Large renovation, tiny budget... lets go!

rdone

I've looked through our CC and it is horrific.  Far too much eating out and we both bought quite a few clothes this month which we don't normally.  We have enough money to pay it so that's not the issue.  Just means no savings this month!

I have categorised it all so we know where we have spent and hopefully can concentrate and do better next month.  Some items such as accommodation from last weekend, DH annual membership fees etc will all come out of those savings pots that we put into monthly.

Definitely too much restaurant eating though!

rdone

Since my last post the only things we've bought is food (to eat in the house - not restaurants or take away's) and paint (which was on a 3 for 2 offer).  It may have only been 5 days but I'm impressed with us.
Just need to keep it up for at least the rest of the month now...

rdone

rdone said:

rdone said:

Okay, have made a list of things to do for the immediate future.  Hopefully to be achieved by the end of the weekend.

• Hang up coats in spare room (as our utility is now just a shell we have had to relocate everything)
• Make spare bed (had visitors, bedding has been washed)
• Reorganise utility wall cupboards (4 cupboards left in there, all that stuff needs to go somewhere before they can come out!)
• Wash down utility walls (above needs to happen first, they are gross.  Will probably be replastered)
• Sort boxes in attic & front room (boxes that have not been unpacked.  Some stuff we use, some we haven't looked at since moving)
• Clean spare bathroom (the dust is incredible again!)
• Sort spare bathroom items (emptied it into music room so towels, bath stuff etc needs putting in a cupboard)
• Put washing away (why is this always on my list?)
• Buy present for best friend (her birthday was February, very bad friend!)
• Text electrician about new circuit board
• Text builder to say we're ready when he is for the next part

Spent Saturday afternoon (after a 5k running event for the RNLI in the morning) sorting the utility out.  What a difference!  All cupboards have now been ripped out and it's a shell of a room except the washing machine and dishwasher (dw will be going into the new kitchen).  DH loved ripping out all the old cupboards and generally destroying things.  I loved cleaning down the walls (just a brush and then soapy water).  It's still ugly in there but at least it's clean ugly!  Managed to sort some kitchen cupboards out so that the utility things could fit in.  Got rid of a lot (in a box in the front room for charity - I know, get rid of it asap!) and the cupboards were quite sparse anyway as there's a lot more cupboards than the old kitchen.  So wasn't too much effort.

Sunday we spent the morning painting the side of the house.  Previous owners painted the front and back but not the sides - odd!  We thought we had masonry paint here, turns out that's on the missing list so had to purchase some.  Luckily there was a 3 for 2 deal on and had a £10 off voucher so wasn't as painful as it could have been.  Painting pebble dash though is gross - any tips are welcome!  My DH recons a good tip is to pay someone - but I'd like to keep going ourselves.  Paying for scaffolding and paint is enough.  Although I know a professional would do a much better job than us on this one!  Certain rooms I will definitely be getting a professional decorator in - edges are too important in the new rooms for me to be messing up.

Tonight we're going to a local secure dog field which has just opened.  It's £12 for an hour but our two are never off lead because of their past so we're really excited to take them!  Can't say it'll be regular with the price but every now and then will be a nice treat.

Hope you all have a nice Monday afternoon!

WinterWarrior

I think (but not 100%) that pebbledash would be easiest spray painted?
the dog field sounds so much fun for them. 

rdone

WinterWarrior said:

I think (but not 100%) that pebbledash would be easiest spray painted?
the dog field sounds so much fun for them. 

I think you're right on the spray but DH read some horror stories online that if it's not a perfectly calm day then paint can cover neighbours cars etc.  We live about 50 metres from the sea so it's never calm here!  I wanted to give it a go when they were out but seems a bit too big a risk for DH.

Yes, fingers crossed they love it and don't find a gap in the hedge!

WinterWarrior

Probably best! In a previous house a neighbour spray painted their fence and all my washing as it went through the gaps 😡🫢

rdone

WinterWarrior said:

Probably best! In a previous house a neighbour spray painted their fence and all my washing as it went through the gaps 😡🫢

That does not sound like the sort of thing I want to get involved in!  I'm sorry for your washing!

rdone

Builder came here this morning and said he'll hopefully be here in about a fortnight to start knocking walls down and so I started making a list of everything we need to do before he gets here - it's large and going to involve some late nights I think!

We also have very little food here and really struggling to not suggest that we go out for lunch right now - we don't need to be spending that money because we haven't been food shopping!  It's literally only the reminder of last months credit card bill that is managing to keep it escaping my lips.  Pretty sure DH is thinking along the same lines as me so neither of us can break.

There's a few things here that we can sell - we've got a load of old copper which we need to take somewhere and there's an old sink from the utility which I'm going to list on MP.  Although, I wonder why I can't still use it?  It has old style separate taps on it which we would need to get new of because the current ones are falling apart.  Hmm... we're reusing the current kitchen in the utility (even though I don't like it) to save money.  Unfortunately the kitchen sink is the wrong way around.  I'm hoping the worktops won't work in there and we'll need to get new as they're really ugly (to me!) but I realise this is not money saving at all when I really need to be money saving so if they fit they'll be going in there too.

DH has gone to the shop to get bread (horray!) so will question the sink when he gets back.

rdone

Had the quote from the builder - very favourable!  So we've told him to get on with it as soon as he can.  Which means this weekend will be spent taking down the ceilings in the kitchen, lounge, hallway and front room.  Have just ordered a skip which will be here Tuesday afternoon so we'll just pile it on the drive until then!

Fun bank holiday ahead.  I meant that sarcastically but actually I love doing stuff like this.  And we've got a 30th birthday party this evening and I'm on a hen party (just a meal) tomorrow evening so lots going on!  Tonight should be free too

Got paid yesterday with my mew increase which was exciting.  DH went down though because of the new tax figures - he works in the NHS and no pay rise in Wales has been announced for them!!  I'm sure you can all guess my feelings on that one.

It's been very good on the spending front.  Just petrol, a birthday present for tonight (which my brother will give half for) and hydro therapy for the dog has been spent this week.  We've been really good at eating out of stores but the cupboards and fridge/freezer really is bare now.  Which is good considering we need to pack up the kitchen in the next week and move to a temporary room.  We have an acti fry, slow cooker and grill which we're hoping to survive on.  Oh and the BBQ!  And the BBQ is gas and has a ring burner on it so hoping we can survive that way.  Luckily it's a 3 mile drive to the nearest take away so I'm hoping we can keep our limit down on that.

rdone

Didn't end up taking down the ceilings as we ended up doing plenty of other jobs instead.  The best news of all is that we finally have a shower!  No more travelling to my parents to get clean - very exciting!

DH has started to bring the kitchen cabinets down, and I've been busy repacking the kitchen that I only unpacked 8 months ago.  Trying to decide what we'll need before we have a kitchen again is very difficult!  Hoping I've made the right choices.  

Earlier in the week we took all of our old copper and scrap metal to be weighed and bought off us - what a delightful trip that was!  I loved everything about seeing the cranes and crushes and best of all getting a cheque at the end for our waste!  So that got put straight in the bank and when it cleared this morning I transferred it to the reno account.

I've managed to sell our cooker hood as well so hoping they turn up to get that this afternoon as they've said they will.  Have put a few other things up for sale but no takers yet, have reduced the price on one.

Previous owners left a large (and very good and well known make) range cooker which I think I'm going to try and sell.  It's quite damaged though (by them, not us) and would require work being done to it which we just don't have time to do.  Not sure if it is worth anything like it is or if I'm living in a fantasy land.  Difficult one.

Going to take some other items to a charity shop now as soon as DH can finish for lunch.  So at least that'll be two boxes clear and out of the house for good!

We are still doing well on keeping spending down this month, and neither of us feel like we've sacrificed anything.  Probably because we're so busy here!

Weather is beautiful here today so I have two loads of washing on the line.  I love drying clothes outside in the summer!  Although a bird did do it's business on my marathon hoody the other day!