Future Proofing my life: Deposit saving then MFW journey in under 13 years

Suffolk_lass

A garden that had a bit of ground behind their garage that they didn't use, that backed on to us had Jap-knotweed and it spread into ours. Fortunately only the lawn and was remedied by regular mowing, while we were still there. It needs specialists to eradicate it and I remember a case last year where someone failed to disclose it and the owners who bought it sued (successfully). It is like hollow bamboo with filaments across so it stops poison getting down inside the stems to the roots.

LadyWithAPlan

As noted on @Watty1 thread - its spring - gorgeous sunshine .. and the men are calling - its spring ...the hormones go to their head like London pigeons -

Actually an ex from 2 years ago called me yesterday - not spoken/text in 18 months.. he was coming to London and I guess hoping to see me before he had a dinner  in like 4 hours - ha! 
We left on friendly terms - I finished it  as he was flaky but he said he thinks of me often (I never think of him even when I am single) - he kinda muttered 'I think of you all the ...' but then said often...


Date night last night  - 5th one tomorrow
MWAP had booked tix for a fun comedy thing in central London last night    I then had a friend put us on a Soho private members club list so  we had somewhere to go after, to meet some older friends - so they could cast an eye and  to have a later drink and a dance ...

Good to be  getting to know him better - we all still very PG right now which is a good pace   He saying some lovely things (and has written me a poem/song  - hopefully not copy and pasted  from the internet  ... it is very specific to us so .....
but I am aware I am a bit wary after text -ex  of last year which is not fair on either me or MWAP so  I am looking at that in myself... I am not having some rude boi  behaviour (well 56yr old)  from last year ruining my choice  to form  meaningful connections. Love is a risk worth taking...

Mortgage offer - I have put a low one in on the flat I loved ..
I have asked re the Japanese knotweed paperwork and also the age of the boiler  - as the EA couldnt even find said boiler when I was there - my mortgage broker is worried on the JKW... as says can cause real issues getting a mortgage ...
On for £475k -  I have put in  offer just under 40k lower - EA knows I wont pay £475k -  JNW looks like a lifetime of £3k a year  ... lets see ... I am ready to move - I can move up a bit price wise  if needed but 

I also saw a flat with a balcony v near a N London tube 2day - £450k 2 bed, needs work but cute ,... not a garden but decent size flat and balcony big enough for couple tomato plants and table/chairs a  so I am starting to see what I like and dont... 

Invoices
Waiting to be paid for something .. I have been promised a payment plan  so should get a chunk of change this coming week  which will need to be held for the proof of wealth i guess. 

HMRC - I asked for a refund on SE overpayment on acct back end Jan - no sign of it and when I went in onlien - no record (I definitely asked) so asked again as I have a corp tax bill early March to cover - I have got the money put aside for whats left after the £2.3k I am due back .. I have left a bit on POA... but dont want to have to drain savings or my deposit whilst I wait...

FOOD
 Just made some more cashew cream for both a DF sour cream alternative with garlic fresh herbs and lime plus as a coffee creamer..

 YS Crackling pork in halogen - was wonderful and a 3 meal plus size.. served with kale, broccoli and a  brown/white rice mix I made

Grocery shopping  Feb £130.86  + Bulk  £26.59 (freezer full) _ crisps £9.37
SHOPPING £23.27
- Ald* - as my local Li has closed and they had no FR cornfed or FR chickens .. annoying ...
Spent  Bulk £5 inc coconut oil,  coconut milk, some YS pork GF meatballs for the freezer
Grocery - spinach, frozen peas,  DF milk, cashews, houmous and loads veg
Plus one pack of crisps £1.49 - still no haribo

Gifts for a friend from TKMA** which is useful - so many of my friends looking at flats (rental) and mkt gone crazy in London - I feel very lucky

Home buying costs £311 as half the MIP and travel costs

voluntary spending £414.97  inc expensive hair stuff, drinks and theatres etc,
Social spending  £241.31 (£111 was that Uber)
Fun spending     £173.66

I nearly boight some vintage clothes today but then thought if I am moving I have a lot to declutter not add to.!

skint_spice

The dating sounds fun and very positive, good to hear.  

KajiKita

You are doing so well on the no haribo 😊👏🎉
And well done for challenging yourself on being unfairly wary, sounds like MWAP thinks enough of you to take his time and not get petulant about a slow pace.  

Where does the £3K pa for the JKW come from?? We had to persuade the seller to set up a management policy with a specialist treatment company for three years but once that was in place and we had documentary proof, the  mortgage was no further trouble - and that was with Mr KK being SE and older. (There was JKW in two small locations here - one far from the house, one closer but on the boundary with next door’s garage. If what you are dealing with is a far bigger infestation, I suppose the rules might be different?) Sounds to me like your mortgage broker is just trying to avoid work …. Also, from the little I know of you and how you enjoyed having outdoor space when animal sitting last year, a balcony big enough for two tomato plants doesn’t sound to me like it would cut it for you? Even if JKW property doesn’t work out, don’t give up on having actual ground to grow in and be on - it makes such a difference, how ever small a scrap it is.

KK

LadyWithAPlan

thanks @KajiKita on the JKW input - the £3k figure comes from me googling … 
And yes sounds like the broker indeed might be avoiding work though my mortgage is complicated as it’s a contract one 

I have put an offer 8.3% below asking … I am ready to go MIP in place so .. 

I am waiting to hear on the proximity of the JKW but put an offer in anyway - I gather 7m away was fine and now 3m away is fine - however the garden is not huge and I if it’s one area near the building that’s definitely not 3 m .. but if the pesky triffid like stuff is in the other corner it’s fine 
It is amazingly long lived - can stay dormant for 20 years under ground ! 

You are correct I want somewhere to grow tomatoes and sit under a tree (apple hopefully) 
which in london is an ask but I am not even looking at places without outside space or a balcony - flexible on the 1-2 bed aspect 

on MWAP I had mentioned being wary (I think one can mention ex dates on the 4th date ) as he had done so already .. and he said he was aware of it - that i was different than before (we haven’t seen each other since a long walk during lockdown ) 
so I am chanting on it and looking at my thoughts as they come up … 

haribo success 
On the haribo I know if I have one single sweet or candy I will go back to eating a packet as soon as I buy one - so the intention is for all of 2024 bar Xmas week  
I did have a small bar of  chocolate yesterday as part of my hangover (slight but one Prosecco was not good - I had a headache immediately after drinking it - the Cremant and champagne was fine) but I am restrained always on choc  as I know how the dairy affects me - only had the chocolate in the house as it was for a competition.. 
so weirdly I have much more control of my choc eating habit .. it’s the excess sugar in candies I guess that triggers me 

skint_spice said:

The dating sounds fun and very positive, good to hear.  

Thanks! Good to be poking my nose out after 7 months of definitely no dating - of course now I am open to it men are popping up however I like to date one man at a time even in early stages - no time for more than one  

1 degree and foggy in london this morning ..I left my phone outside my bedroom the last 3 nights - makes such a difference also in the morning as I can’t google on my phone etc in bed 

I am planning to pop to gym for first time in 2 weeks, early coffee /brunch with birthday friend then got tix to a show this evening  tonight so meeting up for say a coffee with MWAP before that .. 
he is not a big drinker which is good as I always match my social drinks to who I am with .. 

competition win - won £10 cash 
first one in Feb … so got to make a YNAB competition cash win category ! So exciting ! 

I am not spending much time comping so nice to win - won £50 of nail stuff £50 shoe voucher last month - want to sell the nail stuff so I can start a YNAB comping prize selling category 

savingholmes

Your current MWAP sounds lovely.

I would be fearful of JKW - although KK has a lovely place and more practical experience of it. I would say it could limit future buyers if not eradicated by then - which may make it harder for you to sell if you needed to in the short term.

KajiKita

savingholmes said:

Your current MWAP sounds lovely.

I would be fearful of JKW - although KK has a lovely place and more practical experience of it. I would say it could limit future buyers if not eradicated by then - which may make it harder for you to sell if you needed to in the short term.

This is a valid point. We never intend to leave here, whereas you might want or even plan already to move on at some point. One of the ways I FINALLY got the seller of this house moving on getting the JKW treatment plan in place was by pointing out that it would really put other people off too, it wasn’t just us making a fuss ….

If your offer is accepted and you decide to continue with it, it would be interesting to know what the surveyor for the mortgage valuation says about it. 

KK

LadyWithAPlan

@KajiKita @savingholmes this flat feels like it could be for my lifetime to be honest 
with an 8% under asking I am not sure on my chances - only the EA pushing me to make a sub offer has made me do so .. will probably hear back today .. 
need to get a promised invoice paid today as well 

I went for a swim yesterday - very self impressed - due to an early Sat night 
lovely day as I saw a friend and gave a gift - I do love a Waitrose cafe - and then the MWAP coffee then a show 
show needed more rehearsal to be honest and some editing but was fun and v fabulous in parts .. had some nice projections in as well - MWAP said he really enjoyed it  - 

spending yesterday included coffee for my friend, soft drinks at gig and a mascara I have been holding back from buying but finally used what’s left in the empty ones. 

Off to gym shortly then a big work  day  ahead 
this leaving the phone on my lounge is v helpful to my sleep 
happy Monday all 

Sistergold

Morning @LWAP 🥰 Was just catching up on the flat hunt. Is the knotweed flat one or two bed? Any results on offers yet? 

LadyWithAPlan

Sistergold said:

Morning @LWAP 🥰 Was just catching up on the flat hunt. Is the knotweed flat one or two bed? Any results on offers yet? 

Hey SG tx for popping in   
its 2 bed, but no immediate work needs doing and its period features. Waiting to hear back today - the EA called from their broker to check my finances yesterday  so got him to talk to my broker so that all fine - EA then called and apparently the seller is looking at her figures - its been on sale with another EA before - they just taken it on ...
he said he will call me today with sellers response - he says he thinks offer a bit low - but they not holding out for asking, I may have to go up a bit but question is how much ...and I dont want to be over the £450k h2b threshold as will get extra £3k that way from the govt.. and I dont want that big a mortgage...

I feel ready and much as I love where I live now (so fortunate its affordable, great position and I am really saving here) I would love living there - could be a place forever -i do love it - as indeed you said I would - I need to really love it to take on the financial responsibility but its also buying something quite lovely  .. I have seen 2 others but they are 'I could make this work' vs I love this flat ..
 ... I am ready and house deposit is currently £115k but really £116.5k once £2.3k  tax rebate comes in and easily £125k  deposit with what I am owed and by time I buy will be able to put £125/130k down and keep 6 months of bills back  plus  as per @SuperSecretSquirrel suggestion rather than putting all on deposit and stressing myself out  as soon as I buy..

Apparently the JKW has been eradicated - now monitoring in place - still waiting on paperwork and they not come back on boiler age...


 

.........JKN
 I have been looking at JKN on the gov.uk site - it is amazing stuff and very triffid like ... Classics like 

'Knotweed crowns and rhizomes may survive burning, so you must follow the guidance for how to bury it or how to dispose of it off site.'
'You’ll have to respray. It usually takes at least 3 years to treat Japanese knotweed. Knotweed rhizome can remain dormant in the soil for many years and will regrow if disturbed or if the soil is relocated.'
'You must make sure that any geotextile membranes used for burial are:

• undamaged
• large enough to minimise the need for seals
• sealed securely
• will remain intact for 50 years
• UV resistant'

NSD YESTERDAY  - A MIRACLE!  5?/13
think thats only 5 this month as lots of odd days small spending plus dates plus toiletries..
Today I see my vitamin amazon sub&save is going through but also I have my first sewing class tonight - just seen an email on I need to bring some stuff I dont own like tailors chalk and a tracing wheel so will have to go get that  - pity I didnt see email last night  as I could have ordered on prime -  I have a small ynab category for learning supplies but as its sewing I guess I will be buying fabrics etc. I have my old sewing machine and my dressmakers dummy at my parents - I sewed a bit before and then went to a class but tried to make a jacket which was way too detailed for my skill level. This time I am aiming for dresses!

Invoice waiting
i have been promised a large invoice payment - need for proof of funds as well for Feb for mortgage ..
My spending is up from Jan but still far better than OCT/NOV before ynab - still loving my ynab

Declutter/packing needs to start
Scary thought is I have loads of stuff (unworn shoes and clothes, some bits) I keep trying to sell but put on ebay last year and left - this needs to go on vinted as  if I get a yes on my offer  then the thought of my packing my large 2 bed flat  in a hurry - and like @savingholmes I dont want to take excess unnecessary stuff - I have all my own furniture inc 2 dbl wardrobes,  desks, sofas etc and all the  white goods so ...I will need a v large van no matter what
No matter when the move happens  the earlier I can do more declutter the better  
My rental is a months notice  which is good but assume I will have to wait on notice periods as the vagaries of completion dates seem archaic and moveable from what I have read so wouldnt want to risk giving notice too early.

Creativity yesterday finally!
Ended up not going to gym yesterday - worked til late and if I dont get out first thing to gym I dont go  BUT I did pick up a guitar for the first time in 2024 last night  and probably in a year at my own home ... argh ... so pleased I strummed something -I  going to aim for 10 mins a day  to start looking again at that - I am not good but I do have all the musical knowledge  - just need to work out  chords again then practise some actual guitar playing as a nice hobby