Tightening the belts for unpaid leave

[Deleted User]

@HampshireH - thank you!  I think I will do just that!

So, £118.80 on highlights and a cut and blow (to be fair, it's been about 18 months since I had my highlights done and my hair had gone really dark underneath and grey on top!).  That was with a discount.  Obv this is DH paying now, but he doesn't mind.  He's told me he needs some clothes so is going to be getting those this month probably,  Then annoyingly a tenner in M&S as got us 2 x sandwiches for lunch, plus a yum nut each and raspberries for DC1.  Had to bring lunch home as we have nothing in the house given we are moving and DH had had to come home to relieve MIL on childcare as hair took a lot longer than expected and wouldn't have had time to get anything from elsewhere.  But we do need to rein it in a little if we don't want to dip into savings.

Still NOTHING re flat - they are playing silly b*ggers again and saying my sols haven't responded to their last 4 points but they HAVE, last blinking thursday.  I just feel like it is all going to fall apart.

Feel like we are now in an almighty mess tbh and should not have sold.  We could be sat in our gorgeous house with stunning garden right now, not having to worry about any of this rubbish.  Instead, we now have to a) move (with all the disruption and cost which comes with that, plus obviously ending up with no garden and a teeny tiny kitchen), b) potentially not have the flat sold or let and all the cost that comes with that and c) might not find anything before September which is when the crippling nursery fees kick in and the bank might lend us much less (unless flat sells and we can show we have a years' nursery fees in cash).

DH is similarly down.  I KNOW there is nothing we can do about it now and that we will find something eventually.  I just never envisaged we'd be sat here 6 months later.  That said, it is better than panic buying which it appears a lot of people are doing.  There's houses which have been on the market 5 or more years which are now shifting!

Blackcats

I hope you get good news about the flat soon to release the pressure and the worry from that for you.  It appears that you have got the most annoying buyers ever.  

I think that whilst you're moving you should cut yourself some slack - perhaps set yourself an interim moving house budget for sundry expenses so you don't feel bad about a sandwich and a yum nut 😋.  Even £100 in a separate pot will take away the guilt of the costs you incur getting through the move.  

Blackcats

Ps - although you win the award for most annoying buyers you will also win the award for best hair on the diaries after your well deserved trip to the hairdressers.  Back in the UK the rest of us continue to look at ourselves in the mirror and wonder what the heck has happened to our hair over the lockdown months 💇‍♀️

[Deleted User]

Thanks @Blackcats - good suggestion re sundry budget, I might just do that.  I mean, its even costing us in excess of £30 to put the cat out the way in a cattery whilst we move.  I am literally SO cross at my friend.  Ha ha re hair - it was such a relief.  My DH said "you look clean".  Apparently having dark and grey hair makes me look dirty and not in a good way!

So buyer apparently STILL banging on about this deposit issue and now wants a retention of 1k.  I am speaking to my solicitors (if they ever respond) but I just don't see why that should be given - it is clear that the deposit amount was 1k and is protected in the scheme, if she falls out with the tenant then she might use that to say the retention should not be returned and I have no control over it and also, it is going to cause me issues as I have to report and pay any CGT within 30 days of sale so if I then either receive or don't receive the retention it means I either pay too little or too much tax!  They have already cost me a fortune in ramping up my solicitor's fees.  I'm just sick of it.

About to take DC1 for a haircut as he looks ridiculous.  So just fed DC2, who is now lying on his jungle gym playing with his toys, DC1 is eating his lunch then I've got to dress him and get out the door to meet DH as I'm not yet able to use the double buggy for both so DH helping. 

[Deleted User]

DC1 haircut was £12.  Both kids now sleeping - bliss - won't be for long, but a micro moment of self care.  DH bought us lunch from M&S, not sure how much as he doesn't keep receipts as we know.  Also he bought himself clothes - again, don't know how much those were.

Realised we have quite a lot of cash (almost 2k) in our bills account - seems to have just accumulated.  We will have final gas/elec/water bills to pay here and also re-connections fees for phone/broadband, but reckon the sundry fund can come out of there.  Contents insurance also due on 12th (have already informed them of our address change from friday) so maybe we will also pay that out of there.

If flat ever sells I will also get a refund on the building/contents insurance for that - something like £200-300.

On that note, I've just sent agent email saying basically the buyer needs to p1ss or get off the pot, and he is (has checked with me) going to forward it to the buyer - I did phrase it all the way through that it was her solicitor who was causing issues, so hopefully that will bear fruit.  Otherwise (and this was also said in the email), I've instructed them to put the property back on the market for sale first thing friday morning.

[Deleted User]

Have told my solicitors (and copied agents in) to tell me if buyer's sol doesn't respond by COB today because if not, the property will go back on the market first thing tomorrow.  It's not what I want to do but otherwise it is simply just waiting and stalemate.  

Have just cleaned (almost) main bathroom here.  Need to hoover the floor and get some wipes on it but just need a tiny bit of muscle power from DH later - DC1 has this bath toy which leaves bloomin' black lines on the bath - I've scrubbed and got most of it out, but just need DH to have a crack.  Then I'll hoover floor and anti-bac wipe it and that room is done.

Once we've had dinner tonight I'll finish packing the kitchen and finish off the kitchen cupboards, then it's just fridge/freezer. surfaces, sink, skirting boards, floor and a quick squiz on the oven after DH did the hard work on it the other day.  Kitchen is going to be the most difficult room I think.  Our room, spare room and DC1's room should be easy once the furniture out as it's just skirtings, polish surfaces, clean windows and hoover/shampoo carpets.  Lounge likewise once furniture all out.  Then our en-suite and downstairs loo going to take a little while.  But I think we should be done by end of Saturday.

DH has taken this arvo off.  Friend's mum has given us keys early so he has gone there to move a few things and take apart the beds in the apartment so we can put our own up tomorrow.  There's a big double bed in DC1's room but he will have his cot bed, so it's not needed.  And we'd just rather have our own bed/mattress there.  I don't know what I'd do without DH.  I do moan about him at times but we are a good team - I handle all the admin stuff and he does all the heavy lifting/DIY and things like this.  It's down to him really that we are as packed as we are.

Not going to enjoy this weekend really, and esp not looking forward to camping out at MIL's ALL DAY tomorrow.  She will drive me potty.  But I've offered to take her for lunch (even though shouldn't really as we are now trying to cut back a bit) but she never has any food in the house and feel like it's only fair as she may have DC's tomorrow afternoon (and def having them sat afternoon) so that I can help DH with cleaning etc.

astrocytic_kitten

Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly. I know the new place isn’t ideal, but at least you’ll finally be free of so called friend.

[Deleted User]

We are OUT!!!!!  It took 11 hours of cleaning (WTAF?!) but we are out, keys posted through door.  "Friend" had better give back deposit in full or there will be a massive fall out.  She said "hope the packing went well".  I mean, does she not get that we had the whole contents of a (rather sizeable) 3 bed house and garden there?!  It wasn't a bit of packing !!!!!! and it was just SO unnecessary to make us move.  I mean, who kicks someone with a 5 month old baby out?!  Another friend of mine (in same friendship group) popped by before and brought us champers and a bag of emergency treats - because I'd messaged him this morning saying I was in tears.  The son in law of our new landlord (again in same friendship group) popped by earlier (we were out, MIL was here looking after the DC's) to see if we had everything we needed - that's what true friends are like.  Anyway, we are out and, once we have deposit back, rid of her and her stupid oddball boyfriend (we call him lurch).  DH reckons she won't be in touch at all until we find a house.  How on earth she is going to run her own business I have no clue - she can't tackle "awkward" conversations.  If that had been me, I'd have picked up the phone and said look, I'm really sorry, there's been some crossed wires and we agreed to someone else having house, really really sorry and appreciate this is a huge inconvenience etc but no, not a single acknowledgment of how this has affected our family.  It's 2 kids under 3 !!!!!!.  I just think if you can't be empathetic, what on earth kind of person are you??!

On another, more positive(!) note - buyer has now agreed to exchange contracts, therefore it looks as if we should complete by end of next week latest (hopefully by weds)!!!!!!  SO relived re that.

Took MIL for lunch yesterday as a thank you for looking after the DC's yesterday (I was there all morning helping) and for a few hours this afternoon.  No thanks from her as usual.  Always picks most expensive thing on the menu and has wine (knowing full well I'm not getting paid at the moment) so that was £40.  Really winds DH up as she complains about our niece and nephew not having any manners but I don't think she has ever thanked me for lunch (and we've taken her out countless times).  I think she just expects it.

Anyway, we have a mountain of unpacking here to do, even though we've decided not to unpack too much.  Need to pick cat up tomorrow (we've left him there an extra day) which will be £44 and do a shop as we have no food.

This place is definitely not ideal, but really hoping we won't be here too long.

evebeme

Hope everything goes well and the buyer gets it done. Good luck and I hope the "friend" accepts your move with more grace than she's shown so far.

Eve

scandimore

De-lurking to say glad that the move went ok, it is so stressful. Fingers crossed your London place goes through soon as that will be a huge weight off your shoulders I'm sure.