Champagne Lifestyle on a Lemonade Budget - 2021

phoebe1989seb

sugarbaby125 said:

Phoebe those are beautiful flowers. They really lifted my spirits 

Thanks sugarbaby 😊
You made some great savings at Sports Direct and Oak Furniture Land!

Our new washing machine was delivered this morning - by shopping around I managed to save £120! It's a huge 10kg capacity, much larger than our old model and supposedly very quiet to run, which - although it won't be in the kitchen - was an important factor in my decision making process 😉

I've been doing lots of online window-shopping, ahead of choosing storage for the upstairs landing area..... I'm aware of how fortunate we are that we're able to use the internet to shop for virtually everything these days, but nonetheless I just wish we could get out to some real bricks and mortar shops and nurseries/garden centres. Hopefully it won't be much longer!!!

Outside in the garden we have tons of snowdrops, primroses and some dwarf irises plus the bluebells and alliums are starting to appear ❤️ Sadly, my phone camera is definitely on the blink - I'm adding a couple of pics of a few of the snowdrops (we've loads more in our 'woodland' area) but it looks like they were taken on a misty day, lol!

Have a good weekend all!

helensbiggestfan

Hello my lovely friends.

Thanks Phoebe.  I love snowdrops, they look so pretty. Such brave little flowers. 😂.  

Phoebe and SUgarbaby.  Wow to the savings, that's fantastic.  

I've just done a fridge inventory and, with what's in the freezer and the cupboards, I have enough to feed a small army. So, I am going to aim for a nice low spend month. I want to save as much as I can over the next few months because I have a couple of house and garden projects I want to tackle this year so I want/need to be super thrifty.  At least until my business is up and running and I become a rich entrepreneur. 🤞.  Ha ha.  

I have had a good week, lots of deep cleaning and clutter sorting,  ready for a trip to the recycling centre next week.  There's a good car loads worth. It will feel so good to get it all out of the house. 

Yesterday had a lovely Valentine celebration lunch with DS1 and his little brood, and today he brought GS1 round for a nice play session.  Meant I didn't get my kitchen deep clean finished but no worries. I can finish up next week.  Alas haven't seen DS2 since Christmas but now that I've had my covid jab and his girlfriend  who is a nurse has had hers we can look forward to meeting up again at some point when restrictions lift. 

Anyway I have had lots of nice little champagne moments. I have treated myself to some flowers and chocolate. Why not, just because I don't have a Valentine in my life doesnt mean I have to miss out on a bit of Valentine's Day pampering and treats.  

Thankfully it's apparently getting warmer next week. Although the days have been sunny and bright it's has been a little too crisp for my liking,  🥶🥶😂🤣

soon be spring and we get to get some warm sunshine in our bones. 

Happy Valentine's Day. ❤️❤️

balabooberlies

Hello All

just popping in to wish you all a spiffing day.

Champagne moment was that I won a small competition.  Stencils for my young nieces.  They are budding artists/crafters and have talent......   it brings me so much joy because am totally useless with my hands.  

Sugarbaby wishing you well.  Thinking of you and new grandbaby.

Phoebe, would you mind sharing the make of your 10k washing machine ?  Did you do any research ?  (bet you did  ).

My next one needs to be that size.  I probably over wash my duvets but it keeps me happy.  The launderette is becoming too expensive.

Saw my first crocus yesterday.  Made me want to skip.

huge hugs

bala

x

phoebe1989seb

Hi Bala! No worries - it's a Haier (and yep, I spent more time than necessary researching, lol!). We've not bought that brand before and it's not yet plumbed in so I can't report whether it lives up to expectations.....
Crocuses are one thing we don't have...adds those to my growing 😉 list!

LL, I know what you mean about snowdrops being brave, pushing up into potentially hideous weather conditions and brightening otherwise grey winter days 

So, although it's been a reasonably productive week with a few champagne moments along the way, our target to complete the laundry cupboard isn't going to be met, mostly due to circumstances outside our control.

The main reason being we have had to order a different model of macerator - or to be accurate, a lifting station - to carry water from our washing machine on one side of the cottage (where drainage is distinctly lacking) to the other. The original was purchased in 2018 when our intention was to put the ground floor facilities beneath the stairs, but it is unsuitable for the high temperatures generated by washing machines. The replacement is not due to arrive till the 25th.

Not that our plumber would have had time to fit it, being tied up on various jobs with DH. I'm not going to complain, as I'm delighted they are both in great demand, work-wise and - having waited three years - a few more days isn't going to hurt!

Instead - as well as some laundry cupboard tweaking - DH has finally patched up the huge hole in our kitchen ceiling (collateral damage from when a mouse chewed through pipework during December 2018!). 

The weather has been pretty horrendous here, with back-to-back heavy rain which has seen me spending more time inside, up a high ladder painting the hallway rather than garden tidying which had been my plan.

Today the sun finally came out - briefly - but I'm too achey to venture out for long, so I've been catching up on long overdue book research, curled up on the kitchen sofa by the comforting wood burner 😊 whilst DH - who had a well-earned day off yesterday - has been doing carpentry in the guest bedroom. Last night as a treat, we indulged in a kebab....a real guilty pleasure, lol!

Despite the rather grim weather - and continuing restrictions making it hard to plan too far ahead - indoors things are looking brighter with jolly yellow tulips filling the kitchen window sill with much appreciated sunshine, more hyacinths starting to open and those long anticipated paperwhites finally beginning to burst forth!

There's dry weather forecast, so hopefully I'll get out in the garden over the coming days. Spring is just around the corner and if we're lucky, lockdown will soon be over!

Enjoy what's left of the weekend x

joedenise

I bought a Haier fridge/freezer a couple of years ago and it has been absolutely brilliant so I've no doubt your washing machine will be too.  I'd certainly buy the brand again.

sugarbaby125

Phoebe, 
Your flowers are beautiful 

Humdinger1

@helensbiggestfan late to the party but just saying how right you are to treat yourself on Valentine's day.   You are indeed our darling xxx

helensbiggestfan

Good evening my lovely friends. 

Sorry I have been awol but truth to tell I haven't been too well this last week or so.   Not sure whether it is a heavy cold or maybe a reaction to the covid jab.  Still can't speak above a hoarse whisper but at least my throat isn't quite so sore now so hopefully I should start picking up soon.  I think the worst is over.  

So not an awful lot of champagne moments......except this morning when I heard the news that all adults will be vaccinated by the end of July. Wahoo.  💃🥂. I know we still have to tread with caution but it's just so fantastic to know that we're almost out of the woods.  We will be able start living again instead of just existing.  

Beautiful flowers Phoebe.  Spring is on its way.  I spent a happy hour pottering in the garden today.  It was so nice to be out in the fresh air without freezing half to death.  I'm sure your laundry cupboard will be fabulous, well worth the wait.  I think house renovations always incur delays and setbacks, we just have to be patient and take the long view.  

Just half watching Bullet Proof Monk. 😂. Great fun.  

sugarbaby125

My Champagne moment today was getting confirmation from Tesco that my £100 Tesco gift card is on it's way to me, which I won a few days ago in a Tesco text competition. I was astonished at my beginner's luck. 

I decided that I deserved a treat so I have ordered £55.84 of No7 Indulgent body and bath products from Boots online. The items including various discounts and a free gift were worth a total of £225 so I made great savings. I will also be earning 10% cashback with Quidco on this order and I got bonus Boots Advantage card points on this order. 

helensbiggestfan

Wow.  SUgarbaby.  Well done you.  I am totally in awe of your shopping skills.  You really know how to make the most of your money.  I could definitely learn from you.  

Hello my lovely friends.  

Well not exactly a chamagne moment, more a glow of quiet satisfaction.  I did a financial review today.  I decided at the beginning of this year to live as frugally as possible because I knew I would have some expenses in March. I wanted to be able to fund them without cashing in my shares so I decided to keep my discretionary spending to the absolute minimum.  

Pleased to say that I have been able to do this.  Yes it's very tight and it means depleting my cash reserves rather more than I would like but I'm happy with what I've managed to achieve.  And of course not cashing in shares when they were lower at the start of the year has meant they have recovered too.  So very much a win-win.  I want to keep the bulk of my shares for either a major refit to this house should I decide to stay indefinitely or to put to good use when I move.  

I have even managed to buy some stock for my business venture, not much but with what I already have I should be able to start trading within a few weeks.   I am so excited.  😂. I have just about cleared the decks ready to commence.  Just need a few bits and pieces and then it's all systems go.  

I have decided I am going to put the house renovations on hold for now so that I can concentrate on making some money.  I figure if I give it my full focus I stand a better chance of success.  🤞🤞.   I will still let the outside work go ahead because that won't impinge too much on my time or space.  I can just leave my builder to it.....as long as he gets plenty of tea and biscuits he's happy.  

Still not 100% but definitely feel better than I did,  I might postpone family visits for one more week, protect them and give myself more rest and time to recuperate.  

I am happy and content.  I know we will have to live with covid for years to come but at least it seems more manageable now.  Spring is coming.

onwards and upwards..........