Tightening the belts for unpaid leave

Blackcats

Lots of progress on the house purchase.  Very exciting.  

[Deleted User]

Did a "big shop" yesterday.  My parents arrive on Sat and, because cash flow prior to 26 Aug is vital, decided to do the "big shop" yesterday to get us mainly through (bar top ups) until Tues when it's a new budget month as will be able to delay paying off the credit card until DH paid on 25th Aug.

So £85.64 in WR.  Dad drinks Fosters so got him 10 cans (probs only last from Sun-Tues!) and 2 bottles white for me and mum, they get here lunchtime-ish Sat and we are out for dinner at 6 (think dad paying though) so just need to get cake for the afternoon.  Then for Sunday lunchtime just got sausages and baps to have sausage baps then will do them fajitas and nachos for dinner sunday.

Have asked if they wouldn't mind going off feeding themselves a few nights (they love eating out anyway) as we can't because of finances but also because of the kids bedtime.  And we just can't feed them here every night for 2 weeks - because of finances but also just because the kitchen isn't great, we don't have a dining table and it's just not going to be great for us if we've got to get the kids fed and bathed every night and then think about feeding/entertaining 4 adults, esp as DH working.  They were fine with that.  Obvs once in new house and when they then come to stay it will be different.  I do feel guilty but they appear to understand.  2 weeks is quite a long time.

Site visit happened yesterday and we got the planning document which shows the restrictions - nothing unexpected and the works all signed off.  So we've now paid the fee for the bank valuer (got to check exactly when he's going), booked the movers (but don't have to pay until 19 Aug which is good for cash flow as then won't be payable until late sept), and just sent back the signed terms for the HB survey which is happening monday.  Apparently their "inspection" of the property they are buying is also happening Monday.  As there's no bank involved for their purchase, I am not expecting any issues (they are also buying a relatively new build).

DC1 to nursery today so I'm going to take DC2 for a walk I think, possibly past the new house.  So apart from petrol that will be free.

[Deleted User]

Also managed to knock £65 off car insurance - noticed it still had my dad on there who has never driven the car and is now sadly unwell so never will.  I wondered, with him being over 70, whether this was increasing the premium and it was!  I've shopped around to see if can get cheaper elsewhere but can't, so going with that one with the reduced premium but only need to pay it 21st as insurance doesn't run out until 22nd.

[Deleted User]

Bank valuation happening either next friday or following mon/tue and apparently will be turned around within 48 hours.  So that's good.  Nothing more can do today re house, much happening in next 2 weeks in terms of valuations/surveys/lawyers.  Then hopefully we're in position to go (would even be great if we could get in earlier but I doubt it).

Off out to lunch with my old boss today.  He normally pays which is great.  DH having the kids.

He spent about £22 last night on 2 sets of beers for his mates' birthdays.  Car needs to be filled with petrol today so that's around £60.  Hoping we won't go over this month - looking ok so far but won't be saving anything.

HampshireH

Hope your bank valuation went ok and things are progressing for you

Buffythedebtslayer

Yeah, how it is all going? 

Fingers are crossed here XX 

[Deleted User]

Not great!  Neighbour has raised an issue with the boundary saying it is in the wrong place and he has been "shortchanged" byt a couple of feet, despite him having put up the fence which makes the boundary 10 years ago with the previous owners.....We are not yet sure what that means for us but we are 6k in in fees now.  So it is not good.  And just feels like no-one is bothered.

[Deleted User]

Still no resolution with neighbour.  Went to view another house yesterday - great plot with no neighbours(!) but massive project and I just don't know that we want to put the kids through any more disruption, and building costs through the roof/good builders in very short supply so it could take 2-3 years to achieve what we want to.  So we are trying to get the vendors to sort the dispute but tbh we might just buy the house anyway and take on the potential liability and sort when we're in.

Spending has not been great this month as we had car insurance to pay.  DH said he'd already taken this into account in the final figures for the house but I have taken it off this month's spending so it looks like we've spent a lot more than we have.  Add to that my parent's have been here 2 weeks, whilst they've paid when we've gone out (not that often), we have fed and watered (and it's mainly the watering that has been costing - dad has been through 20 cans of fosters and mum likes wine (though so do I!)!) them here a fair few times and most afternoons so it has added up.  However, they leave tomorrow so we can control it a bit more.  Going to do a freezer/cupboards reccie later to work out what we can get away with (not) buying for this week's shop.

Added to that, I am changing the dates of the budget this month for going forwards which means it will be a slightly longer month.  DH and I have always had separate current accounts but a condition of our mortgage lending was moving banks and we've set up a joint account.  So now, all our wages will be paid into the one account and our expenses come out of there, then we will each have spending money of our own and make sure we save into a joint account a set amount each month (whereas previously we just had our own savings) - so am running this month's budget up to and including 24th as DH always gets paid 25th.  It's also been SIL's 40th, my brother's 40th and FIL's birthday, so we have had to get gifts for them and have spent more than we normally would given it's a big birthday.

Interest gets paid on my savings on Sunday and all our monthly expenses (bar spending - but we will budget for that), will have come out.  Finally got the tax bill from HMRC and it was exactly as I had calculated so have paid that today so we can't use that money now.  Fingers crossed that when we run the figures on Sunday we have all we need to complete.  If not, dad has said we can borrow what we need from him (we get nearly 4k in refunds/deposits/agents fees as we bought and sold through them back once we leave here so can pay him back in short order), but we'd really rather not!!!

Blackcats

I don't know the technical solution to the boundary issue, but I'm sure that once you have moved in and talk directly with the neighbour it will be easier to resolve than through solicitors as the purchaser rather than the owner.  In the worst case scenario would you be happy to officially concede and assign the disputed land to the neighbour? 

Sounds like you've had a good catch up with your parents.  It must be lovely for them to spend time with your children.

[Deleted User]

I don't think we would as it would bring their house even closer than it already is (and he said he wants to make improvements).  He doesn't appear to have a particularly strong case as he's never complained about it before, and helped put the fence/hedging up 10 years ago in the place it's in, even though he's lived there since 2003 and it was his MIL's before that from 1990.  So why on earth would he have agreed to put it in the wrong place?!

Anyway, we are waiting to see what next week brings on that front as the owners of the house we want have gone back with a  very strongly worded response.

Just spent 58 in WR and 23 in M&S for weekly shop including treats - not tooooooo bad as we needed things like loo roll, kitchen rooll, bin sacks too.  I had no make up on and saw an ex in there with his stunning fiance - felt like crawling into a hole - ha ha!!!