A Simpler Life 2018

[Deleted User]

Isn't it an odd feeling to be taking things out of store and not replacing them? and not making chutney after not making jam feels completely wrong. We echo in all the rooms now as the box mountains grow ever higher and the plus side is that I'm running very successfully on minimal wardrobe, minimal kitchen equipment and the only thing I'm really missing is my books. However I do have my trusty friend the kindle so it could be so much worse. Roll on the 29th!

lessonlearned

dND When my husband got sick I had to sell our apartment in Spain. I spent six weeks painting all the balustrades, huge job......and making it all look beautiful. I instructed Estate Agents and came home.

It was a neighbour who actually sold it for me. She spotted someone loitering, ran out to them, showed them round. Whilst they were looking round she rang me said "what's your bottom line". I gave her some figures to work with and gave her carte blanche to do a deal.

Giving her autonomy to negotiate on my behalf and not have to keep ringing me or refer to the Estate Agent enabled her to haggle with confidence and get the deal. 30 minutes later she had sold it for me. I got a fair price, given the state of the market at the time, and of course no EA fees :rotfl:

I am an ex new homes sales negotiator myself so I can be hyper critical of estate agents in general but tbh I found most of the estate agents in Spain, whether Spanish or ex pats, were absolutely useless. Just too casual and no sense of urgency, and very unprofessional.

My neighbour on the other hand had just the right balance of friendliness and sales ability. She saw them looking and pounced.. She could answer all their questions about how the system worked, what it was like living in Spain and of course knew the area like the back of her hand. Bless her, she was brilliant.

I sold my apartment in three weeks after putting it in the market to a British couple, a year after the crash when nothing was selling.

At the same time a friend had a beautiful house in Spain and it was on the market for years. Again she was selling because of her husbands ill health. In the end she had to slash the price, reducing by something like 60 per cent. Her Spanish estate agents were worse than useless.

I priced my apartment very competitively, but with room to negotiate downwards. I gave it a bit of a revamp and made it look like a new build show flat.

What saved my bacon was the fluctuations in currency exchange rates. What I made on the exchange rates mitigated my loss on the sale price. In the end I broke even.

I was sorry to have to let it go but I knew that I would never live there without my husband.

I do hope you find a buyer soon.

lessonlearned

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Isn't it an odd feeling to be taking things out of store and not replacing them? and not making chutney after not making jam feels completely wrong. We echo in all the rooms now as the box mountains grow ever higher and the plus side is that I'm running very successfully on minimal wardrobe, minimal kitchen equipment and the only thing I'm really missing is my books. However I do have my trusty friend the kindle so it could be so much worse. Roll on the 29th!

I feel like I'm living in limbo.....can't start anything, can't even clean the house properly because there are boxes everywhere.

Never mind.....it won't be long now.

Yesterday was exactly 4 years since my husband died.....it is the first year that I haven't been in pieces. It's fate. New house, new life.

Time to lose the mantle of widowhood and embrace a new way of living as a singleton.

Yes I'm nervous and anxious but I tell myself it will all come right in the end. Just have to take a leap of faith.

[Deleted User]

Of course it will! you'll be fine and so will we it's just I am a creature of order and habit and my world like yours I suspect is very much upside down, inside out and all in boxes! I keep telling myself I am the one who was driving the move so I am the one who will make it all OK at the other end and I'm really looking forward to a new start and new life but I'm tired and so is He Who Knows and we'll be jolly glad when it's all over and we can get a decent nights sleep again, is that a thing with you LL? 2am finds us both awake and pondering!

lessonlearned

Yes, I have started waking up early again. I was doing so well too. Never mind, as you say, all will be well.

I am reading a lovely little book...."Ikigai. The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life". Very uplifting. I feel a lot more relaxed today. I have a feeling I will sleep better tonight.

Not been able to do much packing today. Have a poorly left hand. Stabbed one fjnger with a screwdriver yesterday, and then today got a wasp sting on the finger next to it. So I have been taking it easy, reading and then tonight I will watch a nice film.

[Deleted User]

Sorry I've been awol for a while, it's been a bit chaotic this month!!:o

House is starting to get there - thanks for asking everyone!!:D

I have rid myself of all the surplus furniture now (made £80 on the bookcases which was unexpected!) and most of the 'pre-work' has been done by ds - he has taken off all the skirting boards, windowsills etc. The window installation date still hasn't been set but I'm expecting it within the next 3 weeks. The sparky is starting in mid October and I have put the plastering job out for quotes as the first one was a considerable amount higher than I was expecting - in all honesty, it may be a fair price but I need to get other quotes to decide.

At the moment, it's all systems go to get as much of the money together for the refurb as poss - I am finally in the position where I can really stick to the budgets (august is a birthday month for us and is always expensive) I have one birthday next month which I have the budget for and one in October that I will put the money aside for from next months salary.

I am going to cook three times a week - that will hopefully lead to as little food waste as is humanly possible. We have the money out for the grocery budget this month and I am going to keep a really close eye on what we spend.

Yesterday, I pickled some of the leftover cooked beetroot in some raspberry and blueberry vinegars so that it doesn't go to waste. I will probably use it in the next couple of weeks - I will warm it slightly before I serve it with carrots cooked in maple and Dijon and a quinoa and chickpea salad with leaves. I also made a 'potato pie' with mash and some green tomato chutney mixed together and baked in the oven for 30 mins. I will probably have that tonight with some asparagus, broccoli that I have in the fridge and possibly some seitan if I get enough time to make it.

Basically, it's a case of eating out of the store cupboard until I am absolutely desperate!! :rotfl: I have some frozen veg - endamame beans and broad beans - plus some tinned sweetcorn so I will hopefully only have to add a few bits each week to make up the veg requirement; fruit is something which I will just be buying as and when. Grains, pulses etc are in abundance in my store cupboard as are household and toiletry products so no need to buy anything like that for a considerable period and I have enough condiments to sink the proverbial!! :rotfl: all in all, a really good position to start from.

I have my target of 483 days ahead of me before I actually have the house and garden I want, paid for in full if I stick to the plan. I really don't see that doing anything else makes any sense at all.....I have no doubt that something will throw a spanner in the works on a sporadic basis but as long as I keep the prize in mind, i'm sure i'll weather the storms!!

My new routine is to come onto the boards every morning (today has been a long time as there was a lot to catch up on!! ) and keep myself motivated and focused with the help of you lovely lot!! I do love reading how everyone else is getting on :j

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Squirrel girl, :T you seem to be getting things under control & a plan with a timescale & a budget - I am in awe :T:j

Sorry I have been AWOL so long :rotfl: My decluttering mojo went on an extended holiday :rotfl: plus the CS van was out of commission for two months before the cs people decided it was beyond repair :eek:

However, my decluttering mojo has returned & the cs rented a van for a couple of weeks prior to leasing a new van :T

So on the 23rd of this month the cs people turned up :T:T so the single divan bed, mattress & headboard, single wardrobe, bedside cabinet, orthopaedic chair, a carrier bag of garden pots, a bag of seeds & bulbs, 2 rigid lockable suitcases, 5 wooden garden chairs, reel for garden hose & best of all a very large rug (brought over from France) were all loaded up & taken away together with 2 chairs from our neighbour :rotfl: So we now have space (not a lot) in the garage, the spare room, the living room & a tidier garden :j:T The only things they didn’t have room for were the 4 large terracotta garden pots.

The other news is that we have a new shed :T DH & DSis worked hard to lay the base as the shed was built to order (lockable door & glas window) & the price included delivery & erection :T provided there was a proper base :rotfl:
DH & DSis have painted it inside & out - the outside is grey with forget-me-not blue trim - it looks beautiful :j:D:T DH is building me a drop leaf table & has built me a table top garden bed as well. He is also laying floor covering in the shed & putting up racks for the gardening tools :T

I might move in when it’s finished :rotfl:

Am now back to proper weekly menu planning (having stressed myself out by deciding day to day what to have for dinner ), I am baking again & managing to keep the living room & kitchen tidy & clean.
Although I am not decluttering properly i.e. I still have cupboards, drawers, crates & boxes of Doom I have three mantras which are surprisingly effective in keeping me sane & fairly upbeat:-

1. IF I NOTICE SOME SMALL TASK NEEDS DOING - I WILL DO IT IMMEDIATELY

2. I WILL LEAVE A ROOM TIDIER THAN WHEN I WENT IN - WITHOUT HIDING THE CLUTTER EXCEPT for the wardrobe room which is currently the storage room (sr)

3. THE LAST WASHING UP OF THE DAY WILL BE PUT AWAY BEFORE I GO TO BED

So all in all, although there is still a lot to do, I am more relaxed about decluttering - when the mood takes me I start a project & try to see it through to a conclusion.

So to a Simpler Life for all of us

MrsSD

dND

Congratulations to boht Squirrel girl and Mrs SD, you both have made great steps forward in simplifying :T



I'm not sure if I've gone forwards or backwards but there is a change imminent here.



I've decided to return to the UK over winter to work for some very needed cash. This means that I've had to get house and animal sitters which in turn means that I've had to re-arrange the house and redecorate in places, plus sort out my finances/ fuel for the winter/ vets/ etc. etc. so that the housesitters are sorted.


So, chaos has ensued here; painting and changing rooms around has meant emptying of wardrobes and filing cabinets. Before putting stuff back, I've been through it all and sorted. :eek::eek: I'm not sure it will all be done but an awful lot is going out the door never to return. :j


Onwards and upwards, or should that be forwards and simpler. :rotfl:

Wednesday2000

I have had another clear out and sent some stuff off to the charity shop yesterday and some more clothes off to be recycled.

Its rainy and dull here today so I will have an afternoon of sitting and watching some black and white films I recorded. Candles and incense on too.

[Deleted User]

Thanks everyone!

Nothing achieved over the past couple of days....not been well unfortunately, so haven't moved from my bed really at least i haven't spent anything though!

dh has taken to adding at least a little something to our 'house fund' change pot every day - only a few pennies at a time but it all adds up in the end :T I'm actually really impressed that he's taken the whole thing on board - he's normally pretty good now but still a bit hit and miss on occasions, I think living in chaos is having a positive effect :rotfl:

Tomorrow (if I have finally recovered) I will get the menu sorted for next week and make soup for lunch from anything looking a bit ropey in the veg drawer. If I achieve anything else, it will be a bonus!