Moving forward and upwards

MovingForwards

Thank you DIA, SH and Skinty.
It's looking to be about £5k for the tops, kitchen and flooring, all in and fitted which isn't a bad price as it will be the only kitchen I ever have.
- I could do it for about £2k if it was normal tops and floor tiles.
Remember, mine is just a small kitchen and I'm not going to do anything for 5 years.

I've always wanted a nice kitchen as to me it's a once in a lifetime thing and not one that gets changed every few years, same as a bathroom. I'm trying to go with a timeless look, that's in-keeping with the age, but allows extra light to flood around the room.

I just don't know if this flat isn't going to be my forever home.
Even if I took a role the next level up, or a job somewhere else, it doesn't open up the market to anything better than I have.
- I could buy a flat over the road, but it's a bigger block, shared garden and above shops, so more stairs.
- I could buy a terrace house up the road, but lose my views, have a smaller garden and it would be surrounded by other houses.
- I could buy further out, have the same losses as the above two, costs loads more to get to work and takes even longer to get in.

TomBo would love to buy a relative's property in the future and when the time came, but that's not happening on our income, nor will I risk that big a financial burden.

Even though I'm with a sub-prime lender, I still could have borrowed the same amount as a normal lender would have lent, had I got the deposit together. But I wouldn't have got anything better or bigger, just modernised and not to my taste. I really did buy the best I could, for a lower budget 😁

For now, I'm saving and planning, doing bits and slowly modernising it as I go along. 

doingitanyway

As someone who got quotes for my small kitchen, £5 sounds like a good deal. Like you, when I get a new home I will be going for top of the range materials. I haven't had a nice kitchen for decades so it would be important for me too especially as I like cooking. Like you I wouldn't change a kitchen very often according to fashion. I think timeless is the way to go if you can.

Saving, planning and slowly getting the house the way I want it will be the way I am going to go to.

It is nice reading your plans

MovingForwards

Thank you DIA.
I'm looking at a highly recommended company, who come out to do the measurements and fit it. As I'm happy with the amount and location of sockets in the kitchen, that helps keep costs down. 
If I do go for the really nice kitchen, I will strip out the old one, lift the old floor tiles, lift the wood floor, re-enforce the joists, refit the wood floor, put wood down for new floor to go on, strip old tiles and plaster where required 🤫
- then curl up and cry!

The kitchen is under 12ft by under 7ft. Big enough for us, not too big to cost loads doing it.

I do enjoy planning 🤗

savingwannabe

Hooray for a new kitchen, I am so envious. My kitchen is from the early 80s and will be about 15k+  to do up. I plan to do this when i retire so I will love to hear your plans for ideas.  I love your flat already i feel as if it is turning into the perfect home. 

MovingForwards

Let's raise a glass and say bye bye to the 6 year financial sentence 🍾 can't wait to see it off my reports as they update and hope I don't have to prompt them to remove it. 
Still got under 4 years left for the A P mark and it's the last trace of the 'old me' 😃 

TomBo has been doing a bit in the garden and took all the stuff we sorted out after moving to the charity bins.
- That freed up space in the spare room.

So far I've done none of my planned tasks 🙈 I've had no energy this week, however I've a long weekend to get started and space to move things around.
- felt good switching the alarm off.

£12 in the bank and 7 days until payday.

Skint_yet_Again

Cheers 🥂 

it will be nice for you to have a long weekend but don’t overdo things and end up more exhausted & in pain 

savingholmes

Enjoy your long weekend

MovingForwards

Thank you Skinty and SH

Unfortunately TomBo was on an early, but I managed to get a few more hours sleep after he left.

Had a welcome letter from the utility company, but had to lodge another complaint as they have the building number as the supply address and not my flat 😶 
The standing charge is 28p for electric and 30p for gas 😯 
Hopefully some form of bill will arrive in a few days as I've not had an email from the complaints handler since my previous one.
- I will log in later and see what shows on the account.

I've also updated the supplier I want to move to.

It's a cold one again today, but lovely blue sky.

I may be going out to T later, however that depends on how TomBo feels when he gets in. We have the survey vouchers to use.

doingitanyway

Ridiculous how useless the utility company are.

I went to Mr T today as they have a section for ink cartridges. It felt safe and was a good shopping experience, but A and L are definitely cheaper.

Same here weather wise. It is cold but clear skies and sunshine. It lifted my spirits

MovingForwards

I could rant about them for ages DIA! 
- I did a price check but they only had the building and not flat numbers 🙄 however other suppliers recognise there's flats, as does C1t1zen's price comparison site and the supplier I'm eventually moving to.

We're not going out, maybe tomorrow instead as TomBo isn't working.
- I do like saving up my loyalty points and being able to pick up clothes and things when doing the shopping makes it easier for me. I can't always wait for A1DI to do their specials.

Got carried away with sorting things out. I did the boiler cupboard, half of the second bedroom, and some of the bathroom. TomBo is going to get it into the bins.
- will try and make a start on the window surrounds tomorrow.

Having pie for tea.