Learning to walk before I run

Alchemilla

Maintaining a huff for three years takes some doing!

powerspowers

Oooh house sounds interesting! I’m honestly so relieved that we bought a 4-bed rather than embark on a loft conversion. How does it compare price wise to the unconverted? 

And I raise you on the compressed hours- I work a 9 day fortnight and part time at 33 hours on flexi time 😀 

edinburgher

@Suffolksue - while I appreciate just how lucky I am to have a decent flexible working pattern, I stuck out 7 years in a horrible job with a completely unrealistic work scheduling, bullying and plenty of unpaid overtime to make a sideways move to get a LA post and said flexibility. It aged me!

DD has a few pals whose mums are nurses, they are constantly exhausted, particularly over the last couple of years. I have nothing but admiration for those who stick it out as a career 👏

edinburgher

Feeling much chirpier today and managed a couple of walks (one while DD was at her drama class this morning, the other to collect her new gym shoes from Sainsbo's (free click and collect). I also picked up some dramatically reduced Christmas pasta when I was there that won't expire until the summer of 2024. I got four 500g bags for a grand total of 16p!! Perfect for us as pesto pasta remains a staple meal for DD when she's not feeling inspired

I've just had lunch (fast day) and am going to clean the aquarium before we go to see the house this afternoon, Mrs E currently has DD at her art class, nothing but classes atm.

Before Christmas I had booked us tickets to see the Nutcracker, which I thought would be an enjoyable way to see in the New Year. Unfortunately Covid put paid to that and the cost of the tickets was refunded today. I also got £3 from NW (£5 monthly reward minus £2 account fee). This came to £71.70. I've OPed £35.85 and paid the same into my ISA.

South_coast

Good effort on the pasta! That's bonkers that they're selling it off so cheaply when they've still got years to sell it though - also makes you wonder what they're paying for it if they're prepared to let it go for 4p/bag just to get it out of the way 🤔?

greent

Fab bargain with the pasta!

edinburgher

House was nice, but not for us, we felt there would have been too many compromises. Utility room was not a room, attic was unusable, kitchen smaller than our current one, no real garden to speak of. Very unimpressed by the seller's need to try and telegraph some kind of idealised consumer lifestyle - putting their fanciest carrier bags on display etc. I couldn't help but feel that I wasn't paying an inflated price to support their shopping habit and I don't need props to make me feel like I was a big successful spender 

Suffolk_lass

edinburgher said:

House was nice, but not for us, we felt there would have been too many compromises. Utility room was not a room, attic was unusable, kitchen smaller than our current one, no real garden to speak of. Very unimpressed by the seller's need to try and telegraph some kind of idealised consumer lifestyle - putting their fanciest carrier bags on display etc. I couldn't help but feel that I wasn't paying an inflated price to support their shopping habit and I don't need props to make me feel like I was a big successful spender 

I think people watch too many TV programmes about staging houses and worry too much about what others think of them. Good bones is what you need in a house. Solidly built and in a good situation. For all your suggestions that you are making limited progress, you have the right mindset on here. 

I expect the Sainsbo pasta does not gel with next year's Christmas plan (finalised early Jan) and the cost to store and plan it in next year makes selling it on under cost, better than keeping it for a year. Win, win 

Cornish_mum

Great that you found the visit to the possible house useful, shame it didn’t live up to expectations. Have a good day CM

Karmacat

When I was selling my first house, in the very luvvie-oriented City By The Sea, I was dying for a cup of coffee, which I drank freshly ground in those days.  But even then it was advertised as being one of the ways to make a house more attractive - the smell of fresh coffee - and it was so well known I didn't want to do it!  Counter-productive, exactly as you found.