Extending our house without extending ourselves beyond our means

PurpleFairy26

Still can't find the missing varnish. There aren't that many places it can be! Oh well, plenty to be getting on with. DH has cut some of the trees back that overhang next doors fence. We've also e mailed the letting agent about the broken fence, we've given them 7 days to respond or we'll go ahead with it. We've spoken to our neighbours who are living there and they agree it's overgrown but they can't access the hedges and trees  either as it's been left so long by previous tenants. 

I've got lots of knitting done and both smalls were obliging with school work today which helped everyone's mood! Another relaxing evening planned doing some more knitting and watch some more of a series DH started last night. 

Have appointment with a FA tomorrow about pension options, so have spent some of the day pulling data together they have asked for. I'm so grateful I've got my trusty spreadsheet as all the numbers were easy access, would have been a nightmare otherwise. 

hugglemonster

Hope you find the varnish soon, I popped out to buy some today to redo my kitchen table - felt a bit pressurised into being quick in the shop (small high street one) and couldn't find where they had the veg seeds or wood paint as I felt I needed to get out! 

Glad the kids got on with their school work and you're having a relaxing evening.

H x

PurpleFairy26

Had call with IFA. Have been offered a decent transfer value (high multiple) but likely to stick due to the certainty current (frozen) pension offers as its one of 3. 

IFA said she we were in a good position For our ages and most people she speaks to our age can’t tell her how much they spend on mortgage, what their plan to pay of a BTL )if they have one) or how much they owe on CC  - where’s the blue hair raising emoji when you need it. She said that my knowledge of what I was doing was extremely high. ☺️ It was kind of her to say but I’ve learnt so much from people on this forum that have led to me to research s&s ISA, money bonds, OP mortgages etc... so big thanks to all those people 😀

still looking for the varnish......

lull in banking until pay day next week. So not much going on there other than regular DD going out. 

Hoping to plant out some more plants today despite the rain as a couple of the indoor ones are getting big again. 

PurpleFairy26

hugglemonster said:

Hope you find the varnish soon, I popped out to buy some today to redo my kitchen table - felt a bit pressurised into being quick in the shop (small high street one) and couldn't find where they had the veg seeds or wood paint as I felt I needed to get out! 

Glad the kids got on with their school work and you're having a relaxing evening.

H x

I can imagine that pressurised feeling is going to be quite common in shops for a while yet. Still not been in a shop in 12 weeks and have to say not missing it at all! 

crazy_cat_lady

I am a very big fan of not going to the shops at the moment. It's not a pleasant experience. I feel like I'm on Supermarket Sweep when I go to the supermarket - hence my deliveries where possible.

debtfreeoneday

Shops aren’t much fun at the mo. I agree with the feeling rushed. 

savingholmes

Glad you are happy with your pension situation and your future plans. That's a great foundation.

PurpleFairy26

Rain (and a bit of laziness) and total indecisiveness of where to plant them has lead to the plants staying inside. I did however pot on 3 tiny clematis plants in the hope they can become stronger. They’re not going anywhere yet anyway. Will try and stop procrastinating on it sometime over the weekend. 

I’ve ordered a vertical blind (made to measure) it’s the last one we need. I’m not a fan but we have big windows and are not that far back from the street. We’re also on a (minimal)
bus route but they do occasionally and annoyingly put on a random double decker so I need to be on guard! I do find they maintain our privacy whilst still letting in light if set at the correct angle. Less than £40 which for M2M is very reasonable. Will add the putting up of it to l ok down list when it arrives. One job done seems to create another where the list is concerned at the moment. 

Recent pension conversations have made me realise we need to get a value/ projection of DH pension. Hopefully we can do it online so we don’t have to talk to anyone 😊

this week have done a freezer inventory as the other was way out of date. It threw up some great gems that I’d forgotten about. Also made menu planning and food shopping for the week easier and cheaper! Plus a couple if items on the food delivery are OOS. Nothing we can’t live without without a juggle of the meal plan so more savings there. 

Had monthly utility bill. Pleased that our recent review of electricity usage is showing in the numbers. We’ve swapped some smart bulbs and altered the times to use less. We’re also back to being more careful again about switching things off the wall. Usage down £10 in a month. I appreciate it’s not all of the above as we are using less anyway as the nights are getting lighter. But either way very pleasing. 

debtfreeoneday

great energy reduction!

savingholmes

Glad your bills are improving. Very important to sort pensions so good luck with that.