Prosperous soul embraces creativity & mortgage neutrality

savingholmes

Thanks Micky, Beanie, Blackcats, MF, GAP

I've been watching more of the Utube WD pointed me to - I struggle if people want to throw my stuff without asking. But I do let literal rubbish go. However it is a constant fight to control clutter. Thanks to MSE and debt busting I stopped bringing anywhere near as much in and therefore that has helped a lot. I do feel challenged to tackle my paint clothes drawer though - as I have a lot of holey clothes that I have kept to paint in - which is part practical - but part so I don't have to let them go. At least it's only 1 drawer - and it is a drawer - so that's progress too as it means they are put away. I've just thrown some SW mags away. It all helps.

If others help me set up systems it is also easier to keep to them after that. 

It is interesting that many of you struggle with storing too much too / hoarding tendencies. 

Viking_mfw

Fabulous garden bench. Very jealous!

jwil

Love the arbour, it looks great!

Well done on SW as well

greent

The arbour looks great - well worth that £20 to get it done! 😀 

savingholmes

Thanks Viking, greent and Jwil

Just ate lunch in my new arbour. It's lovely. What I am realising is paying for help is cheaper than I expect but can cross things off the too difficult list and save me a lot of angst.

My garden could be transformed with a day or two's hard labour from someone else. It would take me far longer. Similarly for other parts of the house. I will need to scale back pension and savings plans but it will be worth it to have more usable and visually pleasing spaces.

Undoing years of neglect of house and garden feels more doable. I don't have to do it all on my own. I can pay for help. 

That's kind of exciting and a breakthrough. A huge benefit of being DF other than the mortgage.

savingholmes

So an energy adviser came today thanks to P1p and me signing up for priority services. He replaced a couple of bulbs and gave me a draught excluder. He said if my garage FF is old enough they would replace it for free... Just hoping it's old enough now... Ironically - that one is working okay!! Appliances have to be 8 or more years old. They would also have replaced the washing machine if it was 8 years old or a free standing oven. The charity is funded by the energy companies. Wish me luck! No idea how old the other FF is. Definitely worth checking into. 

My main kitchen FF is much better today. I've moved the thermometer to the bottom drawer - and it was -14.8 earlier. I will check again later. The top shelf was -19. The fridge is going between 1 and 5.5.

The cat approves of the new arbour and nuzzled up to me while I was trying to eat lunch. Hope you are all having a good day. 

girlatplay

It's all very well (and important) saving for the future but not to the detriment of life right now.  I'm glad you're going to do things that you can enjoy now.

L9XSS

Great use of garden space, your arbour looks lovely. Getting your home comfortable and perfect for yourself gives a real sense of satisfaction. Another thing to tick off the list.

Chrystal

savingholmes said:

Thanks Viking, greent and Jwil

Just ate lunch in my new arbour. It's lovely. What I am realising is paying for help is cheaper than I expect but can cross things off the too difficult list and save me a lot of angst.

My garden could be transformed with a day or two's hard labour from someone else. It would take me far longer. Similarly for other parts of the house. I will need to scale back pension and savings plans but it will be worth it to have more usable and visually pleasing spaces.

Undoing years of neglect of house and garden feels more doable. I don't have to do it all on my own. I can pay for help. 

That's kind of exciting and a breakthrough. A huge benefit of being DF other than the mortgage.

Your arbour looks lovely and getting it erected for £20 is an absolute bargain!

Totally agree that paying for help in the house and garden would be a godsend.   It will lift an enormous weight of your shoulders, massively improving your MH, and the pleasure of having it done the way you want it to be will be ongoing.  I envy you being able to find handymen who will do the work.... rarer than hens teeth where I live.

Fab news about the energy advisor, I haven't heard of that service before.  Wonder if it's area related?  Keeping my fingers crossed that you can get the FF replaced.

Great weight loss... well done you.  (((hugs))) XXX

No idea why the abreviation for Fridge freezers was 'bleeped'!  I've removed the 's' to see if that makes a difference. LOL

savingholmes

girlatplay said:

It's all very well (and important) saving for the future but not to the detriment of life right now.  I'm glad you're going to do things that you can enjoy now.

It's taken me a long time - but finally learning this life lesson. My counsellor will be very happy to hear my progress when I see her Thursday. Finished work early today as lost all concentration.

L9XSS said:

Great use of garden space, your arbour looks lovely. Getting your home comfortable and perfect for yourself gives a real sense of satisfaction. Another thing to tick off the list.

I just want to get to the point where every time I look around my home or garden there isn't a huge list of tasks (weeds etc) staring at me. I always assumed it was too expensive to get help - and my priority since the end of 2016 has been debt clearance...  I've spent too much of my life waiting for family to help and when that wasn't forthcoming - struggling alone. Our relationship would have been a lot better if we'd paid for more help along the way.

Chrystal said:

Your arbour looks lovely and getting it erected for £20 is an absolute bargain! (I couldn't believe it - he had to pre-drill the holes and everything as they were missing. DD had to help him hold the things in place but still. Bargain.)

Totally agree that paying for help in the house and garden would be a godsend.   It will lift an enormous weight of your shoulders, massively improving your MH, and the pleasure of having it done the way you want it to be will be ongoing.  I envy you being able to find handymen who will do the work.... rarer than hens teeth where I live.

Fab news about the energy advisor, I haven't heard of that service before.  Wonder if it's area related?  Keeping my fingers crossed that you can get the FF replaced.

Great weight loss... well done you.  (((hugs))) XXX

No idea why the abreviation for Fridge freezers was 'bleeped'!  I've removed the 's' to see if that makes a difference. LOL

The guy who came yesterday could tell we used to have a pond and he'd be excited to replace it and get it up and running again. I'd need to weigh up the cost of that before committing but the pond and small waterfall feature and rill with recirculating water was pretty originally. I've said see what you can get done in a day on the garden and then we'll review. He's going to replace the felt on the shed and reconnect my extractor fan in the kitchen to the white concertina thing (I can't reach). He's going to re-board the decking bridge over the rill... Dig out bamboo. Clear weeds. It's exciting! He'll also take away the logs and other stuff BIL cut down to burn in his Dad's fire. Just need him to come back when he said he would now.

Crystal - if you have a disability (and get P1p) - you can ask to be put on the priority services register - it was through that I got referred. It is area specific but I imagine there are others nationally. I needed to be on some kind of benefits to qualify. I shared it in case it helped others. Good luck with finding help. I asked friends for recommendations so that's how he came. I still need someone for my stairs but that one saying I'm unlikely to fall through was reassuring.