The Cottage Dream

JennyP · 13 April 2018 at 10:12AM

So sorry to hear about your mum. My dad died in October. I find I am going along just fine then grief suddenly hits.
We've just moved from London to the countryside: lovely house on a hill with a couple of small fields. It's blissful. Good luck with your dream.
I didn't know you could freeze pizza dough so might give that a try. Might try your fabric softener idea too. We have a septic tank and all our waste water goes into it so we can't use bio washing powder but I hadn't really thought about the impact of chemicals in the fabric softener. You've got me wondering about alternatives to dishwasher tablets now too!

Tropically · 13 April 2018 at 11:09AM

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. It's okay to still grieve and you can take as long as you need. It's so difficult.

I should try your fabric softener idea too. I actually have essential oils and vinegar already, so no start up costs.

Runders · 15 April 2018 at 11:08PM

Hi All,

It's been a stupidly spendy weekend.....bad Runders! Before I get onto that:

JennyP - I am so sorry to hear about your Dad. My Mum also died in October, so we are probably in the same place grief wise. Your house sounds perfect, I hope that you are enjoying your new found space in the countryside

There are all sorts of sites out there where you can find homemade and green alternatives to quite a few cleaning products. My next thing to try is bi-carb in water applied with a toothbrush to remove mould in the bathroom.

Tropically - Thanks for the kind words. Let me know how you get on with the white vinegar and oils

Okay, now onto the spending......eeek.

My friend stayed with me this weekend and we ate out quite a lot. I'd say I've spent at least £100 on food and drinks this weekend. That takes me over my allocated budget for that and it also isn't good for my rather rotund waistline. I need to live on things I have in the fridge and freezer over the coming two weeks.

The second big spend is one that has cheered me up. My friend and I re-did my mess of a front garden this weekend. All the old stones and membrane up,along with all the weeds, and new membrane, stones and plants down. We planted lots of bee friendly things like lavemder and daisies, and it is looking great. I am so happy with it - my bank not so much as I have spent around £250 on the materials.

I need a frugal two weeks until payday now, as I don;t have any spare cash left

I hope you all had a good weekend.

JennyP · 16 April 2018 at 9:52PM

Have had to be fairly green as we were living on a boat till a couple of weeks ago!

I also had a friend stay for the weekend but I came down with a migraine so she was left to entertain herself whilst I stayed in bed! On the plus side it was a very cheap weekend for me. Didn't spend a thing.

Hubby gets back from his cycling holiday next Monday and I too want a couple of weeks - maybe even four - living out of cupboards and the freezer and just buying milk and fresh veg!

Runders · 18 April 2018 at 9:26PM

Hello all,

JennyP - I did pop over and read through your thread. How are you finding living on dry land instead of a boat?

Today has been good money wise. I've only eaten out of my freezer/fridge, and I have a few more meals in there to go. In fact I must get out tomorrow;s meals before I go to bed this evening. I found a piece of fillet steak in there, so had a delicious dinner of steak, vegetable ratatouille and chestnut stuffing, YUM!

I have also made some progress on my back garden

I need to go and spend a little money on things for it tomorrow, but in my eye it's all very much worth it. I can't wait to sit out and have a GnT when it's all finished.

I haven't made any money today, but I haven't spent any either so I shall take it as a win. I think I am going to update my signature to reflect the fact that I am now under £95k, give me a bit of motivation .

I hope you all have a good evening.

Runders · 29 April 2018 at 6:02PM

Hello all,

Isn't the weather miserable!! A bit like my MSE ways this month. I've been terrible these last couple of weeks with spending on food/takeaways - Bad Runders! I've re-joined the gym now though, so no more takeaways as and when, I'm limiting myself to one a month. I'm going to do some more batch cooking this coming week, it's when I have nothing in that I find myself being lazy and going for takeaways as they are quick.

As my budget stands I have spent more than I have earned this month, but that does include flights for my holiday in October. I didn't bother to take the money out of my savings to pay for them, as I will have a larger than normal pay day tomorrow that will cover the difference.

I'm currently trying to integrate the stuff I kept from my Mum's into my home, but there is so much of it! I'm trying to be utterly ruthless as I sort through it as I wasn't thinking very clearly when we first went through it all. I kept four pairs of her shoes, no idea why as I am two sizes bigger than her!! I sent them off to the charity shop with a few other bits and bobs and am slowly making a dent in it all.

I've got a small pile of things to list on various selling sites, so that is my job for this evening. In fact, someone should be turning up to buy my sanding mouse any moment now - huzzah!

Am very much looking forward to payday tomorrow - I can start to make a dent in my savings goal for the remainder of this year

Toodles

Runders · 1 May 2018 at 9:04AM

Quick, quick, there is SUN!!!! I couldn't believe it when I pulled back the curtains this morning. The horrible grey days had put me into a bit of a funk, but I instantly feel a bit brighter now. I actually had the heating on all day yesterday as I just couldn't get warm.

I've just updated my signature - I'm into the next thousand - whoo hooo! :beer: My account also shows that I have taken 4 days off my term, so chuffed with that. I can't wait to get into the £80ks territory, it's so close!

So last night I found myself on a take-out website, but I told myself off and went and made some tea out of things I had in the fridge. I felt much better for doing that after, no guilt/regret at money spent and calories eaten.Today I plan on doing a biggish shop and some batch cooking, I thiught I'd give lentils a go for the first time. I've found a recipe online for lentil Dhal that sounds tasty, if you have anymore ideas feel free to send them my way

Right, I must get ready and go and make the most of the day. I have a lampshade to return, and as I paid for it last month the money can go straight into savings. I've also still got a few more bits to list on selling sites.

Hope you all have a nice sunny day!

JennyP · 1 May 2018 at 9:34AM

Hello!
To answer your question from before, dry land is great. I would miss the wildlife if we weren't somewhere with lots of wildlife albeit birds and deer rather than ducks and swans!

I'd like to claim credit for the sunshine! I couldn't get the washing dry so ordered one of those Lakeland electric waiters. It will be delivered today so of course sod's law the sun has come out and I won't need it!

How about the Jack Monroe lentil ragu? I haven't tried it but it's supposed to be good.I bought a big bag of lentils intending to make it so I wouldn't mind your Dahl recipe please of it turns out well!

https://cookingonabootstrap.com/2017/11/30/12-hour-rich-lentil-ragu-29p-vegan-slow-cooker/

Runders · 1 May 2018 at 5:12PM

:(Hello again today!

I'm in a dilemma about sofas and guess I just need somewhere to write my musings down. My g-tree bargain has sadly reached the end. It's got holes in the seats now and is looking a bit tatty. There are dents in the arms where I press my feet into them when trying to lie down (it's quite small) and so I decided enough is enough time to get a new one. To be fair I bought the current one for £75 two and a half years ago, so it's been a bit of a super star.

Right the new sofa, I sat on the most comfortable sofa ever, perfectly supports my back, looks great and would fit into my lounge style well.....has a nearly £2k price tag......

I said that isn't very MSE and have been looking at and sitting in other sofas since then (many, many months), but none of them are as comfortable!! I have a bad back and this sofa was a dream for it. I am now tempted to basically throw my MSE ways out the window and go for it on the purchase....am I mental?!?

JennyP - Haha, well thank you for the sunshine! Things always seem just that bit better when the sun is out. I love the countryside, I have been in a city for nearly 10 years now, but I am longing to return to 'The Shire', it's just so, so, so expensive

Thank you for the ragu suggestion. The dhal is:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/red-lentil-squash-dhal

I haven't made it yet, but will let you know how I get on

Unicorns · 1 May 2018 at 11:39PM

Runders wrote: »

Right the new sofa, I sat on the most comfortable sofa ever, perfectly supports my back, looks great and would fit into my lounge style well.....has a nearly £2k price tag...... I said that isn't very MSE and have been looking at and sitting in other sofas since then (many, many months), but none of them are as comfortable!! I have a bad back and this sofa was a dream for it. I am now tempted to basically throw my MSE ways out the window and go for it on the purchase....am I mental?!?

Hello,

I suffer with a chronic bad back myself and I would say go for it, it matches your style, you will have it for years to come.
There's nothing worse than having furniture which hinders your health, I'd say this sofa is an investment for your health and you can't put a price on that.

Plus you haven't just thought about it for a day or a week, you've gone months trying to find something else.

And if I haven't swayed you enough yet......are there 0% finance deals you could do as long as you pay when it ends? The better health your back is in the more money you can make doing whatever you do to get that mortgage down. And you will feel great because you will hopefully experience less pain.

It's not like you are blowing £2k on a pair of shoes, that would be crazy! If you can afford it go for it.

Let us know what you decide.

The Cottage Dream

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