The Cottage Dream

Runders

Hi all,

So my Septembers goals have already been broken spectacularly - I just seem to have gone of the rails at the beginning of this month :eek:

I went up to Al*i this morning to buy the items I need to batch cook two recipes before I start in the office tomorrow. £21 spent, which is pretty good going a I have snacks and other things as well, however I am not sold on all the plastic they use on their produce etc. So I am going to order a local veg box for next week. I made a vegan chilli, the recipe says it feeds four....four giants!! There are at least six or more portions in there I have also currently got a slow cooker paprika chicken on the go, so meals for the next week and beyond are sorted. I may make another gooseberry and strawberry compote later too.

In other news I am into the next thousand on my mortgage - woot woot :j It always makes me very happy when this happens, bring on the next thousand being eaten way!

JennyP

Congrats on getting into the next thousand.



Is compote different to jam? We've done loads of jam making this month - blackberry fairly runny but tasty but greengage absolutely yum.



How are you feeling about the work situation? What you wrote a couple of weeks back reminded me of me - training other people to do things that are second nature to you. Yet still not selling yourself or feeling underconfident. I trained my assistant to do my job a couple of years back. Then a post came up. We were all told to apply. It was basically doing the job I was already doing but on a longer contract. Neither she nor I got it but she came second and apparently I was way down the list. Problem was that they wanted a blow by blow description of how you'd do the job but it was second nature to me as I'd been doing it so long. It was like if you had to describe how to start a car and move off. I would struggle to describe that yet I could do it in my sleep. Whereas a learner driver could no doubt tell you easily. I do find it odd this culture we live in where people who are good at selling themselves do better than those who are actually good at the job! I am no longer working. I don't miss the stress nor the damage that work did to my self-esteem.

Runders

JennyP wrote: »

Congrats on getting into the next thousand.



Is compote different to jam? We've done loads of jam making this month - blackberry fairly runny but tasty but greengage absolutely yum.



How are you feeling about the work situation? What you wrote a couple of weeks back reminded me of me - training other people to do things that are second nature to you. Yet still not selling yourself or feeling underconfident. I trained my assistant to do my job a couple of years back. Then a post came up. We were all told to apply. It was basically doing the job I was already doing but on a longer contract. Neither she nor I got it but she came second and apparently I was way down the list. Problem was that they wanted a blow by blow description of how you'd do the job but it was second nature to me as I'd been doing it so long. It was like if you had to describe how to start a car and move off. I would struggle to describe that yet I could do it in my sleep. Whereas a learner driver could no doubt tell you easily. I do find it odd this culture we live in where people who are good at selling themselves do better than those who are actually good at the job! I am no longer working. I don't miss the stress nor the damage that work did to my self-esteem.

Hey JennyP, I've never made Jam, but I guess it's not too dissimilar. You simmer down the fruit, with a splash of water and some sugar. It's not as set as Jam and there tends to be bigger chunks of fruit. I simmer it until it thickens a little, and then I have it on tings like yoghurt or porridge - yum!

I hate how the people good at selling themselves (even if they can't really do the job) get ahead. But hey ho - I guess I am the fool for not being able to do the same. I'm back in the office now getting the PM experience, really hoping this can open up new job avenues for me! I want to work to live and not the other way around.

Runders

Evening all,

I've been up to a few money saving things. I've started a bank account switch to HSBC, hopefully it goes smoothly and I pocket a handy £150 in a month or so's time. I've also got a lovely free bit of meal prep roasting away in the kitchen. My friend at work brought me in a big bag of tomatoes from her garden today. So I am roasting them up with some garlic to make a scrummy roasted tomato soup. There were quite a few, so should be a few meals in there And....instead of buying a new waterproof coat, I've currently got my old one going round in the washing machine being re-waterproofed. £10.99 for the proofer instead of £50 plus for a coat :beer:

Next month will be a horrendous very un-MSE month. It's my jollyday to America!! I am going so I am out of the country when it's my Mum's birthday, and also the 1 year since she died. I am using the little bit of money she left me to have an amazing time instead of moping about :T

Right I'd better go and check on the toms!

JennyP

Love roasted tomato soup. And I might try making compote. Got loads of apples and pears on our trees that are going to waste if I am not careful. Have made jam and frozen loads too.



Those anniversaries are hard. In august it would have been parents' golden wedding if dad hadn't passed last October. Then last week would have been his birthday. We were in Whinlatter in the Lakes that day to watch the Tour De Britain - strange coincidence as we took him there for his 80th birthday eleven years ago so there was a lot of sadness being there without him. Then October will be the 1st anniversary of his death. Don't know about you, but the grief doesn't get any easier.


Dad inadvertently paid for my groceries today. Got nearly £200 of Co-op points when we paid for the funeral. I always feel a bit guilty using them but am not exactly flush this month!

Runders

HI all!

Sorry for such a long hiatus - I ended up having a period of delayed grief from my Mum and went into a bit of a funk. But I am back and have news!

I am moving home to the shire! My house is SSTC, I have an offer on a house back in the shire and hopefully we will exchange and complete in the next couple of weeks. I am elated, terrified and in denial all at the same time. I really should start to pack up my my little Norfolk house!

Why the fear you ask? Well my mortgage will go from £84k to £191k, for a house that needs some work and is slightly smaller than the one I have. That figure makes me feel a bit light headed and I keep asking myself what the hell I am doing?!?!? The difference in prices between the two areas is staggering. I have also taken a new position in my company and am no-longer sea faring, which comes with financial implications. So all in all it's a bit of a scary move and I do find myself questioning it a bit.

I did think about starting a new diary - but as it's not the cottage of my dreams I think I shall stick with the title of this one. I did actually have a chance to buy a dream cottage, but it was just slightly too far out from where I wanted to be and also it was in the middle of no-where. I decided that as I will be working from home that I would like somewhere with a bit more life around it for now. Praying I don't come to regret letting the cottage go.

Anywho - I promise not to disappear of again this time. With the increased mortgage and decreased pay, I am seriously going to need to keep myself accountable with this diary. I also hope to get a few side hustles on the go such as AirBNBing the spare room - but I will need to do some work on the house first.

So my plans of action are to start packing my house up here and getting ready to move. Once I am in the new place I will post up a a new SOA and my plans for some side income.

Looking forward to catching up on your diaries!

LeighofMar

Congrats on the new house. Its so exciting and nervewracking at the same time but look at it this way. You said you wanted to move to the shire and now you're doing it. That's huge!! So many people are never able to pull the trigger on their dreams for various reasons but you did. And you can always turn it into your dream house along the way. Best wishes and keep us updated.

Moneyfordreams

congrats on making the leap. Welcome back

Runders

Happy Saturday all - I have been praying for this day after a hellish week at work. We are understaffed in most departments currently and everyone is feeling the strain.

LeighofMar and MoneyforDream's, thank you for the encouragement and welcoming back.

I have a few to do jobs today and a few will cost me some pennies. I am going to re-pot a lot of my house plants as they have needed doing for some time now, poor little things are literally bursting out of their pots. I am also going to weed the front and back garden - my friend thinks I'm mad and I should leave it for the new owner, but I actually enjoy it and I'd like to have it looking nice for her as she is a FTB and her first house fell though. I met her and she is lovely, I've put a lot of love into this house and she was so enthusiastic about it all.

I am going to start boxing up this weekend too. I am hoping to be a bit ruthless with it and if I haven't used it in over 6 months then it is going, I'll either try to sell it or donate to charity. Hopefully I may make a few pennies towards the next house

I used to be a bit of a hoarder and bought stuff that I wanted but didn't really need. Thankfully I seem to have knocked both of these on the head. I used to have shelves and shelves of books, but now I am down to just a couple. I just woke up one day and asked myself why I kept every book I'd read, was it just so I could show off? So I had a massive de-clutter of them and felt instantly better, I now only keep ones with sentimental value or ones I really enjoyed.

I am a bit worried about my furniture fitting in the next house. The rooms are slightly smaller and also there isn't a box room like I have here. All the pieces I have are family pieces and so I don't want to get rid of them - I may have to come up with some creative thinking! It's quite hard as my current house is perfect and I only finished it last summer, I refurbed the whole thing over 5 years and poured a fair bit of money in. If I could pick it up and take it with me I would!!! However, I have learnt a lot and am hoping I can do similar stuff at the next one but on a cheaper and quicker scale. *fingers crossed*

Anywho I've rambled on enough and I need to brave town on a saturday - wish me luck!

Toodles

Runders

I hope everyone has had a relaxing Sunday, more relaxing then mine anyways!

I put a wash on this morning only for it to then trip all my electrics out, I've checked the plug and socket and the issue isn't there, so now I am going to have to pay out for it to be repaired...pfft. I only own a weeks worth of clothes - a hang over from all the years at sea- and so this is far from ideal to have a broken washing machine. Fingers crossed I can get it sorted soon and it doesn't cost the earth.

I also started packing, which has made me a little sad and panicky as it's all getting quite real now. However, I have been trying to make money along the way and have boxed up around £10 worth of books and DVDs for Ziffit and Music Magpie. I've created an over payments pot in my Monzo app so I can pool all of these little bits and pieces together ready to be paid off the new mortgage.

I've asked to join a local buying and selling group on FB and have already identified a few kitchen objects and other bit and pieces to go on it. I'm setting myself a goal of making £50 from bits and pieces whilst I pack.

Anywho, I'm going to pack a bit more and drink a glass or two of fizz whilst I do it

Toodles