The Ongoing Saga of Ruby Trying to Own A Home

beanielou

Hope your dad continues on the mend. Glad you had a good holiday in the end.

ruby_eskimo

Thanks ladies, Dad's making good progress so keeping everything crossed that continues.

I said I'd be back with some goals, both financial and general things we want to achieve by the end of 2025:

• Buy new dining chairs: we've finally found some that we love and now just need to save up to get them.  The ones we have at the moment were 3rd hand when we got them 15 years ago so have lasted a very long time but have lost the comfort factor and as we're actually sitting at the table every night for dinner now (😮) we want something comfy and supportive.  Currently we're just over 60% of the way there and would love to get these before Christmas (maybe as a gift to ourselves!)
• Organise the Kitchen & Utility Cupboards: I literally threw things in there out of boxes as soon as the kitchen was fitted and I have no idea where anything is.  It also all needs decluttering too and would again like to have it done before Christmas.
  
• Finish decorating the hallway / landing: This is dependant on the availability of our carpenter because we need him to box things in so we can finish the painting.  Again would be nice to have it done before Christmas but not up to me!
  
• Get the LISA to 75%: I've been slacking a bit on this but would like to have it at 75% before the end of the year and we're currently at 30%...
• Get the Alaska fund to 20%: we're planning on going to Alaska and Canada in 2027 and have started a savings pot with the leftovers from our last holiday fund.  It's currently at about 16% and I think we can easily get to the 20% in the next 3 months
  
• Have 15 NSD's a month: failing at this already in October after a conference yesterday where they failed to provide lunch despite it being mentioned in all the booking info, and today I've had to buy a book for book club as the library doesn't have access to a copy.  Did get a second hand copy though so "saved" money that way I guess.
  

Think that's enough to try and get on with for 3 months!  

South_coast

Loving the epiphany! Life > stuff 🩷

debtfreewannabe321

Looking forward to seeing how you get on with the new goals. Alaska sounds like an amazing trip! 

Watty1

Alaska could be an incredible trip!

ruby_eskimo

South_coast said:

Loving the epiphany! Life > stuff 🩷

It really is, hence the big travel adventures planned!

debtfreewannabe321 said:

Looking forward to seeing how you get on with the new goals. Alaska sounds like an amazing trip! 

Watty1 said:

Alaska could be an incredible trip!

The Alaska part is going to be a cruise (which we hope to do with some friends we made on our Norwegian cruise) which is already almost half of the budget, but we hope to save some money on the flights as we have A LOT of air miles to use around the time we'd be looking to book these flights.  Rough plan at the moment is going to Banff or somewhere nearby to have some time in the Rockies and enjoy nature before heading over to Vancouver for some time in the city and then picking up the cruise.  I'd love to do the Rocky Mountaineer train but think that's going to be way out of the price range but we shall see 🤷‍♀️

Also want to shout that I've finally got through all the washing from the holiday.  Just need to put it all away which seems to be the bit that I always struggle with!

ruby_eskimo

A new week and another opportunity for a fresh start.  Had a busy weekend with a day in London seeing The Importance of Being Earnest (loved it, especially Stephen Fry as Lady Bracknell) and a day of running around getting various bits and pieces yesterday.  Couldn't believe the cost of food recently though, it's like everything has all of sudden jumped in price so having to do a bit of shopping around to get a decent price for things.  Beef mince was the big one that made my eyes water a bit - although DH is getting better with eating less meat so we have alternative options that he'd be ok with eating.

I must have manifested something as the carpenter is available tomorrow to come and finish the bits and pieces in the hallway and replace and repair some broken floorboards in our main bedroom; the previous owner had taken up some floorboards but not cross-braced them properly when he put them back down and we only realised when our bed almost fell through the new ceiling we'd had put up in the room below!  So that probably means a weekend of painting ahead of us, although luckily it's only 1 half of all the walls so it shouldn't take too long but who knows!

We're also 6 days into the month and I'm yet to have a NSD *sigh*.  Things just keep coming up and I haven't been as prepared as I would like to think I am so I've been buying snacks and drinks out.  I ended up having to buy breakfast this morning as I couldn't face it when I left the house this morning but then was hungry by the time I got to the office.  Must try harder.

ruby_eskimo

After a lovely weekend, the grey skies return on a Monday morning 😒  Saturday we went to RHS Wisley for a walk, making use of the membership and taking advantage of the lovely weather.  They had a foodie festival on which we enjoyed sampling things but refrained from making any purchases.  Did buy a Christmas present for a friend though in the shop afterwards so can tick that off the list, not that I have a list of things to do for Christmas yet.

3 NSD's since the last update which is a start and hope to replicate again this week.  DH is paying the carpenter so I don't have to take that out of the house pot so we're still on track to hopefully get the new dining chairs before Christmas.  We primed the new woodwork bits but probably won't be painting them till the weekend after next, unless DH want's to get cracking on Saturday.

I also think I'm having a bit of a reverse mid-life crisis as I seem to be embracing things that typically would be enjoyed by the older generations.  This was particularly on show yesterday when I spent a large portion of the day making various chutneys and preserving / canning the leftover bounty from the veg patch this year.  Then I sat down with my cross stitch before telling DH that if his mum wants to know what to get me for Christmas, she can buy me a blanket making kit I've seen online 🤣  I'm not even 40 yet but I'm also not embarassed, but see this as all part of just embracing a slower pace of life, she says while planning to go galavanting around the world in the not too distant future!

Jessy103

Making chutneys and then cross stitching sounds lovely! I am also embracing the reverse midlife crisis 🤣

ruby_eskimo

Glad it's not just me @Jessy103!  

My life has been revolutionised this week by the arrival of a heat pump tumble dryer in the house.  I've never lived somewhere with a tumble dryer before, and our first flat didn't even have space for a washing machine so it's like Christmas!  When we had the kitchen fitted, we planned in space in the utility for a TD, but have been saving and researching and then finally the one we liked went on sale (because it's being discontinued).  I then managed to save an extra 5% through a discount code and a further 7% through our work voucher savings program where you can get cashback on buying giftcards.  So all in all, saved about 45% off the RRP.  Have been keeping an eye on the smart meter when it's in use and it's actually using less energy than my coffee machine 🤯  It does mean I have lots of washing to put away now which is the worst part of it 🤣