Mortgage free in Forever Home :-)

savingholmes

Good that you are going to have a surplus from this uncertain period to put to other things. 

I find reading back over my diaries helpful

LadyWithAPlan

Well done on the review of financial timings - I love my YNAB even more as every time I get paid I delight in categorising it - of course at moment I am looking at corp tax bill end Dec  then self assessment oh and Xmas .. possible new deposits  and some other expenses - it does mean I am pulling my horns back on spending though - I think this is why I have spent less this year as it constantly reminds me of the bills, annual expenses and stuff that needs paying for  

Glad you all settling in for the Xmas - can’t believe you attempted gardening in that weather !! 

I am aware when I reread my diary in years to come - especially over this Xmas period and when I finally buy that I will be thinking make a move already on the job hunt and home purchase  
I actually started this diary as looking at blogs sometimes encompassing purchase and paying off the mortgage was so compelling 

Watty1

KajiKita said:

PennysIntoPounds said:

Absolute sense, good thinking. Just checking in case you needed it! x

Always appreciated 😊

I’m reading through my year on here so I get a sense of what we have achieved, where we’ve won, where we need to focus next year etc. As well as the banter and the shared life experiences, the thing that comes through really clearly, is how kindly and effectively people here call things out. For me this is a critical aspect of true friendship. 

KK

Absolutely.   Cheering in agreement.  So many of us may never meet and may never have met but the kindness and effectiveness at being pulled to consider something has been one of the things I have really valued.

KajiKita

LadyWithAPlan said:

Glad you all settling in for the Xmas - can’t believe you attempted gardening in that weather !! 

I am aware when I reread my diary in years to come - especially over this Xmas period and when I finally buy that I will be thinking make a move already on the job hunt and home purchase  
I actually started this diary as looking at blogs sometimes encompassing purchase and paying off the mortgage was so compelling 

I was starting to get cabin fever! Which is odd as I was at home and indoors for weeks on end when I first left work 😊 I have managed to do an hour of chipped bark distribution this morning. Looks better already 😊 It’s good stuff from a timber merchant rather than a builders merchant - bigger bags for a similar cost per bag and a smaller delivery fee. 

I think you are being a bit hard on yourself with your forward looking retrospection. 

You have made a move on the job hunt already - to a degree you have to wait for the right job to turn up and right now, recruiters and employers are either not working or just ‘maintaining’ support until the new year. 

Similarly, on the home buy, it’s hard to know what else you could do until the right place comes on the market. You do need your cash though. The new job will help with that. Out of interest, at what point will you give up on the monies from the the large non-payer …? (I am being deliberately provocative here btw … 😊).

KK

KajiKita

There was a moment of consternation earlier …. Mr KK had lost his self-bought, Christmas treat, model plane kit!! It’s a huge box and it couldn’t have gone far as he was only washing the sprues to get the grease off a week or so ago … We were both wandering around all over the house, in the garage etc. Eventually I looked BEHIND the Christmas tree, and right at the bottom of a pile of presents I saw something that looked like it … After excavation, it was 😊 Order restored and Mr KK is now deeeeep in the modelling zone! 😂❤️

I spent another hour in the garden, moving bark - now moved half a cubic metre of it now 😊 As part of that distribution I removed some grass clumps that live in the veggie patch that look innocuously small at this time of year, but become triffids with horrendous anchorage in summer!  Pleased to have got that done. All the easy areas are dealt with now - next I have to do the areas that need weeding / clearing which will take rather longer. Hit 11K steps today 😊

Popped out briefly, late in the afternoon, to reset the pin on my new credit card. That has arrived super quick 😊👏

Used parsley from the greenhouse and a saved home grown shallot for the salad to go with SM curries this evening 😊

Not too tired, happy and relaxed ☺️ 

KK

KajiKita

D’you remember Pampered Prince, my useless report …? He sent an ex colleague, the one who he was overheard by, boasting about ‘going on the rob’ with his dad, a FB connection and a request for reference yesterday. She blocked him immediately!! 😉 I think Karma is surfacing for him ….

Ex boss has appointed my replacement. Another woman, in her 30s. Apparently she comes across as very cocky. It will be interesting to see how she gets on …

In the meantime, Chloe is a happy, snoozing puddle on my end of the sofa, Mr KK is in the garage working on his bike mudguards (hoping to spray them in a few days when weather conditions should be perfect) and I’m about to head out into a damp and soggy garden again 😊

I have remembered to get out Mr KK’s chicken and my red wine sauce and mushroom and Brazil nut loaf out of the freezer to defrost before tomorrow. Mr KK has offered to cook tonight as I will be doing so much tomorrow 😊❤️

KK

Humdinger1

Nemesis is working at unusual speed @KajiKita! Standing by for news of chaos, brought on by spectacular incompetence at old company; you must be delighted to be out of the swamp!  Happy Christmas to us all love Humdinger xx

beanielou

Have a very happy Christmas xx

KajiKita

Watty1 said:

KajiKita said:

We have to try something! The idea of her being relaxed about wandering in herself would be lovely …
Where can I buy such clickers? I’m assuming dried liver treats would be the optimal bribery …? 😉

KK

Mine came from Amaz0n   I have a couple as i am always losing them (WattyDog also clicker trained) and the best ones are the ones with a bit of elastic so you can put it over your finger and keep your hands free.   Dried liver treats are indeed the key to successful clicker trainer i have found

There are lots of great resources for free on the net but i started by just teaching her a click meant she could have a treat then putting a treat near her basket and clicking when she got the treat so gradually she realised if she went near the basket opening she got a click and a treat then we progressed to going in the basket for a click and a treat.  It took time but it is so nice not to have to stress about her going in her basket as she hates being picked up and is both fast and vicious if I attempt anything she does not approve of.  on the rare times i have taken her to the vets in the basket i go back to simple clicker for a treat and going in but the door is not shut on the basis that 10 great treat sessions possibly makes up for one vet visit

WattyDog also clicker trained when he was younger to do a high five, go to his bed and "pray" (he used to put his front paws on a chair and lower his head between them to pray).  WattyDog very cute, writing this makes me realise i should get the clicker and the treats out and try to re-do the training the ex ruined rather than just put up with him and his appalling behaviour now.  When the course I'm doing is over I will start clicker training with him.  Feel free to remind me. 

Ummmm …. @watty1, would Christmas be a good time to revisit this with Watty-Dog? 😊

KK

Watty1

Reminded beautifully.  I think now would be a great time.   So a quick poll - do I clicker treat train something useful (quiet don't bark or door manners) or just clicker train something fun ??  I feel I should start his training again after PPH ruined it.  ummm.. I've talked myself into finding the clicker    I will start with the simple sit and down and we will take it from there.  This  may take a while