Preparing for the biggest move of our life

bellevie

I might be able to tuck a little more into my savings! I sent my car in for a brake check due to an intermittent squeal. They said brakes & discs are fine, they have ground it down a little to remove a lip as they dont look like they need replacing yet and they suspect the lip was causing the squeal - no charge! If issue continues then I might need to have pads & discs. I had set that money aside in preparation for replacement brakes so that I didn't need to pull it out of savings.

I will keep it in my esave for a few weeks, check the problem has stopped then move it across to the isa.

DD has had a growth spurt, leggings I bought her just a couple of months ago are already too short. They will be moved over to her 'sleep wear' drawer. The issue is she is just so slim if I go up to age 8 they will be so baggy. She has requested some jeans this year - I always get them but they are rarely worn. I think the girls in her class are getting more into fashion, so she of course is reviewing her wardrobe! The current jeans are too short, I will cut them down for shorts next summer, and I will grab her a couple of pairs from primark in my lunch next week.

I looked at that discount shopping through the car finance company, it is good discounts ranging from 4%-8% in the supermarkets & highstreet stores I shop in. My bugbear is the first cards have a delivery charge which means they wipe out the savings unless you are topping up with a massive amount. Once you have the cards however, you can register them online and top them up at a discount. So I had the idea I will pick up a couple of gift cards in town, top up with a minimal amount in store, then start moving my esavings (set aside for Christmas/birthdays) onto the relevant cards, so I will have got interest on them (albeit minimal interest) plus I will be paying less to top them up so saving more there!

That's my theory, though I have seen shops can drop on and off, Tesco were on last time, now they are not. Sainsbury, morrisons, newlook, primark, argos etc are all in the list at the moment. Argos makes complete sense, I get DD a lot from there - board games, puzzles, arts etc.

Tinkerbelle2000

Bellevie I can't believe I haven't even thought of buying a fire extinguisher. I do worry a bit when I smell a burning smell and worry more due to the people in the other three flats. They are nice people but you just never know do you. I panic thinking they might have left a chip pan on etc. Over thinking but I think having a fire extinguisher is a must in a small flat. Just a matter of where I put it now.

Well done on the savings on the car. It's good if you keep going to the same garage. Where I have mine MOT'd I get a small discount on the price every year and if ever a bulb goes I nip up there and they change it for free.

Tink xx

bellevie

I wont tuck away that money too soon, I popped out yesterday to get Mr T some more food - and to check the squeal - its definitely still there though it sounds slightly different.

The garage wont have heard it as it can take a good 5-10-15 miles before it starts to kick in
I've been googling more and some suggest dust/rust in the rear drums, there would be a labour charge to take them apart and inspect. Anyway, its under warranty, and the ford garage did tell me it had been fully checked & serviced before I got it. I emailed the sales rep, and if I dont hear back I will take it down there in the week. If its going to be something that needs investigating I wont be paying out labour if I dont need to!

The above garage is a good one Tink, they've been honest about a few things not needing doing when other garages have insisted they did etc. The bug bear is they are not in walking distance to my home or work so it means holding out til a Saturday which grates on me!

I popped into the next sale after our stop at pets at home, I got DD some jeans and a top - using money I still had on a refund card, I had completely forgotten about it so wasn't sure how much money was on it, it was a nice surprise to find it covered it all.

Today we popped out to the little Tesco's express for milk, bread, yogurts £2.87 spent. Its becoming a habit, because its just the way the cycle has happened I never need those items on a Wednesday, and I cant really go without them from Sunday - Weds due to packed lunches etc. I actually quite like our little routine, especially if we have nothing planned. DD took her bike out, she hasn't been on it in months as her helmet had broken and I've only just replaced it. She done very well, just that little growth between riding has enabled her to get a good push to start herself off! We will do that every Sunday now, its an easy bike ride for her, with a few little roads to cross so it will help perfect her safety skills.

Its a sunday, and as normal all I can think of is new home new home new home, so I will indulge my rightmove cravings and see if I can come up with another way out of this rental trap!

bellevie

My morning off, food shop came in at £27.18. I even managed to get milk today - I didn't needed it but it was dated for use by 8th October and was 5p cheaper than the corner shop!
Bread was too closely dated so will still need to restock that on sunday along with DD's yogurts!

So I am taking the plunge....or maybe dipping my toe in? I have set up an online dating profile!! I set one up a few weeks ago, left it up a few days then freaked out and took it back off then put it back on and back off etc. I gave myself some time to take some deep breaths and its back up! I have had a couple of nice messages, I am intending to stick at it and just get used to talking for now! I will take it at my pace, and I have roped a friend into helping me! I think I will ask him to read over some messages before I consider meeting people to get a males perspective on any potential dates! Its that step that I think freaks me out. I'm fine talking to people, but then I think about a date and I havent been on a date in so so so so long I just go into mini internal meltdown!
I will never snap out of it though unless I dive in, so I have decided....I will go on a date before 2017! Just one! Ok it might take me right up to 31st December to pluck up the courage to accept a date but as long as I get out once, it will be a step in the right direction!

Tinkerbelle2000

Well done Bellevie on the dating site. A lot of my friends 'found' their husbands on line.

My secret indulgence is Right Move too. Even looking at houses I would never, ever to able to afford. I looked at one recently that had 54 pictures, couldn't believe it but it was a 6 bed lol.

Tink xx

bellevie

A good week this week, kept to my shopping budget, no unnecessary spends - though I have been soooooo tempted with dates coming up!!

I should have had a lunch date tomorrow, but I just wasn't expecting it to be so soon and panicked. We have swapped numbers with a view to re-arranging soon. That wont be so bad, if its a lunch date I will be in workwear which is always reasonably nice.

Another person I have spoken to, I dont think anything will come of it due to the distance, but we can talk for hours so we have moved to WhatsApp - just friendly conversation, and I think that's all it will be, but its nice

I have a day off on Friday for inset day, which is when the car will finally be looked at.

I found my old satnav, and I have decided I must get rid of all these old phones, any money I get will go towards the boots I want for winter

bellevie

Food shop came in at £31.
I have Friday off as its inset day, but car will be in garage getting brakes looked at (warranty)

In other news, the lunch date never did get re-arranged - because the WhatsApp conversation continued with the long distance guy and he wants to travel down to meet! Im not a serial dater type, so dont feel comfortable arranging multiples. I seem to have a better rapport at least on the phone with the long distance guy. He is around 3 hours away, so we have pencilled in a date for Saturday, DD will be going to her school friends for a few hours.

I'm very nervous, especially as he is travelling so far, it's not someone round the corner who might just do so for the sake of it, so it feels like the pressure is on! I cant be having a freak out given the trouble he is going to, so I am attempting positive thoughts!
I am worried as we have very different lives hobbies etc, so I cant help but wonder if he has this picture of me in his mind that just isn't accurate. I was honest to a T in my profile, and I have given him more info since that, so I hope he isn't disappointed.
He has such an interesting life, is super confident and I am the reverse!

Fingers crossed....I keep calm enough to actually let the date go ahead!

Tinkerbelle2000

Bellevie don't panic and just enjoy your time out. You might have different lives but opposites attract and if he didn't like what he sees and knows about you he wouldn't be coming all that way.

At least he is coming to you. The idiots I met on there a couple of years ago always expected me to travel. Hmm do they not know I'm a MSE'er lol.

Have a good time and can't wait to hear about it.

Tink xx

luffa

bellevie wrote: »

In other news, the lunch date never did get re-arranged - because the WhatsApp conversation continued with the long distance guy and he wants to travel down to meet! Im not a serial dater type, so dont feel comfortable arranging multiples. I seem to have a better rapport at least on the phone with the long distance guy. He is around 3 hours away, so we have pencilled in a date for Saturday, DD will be going to her school friends for a few hours.

I've been on a dating site and apps on and off since 2013. Absolutely ever single guy I met (and also my work colleagues who are on Tinder) are meeting multiple people at the same time. I don't, I'm like you - I just can't - but I'm still single I did have one long term-ish relationship in these past 3 years, but we ended it.

Also, I wanted to say that it's easier, mentally, at least for me - to not consider the first meetings dates. Only after that 1st meeting it's a 'date' for me. A no pressure 30-min friendly coffee meeting is all it takes to know if you want a date or not. No need to stress about what to wear, just do it at lunch time or right after work on your way home. Pictures online and whatsapp conversation can be misleading...

All the best

bellevie

Thank you both!

Originally a lunch date was in mind for any other potential dates, I liked the idea that I wouldn't have to think about clothes as I always dress smartly for work, and I would be time restricted.
In this case because of his distance, it just wasn't doable.

Yes, I know in person will be completely different than on the phone, at least to start. We WhatsApp most of the time, and have spoken on the phone a couple of times. I've got to consider what to wear, worry about a bad hair day, stumble in conversation ...eek the list goes on.

Im not cut out for these kind of dates! I will go ahead, as we have spoken a lot, and I genuinely want to meet him - I definitely wont go on any further dates with others though, I cant handle the pressure