julicorn's journey 2 - Moving Up 1 January 2022 at 11:21AM in Mortgage-free wannabe 470 replies 14.3K views

julicorn

It's absolutely tipping it down today, good think we had plenty to do at home. 

I've finished and uploaded a new cross stitch pattern to my etsy shop (it's for the Year of the Tiger, and my third Chinese new year pattern so far), and we've packed up a good chunk of things in the kitchen - albeit not quite everything we want to pack. Also, why is it that when tidying or packing, the rest of the flat inevitably ends up looking like a bomb exploded?

We'll take down the Christmas decorations tomorrow, and work starts again on Tuesday. We were lucky to have over 2 weeks off, and managed to see Mr julicorn's parents in Wales, although change in travel rules meant we couldn't go to Germany for Christmas itself as we had originally planned. Either way, the two weeks flew by, but it was really nice to have a bit of a breather. We're also going to Center Parcs again for Mr julicorn's birthday beginning of February, so it's not that long until the next bit of time off

I also read a few more articles on the Frugalwoods blog today. It's that classic January thing, where I start day-dreaming about what I'd like our life to look like and come up with some lofty goals that I never quite manage to stick with, but it's the thought that counts, right? Goal for tomorrow: Pack up the rest of the things we want to put in storage, and cook some nice veg-heavy meal. 

twinklie

How exciting! I never quite found your old thread, I tend to stumble across threads rather than search for them. But as you were only a year ahead of me in getting a mortgage and you have managed to pay of significantly more than us and build a healthy savings pot, I'm following with interest to see if I can gain some top tips. 

julicorn

twinklie said:

How exciting! I never quite found your old thread, I tend to stumble across threads rather than search for them. But as you were only a year ahead of me in getting a mortgage and you have managed to pay of significantly more than us and build a healthy savings pot, I'm following with interest to see if I can gain some top tips. 

Thank you twinklie! I'm the same, just dip into diaries when I see them rather than really searching for them  

We've thrown a lot at the mortgage over the last few years, and have been keeping a close eye on the budget to make sure we prioritise spending on the things that really matter to us. Before covid, we still managed to go on some bigger holidays though, so it's not like we've been living super frugally. Our income has increased too since we got our last mortgage, so that definitely helped (the £204k or so was top of our affordability back then, now lenders seem happy to lend us a fair chunk more). 
But yeah, 0-based budgeting was key for us, using YNAB especially (but other methods are available, haha ). 

CathT

Just stumbled across your new diary and I'll be reading and following. CP is a really lovely holiday to look forward to. 

julicorn

Thank you @CathT! I'm really looking forward to Center Parcs. We've been a few times already, so it's a bit of a tradition by now, but we always just have such a great time there. 

We packed up some bits in the kitchen today, and found 5 packs of cranberries There's always that one ingredient we forget we have already and buy another bag of. Ah well, at least this is something we can snack on. We also baked banana bread, took out the Christmas tree, and booked the storage unit from the 15th of this month. Feeling a little anxious today, with work starting again tomorrow and this whole selling/moving thing feeling much more 'real' all of a sudden - I know I have no specific reason to worry, it's just all a little scary. 

Do any of you have any top tips on what to look out for in an estate agent? We'll get 3 or so quotes over the next few weeks, but I've not really dealt with estate agents much aside from renting (and they were all pretty shocking back then). 

julicorn

The healthy-ish cooking is going quite well so far though! Here's what we've been having:

1st: 
Lunch: Leftover new year's German lentil soup (it's the secret for lots of money in the following year )
Dinner: Stuffed peppers with lemony roast potatoes and a side salad

2nd: 
More of that lentil soup for lunch, and spaghetti alfredo with lots of sprouts for dinner

Today (3rd): 
Lunch: Teriyaki stir-fry with broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, lots of cashews and sesame seeds
Dinner: Ethiopian yellow split pea stew with spicy parsnip & sweet potato croutons

It's all courtesy of the Lidl veg box which we got for the first time ever last Thursday. I'd never checked it out before, assuming the veg would all be bruised and about to go off, but not at all! Got a box full of really fresh and super tasty fruit and veg for £1.50. We get a local veg box delivered too, but I think this would be a fantastic top-up. I might go on the weekend again and see if I'm as lucky as that a second time round. 

ElmoR

Just wanted to pop by and wish you good luck in your next phase.

I used to live in B&H too - the property prices are bananas compared with other parts of the UK.

Often miss the place though.

ElmoR xx

julicorn

Thanks for checking in @ElmoR ! Where are you based now?  It really is a bit wild around here - I'm a bit worried we won't find somewhere nice, but I think that's just my pessimism / anxiety speaking  

It's getting real - I phoned around this morning and booked 4 (!) estate agent appraisals for next Monday and Tuesday. We're moving stuff and some slightly oversized pieces of furniture into storage this Saturday, and still have a few DYI bits to do this weekend (mainly some small-ish paint jobs, some new caulk, nothing too dramatic). Mr julicorn heroically tidied up most of the garden yesterday, while I was scraping out caulk around the bathtub (discovering 3 separate layers of mouldy caulk along the way, gotta love the previous owner's approach of just adding layers ).

South_coast

I see your layers and raise you the blu-tack that my previous owner thought constituted an appropriate repair!

sabsob

Hi Juli, just found your new diary (and remember your name from sniffing around in the forum and finding the mortgage free wannabee annual threads, but haven't committed to that yet, still finding my feet. We are also dealing with estate agents (buying, not selling) - good luck with it all, and lovely to find a fellow crafter