The Little Cottage by the Sea

BrimfulofSascha

That's a really good point @in_need_of_direction

I have done quite a lot since I bought the house 6 years ago.

New shower, flooring, velux in the bathroom. ( a big leak where prior owners hadn't sealed the tiling causing the floor to rot and fall through the garage roof)

Complete kitchen reno. (it was falling apart but could have waited a bit)

New boiler. (was 35 years old)

Decorated every room except the hall/stairway, and downstairs loo. (not needed but everything was dirty and tired and painted in satin and gloss- even walls)

Cut down overgrown trees, put in new fencing and re-terraced the garden. (trees encroaching on next doors roof)

New front door. (leaked rain into the hall)

Currently building a Utility in the back 1/3 of the garage. (not a need but wanted a dishwasher in the kitchen so needed to move the washing machine out, plus will be nice to have my downstairs loo free from cat litter)

Part of this is why I have debt. I only had a small amount on the CC when I moved in.

I'm trying to save up as I go with DIY from here on in. Which is why the Utility is taking so long. I'd rather do it properly than cheap and need to replace, did that with the bathroom flooring and I hate it. will replace (again) when I have saved properly.

Other house things will be to tidy the front garden, remove the big shed in the back garden and lay a patio, strip the staircase, repaint, decorate and new carpet, new windows and radiators at some point. The house has textured ceilings too (except the kitchen and new utility) and I'm undecided whether to get the other ceilings plastered. Will probably get them done1-2 at a time as I save up to do the next round of decorating and put new carpets upstairs. Won't do new carpets as long as baby cat is surviving HCM, he is a menace in the doorways with his claws. I'd like to replace the internal doors too. I'm also considering solar panels, but won't if me and DP move in together elsewhere.

BrimfulofSascha

It's officially the first day of College for DD so £20 transferred to her account to cover this weeks train. She was up with the lark to prep her lunch and had left the house before me, which only usually happens if I'm WFH.

I spent £20.02 on petrol to get to work the next couple of days. The courtesy car is petrol and I managed a rather efficient 65.6mpg this morning, so only small fuel spend. I'm only putting in £20 a time as the garage delivered it almost empty and I'm not gifting them a full tank when they decide to tell me last minute that my car is repaired and ready for collection.

I'll need to pop and get cat food this evening, we are down to two sachets, and no treats to hide his medication in.

Other than that should be no spending until the weekend. It is my mums birthday, I have a card but will have to think of a budget friendly gift. I have a 10k "race" after work on Friday, but this is already paid for so no spending expected there. DP and I will take a coastal walk on Saturday morning and a sea dip if it isn't miserable. (DD is staying at my sisters to babysit), will try and take our own snacks and flasks of tea if I can be organised enough.

I'm hoping next weeks spending will be a bit lower as DD back to school costs should have all been covered. Will try and spend some time this week doing a stock take in the kitchen to see what we can do with what we have. I'd like to try and use up some scraps of rice and lentils and other bits in jars. Tonight's dinner is the other half of the veggie lasagne cooked on Sunday, thinking aubergine and chickpea Korma tomorrow, and probably creamy Cajun prawn pasta on Thursday to use up the last of the cream.

BrimfulofSascha

Happy Friday my lovelies!

I have only just sat down with some cheese and crackers after a morning of back to back meetings. WFH Friday seems to be the most chaotic for meetings.

I managed a quick blitz of the kitchen after my last call (washed the floors, emptied the bins, wiped the sides, washing up away) I did my weekly empty the fridge session. Not too much food waste, a very shrivelled parsnip, 1/3 of a bag of mushy spinach, a slightly furry end of ginger and some mouldy pesto. I don't know why I bother buying pesto. I don't like it, I don't think I've ever finished a jar before it's turned.

One thing I have noticed this week is how grateful I am for friends and family for cast offs. This mornings coffee was made in a French press cast off from my sister, with my oat milk frothed in a Nespresso given to me from work when they had a kitchen refit, poured into a mug gifted to me one mother's day from my daughters best friend. Today I'm wearing trousers given to me by my sister, sat at a desk I bought from a charity shop, looking out a window curtained by something I bought from eBay, my second computer monitor having been rescued from a skip, typing this on a refurbished mobile phone. So maybe I should feel a little less worried about my carbon footprint. Speaking of gifts from my sister, she dropped around some skirts/dresses when she picked up DD for a sleepover/to babysit her children. Will very much come in handy for work. My old job was very casual, this job and the one I interviewed for yesterday are quite a bit smarter and I was reluctant to buy many new clothes, I bought new shoes and a laptop bag out of a smidge of my redundancy pay.

Speaking of interviews, I hope yesterdays went well. I really like the company, the job is identical (almost) to the one I was made redundant from, in the same industry. I also have some key skills he is missing from his current team. I wasn't reserved in telling him that I was excited about the opportunity, I hope he sees that as positive, and not desperate. I do think I'll cry if I don't get a call back. My interim role is really not making me feel good about what I'm contributing to the world.

Tonight I have a 10k 'race'. It's the first event I've done this year after injury, and everything else my body has been through. Feeling a touch nervous and hoping the wind passes by 6.30. I'm planning to just plod and enjoy it.

No real money news, my weekly spends has been topped up, small grocery spend of £29, and another £20 in fuel, £15 to DD's account for her train next week. hoping to have a no spend weekend, except a birthday present for my Mum.

Right, better go, crackers have been demolished and my work to d list is getting longer.

L&L

Sascha

DancingInTheRain

What a lovely gratitude list. Hope you get some positive news from the interview soon 🍀

BrimfulofSascha

Happy Monday lovelies.

I do hope you all had wonderful weekends.

Friday's run was good, I actually enjoyed it despite a very horrid hill, and managed exactly the same pace as I ran it a few years ago. Quite surprised as I've barely done any real running this year.

Saturday was mostly spent continuing the building work in the utility, almost finished with smoothing the plasterboard jointing. I will have to find time to give it a sand in the week so we can do a mist coat on the walls and ceiling. I really need to think about ordering worktops and tiling, we can't fix the architraves and skirtings until the floor is in.

Sunday morning I channelled my inner Mary Berry. I made a chocolate banana cake (to use up black bananas) for my mums birthday, cheese scones, and carrot and lentil soup and potato cakes to use up a glut of carrots and potatoes for work/school lunches. I regifted a lovely candle I got as a leaving present, it was nice but I rarely light candles and it becomes another thing to dust. So Mum's birthday spends were just a card and whatever pennies it had cost me in cake ingredients. She appreciated the gifts and was lovely to have a small birthday get together/bbq.

Another £25 of fuel in the courtesy car (still no news on the repair) to get to work this morning. Will need to pick up some more (oat) milk on the way home, dinner will be spaghetti and veggie meatballs from stores.

All in a lovely weekend. Feeling the season change already has me feeling sleepy and a touch melancholy.

DD has said she wants to come running with me after school so we can do a local 5k in a couple of weeks. I'm sceptical if she will still have the motivation when I finish work.

No real money news, payday was 2 weeks ago and the next one isn't for 2 1/2 weeks. Just plodding.

L&L

Sascha

BrimfulofSascha

Happy Wednesday Lovelies,

Not much money news, I spent £28.30 yesterday. £23 booking DD's theory test and £5,30 on a contribution to a digital collection for a collegue who is retiring. possibly a stingy offering but I have only been here 5 weeks and I've already been roped into the leaving meal on Friday. I don't usually do work social things as my current job and last job were a long commute away.

Speaking of jobs…I haven't had feedback from the interview yet. I'm trying to be patient as it was Thursday night, there's been a weekend since and I know they had other candidates to meet this week. I will give it until Friday and then email the internal recruiter for feedback. I hate the waiting.

Speaking of waiting…still no news on the repair of my car. It's been a month since the bump. I shall be WFH tomorrow so will try to remember to call them for an update. I guess the longer they have my car the less long commuter miles I'm putting on it.

Feeling a little somber about the change of the seasons. DP and I usually do a couple of weekends in the hills, but with the poorly little cat we won't be taking a trip together for a while.

Very much in limbo, with the job, the car, the cat's health, the debt.

Trying to not worry over the things I have no control of.

This led me to thinking about hobbies last night.

I feel like I need to look at my evenings and get more joy in the week. I'm thinking of maybe picking up, or focusing more on a set of hobbies instead of the try and forget about it mentality I usually have.

I'm thiking:

• A language for my mind (Spanish because it's practical or maybe Welsh for heritage)
• Something creative for my heart (I think possibly a pottery course, or maybe cross stich at home, the course might ensure I actually get out of the house though.
• A musical instrument for passion ( I did play the violin as a teen, but possibly a cheap acoustic guitar might be more fun)
• A sport for my body (will probably stick to running for this)

Food for thought at least.

I also really need to get better and replacing social media with reading. I've only read 13 books this year, and spent many more hours than I should on my phone.

L&L

Sascha

BrimfulofSascha

Just checked my book log app and I've actually read 14 books this year.

My target for 2026 was 52 books and 20,000 pages. I'm currently at 14 books and 5,716 pages. with just 16 weeks of the year to go! this means I need to read 2.375 books/893 pages a week, or, 0.33 books/127 pages per day. I don't think I'm going to make it between work, commuting, parenting, life in general…

Unless all I do on my 4 days off at Christmas is read (why is there a juggling emoji and not a reading one???)

It's meant to be relaxing, maybe we will ignore the metrics and make sure we just absorb the content.

Currently reading 'The Marches' by Rory Stewart. I don't agree with all his politics, but he is a lovely writer, and his relationship with his father was beautiful.

londoner2019

Pob lwc! Learning a language is so rewarding.

Regarding books - I'm similar, in that I challenge myself to hit really ambitious goals. Reading, running, doing extra bits of writing or whatnot. There literally isn't the time in the day to do everything, so I have decided to just enjoy the bits I am doing rather than being annoyed that I'm not hitting targets.

I spent the summer just not reading - I've picked up my book again, coinciding with beginning to use an app to stop me scrolling on my phone (Foqos). I also challenge myself to read just one chapter before I go to sleep - as well as enjoying a manageable amount to read, it also makes me sleepy. Perfect for an insomniac!

(I'm reading the Count of Monte Cristo, which is an absolute beast of a book but a real page turner!)

BrimfulofSascha

Good afternoon Lovelies.

Work is manic, which is good as the days go faster. I started taking lion's mane a week ago, It's probably a placebo but brain fog is down and concentration levels are up so I'm here for it.

I didn't get the 'dream job' they decided to rejig things internally so there is no longer a role going, but they want to keep me on file as a fisrt port of call if that changes. I know I can get a permanant contract where I am, so maybe I just stick it out a bit? not sure. The drive is long but pretty, the industry sucks but they people are nice, I get to WFH 2xpw which is reintroducing some balance. The benefits are rubbish, but the pay is good. I don't love being so busy I'm eating at my desk though.

I've had to be spendy. DD needs a laptop that can run photoshop for college, unfortunetly her old second-hand mac no longer updates to be able to access photoshop/powerpoint/google slides. So I have had to buy a new household laptop, in the sale and throup TCB of course.

With her birthday this month, i'm not feeling massively in control of the purse strings at the moment. None of it is extravagance, I'm just having to use savings, which I don't like.

My car should be fully repaired this week (at last) so that another £300 in insurance excess that needs to be spent.

9 days until payday, there's food in the fridge, I have health, fitness, and a wonderfull family. How lucky.

On we plod.

L&L

Sascha

Rhyddid2026

Hope everything is going well for you 😊