SLLM (Single Lady Large Mortgage)

Sistergold

Oh hello @Blinky2010, and welcome to SLLMs, we are laddies with a mighty punch 🥊 nothing we can’t do! Please keep us updated on the progress of your mortgage! It looks daunting but to be honest once done it’s done! After a few years of paying down the huge debt it starts making sense! In any case it’s a home not really all about investment so come costs are priceless! The purchase price can look daunting but it is what it is and it’s not someone you can escape! Welcome to the club! 🌺

Sistergold

Okay laddies. Just an update!

I want to experiment with learning to weld! I know it’s a bit random but I take it that my hand has been forced as I still want to have a metal fabricated kitchen. I feel now trying/doing it myself is my only option, well the other straightforward option is to have a wooden kitchen made! There was a brief time I settled with the idea of just getting a wooden kitchen but I keep going back to the kitchen that I want and I
can not get over that. This has led me to the thinking that it’s better for me to see if there is even a chance that I could make the metal frame kitchen myself? If I learn to weld and I make the kitchen or don’t like it or learn to weld and can not master the art then I think it will be easier for me to then just choose a wooden kitchen and accept that I don’t have a choice. 

I had supposedly found a welder who can do it but he started chatting me up and it was almost bordering on sexual harassment as the passes were so strong despite me saying it was out of the question. So I have now blocked the person as it was all too creepy. So basically I am back to square one as to who will make the kitchen and I am just tired for now with the search. 

I have now managed to order 2 welding machines. An MIG welder which can do both MIG and arc/stick welding. I also bought a small arc welding machine which is easily portable and also I want to learn this process first. Past few weeks I have been trying to see if I can register for a welding course but they are all full for the forceable future so in the meantime I will learn from YouTube rather than wait indefinitely. If I then I master it then I will not worry about attending a course urgently or I will the go for an advanced class later and skip beginners class. 

I have also bought some welding supplies and I hope I will start getting deliveries this week. I hope that by end of June all will be in and I can start learning from July. The Mig machine is scheduled to be delivered end of June as it was a preorder. 

I will be updating the diary as to my progress and also whether I found it hard but managed or it was hard and I threw in the towel or maybe not hard at all and I feel most woman can learn! Hopefully even if hard I hope I can persevere and learn! 🦾. 

From research MIG welding and stick/arc welding are supposed to be the easier ones to learn so that’s why I am begging with that. Also I think with those two methods hopefully I can make all the items in my mind. I have so many items I need made it makes sense to learn given that it has been difficult to get anyone to even start! 

Setup cost so far

I am hoping welding can be a long term hobby after all this. I still have quite a few things to buy like metal cutting machines, grinders etc and i suspect I might need to spend about £3k to be fully kitted. Some machines like chop saws, grinders etc will be useful for other diy jobs so I don’t mind getting those. 

Will post the grand total after all is bought and keep you updated about my welding journey. 

To make this possible due to other expenditures I will be slowing down on OPs as stated in one of my earlier posts. 

For the next few months to invest in the above and other things I have since changed my OP down from ~£1k to £100. 

HAVE A NICE DAY LADDIES! 

I will also be posting unboxing if equipment pictures! 

Sistergold

What a disaster! Last Saturday me and the youngest two children decided to go and choose a paint colour for our bedrooms? The children’s choices are good but mine was a disaster, just too dark especially being used the current brilliant white. I had painted quite a big patch and now will have to see how I can remove this eyesore and choose a much lighter colour. 

dawnybabes

Sistergold said:

Thank you @dawnybabes, just a further question though, the expensive one seems to crash bones and all the midrange ones seem to only mention normal/soft waste? I guess with midrange I can do the normal waste and maybe chuck the bones into the bin? 🫣🤫🤷‍♀️ I really don’t want to keep the food bin anymore! 😷 the smell can be off as you use plastics and it seems a waste to chuck out daily a plastic with a few food bits. 

I pop small bones in mine - so chicken bones seem to be ok - wouldn’t put a big bone in (though it once ‘did’ a spoon and it’s brutal !!) 

Sistergold

dawnybabes said:

Sistergold said:

Thank you @dawnybabes, just a further question though, the expensive one seems to crash bones and all the midrange ones seem to only mention normal/soft waste? I guess with midrange I can do the normal waste and maybe chuck the bones into the bin? 🫣🤫🤷‍♀️ I really don’t want to keep the food bin anymore! 😷 the smell can be off as you use plastics and it seems a waste to chuck out daily a plastic with a few food bits. 

I pop small bones in mine - so chicken bones seem to be ok - wouldn’t put a big bone in (though it once ‘did’ a spoon and it’s brutal !!) 

Spoon iiisshh! Is it such that you could then ‘fish’ out the spoon or does that mean the macerater is doomed? 

Sistergold

Oh first machine arrived. The above picture is what was in the box. This is the portable machine. Will learn with this as is simple and lightweight. Unfortunately it comes with no plug so have now orders that. I also need to order some metal to learn to weld with so maybe some flat bars and some tubes, hopefully there is somewhere for immediate pickup of metal supplies.  Will also go to toolstaion or screwfix and buy the cutting power tools like chop saw, angle grinder etc. I think by next weekend I should be able to do my first weld. For now I am watching some YouTube videos when I can. Am telling myself I can do this! 

Hoping to maybe make a coffee table as a first project. 

lantanna

Blinky2010 said:

Hi Everyone

I’m new to this forum and stumbled across this thread! Would love to join being a single female with a soon to be large mortgage as some motivation to help bring it down as well as to relieve some anxiety on taking on such a large commitment alone!

Welcome, we are starting at the same time. I should be moving into a new build in September. I’ve finally decided to make an overpayment of £150 per month for the first year TIL I get furniture paid off etc and I see how it goes. I’ll make extra overpayments as and when I can. I’ve taken a 5 year fixed at £648 per month. 

Merlin's_Beard

lantanna said:

Blinky2010 said:

Hi Everyone

I’m new to this forum and stumbled across this thread! Would love to join being a single female with a soon to be large mortgage as some motivation to help bring it down as well as to relieve some anxiety on taking on such a large commitment alone!

Welcome, we are starting at the same time. I should be moving into a new build in September. I’ve finally decided to make an overpayment of £150 per month for the first year TIL I get furniture paid off etc and I see how it goes. I’ll make extra overpayments as and when I can. I’ve taken a 5 year fixed at £648 per month. 

I think there's several of us in the same position @lantanna and @Blinky2010 . Newbuild is due to be finished in July, trying not to think about how large a debt I'm taking on by myself with no back up!

Sistergold

Don’t worry girls @Merlin’s_Beard, @lantanna and @Blinky2010 after a year the big debt will be your new norm! Half the time I don’t even think of how much debt I still have I just thank heavens that it’s done. Trying to buy is more stressful than having the debt around your neck. 

Sistergold

Good evening ladies. Just a weekend update to stay motivated as so much happening just to keep up with house ownership. Just goes to remind me of when I was renting. In rental although the landlord was a bit of a pain but he was just a phone call or email away if anything needed fixing. In ownership it’s not all about fixing though?  Always some upgrading or new ideas to make house meet current needs. The electrician finally called to say he will hopefully be coming to do the requested electricals next week Tuesday or Thursday. I also added two more plugs to the list, a 16A plug and a 32A plug as standard ones I have are 13A. The welding machines will work with 13A but will be able to weld at more power with higher amperage so I just thought I might as-well have some installed in the garage so that I have more possibilities for machinery. 

Managed to do a big clean out of the garage as there were a lot of debris and dirt generated by taking off old roof and fixing new one. Managed to throw away a car load of rubbish but I am still a long way from clearing the garage enough to park a car! It felt good though just throwing away so much stuff. Also cleared some stuff from the shed at the bottom of the garden. I hope to move some stuff from the garage to the shed. 

I booked one more slot at the recycle for tomorrow morning but I am now burnt out from what I did today I don’t think I can do anymore to be able to have anything to throw away but will see how I do by tomorrow morning. 

Dear son did a good job of tidying up the front and back garden and the lawn is looking beautiful. I am really looking forward to a lovely summer. 

Gas boiler still not working and so using immersion to heat up water, very cumbersome indeed but at least we have warm baths. 

Looking forward to next week as mortgage goes out on the 14th seeing me well into the £3##Ks. 

Well onwards and upwards we continue! ✨🌟
Hope you all had nice weather wherever you are?