Cheery's country living adventure 11 March 2018 at 8:28AM in Mortgage-Free Wannabe 5.2K replies 341.8K views

Cheery_Daff

Oh dear greenbee!😂😂😂 I can just imagine how furious your neice must have been! 

Well, the parents are putting the kids to bed and we are trying to restore some sense of adult normality to the living room. They were originally talking about hanging round for longer tomorrow but in reality I think it's just going to be too exhausting for them to try and keep everyone out of trouble here...

So it looks like we might have more of tomorrow to ourselves than we thought, so I might get started on the painting of the bedroom, very exciting!

Cheery_Daff

Oh, and I forgot the latest house fiasco 🙄

Literally just as our visitors arrived, Mr Cheery was doing the washing up, and water started leaking through the ceiling. Not any of the new ceilings, thank goodness. I can't even be bothered to explain the series of events leading up to this, but it involves a cracked pipe last winter, and a broken electric water heater. We've had no hot water at that end of the house all year.

Turns out though, if you turn the mixer tap to hot (which i have NEVER done, knowing there's no hot water), the pipe starts leaking again, even though the pipe is supposedly isolated in the loft.

Anyway, stopped drip, warned visitors NOT to turn tap to hot... thinking they wouldn't need to use either of those taps anyway... and of course what did they do a couple of hours later? Of course. So now it's leaking again 🙄

I've stuck big notices on it now, and taped kebab sticks so you can't move the mixer without bashing into a stick. I'd turn the whole stopcock off to that end of the house just in case, but there's nowhere else to do the washing up.

YAWN.

At least it's nice and quiet while they're putting the kids to bed 😂

hb2

That's a great story - there are many kids I would gladly nail to the floor! 

Cheery, the visit to the vet sounds trying as well as expensive, I do hope the chooks respond well to the treatment.

I think that (some) tradesmen tend to get started so that they can be sure they have secured the job - then slope off and start something else (for the same reason) once they have done a bit. I do hope that your finishing line is in sight now.

Son is going to stay at his girlfriend's place while his electrics and plastering are done. I have warned him to check the work frequently rather than just assuming that everything will be done properly and tidily . . .

EssexHebridean

Oh lord Cheery what a flipping pain! Thank goodness it wasn’t one of the newly done ceilings though, I guess that at least is a blessing! 

CathT

It's not easy hosting when the house is in chaos is it. Hoping for no more leaks. One day..... the house will be finished! 

(Sent you an inbox message too) 

Cheery_Daff

Well we made it through the night! In fact we had a lovely evening with the parents after the kids were asleep. I think we're feeling a bit worse for wear this morning, but at least everyone stayed asleep til about 8am which was a minor miracle!

Breakfast has been navigated, and they're just packing - we are going to attempt a trip to the playground and then the cafe (although that may well be too busy but we'll see).

Cheery_Daff

Evening chums! 

Gosh, it's quiet here now. The last 24 hours has been rather a rollercoaster all round. I suspect, with hindsight, it would probably have been best to say no to having two small children (and their parents) stay while we are living in a building site with no proper kitchen or bedroom, and the central heating is broken, and it's too cold to be outside. We managed, and it was LOVELY to see them, but I suspect we are all rather worn out, partly from drinking too much and staying up too late, and partly from policing two boisterous children in a house full of dangerous things  

On to other things. I am relaxing by doing some financial sorting Chickens are being worrying -Bonnie has had her medicine like a good girl, and her and Bunty are behaving normally, but Bessie and Rusty have barely made it out of the chicken house today. Literally, I let them out of the house this morning, went back to get some water, and by the time I got back to the run 5 mins later, they were heading back to bed! Every time I've been back up there they've been tucked up inside. NOT normal. I mean, the weather is vile and given the choice I'd have spent the day in bed too, but still. I did tempt them out with a grape, but it's still worrying. 

Anyway. I'm in the 'mortgage free in three' MSE challenge, and it's update day. I've made NO overpayments for the last few months while we've been sorting out the kitchen fund, but our current balance is £179,904.39. My aim for the challen (which ends at the end of January next year) was to get under £180k, so I am delighted that we've achieved that 3 months early, woo hoo! 

Still, with no further overpayments at all (unlikely) we won't be done til April 2042 - I'll be 62, and that's only 10 months earlier than the original finish date, so I do feel a little bit like we're going backwards... Still, have to accept that this is a funny time, there will NOT be another spate of massive expenditure like on the kitchen, and once that's paid for (and a bit saved up to replenish the savings account) we can get back to throwing extra dosh at the mortgage again. All good. 

Right, more tea and then

* banks & YNAB
* check Mr Cheery's MB accounts
* check my MB accounts
* pay the garage (£188 for MOT and a new battery)
* change payment card on something I got an email for the other day

I'm sure there was something else but as long as it doesn't involve me spending several hundred pounds on something I won't worry about it too much... 

greenbee

Don't forget Cheery, you've done a LOT more than just the kitchen. And having the house warm and dry is kind of important - you need to look after the fabric of the building rather than let it fall down around you. Particularly if you ever want to move your mortgage and have a survey!

EssexHebridean

Greenbee has said precisely what I would have done - plus all this stuff you’re doing currently is a massive quality of life thing. (Not having two small children to stay in a building site though, that’s a “you need your head examined” thing…! 😆😘)

Something you could do - if your current mortgage payment is an odd number, then see if you can simply round it up to the next £10. Makes it a tidy round number - and you know I’m fond of those - and will actually have a surprising level of impact on the bigger picture. Then as and when you’re ready you can start adding a bit more back in. Realistically though you won’t miss a few pounds/pence and it will mean you feel you are actually doing  “something”. 

Cheery_Daff

Thank you both - you're right, of course! Definitely all worth it, for both quality of life and the fabric of the building.

EH, you're right about rounding the mortgage payment up - it's currently £919.99 which I suspect might bring some of you out in hive  

Right - banks checked - all accounts including the credit card reconciled and up to date. Pleased to see we're at over £79 cashback on that, so that will be a nice chunk when it's paid out! I'm getting more used to which places take it now, and it's becoming automatic to use it for diesel/supermarket/DIY stuff which is good. 

We've decided to have Uber Frugal November, although some of that might not start until after the builders have finished - I'm certainly not curtailing either cafe trips or diesel use til we've got the house back. Still, since it's easy to look back in YNAB I can give you a few current averages for this year (since Jan 2021) - I realise things have been a bit all over the place so this isn't really an accurate portrayal for the future, but it's a start, and I'll do everything properly at the start of November. 

So, monthly averages for 2021 so far

Diesel = £141
Food & household = £333
Cafes = £178 (but the first 4 months was barely anything - we're up to £194 in October so far)
My personal spends (including clothes, books, stationery, socialising without Mr Cheery, counselling, gym etc) = £224
Eating out (evenings) = £4.79  
Chicken food, treats & bedding = £26
Vets = £178 (where's that blue shrieky smiley?!)

Ok... So is definitely some room for improvement there! Not going to be skimping on vet trips of course, or chicken food, and not much point skimping on eating out  

But I think we can definitely do something about the food bill, and the cafe bill, and my personal spends, and diesel - between them they come to £876. Diesel will get worse with going back to work (but possibly better when Mr Cheery's not going out every day to avoid the builders) but I think everything else can be worked on...