2016 - a year of change

lulabelle

boy was supposed to make lunch today (we have a deal where I do all the laundry and he makes work lunches) but as he's out for lunch he forgot me! So will have to go out and get a sarnie - not a NSD! We also need milk so I'll have to grab that on way home.

Meeting with lawyer today re boundary issue - talked it through with the boy this morning and hoping it is relatively easy to solve.

Have last pilates session tonight. Really can't be bothered to go but it's pre-paid and I've already missed 2. Though I do find it makes my shoulders and neck worse.

Dinner is cassoulet from freezer - don't really like it but needs eating and there is literally nothing else!!!

Hoping can get through this weekend not spending more than £100 (including shop for week and contribution to a friend's birthday present) so that I can then hoof £300 off into house account - going to be tough but will try to get the boy on a tight rein with the shopping list!!

lulabelle

GOD! Life is not very happy at the moment.

Mortgage was FINALLY approved yesterday (which is good news). Bad news is that because I was asking for returns, the tax office have reviewed things and they have messed up and not included my rental income for 2014 so are now going to whack me with a tax bill! So with that, and the extra £1300 or so for leasehold - I am now going to be hit with a fee of around £2500 which we really don't need right now.

Further problems with our house as the owners have removed certain features on the land against the relevant law and have to rectify it before we can buy. Plus need an agreement drafting with neighbours re boundary. Why is nothing ever simple?! I basically will have nothing left after buying this house and me dealing with it (as they boy is stacked at work) is causing us to argue.

Yesterday spent £1.65 on a sandwich (got cheapest one from m7s) and £16.50 contribution towards friend's birthday. Bit annoying as always seems to be a present to contribute towards. Will be 2 x lots for mother's day next month plus taking the "MIL" out for lunch which is fine but it's just all adding up.

Now have around £82 to last me until monday so just having to hope that we don't go out this weekend and that we curb the shopping. I will then be able to pay over around £300 from this month's budget to house fund which is good

lulabelle

weirdly though, this is the first week I've felt not bothered that I have a 3 day weekend and was even considering going into work today! Think things have changed a bit since that chat with line manager and seem better.

Just booked ferry to france for a trip with friends for the summer - 91.20 each - but comes out of holiday account so all ok. Getting away with my close group of friends (there will be 8 of us hiring a house/gite) and so can't wait. They are great fun. Though I guess I may be preggers by then so unable to partake in the luscious french red!

lulabelle

the boy is still at work. He's now been there 12 hours. He is working crazy at the moment as they have a massive deal on. Plan had been to do a big shop then just have a pizza from that shop but not sure either of us feel like it now.

Did nothing today but stress about the house this morning. Valuation company called the boy and took payment for survey but it seemed wrong. I called them and the bank had given them our current address as the property to be surveyed and hadn't told them we wanted a homebuyer's rather than standard valuation! Valuation company wouldn't take instructions from me so had to contact bank to get them to sort it out. Which they have now but a big stress this morning.

Slept this afternoon. Then woke to a call where we had bought a painting when away. Gallery said it "wouldn't be much" to have it shipped yet are now saying (after we've bought it) its £115!!!

I think we are just going to end up going out for a curry tonight. The boy said we should get some drinks. Even though I'm not supposed to be. I suppose though I know I'm not pregnant yet so will a beer cause a problem?

Really feel like everything is getting on top of me again.

Poor_Single_lady

Lula I feel for you. House purchasing is so stressful. I'm sure you know already it will be worth it, but in the process it does feel like you are describing and is never easy.

I think in your circumstances it would be normal to argue, not because you don't love each other, but because it's so tense and stressful.

I'm not sure what to suggest for stress relief, I tend to have a radox bath, put music on and paint toe nails or food shop and cook or what distraction film or cinema.

There will be an end and it will all come together, and you will always manage. But 100% before that happens it is tough. What is it you say to me? Hang on in there - It's good advice you know! xx

lulabelle

Not a bad weekend. Fri night the boy took me for a curry (his treat). Drank but only 1.5 Cobras so not too bad.

Sat (and yesterday) we did big shop. Overall we paid £75 and have got some stuff which will work for next week too (as 3 for 10 on a couple of things) so that was good. Sat lunch boy wanted to go to this lovely tapas bar for lunch but I talked him out of it because of (a) what we would have spent (easily 40-50) and (b) as I knew if we went I'd want a lovely glass of red! So we got some mini quiche from m&s and salad and had it in our sunny garden which was lovely.

Sat night we had fajitas from stores and no booze even though the boy's boss had bought him a lovely bottle of red to say thanks for all the hours he's putting in (he was working from home a bit yesterday too). Sun we went to his mums for lunch, saw the niece and nephew which was fab then both went for runs and had salmon, waffles and spinach for tea.

Pay day today - woo hoo! so will "pay back" my holiday account for booking/valuation fee and then hoof spending money into spending account and hoof rest off into house account. In the end I have about £230 left over from this month's budget to put towards house - would've been £300 but hadn't anticipated the painting shipping cost and we upgraded to a home buyers survey so am paying my half towards that. As the upgrade would've come out of house account anyway, I am probably saving about £280 in real terms so happy with that.

Got to try not to spend this week - boy has made lunch from stores today and I have a lecture tomorrow lunch so free lunch. Only thing I need this week is some pre-conception vitamins as about to run out and then we will need some milk at some point so should be minimum spends until weekend

lulabelle

yesterday was NOT a good day. Had to pay 1187 more to freeholder (and they even messed that calculation up for the 3rd time! and my lawyers didn't pick it up either - no wonder conveyancing lawyers going down the pan - they are all incompetent!!) then got home to a 2.6k tax bill (payable by 18 march obviously). almost 1k of it is from them screwing up in 2014 and the remainder is because they messed up the coding. Joy.

I do need to call them as I don't really understand the calculation so need to understand it. Hopeful I will get a rebate soon though as I wasn't working for 3.5 months of 2016 and that hasn't yet been taken into account. I'm going to ask for time to pay. I do have the cash now but we need to keep some back as contingency for the house (i.e. if surveyor values it lower than we're paying and we need to make up any difference) I really hate seeing all this money going out - scares me as I just worry about the future.

Apart from that, yesterday was a NSD. Today won't be - I forgot I have a doctor's letter to pay for which is 17.10 and we need some milk. But should be minimum spend until the weekend.

System

For goodness sake it sounds like these conveyancers are the worst!!!!

lulabelle

Tell me about it sauce!

Had a row with tax office but looks like I can repay 400 a month from end april, direct out of my wages. If all ok with house I will possibly pay it all in one go but will see what happens.

Free lunch today as had lecture over lunch so that was good. Got milk on way home and a big bar of galaxy - didn't really "need" that but it was 89p on offer down from 1.29 so was good value and it will cheer me up - I also figure if I allow myself some of that (will obv share with the boy) then I'm less likely to reach for the red wine so that's good. Total was £2.07 but really £1.04 for me as split with the boy. To prevent self opening that lovely bottle of red in the cupboard I've just made myself a cup of decaf tea as I find if I pour something else, the craving subsides!

Boy working late again and prob back about 7. Tonight is cider battered plaice (from stores), potato waffles, couscous and asparagus. Hoping boy will offer to make it as I cooked last 2 nights.

Trying to rein it in as much as I can. Tomorrow should all be from stores and don't think we are out this weekend. Boy is at his mates sat night as his mate's wife is going out and he's being left with the little one so has invited the lads round for a couple of beers. I will probably stay in to avoid spending and just cook self something nice!

lulabelle

boy has forgotten to make lunch today and I don't have time so will be a spend on a sandwich. if I go m&s cheese and onion its only 1.65 so will get that. May as well go and get my vitamins at same time (and we need hand wash for kitchen and bathroom) as (a) having to leave office already to get sandwich (though I will check the partners diaries first to see if they have any meetings as there are usually leftovers!) and (b) if not going to be a NSD anyway due to sandwich requirement..

Still feeling a bit poo but had a good long sleep last night so hoping I can get through today without being too exhausted. Really need to get focused so by time my boss is back from hols I can have a bunch of precedents on his desk - nearly finished another set and hoping to polish a second off before end of working week so there will be 2 lots on his desk.

Tonight is salmon, couscous and veg all from stores. Boy probably working late again. Think it will be like this until at least next thurs when his deal goes through. Hating barely seeing him. Got up early this morning to catch him but only saw him for 5 mins. It's annoying as he's so fun to be around and makes me laugh