Extending our house without extending ourselves beyond our means

1LuckyLady

Happy new year PF

brizzlegirl

Happy New Year!

PurpleFairy26

Happy Nw Year you lovely lot. It's been a few weeks since my last post and much has been happening! Today feels like first day of normality as small back at school. I've chased a refund today that's over due since mid December! I've still got those tiles to take back too.

Now Christmas is packed away I feel like I can really press on and really get the house straight for the first time since the builders left. 2 rooms need gutting, both have been half done. Need to decide on which one to focus on and press on, I already have lots for the charity shop! There will be a few items to sell too.

I've still not bought anything for the extension, but I do need a pair of curtains so one room becomes usable. I've been on fleabay but not found anything, will look in the charity shop tomorrow when I intend on going in to town. I also need some shelves, but looking to see if there is anything I can repurpose first.

Payday for January has been and gone, all pots have been topped up and looking healthy. But we are aiming for a frugal month none the less, eating from the freezer as a starting point. Veggie sausage and mash for tea for starts. Will update my freezer inventory too to help with this.

I need to read the fine print of a policy to see if I can make a claim, that will be this afternoons job.

Thrilled with what we achieved in the house in 2019 and the transformation. 2020 brings us some challenges on a different front but I'm going to embrace that as an opportunity. We still have more work to do but need to balance frugality with life happening and making memories but also will our bid for long term financial independence. Next job will be to finalise and pay the tax returns. I've done all the input, just need to check and press the button. They won't get the money until the end of the month though!!

PurpleFairy26

I finally got round to blitzing one of the two rooms today. Looks so much better, another 3 items in the charity shop pile too. Will be much more usable going forward.

Cashed out a small amount from £co today and another earlier in the week. Both to a voucher this time as there was 6% bonus and for a shop I use anyway. Will add it to my account so it’s not lost.

Refund not received but they have confirmed they have processed it. Will check each day this week and chase again on Friday if not in. Getting the impression they wouldn’t have refunded if I’d not chased.

Made a note of a couple of jobs for next week, need to let insurers know building work has finished and also contact electric board about upgrading our master electric board as recommended by the electrician

Have submitted meter readings online today. Gas estimate was out but electric was about right. We’re in credit so not too worried also the last 2 months we’ve been heating a house that is effectively twice the size of before so I can’t reasonably expect the cost not to increase. Still paying £25 month less than I was with old provider and current provider is all green too :A

Small food shop done for the week and bi monthly wholesale run. Still hoping on January being frugal, so far so good. Avoided the coffee shop in town today, no cash spent. Smalls spent some Christmas vouchers instead.

brizzlegirl

All sounding excellent PF...really good.

Hows the running going? I have been slow to go out this month but am now signed up for a 10k in the late Spring so best get a shimmy on. Sun back out so may go shortly

debtfreeoneday

Glad all the work is done finally! Hope you had a good Christmas and NY!

PurpleFairy26

No running here brizzle unfortunately. It’s been a couple of months and I haven’t been able to run which is frustrating. I’m hoping I’ll be able to get out soon, I’m starting by upping my steps. Hope you are enjoying your runs x

PurpleFairy26

Took a bag to the charity shop and picked up a pair of jeans for £3 whilst I was there. Returned 4 items for £33 back to me. Also made a sale for £85, collected today for cash, no fees so happy with that and a big item gone.

Still have another bag for charity shop, will try and list some stuff on fleabay at some point.

No curtains suitable in cs, May revert to a £5.99 on fleabay to tide us over.

foxgloves

I've also been looking for curtains in charity shops, Purple Fairy. No luck yet. I want some for our bedroom, but I haven't seen anything I like to buy new either! All too kiddy, too pastel, too floaty, too old fogey-ish or I just don't like them. Am hoping I won't have to resort to making some. I can make tab-top curtains, but never make a great job of lining them.
You sound like you are having a good clear out. I've currently got a bag of decluttering on the go for my best friend, one for my sister, one for the charity shop & we've just sold a box of books & DVDs to Ziffit. And of course, the asbestos has gone too. It's a really positive feeling to get rid of clutter, isn't it?
F x

PurpleFairy26

foxgloves wrote: »

I've also been looking for curtains in charity shops, Purple Fairy. No luck yet. I want some for our bedroom, but I haven't seen anything I like to buy new either! All too kiddy, too pastel, too floaty, too old fogey-ish or I just don't like them. Am hoping I won't have to resort to making some. I can make tab-top curtains, but never make a great job of lining them.
You sound like you are having a good clear out. I've currently got a bag of decluttering on the go for my best friend, one for my sister, one for the charity shop & we've just sold a box of books & DVDs to Ziffit. And of course, the asbestos has gone too. It's a really positive feeling to get rid of clutter, isn't it?
F x

It certainly does feel good to get stuff gone, the shop I take mine too also let's me know how much the stuff seeks for and I'm always pleasantly surprised, the last bag they made £70 from which is also pleasing. I've another bag to go but I couldn't carry it all in one go, so will take the rest in next week but I'll be on the look out between now and then for anything else to go in it.

We've slowly put the stuff in our new kitchen from our old which means we've been able to see what we really use and what we think we use, which has helped us ditch some stuff too.

In other news I got a PPI reclaim paid to me last night which I wasn't expecting : have moved that straight to savings :A