Busy Mee's Last Leg

Suffolk_lass

Busy_Mee said:

And talking of withdrawing from savings, I need to transfer the sum we are lending DD for her house today.  I will probably need a lay down after that 

The weather is lovely here at the moment, it feels like Spring. We managed to get out in the garden yesterday and start tidying up and will hopefully do the same again today.

    - I should think so too. Lovely, shocking and rather cool, all at the same time.

We also spent hours in the garden (three beds planted, many veggies to grow)

try_harder

Busy_Mee said:

Thanks TH. Tbh we wouldn't have been in such a good place if I hadn't found this site and started focusing on our financial planning. We wouldn't have been able to retire so early and would have had to sell the house.
You are doing great at the moment, it is just a matter of keeping going. That is the hard bit 

Thank you for your encouragement , i must admit i am finding it very hard work all of it .

try_harder

Great news all round and another brilliant month .Fingers crossed for March , just do your best ,i am in the same position with one of my children buying a house but in the early stages so exciting

savingholmes

March is looking good. Little birdies flying the next. A retirement date in sight. Good financial planning all round.... Exciting.

beanielou

Great news for your DD & her BF.
Good news for you too.
The time will fly in

themadvix

Just catching up Busy Mee. So glad you've bitten the bullet about retirement and excellent news about DD's house

Busy_Mee

Good Morning. I've just realised how long it is since my last post. Let's say it has been a bit if a whirlwind few weeks.

DD and BF are safely installed in their new house with only a couple of hiccups ; a mattress that wasn't delivered on time and a sofa that wouldn't go through the door, so the window had to come out. But other than that it has all gone smoothly and they are delighted with the house. It has bags of potential and the plans are getting grander by the day 

I had the week off work and we managed to paint four rooms ( bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchen). The kitchen makeover turned out really well. Paint technology has really improved and we painted all the cupboards grey (were pale fake wood) and replaced all the handles with either cup handles or knobs. We also painted the grotty beige tiles white and it all looks like a totally brand new kitchen. The tile paint was very impressive and I actually enjoyed doing it with a small roller ( so therapeutic ! ). The paint and new handles cost just over £100, so very MSE. 

All her "white" goods she ordered in grey so it all matches and looks very smart.

Their builder friend has been round to give them a quote for a couple of immediate jobs they want doing (french windows in living room and concrete base for a very large shed at the top of the garden for BF's work space) and our architect friend has agreed to draw up plans for the longer term stuff.  So they are all good and very settled.

Life in our empty nest now feels very calm and tidy and it is lovely not to be constantly thinking about what to cook for the four of us. Mr Mee and I are often happy with a Beans on Toast night.

Everyone keep asking me if I miss DD and I don't really. It was time she got her own place and I still speak to her every day. We actually get on better when we don't live together 

In other news I had my jab on Tuesday, felt very fluey on Wednesday with terrible chills but soon recovered. All four of us have now had the vaccine, which is such a relief.

Work is really busy. I am putting my formal retirement form in on Monday so will then begin a proper countdown. My Boss has been burying his head in the sand, and he is still talking as if I am going to be around for ever  . 

There is nothing much financial to report. I have ( as you probably would have guessed) scraped up an additional £500 to chip off the mortgage. £400 from the odds and sods account and £100 robbed out of the annual bills pot. This will leave a rather untidy £151,500 outstanding on the IO mortgage at the end of March and an even untider £150,500 left at the end of April. I obviously now feel the need to dig out an extra £500 in April to make a nice neat £150,000 outstanding. I haven't quite worked out where from, but I will have a go.

I think that is all my news. I am hoping to get out in the garden today and plant up my planters, so a trip to the garden centre is on the cards. Have a lovely weekend x

Suffolk_lass

It is always lovely to read your updates and this one is no exception. I hope you have a nice bottle of something lovely to have a small landmark celebration on Monday night, after putting the form in! 🎉🎉🍾🥂

Well done on the work to freshen up the kitchen. Mine drags on but I have reached the point where I need to take the remaining fronts outdoors as there is just no room indoors for them to be painted.

Busy_Mee

So just had my annual phone call to @dmiral to renew our multi car policy ( 4 cars and home and contents). The original quote was £1816.79 and now down to £1394.39. It is always the most lucrative phone call of the year 

savingholmes

Glad things are going well. That's some saving on the insurance - but still a big bill!