Wow, Cheery, how absolutely amazing! I'm so pleased for you - not only re. the builders, but also all the other "little" projects that are working out so well. And now your Fridays are your own!
Downsized and paid off mortgage 2010 Retired August 2016 Paid off French mortgage September 2018 New kitchen fully installed June 2019 Not counting this! 2020 Garden fencing completed, woohoo 2021.......... October 2021: aiming for £5,000 new money for premium bonds or a car.
Had a nice evening in the pub last night, although the unutterably tedious 'vegetable lasagne' found a new low, with the vegetables being tomatoes, and sun dried tomatoes. I'm not a big fan of tomatoes 😂 chips were nice, and there were lots of nice little cubby holes to sit in. So we might occasionally pop in for an evening cup of tea during the week, but probably wouldn't go for food again.
Just checked Prolific, up to £11.67 with another few pence to track so I'll withdraw at the end of the month.
Oh cheery! I’m so happy you’ve had a good week! I’m so glad the building is nowhere near as stressful as you thought. I hope you enjoy your long weekend. I love your treats budget. My cafe trips are on the same level of importance as yours. I just need to steer myself away from the expensive ones!
Good to hear the building work going well and it's not been as intrusive as you expected. They sound reliable and considerate which can often be half the battle.
Doing a bit of garden tidying up here too, making the most of the sunshine which has been missing for several weeks.
yay to Fridays off!
Aug 2022 - part 1 - £44,468 part 2 - £29,100 Total - £73,572
63 months to go!
Our local cafe isn't super cheap, but we mostly just have tea, sometimes with toast or a piece of flapjack. If we started eating lunch there every day it would probably cost more than the mortgage!
I just mentioned keeping track of the finances for the kitchen project on South Coast's thread and realised I hadn't mentioned it here, so might as well.
I've created two lists - one for stuff we've already paid out (so I can see what will be left at the end), and one with the original kitchen and builder quotes, and any additions we're making along the way, so I can see overall budget, and so we can make decisions about eg extra insulation or whatever in the context of the whole lot...
ORIGINAL ESTIMATES Builder (including kitchen fitting) = £13,715 Kitchen (including granite and a couple of magic corners) = £9587 Total original cost = £23,302
We've already bought radiators and a load of cleaner and sealant stuff for the kitchen floor, and said yes to extra copper pipe to replace the 15mm stuff in the loft, and some unplanned insulation in the bedroom wall.
Current total cost = £24,682
It creeps up VERY easily! 😮 this doesn't include fridge, cooker/hob, flooring for bedroom and dining room, wall lights etc. We've already said no to them rerouting the pipes in the loft and redoing the insulation - yes it would probably be easier to do at the same time, but there are a million things in this house that it would be easier to just do at the same time and we don't have an endless pot of money (unless Agent Million calls on Tuesday, that is!)
In terms of what we've already paid out - we've paid the original builder deposit and first invoice, plus deposit fir the kitchen, and bought radiators and the stuff to sort the kitchen floor - so a total of £6826 already paid.
We originally wanted it all done for about £15k 😂😂 then once we'd decided on the more expensive kitchen, figured it would be about £20k, possibly going up to about £23k with extras. We're still roughly in the same place, although now with carpet, appliances etc, it's looking closer to £30k.
I've got just over £3200 sitting in the kitchen offset fund - that's all extra that wasn't in the original budget.
In terms of extras that are coming in over the next few months...
* I'll get a pay rise in September, and as far as I know that will be wages for work done in August, so full time. I'd budgeted for dropped wages from September without thinking it through, so hopefully that'llbe an extra £600 or so.
* Mr Cheery has another SEISS grant to come in, likely a couple of hundred quid I think
* I'm going to ring the covid study people on Tuesday as they've missed a couple of months and I was enjoying those vouchers!!
* I've started doing MB again, although I think I'm currently up about £2 for August so I'm not sure that's helping much 😂
* finally talked Mr Cheery into doing some of the MB sign up offers - I'll likely have to do most of the admin though (sorting bank account, email address etc) but that's pretty straightforward. Not everywhere allows partner sign ups in the same house but many places do, and that should get us an extra few hundred even if he doesn't carry on after that.
Given we originally planned to spend no more than £23k, I'd like to raise enough extra to cover any extra we spend. I'd love it if we could raise anything we spend over £20k but I'm not sure that's realistic.
So current amount needed over £23k = £1682. Current extra savings = about £3200
Doing ok so far! But aiming so save an extra £7k in total (so we have £30k total budget). Any extra we don't use can go off the mortgage.
Phew! Thanks for bearing with me, typing this on the phone and got a bit repetitive 😂
The 'easier to do things at the same time' is why it took me 7 years to get to the kitchen. All the electrics/plumbing/heating/flooring etc was sorted out first. It was probably less disruptive in the long run, but pretty miserable at times when it was cold/wet/dusty yet again.
Yep, I can imagine ours would take that long, and probably drive us both mad, if we did it in the 'best' order 🙄 Fortunately we can't afford to do EVERYTHING that needs doing anyway even if we wanted to 😂 so this project is definitely just kitchen and bedroom, and anything else is being defined as out of scope, and will have to wait, even if it does cause a bit of inconvenience down the line. Just the way it is.
Got a friend coming to camp this afternoon 😁 should be here at 3 - I'm struggling to get my act together 🙄 Had a long lie in this morning, most unusual, then have just been doing MB and baking a cake 😁
Cake should be done in about 15 mins, then I WILL get my act together, have a whizz round the house to tidy up, then get outside with my gardening gloves and when he turns up, pretend I've been out there all day 😂😂
We went for a walk near Hartington yesterday and thought of you, was v lovely. Lunch out in a previously superb pub, on the other hand, was awful. I think many places are suffering and I wont slate them online but your tea/toast thing is a sensible policy.
What reminded me to post is that I was watching 'St Trinans' on t'iplayer and the daughter just asked why they couldn't just 'lay the bet'. I only get the point because of matched betting which amused me a lot. I only looked at MB because you, a sensible grown up, do it!
I do love reading your posts Cheery as they are so interesting and you give a lot of details so it is easy to follow, like your kitchen work and the finances/budgeting involved etc.
Glad the building work is going ok and it is not too disruptive to your working from home. It is refreshing that you have found a good reliable company to carry out these works for you. Very good choice and it certainly proves that if you spend precious time doing your homework on these companies it pays off in the end.
You are such a clever sensible young lady and I do admire you for it as I am sure others that follow your thread do too.
Take care
Edwink x
*3.36 kWp solar panel system, 10 x Ultima & 4 x Panasonic solar panels, Solaredge Inverter
*Biomass boiler stove for cooking, hot water & heating
*2000ltr Rainwater harvesting system for loo flushing - Hybrid Toyota Auris car
1 Cayuga duck Hoppy & 7 ex-battery hens - RIP Pingu
Hens & ducks chat thread..... http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5282209
Replies
Retired August 2016
Paid off French mortgage September 2018
New kitchen fully installed June 2019
Not counting this! 2020
Garden fencing completed, woohoo 2021..........
October 2021: aiming for £5,000 new money for premium bonds or a car.
Had a nice evening in the pub last night, although the unutterably tedious 'vegetable lasagne' found a new low, with the vegetables being tomatoes, and sun dried tomatoes. I'm not a big fan of tomatoes 😂 chips were nice, and there were lots of nice little cubby holes to sit in. So we might occasionally pop in for an evening cup of tea during the week, but probably wouldn't go for food again.
Just checked Prolific, up to £11.67 with another few pence to track so I'll withdraw at the end of the month.
Right, going out into the garden now!
yay to Fridays off!
Total - £73,572
63 months to go!
Our local cafe isn't super cheap, but we mostly just have tea, sometimes with toast or a piece of flapjack. If we started eating lunch there every day it would probably cost more than the mortgage!
I just mentioned keeping track of the finances for the kitchen project on South Coast's thread and realised I hadn't mentioned it here, so might as well.
I've created two lists - one for stuff we've already paid out (so I can see what will be left at the end), and one with the original kitchen and builder quotes, and any additions we're making along the way, so I can see overall budget, and so we can make decisions about eg extra insulation or whatever in the context of the whole lot...
ORIGINAL ESTIMATES
Builder (including kitchen fitting) = £13,715
Kitchen (including granite and a couple of magic corners) = £9587
Total original cost = £23,302
We've already bought radiators and a load of cleaner and sealant stuff for the kitchen floor, and said yes to extra copper pipe to replace the 15mm stuff in the loft, and some unplanned insulation in the bedroom wall.
Current total cost = £24,682
It creeps up VERY easily! 😮 this doesn't include fridge, cooker/hob, flooring for bedroom and dining room, wall lights etc. We've already said no to them rerouting the pipes in the loft and redoing the insulation - yes it would probably be easier to do at the same time, but there are a million things in this house that it would be easier to just do at the same time and we don't have an endless pot of money (unless Agent Million calls on Tuesday, that is!)
In terms of what we've already paid out - we've paid the original builder deposit and first invoice, plus deposit fir the kitchen, and bought radiators and the stuff to sort the kitchen floor - so a total of £6826 already paid.
We originally wanted it all done for about £15k 😂😂 then once we'd decided on the more expensive kitchen, figured it would be about £20k, possibly going up to about £23k with extras. We're still roughly in the same place, although now with carpet, appliances etc, it's looking closer to £30k.
I've got just over £3200 sitting in the kitchen offset fund - that's all extra that wasn't in the original budget.
In terms of extras that are coming in over the next few months...
* I'll get a pay rise in September, and as far as I know that will be wages for work done in August, so full time. I'd budgeted for dropped wages from September without thinking it through, so hopefully that'llbe an extra £600 or so.
* Mr Cheery has another SEISS grant to come in, likely a couple of hundred quid I think
* I'm going to ring the covid study people on Tuesday as they've missed a couple of months and I was enjoying those vouchers!!
* I've started doing MB again, although I think I'm currently up about £2 for August so I'm not sure that's helping much 😂
* finally talked Mr Cheery into doing some of the MB sign up offers - I'll likely have to do most of the admin though (sorting bank account, email address etc) but that's pretty straightforward. Not everywhere allows partner sign ups in the same house but many places do, and that should get us an extra few hundred even if he doesn't carry on after that.
Given we originally planned to spend no more than £23k, I'd like to raise enough extra to cover any extra we spend. I'd love it if we could raise anything we spend over £20k but I'm not sure that's realistic.
So current amount needed over £23k = £1682.
Current extra savings = about £3200
Doing ok so far! But aiming so save an extra £7k in total (so we have £30k total budget). Any extra we don't use can go off the mortgage.
Phew! Thanks for bearing with me, typing this on the phone and got a bit repetitive 😂
Got a friend coming to camp this afternoon 😁 should be here at 3 - I'm struggling to get my act together 🙄 Had a long lie in this morning, most unusual, then have just been doing MB and baking a cake 😁
Cake should be done in about 15 mins, then I WILL get my act together, have a whizz round the house to tidy up, then get outside with my gardening gloves and when he turns up, pretend I've been out there all day 😂😂
I do love reading your posts Cheery as they are so interesting and you give a lot of details so it is easy to follow, like your kitchen work and the finances/budgeting involved etc.
Glad the building work is going ok and it is not too disruptive to your working from home. It is refreshing that you have found a good reliable company to carry out these works for you. Very good choice and it certainly proves that if you spend precious time doing your homework on these companies it pays off in the end.
You are such a clever sensible young lady and I do admire you for it as I am sure others that follow your thread do too.
Take care
Edwink x
*Biomass boiler stove for cooking, hot water & heating
*2000ltr Rainwater harvesting system for loo flushing - Hybrid Toyota Auris car
1 Cayuga duck Hoppy & 7 ex-battery hens - RIP Pingu
Hens & ducks chat thread..... http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5282209