Raring to go ......

Tiggermad

After being a long time lurker I'm taking the plunge and starting a diary :T

DH and I have been mortgage free on our first house for about 3 years now. I had a well paid but very stressful senior teaching position that allowed us to pay off our mortgage, along with lots of advice from here

When we paid off the mortgage I found a nice little 8-4pm job in walking distance that keeps things ticking over. We went down to one car, adopted two 12 year old rescue dogs :eek: and kind of drifted along.

Now we have decided it's time to move on, after nearly 14 years here. We have had an offer accepted on a house and had an offer on ours. Things are in the hands of the solicitors and moving far too slowly for my liking :rotfl: however we have started packing as we will find somewhere, even if things don't go to plan for this one.

So, after 3 or 4 years of being mortgage free we are taking the plunge and moving on up the property ladder :j and it's a bit of a scary prospect with my wage being a lot lower! So the planning starts now as neither of us want this mortgage hanging around for any longer then it needs too ..........

Tiggermad

We're trying to do a bit each evening to prepare for moving so this evening I have sorted out a bag of craft stuff to take to the children's ward in the hospital where I work, a bag to take to the charity shop, sorted through the pile of paperwork/ shredding (how long do you keep paperwork for?), done three bags full of shredding and filled 3 boxes.

Failed dismally on the nsd and the diet bought some chocolate from the shop but saved some for tomorrow so hoping to make that a nsd. Oops, no it won't be as need to buy lunch. However Monday and Tuesday were nsd's ........

Hollyboll

Welcome Tiggermad ... you'll already know what a great board it is, and if you managed mf without a diary I'm sure you'll race back there once you are posting on your thread. Very impressed you've been there already and have such clear strategies ... and at your prepping to move. Deeply confused though by one thing ... the concept of keeping some chocolate?!
ps I keep paperwork for far too long, but I aspire to keep very little in hard copy but scan what I want to keep.

ourcornercottage

Can I recommend spending £20 on a garden incinerator and burning your paperwork, saves hours of shredding. I did this when I was moving as someone recommended it to me and still do it now.

EatingTheElephant

Hello Tiggermad, you must have lots of tips and tricks already! Good luck with the moving preparations

Tiggermad

Hello guys, thanks for commenting

Well, the chocolate didn't last long this morning, not so much elevenses as eat almost as soon as I arrived ...... (at 8am). I'm surprised I managed to save it, I'm more of a see it, eat it all girl
The garden incinerator is a great idea! I'll tell DH as he likes things that involve fire :rotfl:

Managed to get hold of some stronger smaller boxes today so that'll be the weekend job. Had a cheese scone and hot chocolate for lunch so a lsd rather then a nsd (must do better).

I have a few tricks I use as DH has been made redundant twice in the time we've been together (19 years :eek:) and the second time it took him nearly a year to get another job so used to making the money go further which will come in handy.

Tiggermad

Well, into a new month we go. I have been in my new job for nearly a year now and I should receive my 'increment' shortly (I work in the NHS so this seems to be standard) and also hoping with it being April next month that will involve a small increase too, every little helps :T

Need to really work on the not spending money at work though, there are two cafes and two shops and nearly everyone in the office has a vice of some sort either sweets, chocolate, cake, scones, hot chocolate etc so I am constantly surrounded by people eating and drinking things that smell nice! So far this week I have bought a hot chocolate, three scones, a bag of sweets and a bar of chocolate and it soon adds up - all of that comes to just over £7 :eek: in one week! Must do better ....

Got some house woes. The homebuyers survey for the property we are considering purchasing has highlighted some issues that we weren't aware of. I know that is the point of the survey but 4 of them are potentially quite expensive including replacing a flat roof that needs bringing up to standard, replacing lead lined water pipes, making good on an extension from the 1970's that was done cheaply (chipboard floors etc) and the extension has been built over drainage pipes and has no paperwork. So going to have another look tomorrow and have managed to get a builder to come with us to give an idea of costs but thinking it might just be too much over and above our planned refurb budget. And it is more work then we anticipated so should we cut our losses now (approx £1000) or not. I'm in a dilemma

Good news, managed to bring down the credit card bill this month. Would be good to maintain this but we will see.

Tiggermad

One house viewing down, 3 more to go

Nice, big, light rooms. Needs some updating but nothing we couldn't live with. DH was quite taken with the place. Need to put our thinking caps on as this is a big financial decision......

beanielou

Happy shiny new diary

Tiggermad

Hi Beanielou

Had a nice cheap food shop this weekend as we are using up the freezer and store cupboards. Had a nsd today, so that is good too

Finally received our mortgage offer today, almost a week after our conveyancer and mortgage adviser/ broker :rotfl:

Big decision to make. Whilst thinking that the current house we have offered on might have too many extra issues we looked round at some others and saw what I'd probably describe as our dream house. We wouldn't need to move again as it is a bungalow and it just needs some updating although everything is very liveable. But it is at the absolutely maximum top end of our budget and it would mean pulling out of our current house and starting over again with the mortgage application etc, provided of course our offer is accepted. DH loves it but isn't keen on us going to the top of our budget and stretching ourselves. Me however, I'm thinking it would be a long term project that could be updated as and when and it'll save us moving again in 5-10 years time..............

EatingTheElephant

Exciting stuff