The final countdown to June 2026

carboot_karaoke

Afternoon Everyone,  

I have two NSD to report 😇 plus l made another £5 on vinted £50/£153.

I tried to look into the work health policy apparently,  dental care is an "add on" I'm not sure we have. I tried calling but after the 4th time of being cut off 😠 l gave up and emailed the rep. For now l will assume that I'm paying the bill. 

In other unrelated news l spent yesterday afternoon cleaning my kitchen cupboards and drawers. I'd been meaning to do it for ages. I literally had to vacuum out my cutlery draw 🙈 in the end it didn't take as long as I thought.  At least when we had guests over for lunch, today l didn't have to race them to my kitchen to retrieve a cup or spoon 😅 before they got there. 

carboot_karaoke

Afternoon Everyone,  

Today is going well, hit the gym first thing,  now we're at the park l thought id catch up on some MFW diaries while the kids are playing.  

The exorbitant ice cream van has appeared 🙄 two ice creams for nearly £10 !!

I know l look mean but I'm not paying it, plus I've planned to pop to the shops enroute home so I'll buy a multi pack of ice creams then.  

I've begun packing for holiday and will continue today, so happy, the weather forecast is good 🌞 atm. Other than buying some food (grocery budget)l have no plans so today should be another NSD.

here_for_the_tips

£3 for a small cone up at our end with a flake in it. Campaign to stop calling them 99's when they are a fiver each starts here! Plus what is with the mini flake you now get and when did they start charging for sprinkles?

carboot_karaoke

here_for_the_tips said:

£3 for a small cone up at our end with a flake in it. Campaign to stop calling them 99's when they are a fiver each starts here! Plus what is with the mini flake you now get and when did they start charging for sprinkles?

Haha l feel your pain @here_for_the_tips 😂. 

Thankfully my children are very good (or perhaps 🤔 used to me) .  They asked for an ice cream and didn't complain when l said no.  

When we got home I thanked them for not complaining about it. Then l produced a box of magnums..well Tesco's version @£1.39 for three.  Win win. 

StripeyTightsSpottySocks

Hi @carboot_karaoke just read your diary and it’s really inspiring   

I am in a similar ish position as you - similar age, no pension to speak of (there are reasons for this) and am considering a rental after I own a bit more of my property (income too low to get the lending for a second house).

I’m looking at houses now though to get an idea of the market etc - is there anything you’d recommend looking for / definitely avoid? 

Also, a little daunted by the tax return this would bring with it - again any info you could share would be really appreciated 

Your v1nted sales sound amazing and have given me the extra motivation to list things today  that’s my next job after organising things for family visit later x

carboot_karaoke

StripeyTightsSpottySocks said:

Hi @carboot_karaoke just read your diary and it’s really inspiring   

I am in a similar ish position as you - similar age, no pension to speak of (there are reasons for this) and am considering a rental after I own a bit more of my property (income too low to get the lending for a second house).

I’m looking at houses now though to get an idea of the market etc - is there anything you’d recommend looking for / definitely avoid? 

Also, a little daunted by the tax return this would bring with it - again any info you could share would be really appreciated 

Your v1nted sales sound amazing and have given me the extra motivation to list things today  that’s my next job after organising things for family visit later x

Hiya thanks for stopping by 😊.

I've been called many things in my time but inspiring is definitely not one of them 😂 so thanks for that.  

I think you're doing incredibly with your MFW journey.  If you do decide to go into property my tips would be...

1)  location, location and location it sounds obvious but nice areas attract nice tenants (not always but mostly) . They hold there value in the longterm and will always be in demand.  

2) Research - EVERYTHING  l was always on rightmove etc, it's a hobbie of mine so I knew when a good buy came up which gave us confidence to proceed. I did also look into rental values to make sure the numbers added up. I attended online courses to understand  landlord obligations especially with new legislation on its way.  

But what l didn't do was view other rentals of a similar value. If l had I'd have realised that we overdid it a bit and would have definitely saved £1000's on the renovation.  Having said that there is a good chance that one or several of our children will live there at some point so I'm glad it's been done properly.  Because of the price we paid we still have equity in the property.  

But if we go again, l will do the things l have to do gas, electric, safety, etc. Not the things I'd like to do its not my home.  

3) Choose a good estate agent who will attract the right kind of tenants. I had a good feeling the moment l met ours. She didn't say the highest price, but focused on  finding quality tenants. 

4) Finally, take out the rent insurance for peace of mind l know it cuts into profits but it's a price I'm comfortable with paying.  

carboot_karaoke

We are officially "off grid" 🏕 Well, not exactly there is hot running water and wi fi 🤣

I'm sat with a cuppa reflecting on my week. Listening to the kids playing without a screen 😊.... l know I'm a hypocrite on my phone.  

On Monday a very close friend lost her cousin to cancer 5 days after the diagnosis absolute tragedy 💔.  It was a stark reminder to love the ones we love today because we don't know what tomorrow will bring. 

On Wednesday I had a night out with my oldest children a rare treat.  They are home less and less these days. 

The rest of the week was spent at work, packing, cleaning up the house. I did sell another item on Vinted for £25 so new total is £75/£153. 

I am looking forward to relaxing and spending time with the people I love most in the whole world  - simple pleasures 🥰

StripeyTightsSpottySocks

Have an amazing holiday @carboot_karaoke when you’re back if you wouldn’t mind sharing the details of the online courses for owning a rental property  I’d really appreciate it x

so sorry to hear about your friends cousin x  

carboot_karaoke

Afternoon all on this beautiful sunny bank holiday.

We are back from our camping holiday. My washing machine is making a funny noise probably due to being on its sixth load today 😂. We had a great time despite, some cold, wet weather. We went for walks, ate good food, played board games, talked, l really enjoyed it.

I gathered all the receipts today and checked my credit card total spent was an under budget, £241.75.We really didn't scrimp, l brought everything that was requested, including £10.80 on 4 ice creams 😉.

Sad to be heading back to work / reality tomorrow. This really has been a good school holiday experience I've spent more time one on one with my children than previous years. Normally we get together with multiple friendship groups but our holidays have all clashed  this year although, we will be seeing some this week. 

The underspend on the holiday meant l could round up our latest OP another £700 paid today. The new balance is £35,900

This week l need to book my dental appointment, check l have everything for the kids return to school next week. I've brought it all but like to do a final "try on" before l take the labels off and name tag. I wouldn't be surprised if something is too small just four weeks on. 

carboot_karaoke

StripeyTightsSpottySocks said:

Have an amazing holiday @carboot_karaoke when you’re back if you wouldn’t mind sharing the details of the online courses for owning a rental property  I’d really appreciate it x

  

I did the Landlord Fundamentals course provided by the NRLA l think it cost about £75.

I also did the selective licensing course provided free by my local council. Also delivered by the NRLA.

There was a lot of crossover in the course material so maybe try the free one first. It was helpful to be able to ask questions from experienced landlords.