposit and first months rent. Will transfer that once I arrive in the north either tonight or tomorrow morning before I go out and do my Christmas shopping - Dad's other bit, all of my Aunt, Step Dad and Nana's - the latter 3 I have no idea what to get for them yet.

scubaangel

Arrived north after a rather shockingly easy drive - left at around 1815, stopped for a coffee mid way and arrived here about 2300.

Found a pile of packages on my bed which included a Christmas/Hogswatch pressie from my like a brother friend and his Lady, they know me well enough that one of the three gifts inside was unwrapped so I'm currently introducing The Librarian to part of my home Library (and my old green bathrobe...though I lack bananas for him).