The Frugal Hearth: Stories of Simple Living and Living Well

foxgloves

That's really interesting, @Elisheba. We bought a 'doer-upper' house - we were aged 38 (me) & 33 at the time & I honestly think we thought back then that it would pretty much all be 'done up' by the time we were 40! Wrong! In fact, it took until 2020 until we had the money to make a start on some of the jobs. I would say to anyone buying a 'doer-upper' that unless you have the trades/skills to do a lot of the work yourself (we definitely didn't!) or a lot of spare cash saved (also no!) or the willingness to borrow a substantial amount (yes, initially, but not when the LBM had struck a few years later), then it is going to be a very gradual process getting it how you want it to look. We are looking to relocate when Mr F retires & one thing that we are agreed upon is that we won't be considering another 'doer-upper'. Yes, we might put a new bathroom or kitchen in if absolutely necessary, but we will really only be looking at properties where the structural stuff has been done.
It was interesting reading about your plans. I hope everything moves in the right direction for you so that at the optimum time, you can make your purchase. Houses can be money-pits, of course they can, but there is a lot to be said for owning your own place so that you can't suddenly be evicted - I seem to remember you didn't have all that much time to find somewhere when your previous landlords wanted their property back, & that is a stress that owning your own home does remove.
Nice to hear from you.
F

themadvix

Hope you feel better soon!

Elisheba

Afternoon, one and all,

Still poorly at Elisheba Cottage. I took silly dog out a walk earlier, thinking the fresh air would be good for me and keep him happy, and I was shaking by the end. Currently laid out on the sofa with a murder mystery and have lit the wood stove for some comfort. I'm thoroughly fed up of the whole business, and would like my body to return to normal service asap please!

I got some some messages from the C00p yesterday. Not the cheapest way to shop, but needs must, so I'm all stocked up on the essentials for a few days. I'll need to do another shop soon - but am waiting to see if I have the energy to do an Aldi! shop at the weekend, or will need to resort to a delivery from Mr T.

In financial news, I forgot to mention yesterday that my ex and I have taken the decision to stop paying insurance for black cat. They doubled the premium this year to over £1k for next year (which was a bit of a cheek considering she's been insured for 19 years and I've only ever claimed £40 from them 🙄). But we are of the opinion that if she gets ill she is too old now for any massive operations and we are only interested in making sure she is comfortable. So instead we are firing the money we would have paid into a savings account. It's been a difficult decision, because you never do know what will happen, but she doesn't go out anymore so won't get injured, and on balance this seems best.

Other than that there isn't much happening money wise. It's time to start thinking about Xmas presents, but no-one has told me what they want yet so not much I can do on that front. 

When I get some energy back I'll venture into the kitchen and make myself some sort of ploughman's. No energy for cooking at the moment!

Hope everyone is having a good week, and staying cosy and warm.

Elisheba

@foxgloves I quite agree. I don't have any skills or any of the right tools for a fixer upper. In my experience you end up spending a fortune on tools materials and do a half baked job in those situations 🤣. There is lots you can theoretically learn to do online, but I don't have much time with my job, voluntary activities, and life in general, and would rather just avoid it if possible!

fionaandphil

Sorry to hear you are still poorly Elisheba, an afternoon with a good book by the wood stove sounds perfect to make you feel better.  Better to clear it fully now than have it lurking over Christmas.

Gosh pet insurance - that is a ridiculous amount!  When I had a dog many moons ago they didn't really do pet insurance but I did have one very hefty bill one year of £600 for a slipped disc which was about 3 months mortgage payments for me at the time. Luckily my parents paid it and I reimbursed them, but it does make you think.

Makingabobor2

Hope you feel better soon. My cold is just snuffly & cough now, but I am just so tired all the time. This awful weather doesn't help

themadvix

I feel your pain on the insurance - we've just had the renewal for ours and one is now at £900/year. It is ridiculous. He's a bit younger than your black cat though (and has a couple of conditions now), so I think we're stuck with paying it. That seems like a sensible decision for you and black cat though.

foxgloves

Gosh, that is an outrageous amount for cat insurance. I think you have made the right decision. 
Hope you start to feel better very soon. 
F

Elisheba

Evening, all.

Still poorly at Elisheba Cottage. Very fed up now, not least as the only completely free weekend I have before Christmas, when I intented to do a bit of shopping and housekeeping, is now very little more than a write off 🙄.

I got to my nearest small town and did a small shop at the C00p, which will last me most of the week if I stick to plan. I had a voucher that had come through the letterbox that got me £5 off a £20 spend - so that paid for the box of C£lebrations I bought myself. Not diet friendly, but I'm not too worried in the Xmas period, and my blood sugar seems fine whenever I test it so I'm hoping I've sorted out the prediabetes.

I took silly dog a walk, and then came home and read for a bit. Supper was a cold plate of bits and pieces that was surprisingly substantial, and then a portion of Xmas pud and cream. The pudding didn't taste quite right, but I could taste it, so not sure whether it's COVID or not. I do have tests but they are out of date, and I hate sticking a stick up my nose or to the back of my throat. Doesn't really matter anyway these days. I'm isolating myself as much as possible, and I'm not dangerously ill, just very annoyingly ill 🤒🤧.

I have managed to get through 5 or 6 Christmas murder mysteries this week. Well, that's how they market themselves, but other than a lot of snow and being set at that time of year, there is very little that is Christmasy about any of then. I think I bought 3 of them this week for 99p each on the South American River website, and the rest I already had. Still got quite a few I can work my way through as well, so my reading total for the year shall benefit from this virus even if nothing much else does.

Other than that there isn't much news. The weather here is wet but fairly mild so I haven't had the heating on today. I had the wood stove lit all day yesterday and didn't leave the house, which was cosy but somewhat claustrophobic after a bit. I'm not one for pajama days really - I get antsy. And silly dog gets very demanding, even although he can go out into the garden whenever he wants.  Needs must though, as I just didn't feel up to doing anything. 

Right, I shall head back to my current murder mystery. This one was published in 1937, and for somewhat unclear reasons a whole carriage of people have debunked from a perfectly comfortable train that was stuck in the snow, and found themselves seeking shelter from a blizzard in a large country house - where the fires are very conveniently lit, and larders full, but absolutely no-one is there.

So far they are mainly sizing each other up, including a disreputable and possibly murderer of a Cockney, a psychic old man, a lecherous old man, a chorus girl, a sick office guy, and a posh brother and sister. No doubt there will be an unfortunate murder soon enough!

How everyone's weekend is going well, and lost of festive cheer is being had ☺️

Cheery_Daff

So sorry to hear you're still poorly, but that murder mystery does sound like the very thing to keep you company! Hope you're feeling better very soon.

Exciting news on the house buying front! Definitely a good idea to get a good idea of the process. I've only done it once, and it was indeed very stressful! We bought a doer upper, didn't have much cash at the time, but did have decent skills (and were enthusiastic after just doing up the old house to sell). 8 years in and there are still a LOT of jobs on the list, and we ended up taking Mr C's pension early and spending it on having some floors replaced and a kitchen 😬😂 four years since then and we still have no skirting boards or windowsills in that kitchen, or in the bedroom 🙄 so you're right to be careful! 

Anyway, knowledge is good. Sending healing vibes your way!