Prosperous & Creative Soul & MFW Year 3

jwil

Great news from the blood tests, and great progress on the list as well!

savingholmes

Thanks Beanie and Jwil

Well I survived the day.  I talked to my boss and I'm going to buy 5 days unpaid leave - to help mitigate my brain having limited capacity currently to juggle house and job - and to allow time for the multitude of appointments for quotes that I need. I'll delay the extra money to pension by a month to compensate so in real terms shouldn't see much in month difference to my pay compared to what it would have been if I'd put extra into pension.

I went to BnQ and bought a load of evergreen plants:
Skimmia rubella - with winter red flowers
Vibernum tinus - with winter tiny white flowers
Flowering jasmine - yellow flowers
A red rhododendron - half price
A fatsia japonica - half price (white flowers
A red azalea - half price
A red berry plant that I can't remember the name of x 2 - half price
Plus
A blue hibiscus (not evergreen) - half price

There may have been others - I lost track - It came to £80 after £30 off for all the half price plants that all looked fine just were in the clearance section. It was dark when I got home so left them in my car until tomorrow.

I like structural plants that give all year round colour and flowers so they are a good start. My back garden I want some plants to replace some grasses as I hate them and my front garden lacks plants - so I want to add some. It just has a few pitifully small ones near the house - including a couple that look dead but that I'll give the benefit of the doubt to a bit longer.

savingholmes

I spoke to a sis who moved house last year - and given that I'm finding the flooring quite triggering - she encouraged me to make a decision on that sooner rather than later.

I'm still second guessing myself but I've ordered a brushed and oiled natural oak style engineered wood floor from a place near where I used to live. He's given me the details of someone who could fit it at £300 a day (he thinks it could take 4 or 5 days) or a per m2 rate of around £22, but the latter has extra costs for taking off skirting and replacing and for adjusting doors. I need to get them out to measure properly - so I've set the delivery date for a month away so that I've got time to sort that and just double check that I'm happy with everything. It was one of those scenarios that I hate of a current offer due to end tonight...  The handyman could also potentially fit the floor - at more like £200 per day - but it is whether or not he'd be as quick as someone who just does that day in and day out.

I can cancel the order up to 48 hours before delivery - and in theory have 30 days after delivery to return stuff if needed. That suggests worst case my new floor fitted would be £4.7K. I paid for the flooring on a CC for extra protection.

I've still not had a price back on the roof though despite them saying they'd send the quote through today. A different company is due to come tomorrow - will see what they say. 

My counsellor stood me up - not sure what happened there but it was disappointing as I finished early partly to accommodate speaking to her. She normally sends a confirmation the day before - but didn't last night - so wonder if she just forgot to write it down when we spoke last week. I tried ringing her and left a message but have had no response which is also unusual - so my mind is full of dire things that could have happened to her or her phone! Hopefully she's okay.

I only got home just after 8 despite finishing at 4 due to the two shop visits and a McD on the way home. 

skint_spice

The plants sound lovely, I get why you feel the need to do the flooring and at least you have the option to look around still and cancel if necessary.

savingholmes

Thanks Skint

Most of my journey to work was dual carriageway and that part of the day was better than expected. I came a different way home which isn't quite as good.

On the plant purchase - I love greenery - it really lifts the mood. There's like a 'privacy fence' at the front - but with nothing planted in front of it - I'd prefer a hedge really - but I'm mindful I'd like to extend the drive so not going to rush on that one - and have just put one of my existing pots there for now.

On the flooring - I've chosen the right colour for me but only time will tell if I chose the right quality and the right supplier. It turns out the bodger who lived here before - even put the insulation in the wrong way up under the laminate in the other rooms - hence why it's feeling particularly cold. He's insulated the earth - and apparently it is suppose to incorporate a damp proofing element when used on a solid floor so it doesn't sound good longer term that he put it in upside down... I think his original floor was at the really cheap end too. 

In other £ news it looks like my monthly water bill is due to be £14 instead of £27 where I lived before!! Will soon find out if they under-estimated my usage but looks good for now. Due £22 back from my old account.

My old BB says I'm £8 in credit - not sure when that will come back to me. My new one is being fitted Friday - and then I should be able to control my heating etc via an app instead of a device I keep carrying around with me.

My new gas and elec they've put it in at a higher amount than I would - by about £40 but I think they over-estimated electric but may have under-estimated gas as I'm using the heating more than I did during the peak price crisis. I am enjoying being warmer - and I've lost 5lbs in a week and half without trying so my body is colder than normal. (I have plenty of weight to lose). 

My CTx refund has come through which is positive and where I live now is the equivalent of £20 a month cheaper. Nice to have inflows to my account and not just outflows. 

savingholmes

I've just followed TG's example and applied for a 0% spend CC. That will mean I can keep my money earning interest for longer so I'll be 'stoozing.' 

My counsellor got in touch just after midnight by text to apologise. At least she's okay. We've set up a call for later today. It's snowing here but I doubt it will settle as it is very wet already outside - but if it settles elsewhere - I should be able to see the snow in my view. It is too misty so far today.

I've just brought my plants out the car and put them in the back garden. I missed 2 pots of tulips off yesterday's list.

Have a good day all

EssexHebridean

Just a suggestion SL - don't show people coming to do work the survey - you want to know if THEY know what needs doing, not just have a big list of works that they could do fired back at you as they think you're expecting a big bill anyway. A good roofer will tell you the things that they feel you should do 1) urgently 2) sooner rather than later and c) at some stage. 

Not good on the counsellor - either her forgetting the appointment or that she texted you at that hour when first thing this morning would have done far better. 

Good news on the water bill - is it because the unit rates are a lot lower in your new area? £27 would be high for our area for a single person, but £14 would probably be a bit low, but of course different areas charge differently don't they. 

Merlin's_Beard

I think with things like the flooring it's so easy to sit around and worry about whether you've made the perfect and best choice that you overlook the fact that there will probably a dozen options that are perfectly fine and you'll be happy with.

I will say when I got my floors done it did go a bit awry (LVT fitter's OH ended up in hospital so they became very suddenly unavailable for a week!) and to be honest I was quite grateful that there was a link between fitters and suppliers because they co-ordinated it all and made it work. If the last people were a fan of the bodge job a professional fitter will have more experience on how to fix any weird good-enoughs they find along the way, too.

savingholmes

Thanks EH - yes definitely a mistake to show the survey - will avoid that moving forward. I caught up with my counsellor - TBF - her first error in nearly 3 years of seeing her - so forgiven. I only saw her message this morning - although she knows I'm often awake late.

The £14 is a low water user but even their high single user was £24 - so figured if I'd aimed too low I could afford to top it up. I will ask the handyman if he can restrict the water flow in a couple of the sinks as they gush - and may need to get something to put in the toilet cisterns - as they aren't restricted like modern ones would normally be (despite being fairly new). They don't seem to have the low and full flush button I'm used to at my previous house. I'm worried I'm wasting far more water than I need to.

Thanks Merlin - yes good call. I keep finding literal other places with holes in the floor (the utility area) and places that I hadn't noticed the skirting was missing etc... Joy!! I think I'll ask the recommended guy to come and quote and measure up - I've not got a lot to lose. I'm also debating changing out my bedroom carpet - as it smells - and even with the air purifier - which TBF I don't have on constantly - I still can't seem to shift the smell. They had house cats and I wonder whether the smell just permeated the room and whether the only solution is to rip the carpet out... I've hoovered again today where the floors are clear and the stairs so will see if that helps. I've got too big a bed to easily be able to remove it for a professional clean.

I also sprayed anti-black mould stuff as there is an issue with mould in the upstairs bedrooms - and condensation from the windows. I think in their desire for blackout blinds they've fitted the blind too close to the window - and then because there are no trickle vents it's tramping the damp/air/moisture. I've put one of those moisture crystal things in the room to see if that helps but still. My study blind also had black mould on it which I've sprayed - but need to measure up and replace the blinds upstairs I think. Neither are totally my taste - so it's more that it's yet another thing that needs doing and therefore paying for and a decision making than the thing itself. 

It snowed here earlier and was spectacular for a while but then a lot of it melted. 

savingholmes

Had a driveway quote for tarmac for a 3 width drive with block paving edges and some sleepers to retain drive on one side and allow soil for planters without putting pressure on the fence beyond for £5.5K - so need to think about that - also need to check if it is compliant as the rules seem different here.

I had an extortionate quote for guttering, soffits and fascias etc. Their quote on the patio door and downstairs loo window was similarly bad. His only saving grace was he liked one of my art works and said you could stare at it for ages and keep seeing new things in it. Still not getting the work. They wanted £9-10K just for that which seemed totally unreasonable. He commented on the roof guys I had earlier in the week and suggest that if I didn't have water ingress in the loft it was unlikely that the proposed roof work was that urgent despite what the guys said the other day.

I chased the roofing quote today - he said he was waiting on a price for something and would then send it over - he hasn't yet. Someone different is due to come and quote tomorrow if he turns up.  One of the neighbours is a retired roofer - so once I've had a few quotes back with descriptions of work - I will try and make myself knock on and ask his advice. His direct neighbour was going to warn him I'd be coming...

I've had an £8 refund from my old BB. BG still haven't produced a final bill - but they can take up to 6 weeks I believe. Water owe me £22 but haven't paid up yet. I thought a BB engineer was coming but it turns out I just need to sort it I think. I had to text the seller for the location and I've plugged things in ready - but no idea if I've done it all right. I also need to look at the wifi booster stuff I brought with me from the last house and see if that helps / works here.

I haven't unpacked anything more for a few days. I've put the rubbish out - again the rules / methods are totally different here. No-one else had put there's out so I wonder if I've misunderstood something or it could just be that they are early risers.