10 years to clear £334K - our FIRE journey

CCW007

Forgot that we would need to pay for the floor to be fitted this month so that blows the budget completely.  Had to pay for materials already and then the labour.  Floor fitter starts on Tuesday prepping the floor, stones are ordered and being delivered from Tuesday onwards as they need to be delivered on 3.5 tonne vans due to access down our lane.  

Kitchen delivery and fitter have been confirmed so by mid March it should be done and by Easter I hope we can get the final bits finished (skirting fitted etc).  Feel much better now we have ordered the flooring and confirmed the floor tiler.

Also ordered the ovens using gift cards (6% discount) and got 5% off one oven plus another £15 and put it through Quidco although that may be declined due to using discount codes.  They will be here beginning of March.

Hopefully in April we can start to see what we have paid out and owe and can start chipping away at the costs as it feels like it's very spendy at the moment!

Cashed out on PA and got £6 in from WBB so OP now stand at £318 / £520.  Due a payment of £10 from Ziffit shortly and got another trade ready for Ziffitt and WBB which I need to finalise today to get an extra 10% at Ziffitt.

Need to clean and list our old oven on FBMP / Gumtree.  We will be getting a Smeg toaster as part of our deal so that will be getting sold as soon as it arrives, plus our current combi microwave / oven.  Hopefully we can offset some of the costs a little!

OH has gone to his office which is a 200 mile round trip twice this month - he gets expenses to attend so that will be £80 each time after fuel is paid for. 

CCW007

Also wanted to buy a second mattresses protector so we can swap.  Had a £10 L2S voucher from a survey I did a while ago about the alternative fuels payment so spent some time looking at where I could use it and what was available and ended up ordering from M&S. I can collect from store when I am in the office on Wednesday so free delivery and it was cheaper than other places I looked at as well. 

Went through Quidco - my account had been closed for some reason so I got my sis to refer me recently so using that rather than TCB where I can so we can both get the referral fee.

savingholmes

Sounds like you are making your money stretch. Scary how many bills house reno can throw up. 

CCW007

Floor is laid - just the grout and sealing to do.  Plumbers are coming in a week tomorrow to move stopcock, not sure how much that will cost.  Need to finish painting, sanding then staining beams, sockets to be wired in then I think we're ready for the kitchen to be fitted.

Added the kitchen finance to the WIOTW figure and it's up to £296k - eek!  

Bit more cashed out from PA - now at £347 / £520 OPs.  Sold something on Vinted for £8 (first sale - yay!) so waiting for that to come in to OP.

Start of March CC bill is going to be high (includes flooring amongst other things) so will be end of April before we realistically see much reduction and OH has just told me the car he is planning on taking on rally to France in April needs a considerable amount spending on it beforehand (plus cost of hotels and food) so probably more like May before we start to reduce the WIOTW significantly. 

Still the kitchen is a one-off and we spend a lot of time there so will be worth it when it's done.   

savingholmes

I bet you are thrilled to have the floor in. So much upheaval and stretched over such a long time. Still can't get over you gutting the kitchen just before Xmas!

CCW007

Thanks SH - yes with hindsight it wasn't the best move 

Would have all been quicker if we hadn't done so much ourselves and just got a fitter to co-ordinate everything such as plastering, rewiring and floor but would have cost more so it taking longer is the price we pay.  By Easter I'm hoping it should be (mostly) all done.

savingholmes

I totally get the need to save £. I think there is also the issue - listening to a workman angle grinding as we speak - that spreading the trades out reduces the upheaval and mind / energy sap of having others in your space - even if it does make the job last longer. Your job will soon be complete.

CCW007

SH - yes the throughput of workmen has been really disruptive for us and the cats. We've got no-one in today and it's bliss!

Various shenanigans around dates - finding it hard to keep track of what's happening when.  Had a call yesterday about delivering the kitchen to us on an 18t lorry - no, we've paid for delivery to the store and then delivery to us on sprinters as an 18t lorry won't get down our lane.  Then the kitchen company wanted to deliver a week later so had to remind them that their fitter is not available a week later and they'd have to find us another fitter.  Back to delivery end of next week from the store (hopefully!)

Bit more cashed out on PA and Vinted money in.  Have to say selling on Vinted was brilliant but suspect I may have got lucky with a great buyer.  Will see if anything else sells.

£369 / 520 OP target.

OH been paid today and I get paid tomorrow so by Saturday we should be able to see where we are - need to pay the electrician and floor fitters at the weekend / early next week so wages won't be in the account for long!

CCW007

£375 / £520.  Chargepoint installed and paid for.  Hopefully no need to take any money out of savings this month - even when it's planned for, I hate doing it!

Floor fitters back today - grouting this morning and sealing this evening - so that leaves the weekend workman free.  Time to finish off the painting!  Ovens being delivered today.  Plumber in Monday to move the stopcock.  Feels like it just might come together!

edinburgher

Ovens plural - lovely! I often feel like one of those 1970s? Energy crisis radio ads where the spirited young woman (those ads haven't aged well) is impressing her in-laws by cooking every part of a meal in the oven at the same time from soup to pud