Our forever home

bellevie

So having wiped out our excess spending money on uniform and a half term day out my focus this month will be sticking to our shopping budget, or getting it cheaper to save a little.
We have 2 paydays to save spending money for our holiday in August (UK based lockdown permitting) and cover a couple of days out to break up summer hols.

Our own individual savings have taken a hit buying things for the house, and we have other things on 6/9 months interest free deals.

Time to update our spreadsheet and change in mindset to get our own savings built up a little more. We have some, but nowhere near I'd expected to be. Think it's just been so nice knowing we are buying for our own home we have spent far more than we would have considered acceptable in our previous rented homes.

That said, we have done well in terms of decorating. We have 4 bedroom doors to replace, and living room flooring.

After that it's saving for big jobs, windows, kitchen and bathroom. We are keen to get windows done before winter, how feasible that is though I don't know.

Kitchen and bathroom last and no rush, not sure what order we will go in as DH is thinking about extending the kitchen out as our neighbours have done. I'm happy with the space, Although I can see how it would be nice to have a little more space, it's not really needed in my opinion so the jury is out on that one.

I'm looking forward to a period of no houseworks I have to admit, it's quite exhausting!

Kakiste

Sounds like you're flying through decorating things!

I must admit teenage girls are the worst. So many of them are so horrible to one another, then fall apart when the vileness turns on them. I'm forever telling kids I don't want to hear their nasty comments/gossip about other kids- it's relentless. Hope your daughter has a great first week at the new school. 

bellevie

Aren't they just. I expected squabbles to be fair, I remember some really harsh girls in my class. I worked them out really quickly though and got through most of secondary school relatively unscathed.
I do feel terrible for DD.

That said, she started today and had a great first day, she isn't in her form class yet but did mix at play times and found some friends she's previously met at summer holiday clubs, that was a relief to us both, it seems childcare really has its benefits at times!!

The new school made a good first impression on me, seeing the notes on my application form received on the Monday, they had me in Tuesday morning to meet head of year, invited us back in Tuesday after school for a private tour which really helped DD for her first day.

They've acted immediately on my concerns in a couple of learning areas, she's been through assessments all day for her first day and a couple more tomorrow.

Other good news is her counsellor works at the school once a week, so to avoid pulling her out of school early they've offered a slot in school hours. She seems happy again it's another face she know, I think it'll really help her transition.

Feel so very happy and optimistic this evening

Kakiste

That's really good to hear. Responsive schools always show that they've got a team on the ball with leadership in dedicated roles rather than things like intake/senco being bunged onto some random Head of Year who didnt say no fast enough. 
It's nice when previous relationships crop up again- must have been great for her to see friendly faces.

bellevie

It's really made her week, she found a close nursery friend that she hadn't seen since around age 5, it's as though they've never been apart just slotted back together, and s few more faces from previous holiday clubs.
She had shown some heightened anxiety when she goes in really building up to the point she doesn't want to go in. It takes a lot of reassurance but she comes out happy by the end of the day.

It's been a tough week, but many positive steps. Hopefully next week will be much easier 

bellevie

Things have really progressed well for DD the past few weeks, she enjoys going to school, has a good network of friends spread across classes and is keeping up with homework. Early days but such a turn around so we are all very happy.

Payday Friday for dh, Monday for me. We have reconsidered living room flooring and hope to get it in place over the next few weeks. That'll be our entrance hall and lounge finally complete 🥳🎉

We picked up a used kitchen last week, decided present kitchen won't last us the 4/5 years we need to save for the dream kitchen dh wants. We considered getting basic cupboards in place, then I saw a good deal on a kitchen being thrown out as a couple were upgrading following an extension. We visited and it looked in great condition and worked out cheaper than individual cupboards. DH was confident it'll work. Managing to buy that cheaper means we can get a new worktop & replace the flooring that will hopefully make the kitchen sail through the next 5 years or longer even.
It will unfortunately sit in the garage a while longer until we have the extras in, I absolutely hate half finished rooms so would like to start knowing we can finish.

Work has gone through the roof, a growing list of clients, 4 heads down staff wise due to retirement/ moving on, such a different team to the one I joined a year ago, slightly panicked I am the only one of my grade. Seniors work on our emergency list, we work on our daily list but 'we' were a team of 5 for the standard list.
I was on duty today, and saw so many waiting to be triaged that I knew would be on our standard list it did make my heart sink a little.
There are plans to recruit asap, so hope it won't be like that for too long 🤞

bellevie

Finally redownloaded the mortgage account app and updated our figure. It said we had paid just over 10k, but have also been charged close to 5k in interest. 

I went to GP today after putting off for months thinking I'd snap out of it.  He prescribed a beta blocker saying it would stop my heart from racing which will then calm me by not allowing my heart to race and break the cycle of fight or flight. It's so bizarre, I'd started to think something was medically wrong with things being good generally but the constant racing heart feeling it's really just been exhausting. I will have a blood test, he said sometimes a thyroid issue can manifest as the feeling of anxiety, racing heart etc.

Unbeknown to me DH had also booked an apt today, I knew his back was sore he has just registered with the local chiropractor as he found it helped in the past. This morning though he said he woke with a pain every time he breathed deeply or coughed. He has antibiotics for possible pleurisy and an x-ray for tomorrow. Hopeful for a clear x-ray and the antibiotics s do their job.

We couldn't believe the timing, it's truly rare for either of us to see a docto, my last visit being about the ectopic.

Hopefully a little blip in the road that will pass quickly for both.

We are in agreement a calm weekend is called for. At last!!!

Jessy103

Hope you both feel better soon 🙂

bellevie

Thank you

bellevie

In good news, DH has started to feel a little better, there is still a pain but a lot less than last week. That's a relief to both of us, though I think we will relax further when we have the outcome of his xray on tuesday.

I reacted to the beta blockers - I expected some dizziness but I felt so faint I came close to collapsing in the bathroom, I went to lay down until it passed, it took hours. That's a little too much, I know I wouldn't have been physically able to react in an emergency, I had initially tried to go downstairs to DH but I was so dizzy the stairs swayed in front of me, I knew I wouldn't be safe.. It's so strange, after the first one I took I felt I had the best night sleep I had had in months, the turn took me by complete surprise.

So, decided to try natural remedies, I already have rescue remedy at home, and will research others. Heart racing is the only physical symptom I get and I know I am not ill, it's just an uncomfortable feeling when my mind does feel clear and that set's in a panic. Will see the outcome of the blood test, am hopeful it will be all ok and with time I will feel back to my usual self.

We laid our living room flooring, it has made such a difference. One dog loves it, he likes to lay on cool floors. The other isn't a fan, but we will be getting a rug for the centre so he will be happy.

MSE wise, I made an impulse decision a month ago to replace my phone after the camera smashed. It had been bugging me without fingerprint entry, and it was slightly bigger. We use sim only phones, I don't usually go over the £120 mark for a phone and usually keep them for years, so I did feel guilty wanting to replace the phone so quickly. When the camera smahed, falling off a table in the garden, as taking photos on walks is one of my important leisure occupations, felt like an acceptable reason for me to change it.
The replacement phone I did get however appears to be faulty, it keeps freezing, shutting down, videos carry on talking after I've ended them. It's had 2 factory resets in a month, and today I had an 'android failure' screen. I turned it off and it came back on without forcing a 3rd reset thank goodness but it really isn't normal. So I am hoping to return it for a refund rather than exchange - I have lost a little confidence in the brand. If  store agree a refund I will return to using my older phone, and think about getting the camera glass at the back replaced. 

With the faff of moving apps from one phone to another and back again, also had me considering could I return to accessing most things on the laptop. So the phone is used as a phone, for maps and photos only. That should mean in the house, I will use the laptop more for banking and general browsing which is far better for my eyesight anyway...will see how far I get with that plan!