Champagne Lifestyle on a Lemonade Budget - 2021

florianatwobob

More of a champagne budget rather than a lemonade budget yesterday but we were celebrating my sister’s birthday earlier in the week. 

Day trip to Cambridge by train in the beautiful sunshine and a wander round the Fitzwilliam museum (free entry) followed by a late lunch at W@gamama. The budget was blown rather when we took a wander round the jumble sale that is TKM@xx. 

phoebe1989seb

Sounds like a super day all round, Floriana 😄 Love your description of TK Maxx, lol 😂

florianatwobob

phoebe1989seb said:

Sounds like a super day all round, Floriana 😄 Love your description of TK Maxx, lol 😂

It is one of my (not so) guilty pleasures. On the plus side I did come home with a new pastry brush and socks which were both on my ‘need’ list. 

phoebe1989seb

florianatwobob said:

phoebe1989seb said:

Sounds like a super day all round, Floriana 😄 Love your description of TK Maxx, lol 😂

It is one of my (not so) guilty pleasures. On the plus side I did come home with a new pastry brush and socks which were both on my ‘need’ list. 

Me too...and Homesense 😁😉🙄

phoebe1989seb

Yesterday's champagne moments - although the hideous weather put paid to our fleamarket road trip, we still managed to achieve something worth cheering about 😉 

With me assisting as chief labourer, lol, DH began hanging the whimsical sage/gold owls wallpaper in the guest room - and it looks blooming amazing 😁😁😁

After a hard day's decorating, we decided to go ahead with our planned *post road trip supper* of huge toasted sausage sandwiches with apple/ketchup (me) and egg/brown sauce (DH) 😋 

helensbiggestfan

Happy Valentines Day.  

❤️❤️

phoebe1989seb

I can't believe it's four years today since we completed on the purchase of the old mill! Sadly, there's not a day that goes by without me regretting the decision to buy it - and more importantly - to sell our beautiful previous house ☹️

Still, it's done now and I have to live with the decision 🙄 I know we're lucky to own our home outright....hopefully one day I might grow to like it!!!

More optimistically, today's champagne moment - the guest room chest of drawers was delivered about half an hour ago....and it's every bit as gorgeous as it looked in the eBay pics 😄

Another smooth Shiply transaction too!

helensbiggestfan

Just recovered 6 dining chairs.  Quite pleased with the result. A real champagne moment when I finished  because I've been putting off doing it for months. 😂.  Just glad I finally got my act together and got the wretched things done,   There's enough fabric left to make some cushion covers. I overbought on the wadding too but I'm going to use that to re stuff a leather pouffe.  

Phoebe. I didnt realise that you weren't all that enamoured of your current home.  I'm sure when it's all done it will be stunning and you will feel better.  If not, well just flog it, make a good profit and move on to the next one,😉.   

I do like my current house but tbh I have no real emotional attachment to it.  Its nice and, if I say so myself, I've done a good job with the refurbishment but it doesn't  tug my heartstrings.  I shall be happy to let it go.  I've been assured it will sell easily enough and I am happy with the valuation.  Of course it's only worth what someone is prepared to pay, so we will just have to wait and see. Hopefully, it will sell for near to the valuation and then I can be mortgage free next time round.  Well that's the master plan.  😂. 

Still not sure quite what I've got in mind yet.  I have seen a couple of possibles on right move but at the moment the really good properties are literally flying off the shelves.  I saw a beauty on Monday, fresh to the market, it had gone yesterday.  When I say beauty, it was a project, realistically maybe a bit too ambitious for me but it had huge potential and was in a fantastic location, which is probably why it was snapped up so quickly.  

I still think that, if the market remains volatile,  I might rent for a while and take my time to find my perfect nest, especially if the next one requires work.  I have vowed I will never live on a building site again,  😂🤣.   

Popped into Asda this Mornjng.  Picked up some new pjs, some "at home" leisure wear and a few inexpensive bits to dress the house.  All Very MSE. 

phoebe1989seb

The chairs look fab, Helen! 😄

I'm sure you won't have any issues selling your home, it's the buying of a new one that gives cause for concern right now - as you say, renting in between might make sense.....

I hear you on the *living on a building site* issue! We haven't lived in a finished house long term for soooo long 🙁 and I'm really not keen to do it again either.

It feels as though we've been living in limbo forever - the last time we had a finished house was 2014, but that was only for a few months before we sold it (finished final job mid April, on the market 1st September, sale completed 16th December!).

The last time we lived anywhere long term that we'd fully renovated was 1997-2007 😮

Having done back-to-back DIY house renovations since then, I am so very much done with project houses, lol 😂

This place will take another year or so to complete (although imho, gardens are never finished, so that will be ongoing) and who knows, maybe then I'll feel differently. Trouble is our last four houses have been such hard acts to follow 🙄

Anyway, I wish you all the very best for your move when it happens and hope you'll keep us posted on your progress so we can live vicariously through you 😄

candygirl

Wow 'LL the chairs look fab! Well worth all your hard work 😍xx