Prosperous soul, mortgage neutrality & creativity Year 2

jwil

Ouch to the battery and other car issues. 

We’ve got this: https://www.antigravitybatteries-uk.co.uk/microstart-jump-starter/micro-start-xp-1.html

It’s brilliant. Really small and will jump a car several times. Dh uses it as a regular power bank for his phone as well. 

I’m with you on houses with lots of light. 

MovingForwards

I've a big booster at home for my car battery. With chargers it's usually the + clip is attached to the + battery, - clip to - battery. Switch on and wait til charged.

The new viewing will make or break your decision about the offered house and you've probably got too much going on to get the mental space for thinking.

savingholmes

Thanks DIA, Jwil and MF

Merlin sent me a cheaper version that I will investigate. Yours was £180 on the list price Jwil! Merlin's was closer to £40.

Light is definitely an important consideration. The house I'm due to view Thursday afternoon has the same house orientation as mine so I'm hoping the light will be similar. I've just been talking to one of my sister's about her work issues and my house stuff. This sis is single and she took on a big house deliberately - knowing she had a good local rental market if the proverbial hit the fan.

When my head was swirling last night - I went back to the 'what if' scenarios I considered when I decided to buy Ex out of this house. I'm pretty uninsurable from a health perspective - so I can't rely on that as an option - I therefore take comfort in knowing this house has 4 double bedrooms and in a worst case scenario - I could rent 3 out and pay my main bills. If I moved to the one I offered on yesterday - I could probably only rent out 1 room which is unlikely to be enough to cover my bills. It is also a different kind of area so there could be less demand. It then made me doubt myself on whether downsizing was the right option or not. I know @Crystal and others have been cautioning me on that just as some of you have been preaching downsizing.

It's the 'what to do if the SHTF issue' that partly made me consider the house I mentioned earlier. It's not in as 'mint' condition as the one I offered on yesterday - but it has 4 double bedrooms and a full size garage - plus an extra conservatory. The garden is smaller than mine but because it's not overlooked front or rear it's less of an issue. There's lots of 'borrowed landscape' from the adjacent woodland and shape of the cul de sac (this is the end house). All my stuff would fit. I could easily dedicate a room to art etc. There is stuff I'd do to it. I looked up a floorplan from a different house on the street. The house up for sale at the moment - they seem to have taken out the hallway and I'd prefer one rather than traipsing through two other rooms to get to the kitchen - so I might put it back - although their posh kitchen may not support that...  I have also been known to keep unwelcome visitors in the hallway rather than allowing them access to the rest of the house. I also hate it when other people (if I'm sharing a house) traipse through the room I'm in to get to another one - so I personally prefer a decent hallway. I learned that in my first owned house.

There's no integral or external back door to/from the garage which I find bizarre and inconvenient. I have an electronic garage door - and a door to my utility from there and then a back door to the garden. If the garage is the equivalent of an expensive shed - I need to be able to access it easily.  I struggle with normal garage doors getting them to lock - and the manual type they have is notoriously easy to break open. (We used to have the exact same one!!) I'd be tempted to put in an actual shed - and long term look at a conversion plan for the garage. It looks like an electronic door would be around £1K though so not bank breaking if I did that instead for now. The reason I'd consider a garage conversion - is in case I needed a downstairs bedroom later in life. If I put the hallway back - worst case the front room could be the bedroom - as there's the kitchen diner and conservatory to the rear already. I'd then just need to make room for a downstairs shower/wet room. The conservatory is very wide - so might be an option to hive part of that off...

Does anything give away that I'm a planner - and seem to need to work through every scenario?!!

I've struggled to eat normal food today - and have defaulted to what EH says is perfectly viable alternatives. I've also struggled to temperature regulate and had the heating on - so my body is completely struggling. I'm trying to be kind to myself and have said I don't need to make any further decisions on yesterday's house until after I've seen Thursdays and then what will be will be.

Ideally I still need to ring the solicitor and get that side of things moving. Not done that yet either. My brain was definitely in shut down / overwhelm mode today. I could have legitimately gone off sick as I wasn't capable of working. It's took me all day to think this clearly.

Chrystal

Sending (((hugs))) cos I think you need them XXX

Stud walls should be easy  to get  put up if needed, and any alterations don't need to be done straight away, in fact the advise is to live with things the way they are for at least a year in order to make 'thought out' decisions... and there's nothing wrong with living with it for 4/5 years.  (It also lets you accrue more ££££                                                                                                                                                                                  
I agree that you need to think about the future and how you want to live in your  home, so space is important for your art etc.  XX                                                   

LadyWithAPlan

Lots of big stressful decisions to make - do look after yourself 

TallGirl

I do feel for you a lot of decisions to make but you can do it bit by bit. 

It’s good to have options when times are hard but you’ve said yourself your job is secure and should you fall ill there should be good sick pay etc. 

As you value not being over looked and having your own space incl an en-suite I cannot see you living with 3 or more strangers in you house. I think a better scenario might be to rent the whole house out and rent somewhere cheaper maybe or sell up at that point. There is a lot of value in having an easier to look after house in older life. 

Anyway you’ll know when you find the one it doesn’t sound like you have yet. 

savingholmes

Thanks Crystal, LWAP and TG

Yes best friend at work also strongly advised me to slow down and wait for the right house and meanwhile perhaps buy some blinds for the kitchen. I have a blind I'd ideally put up in the fourth bedroom too just haven't yet post decorating.

In the office today. Finally got my steak, mushroom, onion and chips. Taking a longer break but best get back soon.

Woke up at 4am and realised the noise I couldn't place on yesterday's driveby was a train. It's twice as close to the tracks as my current house and has open fields and a few trees as baffling where I have multiple estates as baffling and it still wakes me in the night. Will probably cancel viewing.

beanielou

How is the medication going?

WelshmansDaughter

Sounds like it might be time to take a step back from the house process and get a break. 
I think you are feeling backed into a corner and trying to get out of it rather than make a decision based on what would be right for you. 

Merlin's_Beard

Definitely can empathise with the overwhelm/brain shutdown, and for me at least, it's not a good headspace to make even little decisions. If you need a sick day, do take a sick day!