Prosperous & Creative Soul & MFW Year 3

KajiKita

Interesting comment about drawing statues if you can’t find an actual life class as the practice is actually about drawing from 3D … canny … 🤔😊👏

KK

EssexHebridean

Makes complete sense that statues would work as well, doesn't it! 

short_bird

"and students (including at one point the 'female class for wood engraving') made use of the casts for sketching and drawing practice."
History of the Cast Courts · V&A

savingholmes

I've been re-reading this year's diary. A hell of a lot has happened in a year. I'm going to do a series of posts as I reflect on my year.

This time last year I was still set to buy a house in Welshpool rather than where I ended up which is closer to the England/Wales border. That would have definitely been too far away commuting wise although I didn't appreciate that then. I thought it would be half an hour further than here - but I think it would have been closer to 40-50 minutes extra.

Over the Xmas break I panicked over the survey - possibly not as much as I should have done!! - but decided to go ahead anyway. I don't regret buying the house - but it is a shame I didn't manage to negotiate say another £10-15K off the price. I'm not sure they would have accepted that though - and compared to the Welshpool house at £35K more - by not putting the difference into my mortgage it has meant I have had the money to pay for work to be done and be more relaxed (by my standards) over money.

I was ill just after Xmas last year with a chest infection and then towards the end of January struggled to eat in the run up to the move. I can remember feeling like I'd never get all the packing done. I also felt like I'd decluttered loads - where in reality there is always more to do!! Not helped by the sheer volume of art related supplies I keep bringing in - but it genuinely brings me so much pleasure when I do art... 

savingholmes

savingholmes said:

I've updated my signature closer to what it will be post Tuesday - which is full steam ahead for trying to be mortgage neutral and financially self-sustaining by mid 2030. Hopefully that will then allow me to pursue art and writing full time if I choose. I've played around with spreadsheets a bit and filled in a pension form to start £2K a month AVCs from March payday and will see how I go on with that and what it does to my take home pay. Still need to post it. Having a full year EF from Tuesday - means I should be fine with the reduced take home pay - even if the odd month when car bills etc are due I need to dip into savings. 

I don't know why I ever thought I'd be able to put £2K a month into pension (AVC) - unless I was thinking I'd erode my savings accordingly. I did increase from £450 to £1K from October - much later in the year than planned. That £1K is on top of the £400+ a month I pay into my main pension - I appreciate I'm fortunate to be able to do that... I think on the £2K - I was double counting that £400+ with the new £ into AVCs.

savingholmes said:

Beanie - I note your comment a while ago about bifold doors being heavy....

Because I will also have savings for doing up the house - gutters, fascia, patio doors, electrics, flooring and the like - my savings pots are due to be very healthy until I do that. I'm currently fighting against big style fritter spending on other items on my wish list like new laptop, tablet, ottoman bed, furniture, online courses etc - and am trying to pace myself - and ideally get quotes for the building works first so I know how much free money I'm likely to have out of the rough max budget I set myself for that kind of post move spending. But if I fail to wait - please go easy on me!!

I took Beanie and other's advice - and went with a slider door £1.6K - and it definitely was the perfect decision for me. I hated the way at my last house the doors flapped in the wind - plus this way I can have plants immediately outside my patio doors - without needing to allow room for the doors to bow outwards / or in. I think that arrived around May/June. I still love it and it let so much more light in. 

I did the gutters, sofits and fascias in February, and the roof - rebattoning, refelting and new ridge tiles, and repointing the top apex on both sides and all along above the top windows - as there were gaps you could fit your hand in to. That was around £9.5K. I'm so grateful I did that straightaway. I also used a lot of Cllt Bg to get rid of black mould - particularly upstairs - and now have a dehumidifier. It was truly ironic however to discover in November that the gutters just went into my ground - and therefore were contributing to my house damp / humidity / black mould issues.

I note that I previously wrote if the flat roof above the kitchen ever needed redoing I'd like to add roof lights - I'd forgotten that - but it would make a big difference to the space - as the back extension lacks enough light. I'll add that to my future wish list but it is way too expensive for now. The roofer felt my main roof should now last decades - and the two flat roof areas should last 8-10 years.

I bought a new ottoman bed with a memory foam mattress (£1.2K) once I started to recover from the pancreatitis so I could have people stay over and help me if needed - as well as to be hospitable. I had the new bed for me and moved my old one into the other room. I now wish I'd changed the other bed to an ottoman too - as it would increase the space - and the mattress is sound. I may investigate a different type though - as although it is very comfortable. This one is very heavy to try and lift. That's on my future wish list. For now I'm starting to use the space underneath to store my bigger paintings...

I bought a new phone (£900+ after cashback) in June after getting water in my 4 year old one. I tested a tablet in July but didn't take to it so returned it. I ended up with a new laptop around September (about £750 after cashback) - as I broke my previous one - so glad I waited!! 

savingholmes said:

Relatives suggested I might want to treat myself to a nice holiday - by which I assume they mean abroad - as they love going abroad. While some sun would be lovely - I'm not sure there's anyone I would want to go with - and don't feel I'd cope alone currently. The forthcoming concert is a stand-in for that...

Ironically I couldn't face the concert alone and sold my tickets getting a refund of £350+ but did go to an Italian lake holiday alone. It was a huge breakthrough for me and my first time abroad in 7 years. I enjoyed it so much I went back a second time for longer and went to an outdoor concert in a Roman amphitheatre. It was an utterly amazing, bucket list experience. I'd like to go back next year - and again combine the peace of a lakes and mountains style holiday with a few days either side in a historic city break. I'd guess £2.4-2.8K across the two including spends while there.

Blackcats

I'm really enjoying your 2024 round up posts.  What a lot has happened and how far you have come.

beanielou

How far you have come indeed.  

WelshmansDaughter

If the bed is quite heavy it might be possible to change the lifts in it to make it easier?

Watty1

I love the reflections. Helps us see how far we have come rather than how far to go.

savingholmes

savingholmes said:

I did a £ shuffle. It was surreal to see such a large amount of £ in my bank account.

Repaid family member their original £4K 'gift' - to rebalance the relationship and their circumstances have changed. 
Lent a close family member £1K.
Moved £17K to an ISA and another £3K to another account. 
Paid the movers. 
Cleared a CC...

I'm still happy with the location and the house overall - but my priority list of things that need fixing seems to be growing... it's an unusually short drive so if I want to avoid sticking out onto the pavement I've had to park skew-wiff despite it being supposed a 2 car drive... I caught my car on the unexpected part of the kerb...

The house is really warm though which is a big positive. Just all the light switches are in the wrong place. I knew the flooring needed doing in two rooms but it is worse than I thought so want to prioritise that. I knew there was no electric in the utility area or the garage but again that for me is an urgent fix... The plumbing all seems to work but the pipes aren't lagged and are 'loose' and it all needs tidying up etc... The kitchen is all shiny - but I wouldn't have laid it out like that... 

I'm so grateful I was able to return the gift to the person - and DS has started repaying the various loans I have given him over the last few years. After April I moved a further £10K into an ISA. I now get at least £120 of passive income a month from £30K+ of ISA savings which is lovely. That income should effectively pay for the floor while I use a 0% CC for actual work. Sadly I have a growing CC balance of £18.9K but it is all on 0% - some until March 25 (£350ish), some until Sept 25 (£7.9K) and the drive and part of floor to August 2026 (£6.9K - due to rise by another £4.7K). I have about £1K of other savings / savings growth but will need to use some of that towards the asbestos removal related to my living room and hall floor.

The drive - had job babies - and I included the side paths and the back area other than the raised lawn. That is currently being done - much later than I originally expected and is now on hold due to the recent snow - half done! I'm having charcoal paver edgers, tarmac and 3 foot high raised beds in two L shapes front and back that are around a metre wide. I'm having a 'bull nosed' step up to my raised lawn - that has gone in and looks hugely better and is likely to much safer than the sleepers ever were. That's all due to cost around £11K - including transplanting my numerous plants. They are also due to mend an outdoor socket. Once it's done I'll set the waterfall back up that my parents bought me for my birthday. Really hoping they can get it done next week.