Half a house

Silence101

Haha, not yet! It's due next week, then the next will be 2 weeks later. Hopefully after that it will all be settled! I thought I might as well, and I can check it worked once the Internet banking is set up.
I think I will have to keep track of the interest saved, I couldn't believe it when it said we saved over 80% of the OP amount!

We've been very lucky and have been able to do most of the house stuff without touching the ISA (apart from the amount earmarked for the solicitors) so our EF stands at a healthy (ish) £2K.
I think we're going to try and send equals monthly amounts to our EF and our OPs. So I need to find £50 for our EF this month, but I'm waiting until we've actually moved in and said goodbye to this place.

If we can borrow a van from work, we'll be saving another £150/200 from hire costs over a weekend.

In other news, Mr S found a wardrobe on the side of the road, and he's happy with it (he used to make furniture so if he thinks it's ok I believe him). We still haven't found a bunk bed, but I keep looking regularly on all the second hand websites, so I'm sure something will come up in time.

michelle09

It becomes so addictive, it's crazy. And as your SO you will probably been keen to start staircasing once you've made dents in the mortgage.

But you've done so much already, well done on being so proactive and successful with your DIY.

Silence101

Thanks! Yes, there's definitely a sense of urgency because it's a SO. Mr S would be 70 when we finish the mortgage if we don't overpay, meaning we'd have no chance of getting another mortgage then for the 2nd half. At the moment we're also only dealing with his wages, so once youngest is at school, we should be able to afford a lot more (if I manage to find a job).
Our mortgage is 2 year fixed, so we're only allowed to OP 10% a year, but it's unlikely we'll reach those amounts anyway, it is very much a little is better than nothing for the time being. Once we're properly settled I should have a better idea of how much we can OP on a regular basis, and we'll probably try some challenges ever so often to cut some bills, especially groceries.

Silence101

Today is a "blitz the house" day. Old house. (Not fun anymore as it's not for our benefit, although it's never been fun to do the housework). There's a viewing tomorrow, and it's likely we won't be back as the girls are now at school near the new house, and we'll be waiting for our fridge and dishwasher delivery.
I'm so excited about the dishwasher, I even bought some tablets yesterday so as soon as it's plumbed in I'll be using it all the time. I'm hoping our kitchen will look a lot cleaner a lot quicker thanks to it.
We've tried to set up the kitchen so one side is all plates and pots and the other side is all food and cleaning stuff. Time will tell if it's working!

The plan for today is a relaxing morning, I've told Mr S he can have a lie in. He needs a lot of sleep, and between work starting early and doing the floor until quite late he's completely exhausted. We might do one trip to the new house today, but we'll be mostly concentrating on getting the old house sorted, and packed some more.

Silence101

I forgot to say I got a bit emotional yesterday. You'll never guess what triggered it. We were unpacking some of the kitchen stuff, and once I saw our utensils pot on the counter, it hit me that we actually are moving. It doesn't feel real most of the time, probably because of all the stress whether it was the right decision or not, but I'm sure once the furniture is there we'll have forgotten how new it all feels!

Silence101

House is somewhat presentable. We just seem to have more stuff than space, so it never looks as tidy as I'd hope, even after hours of tidying. In the new house we're going to keep things in boxes until we find a real place, and will have to get rid of anything that doesn't fit.
The girls have so many clothes, whenever I think they can't possibly have more I come across another pile. We try to regularly purge them, but they just seem to multiply constantly.
Mr S is putting the flooring down in the hallway, so that's the last of it, apart from sorting out some skirting boards/beading. And tomorrow is our first day up at the house (with no internet- what will I do?). I can't actually unpack much, as all the furniture is still at the old house, so it's going to be a frustrating week I think.

wishingthemortgaheaway

Has mr S carried you over the threshold yet?
You've not officially moved in until he has (even though you've made an overpayment which may also count as officially moving in.

Congratulations, virtual bottle of bubbly winging its way to you to celebrate

Wish.

Silence101

Well, he tried :rotfl: I'm no longer the dainty 9 stone woman he met 10 years ago, so it wasn't a very dignified attempt but he tried.
We celebrated our first cooked meal up there with some pink lemonade last night. We are waiting for the fridge before we can have proper bubbly (that'll be once we've moved the furniture, which isn't until next weekend).

wishingthemortgaheaway

Trying is acceptable.
And pink lemonade the perfect family toast to your new home all together.

Silence101

Fridge and dishwasher have been delivered. The hose of the DW is too short, so I need to buy a longer one today.
Car is having its MOT today, we're dreading the cost if it goes pear shaped. Mr S had to take the bus really early this morning, and we need to take the bus up the school later. As I have to pay for a day's worth of trips, I'm planning on going back to the old house while eldest is at school. We've manage to get a lot of empty boxes, so I'm hoping to pack the rest of the house in the next few days.