Diary of a 30-something idiot

New_in_the_fens

Hey F&F! Delurking to say welcome back and pleased you are ok 😃

Just thought I’d mention, if you didn’t know, that if the windows have blown, you don’t have to replace the whole unit, you just replace the glass. This means the cost should be substantially lower (if you thought you needed to replace the whole thing). 

I moved six months ago into a home that needed a lot of work - full rewire, new central heating etc. we are working through the ‘big stuff’ right now as there is no point doing the little stuff and then having to do it all again. I underestimated how much mess and disruption it causes - most of our house is currently in the garage whilst I’m waiting for walls to be replastered! It’ll be lovely when it’s finished, but it’s challenging in the meantime! Oh and did I say dusty? Yeah, lots of dust 😳

Take care of yourself - you might want to think about  tying up some of the money into short term fixed accounts (1 year etc) so it earns interest and you can’t touch it to spend on stuff you don’t really need until you need it for the refurbishment. The house will cost more than you think (as I’ve found out!) 

stymied

Congrats on the new house! When are you hoping to move?

What do you use for reminders? Could you set a reminder to check in here?

Did your daughter go camping too?

Don’t worry too much about assigning yourself / choosing a personality - who says you can’t have a change when you feel like it? Maybe start by finding one thing you enjoy for yourself?

foxandflowers

New_in_the_fens said:

Hey F&F! Delurking to say welcome back and pleased you are ok 😃

Just thought I’d mention, if you didn’t know, that if the windows have blown, you don’t have to replace the whole unit, you just replace the glass. This means the cost should be substantially lower (if you thought you needed to replace the whole thing). My father in law mentioned this. However, the windows that are in are hideous as it is. So even if we replace the glass, it will still be blooming ugly. So might just be better to suck up the cost (estimating about 5k including the front door??) and have the exterior of the house looking pretty.

I moved six months ago into a home that needed a lot of work - full rewire, new central heating etc. we are working through the ‘big stuff’ right now as there is no point doing the little stuff and then having to do it all again. I underestimated how much mess and disruption it causes - most of our house is currently in the garage whilst I’m waiting for walls to be replastered! It’ll be lovely when it’s finished, but it’s challenging in the meantime! Oh and did I say dusty? Yeah, lots of dust 😳 This is a huge concern for me! We have so much stuff, and I've been on a five year declutter mission, and I need to strip back even further. I don't want to move loads of things, only to have htem covered in dust and no room to store them! Ideally I will be picking up loads of solid wood bedroom furniture from charity shops etc and painting them myself. We won't have a garage to store anything - only an attic. And there is doubt over whether there is damp in the attic. FUN. 

Take care of yourself - you might want to think about  tying up some of the money into short term fixed accounts (1 year etc) so it earns interest and you can’t touch it to spend on stuff you don’t really need until you need it for the refurbishment. The house will cost more than you think (as I’ve found out!) I'm planning on whacking some into premium bonds- have set up a standing order at the moment for £25 a month to them - if I win, great, if I don't, at least I can't see the money in my account and therefore am less likely to spend it. The rest will be between an ISA, and a high interest savings account. And some for an SHTF emergency fund. We are better off than I was expecting, but there is also a lot more work than I was expecting. 

Welcome aboard please share all your renovation tips - aside from "don't do it" and "be a millionaire". 

foxandflowers

stymied said:

Congrats on the new house! When are you hoping to move? Ideally by August? It was going to be a lot sooner with the bridging loan, but I'd rather save money on the interest. 

What do you use for reminders? Could you set a reminder to check in here? I just bought a load of reduced filofax refills, because I could never remember if I was supposed to be out on property visits at work, or when the viewings were. Honestly, I think daily check ins might be needed for a bit until I'm more 'on track'. Also welcome reminder recommendations!

Did your daughter go camping too? She did, I stayed at home and had three days to myself, and felt like I'd had a holiday myself. She very much enjoyed it, and I enjoyed the break. Unfortunately/fortunately, it gave me a lot of time to think about things in depth that I usually avoid. 

Don’t worry too much about assigning yourself / choosing a personality - who says you can’t have a change when you feel like it? Maybe start by finding one thing you enjoy for yourself? I like... history, particularly the Tudors. Reading fiction. Pre-Raphaelite art. DIY. Diamond painting... and I really don't like leeks. The noise of waterproof jackets. People touching my ears. Wet socks. 

Thank you for your comment

foxandflowers

Signature updated, preserving it here because it vanishes when you re-update it.

❀ total debt at LBM 20-01-23: £37,665 ❀
❁ 24-03-23: £27,420.60 with Stepchange. £6,320 loans from friends. £300 pawnshop. £274.38 bumper. £300 vodafone, to be added to Stepchange. = £34,614.98 ❁

⚜ Goal: under 25k by 2024 ⚜ 
✾ pbs: £50 ✾

So since January, I have paid £3050.02 off my debts. Stepchange is set at £115 per month, so that will be another £805 off the total by the end of December. Tonight I will be finding the letter from Vodafone re: debt collection, and then ringing Stepchange to get it added on. 3 more payments to Bumper of £91.46 and that will be cleared by the end of June, unless I can make some money in the interim period. Unfortunately, anything I make in the next month will likely be going to DH's 40th birthday, and then food and spending money for the festival for the boys. 

I've also had my first payslip of the new tax year, and I'm being taxed. I wasn't last year, because I didn't earn enough, but I will be earning over this year. So aside from the £8 monthly deductions for my student loans, I am being taxed £140 a month. So my monthly income is £1500, plus £93 child benefit, and then eventually plus child maintenance once CMS get themselves in gear and deduct off his payslip. 

Goal is set at under 25k debt by the end of the year. I could pay it all off in one go when we move. But that would take a HUGE chunk out of the renovation budget, and then I'd have to borrow money to finish the renovations, and wouldn't end up any better off. Somehow, I've basically set myself a goal of paying off £1000 a month. I seem to find it easy enough to waste that much money, so maybe I can do something positive with it instead. 

Hoping to have £250 in premium bonds by the end of the year also - aside from the renovation money that will be stashed in there. 

New_in_the_fens

Welcome aboard please share all your renovation tips - aside from "don't do it" and "be a millionaire". 

I think the main thing I would say as you get started, is to take a breath and work out the order of attack - if the central heating needs doing, that’s the whole house - as is a rewire. 

They’ll need to get in the loft, so no point boarding it or insulating for example till it’s done - that also means you can’t use it for storage otherwise you’ll spend time moving it around, or the contractors will. 

It’s also tempting to rip everything out at once, but you have to live there too! Leave the carpets and the naff wallpaper - much better than concrete floors - these will get changed in time. 

Don’t feel rushed - I now need every room plastered as the walls have been channelled out for electrics and plumbing. I’m choosing to get one room done at a time. Yes, it’ll get done faster if it all gets done at the same time, but I’ve spent so many evenings moving furniture to make way for the next ‘thing’. I want to get a room finished, then move onto the next. I need to feel as though somewhere is done, rather than chaos and carnage everywhere. 

We also decided that we focused on ‘one and done’ I.e. I’m not planning on doing this again, so it needs to be exactly as I want it, even if it costs slightly more and so I might need to wait to have the money for it. 

Finally, recognise that your plans will change - we had to get a new garage and drive - I expected that to be much later, but the old garage leaked so no use for storage and the drive turned to mud during the winter! 

Flossymuldoo

Just wanted to drop in as I’ve binged read your diary. I love your writing style and I’m in awe of how you’ve been spinning plates without them all crashing in a big heap. Massively inspiring!

I’ve bookmarked  so I can keep up with your updates and cheer you in from the sidelines x

Valli

if your hubby is not working and has no income can you get some of his tax allowance allocated to you?

SuzeQStan

Valli said:

if your hubby is not working and has no income can you get some of his tax allowance allocated to you?

Great idea! 

foxgloves

Ohhhhh, how annoying, just typed a long post about our refurb experience (from a financial point of view) & then lost it, grrrr. We also bought a doer-upper & reading about the work your house requires brought back memories of when we moved in here 20 years ago. I don't have time to type it all again, but suffice to say that because of costs, our refurb began when we moved in & only actually finished last Spring! To avoid taking on further borrowing, it's best thought of as a continual process & done gradually.
F