Champagne Lifestyle on a Lemonade Budget - 2021

MrsPorridge

My champagne moment today was dodging the rain and planting some poppy seedings (grown in the greenhouse) in my new bit of fenced off lawn which is going to be a wildflower meadow!  Its only about 5 ft x 5ft, but already has long grass, daisies, some buttercups and I've also planted some wildflower seeds.  Oh, and of course lots of weeds

phoebe1989seb

That sounds lovely, MrsP 😄 We had plans to do something similar but that idea has morphed into a green roof with wild flowers. Not sure when it will happen though 🙄

helensbiggestfan

Hello my lovely friends.....

My champagne moments the last couple of days have all been of the "feeling smug because I'm soooo tidy and efficient" kind.  Lol.I am just having a little Breather.  I have been like a whirling dervisher this morning. Just finished blitzing the loft.  

Over the last couple of days I have completely reorganised my kitchen cupboards, gleefully decluttering as I go along.🤣.  Just a couple of drawers left to go. I have piled small items of excess furniture and various bits of gubbins into one room, ready for the YMCA to collect at some point. Just got to sort out the bookcase, keeping only a few books (need to find somewhere for them) and that can go to.   

I am being ruthless!!!!!   And it feels good.  I need to do another paperwork sort out, maybe tomorrow.  And then after that, assuming it warms up I want to tackle the garden, It's like a jungle again.  Still a tad chilly here so don't think I'll be gardening today.  Might just curl up with a book instead.  

There's nothing spoiling......

phoebe1989seb

I don't blame you taking a break to read, LL, you've achieved loads by the sound of it 😀

It's sunny and noticeably warmer here today, so I've taken a break from sewing to plant up some more of the white bed. The oak sleeper part still isn't complete (only a tinyish bit to do, but the weather has just been too wet), so not everything can go in, but apart from nine hostas and three crambe cordifolia it's all planted up 😎

Lots of the new plants are either flowering or in bud which is very rewarding! 

If the sun stays out I might treat myself (and DH, obviously!) to a glass of wine later 😋

Siebrie

I took 2 hours off this morning; I had a doctor's appointment I didn't particularly want to inform my boss about (it turned out fine, ooff) and then had some time left, which I spent putting the house to rights. It went so quickly without dds around! Even just the 1 hour to myself recharged me.

Wednesday2000

I just found a pair of grey ankle boots in a charity shop. I had wanted them for my night out last week but better late than never. Everything in there was £2.

I have been decluttering too and have a bag to take back to donate tomorrow. It's quite nice and sunny so I will go back and look for a couple summer tops as well.

Oh yes, I got my PIP payment awarded so that was good. I had read so many stories about how hard it is to claim. I'm not sure if it was easier because of the pandemic or I would have got it easily all along. Oh well. It seemed like a lot of money as it was backdated. Nice to have money going in instead of bills going out.

phoebe1989seb

Today's champagne moments - not only is it warm and sunny so I can get on with more gardening, but all my new cushion covers are now here/made 😃

I purchased two coordinating remnants by the same fabric designer in addition to the covers I'd ordered to be made by three eBay sellers. My overall spend for the five including some jute fringing to add to one that I was making came to just under £125.

Admittedly this wasn't cheap, but I thought it was justified to reinvigorate the comfortable if slightly uninspiring taupe velvet John Lewis sofa we bought second hand on eBay back in 2013 and which we'd been considering replacing. It's definitely going to look more champagne than lemonade adorned with its new accessories!

Fortunately amongst my hoarded stash I had feather pads of all the required sizes. Whilst rummaging for those in the ottoman under bed storage, I also found a long forgotten circular cushion of a (just about) acceptable blue shade to boost numbers further. You can never have too many cushions, right?!?!?! 🤣🤣🤣

sugarbaby125

Phoebe I am so impressed by your cushions. They are all beautiful.   

helensbiggestfan

Gorgeous day here......worked myself to a standstill.  Won't call it gardening, more like firefighting but it looks so much better.  The lawn is looking so much better too at last.  Hoping to have the border  in a state where I can start planting next week.  The clay breaker treatments have worked really well last year and the back border is doing well.  Just a few gaps that need filling with some new evergreens and then I will put some summer colour in, a mix of perennials, more bulbs and some summer bedding for a quick fix.  

I have also killed off a section of lawn to create a soft fruit area.  The grass has now died so I turned that over today - very hard work, again heavy clay, had to use hand tools. 😱.  So I'll do the same as I did before, leave it to lie fallow and a few treatments with claybreaker over the summer, ready to plant with fruit bushes in the autumn.  Well that's the master plan.  

Love the cushions Phoebe, blue is so pretty.  And you're right you can never have too many cushions. 😉

 Following on from my holiday where I fell in love with the farmhouse we stayed in, I am gradually revamping my principal rooms, going for a more "cottagey" look.  The sofas were my sons, mid grey from IKEA.  There's nothing wrong with them but I find grey a bit masculine, same with my bedroom furniture.  It was his choice, very dark Indonesian teak, again a tad masculine but lovely furniture so I'm not going to get rid of it. So my mission is to "feminise" it all, going for softer colours and more girly accessories.  I found some really pretty floral cushion covers in a chazzer, an absolute snip at 4 for £4.  I had plenty of pads already so a nice cheap revamp.  A new (to me) old fashioned satin quilted bedspread from a chazzer too.  A new to me lampshade for the hall, £2.  So just £12 spent so far and already I'm loving the changes.  Will keep an eye out for further treasures. 

sugarbaby.  Love the bookcase.  Can't wait to see piccies of your finished lounge.  It does go to show though, with a bit of thoughtful shopping, some imagination and patience we can revamp our homes on a shoestring.   We can live like millionaires, even when we're skint.   At least I've never let being strapped for cash stop me.  😂. I've always loved the challenge of indulging my champagne tastes with my lemonade budget.  I thought I was pretty good at it too, but I have to confess I'm nowhere near  SUgarbaby league. 😂🤣.  

#moredashthancash........ 

phoebe1989seb

Thank you ladies 😄

You're right, LL....Sugarbaby is so talented when it comes to sniffing out the bargains, although your charity shop finds come fairly close! Sounds like you'll have lots of fun *feminising* your home 😃

We have loads of vintage/second hand stuff found on eBay, at auction, car boot sales and in a mix of charity shops/fleamarkets etc but nothing that can match Sugarbaby's sofa etc 😉

We do have a small, two-seater sofa (1980s version of a Charles Rennie Mackintosh style) that was £52 on eBay and one of my favourite lampshades was a charity shop find at £3. Although my best bargain is still the Zoffany wallpaper that I paid £5 for several rolls (five, iirc - it was about eighteen years ago!) at a Hampshire carboot sale 😎