Escape to the country & living off savings

doingitanyway

Tuna was a good buy!

I suspect the home I hope to have has damp in the kitchen. Survey next week and hoping and hoping it isn't too serious. The kitchen doesn't have an extractor fan or cooker hood. I thought if just a little damp, I'd put in a fan extractor in the wall leading onto the courtyard. The bathroom has an extractor fan. What did you do to treat the damp?

I have a dehumidifier in my old house and found it worth investing in.

SuzeQStan

Smart buy on the dehumidifier - we use our to helps clothes to dry more quickly in the cold months.thats Not a bad price either x

Skint_yet_Again

Thanks dia and SQS 

Lost a long post so will try again …
The damp was on the side of the chimney breast. The chimney is on an internal wall which is joined with next door. We had it checked and were  advised it was “salts” and condensation. DF hacked off plaster etc back to brick and left to dry out in the baking hot weather earlier this year. He then treated with salt neutraliser and re plastered & added damp seal. Then we painted. Hopefully all that, plus dehumidifier and new over-cooker extractor will solve the problem. The previous extractor hood wasn’t vented outside so DF replaced it with a back-vented one and we bought a kit to vent it outside as it is on an outside wall. 

DF collected the dehumidifier for me with £10 off meant a total £133.99. Paid from household bills account. 

Savings pots current balances
car £900 
xmas / birthday £362
annual bills £331
Gas & electric £346

MovingForwards

I wasn't sure if you took legal cover with car / home ins as that usually gives you access to them and their advice for free. 
Free will week / month usually has several local firms signed up to it. FWW and unions both offer basic wills with costs to upgrade to more complicated wishes, although if you've had a will drawn up before unions don't tend to offer a free new one; I looked into it when I had my subs.
Discounts can usually be found online for general purchases.

You're doing so well with gardening and appear to be enjoying it, rather than it being a chore. 

Dehumidifiers are great, we've got one and it certainly helps dry the clothes quicker in winter, just sooks all the damp water out and into the container ☺️

Skint_yet_Again

Had a lovely trip to the garden centre. Bought 2 ferns and a lemon thyme £12.25. Have planted them in the garden and watered them in using water caught in a bucket in the shower this morning before it was warm 😁

Also went shopping to Aldee £33.64, which included salad, meat, cheese, 4 pint milk, fruit & veg, peach squash, butter, strawberry jelly’s (no added sugar) and clothes washing liquid. 

Total so far £84.80 / £160 

SuzeQStan

Bet your garden is looking & smelling stunning x lemon thyme is wonderful can’t resist to crush some leaves every time walking past 

MovingForwards

You could take water saving a step further and have a small bowl / collapsing bowl for washing hands etc, add that to your bucket for watering.

Keep an eye out for anyone selling / giving away the big blue barrels as DF can add a tap to it and you can rig it up for catching drain / guttering water. I got 1 at a time in my car, so you'll get it in your too.

Plants were a good price, as was food shopping.

SuzeQStan

Great ideas MF

SYA - anything watertight will make a good rain barrel. Surplus to requirements wheelie bins, wine/whiskey barrels, plastic drums etc. then you can get a cheap rain barrel kit - h@me bargains usually has then v cheap (I would have said W!lkos just last week :sad

One tip I learned the hard way - make sure your water cans will fit under the barrel tap - they are a bugga to move once they are full  

the water will probably be a bit smelly due to the roof dirt that unavoidably goes in the barrel with the rain. This is nothing to worry about - the plants won’t mind. 

Only plants I use mains water on are house plants and edible ones outside. Cos the rain barrel will have some bacteria in it that you probably don’t want watering your food with. 

Im banging on again 🤦🏼‍♀️ xx

SuzeQStan

Respotted Red Admiral on window

Skint_yet_Again

Thanks MF and SQS. Tbh I don’t usually water the garden 🤭 but I am watering in the new plants this week due to the heat. Once it cools down / rains next week they will be left to fend for themselves 😆 I don’t do gardening! 

I had a bucket of water this morning from the dehumidifier, shower / pre-washing up water (while waiting for hot water to come through). So I used that to water the new plants.  

I went shopping to Mr T with my friend today to help her out as she had to get her mums shopping too as her mum has broken her arm. She treated me to lunch in the cafe. 😋 I also bought a crustless quiche, low carb wraps, 90% dark chocolate and some squirty cream. The crustless quiche was a bit misleading as it has a pastry base, so I will just cut that off before eating. I will have to get round to making my own again. I still don’t like dark chocolate 😕 but I did have a no added sugar strawberry jelly with a small squirt of cream and grated some dark chocolate on top. I won’t be buying the chocolate again. 

It’s so hot 🥵 I have hung out a load of washing and am sat in the shade in the garden but I may have to go indoors if the breeze doesn’t pick up a bit.