New Year... New Start - onwards and downwards.

I had a mystery shop visit to Dunelm Mill to do a shelf availability audit and they had a massive sale on, between 20% and 50% on everything. So I spent £40 and for that I got - two dinner sets (4 dinner plates, 4 side plates and 4 bowls in each) in a pretty purple colour, a set of 6 mugs and stand, 6 wine glasses, 6 short round glasses, 6 tall (hi-ball?) glasses, a chopping board and two cake tins. The dinner sets alone should have been £40 for the two so it was good really. I'm just not sure where to store it all! I think I'll have to get a packing box from my parents and keep them in that. I could have bought lots more but don't get paid until tomorrow so didn't want to spend too much.

I'm on report writing duty today, I've worked out that they're roughly 1,100 words per report so that's a total of 33,000 words - more than three times my degree dissertation! I want as many done today as possible so that I can hopefully get to the gym later. I'm on a tight deadline with these so they're my priority at the moment, need to get them finished!
 
Hi Caz, sounds like some lovely household items there..and a bargain too!..well done :)

You have made the right decision Caz, you and Aaron have planned to rent then save...so you are being sensible by sticking to your original plan..and when the savings pot is overflowing, you will happily view the ideal house for you and Aaron to buy, knowing that the deposit is available..and who knows what love nest will be on the market by then??? ;)
 
Exactly, I was just getting carried away with the idea of having a place to call ours. It'll happen eventually and that's fine. To be honest, I'm not sure whether buying a house as the first step of living together is necessarily the wisest anyway, it's not that I think we wouldn't work out, I've got every reason to believe that we would and will but still, there's always a chance and owning a house together so early on makes things complicated! I'm enjoying keeping an eye out for things for the house, gives me something to look forward to. We want somewhere that's unfurnished, it's cheaper but it also means that we get to get our own things and really make the house feel like our own, rather than us living in someone else's home, it'll be our home not just our house.
 
I like baking! lol I take them in to school though, saves me eating them all :D
 
I think sticking to your original plan is the right choice, and you can still make the rented house yours with all your own things.

Hope report writing goes well
 
Yeah exactly, it'll be fine.

Urgh where is my mojo gone?! I'm doing terribly with calorie counting at the moment, not doing it at all! Really need to, want to look as good as I can for holiday and just generally. Don't want to undo my hard work so far.

On the plus side, pay day yay!
 
Sometimes a new regime helps to kick-start weight loss. Have you ever considered doing the 5:2 diet or something along those lines? You could use any S&S packs you have left for the fasting days and then just keep an eye on calories on the other five days. It might give you a boost and it would mean you could still keep your weekends relaxed if you did your fasting days in the week?
 
I know what you mean about your mojo mine is hiding somewhere, I think it's because I feel unsettled at the moment waiting for house sale to go through, it's at the quiet stage at the moment while solicitors gather all their information etc, and our buyers, buyer is waiting for mortage approval to come through.

You have a lot of changes ahead, and had a lot on over the last week or so, I'm not surprised it's gone awol for a while, I'm sure you'll get it back soon.
 
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Hi Caz, sorry to hear you are struggling with the calorie counting. Are you thinking about trying something else ? When I've been off it for my weekend or holidays away, I have to be super strict for about a week, or I tend to carry on grazing for a few more weeks !! It's easy to start slipping back into old habits....

Diva x
 
That was a great bargain at Dunelm..!!! Like your choice of colour too.

I rented for several years before buying. It certainly helps to give you an idea what house to buy.
 
Hi Caz! Caught up. What about the new build deal?

Saddlebag said:
Hiya Caz,

don't despair about the house. I bought straight away as I got an excellent mortgage deal- if you can see a mortgage advisor most of them will give you a free consultation and help you work out what you can truly afford. The independent ones are better than the banks because a) they don't sell you what you can't afford and b) they have a wider range of products. Once you know how much you can really afford to spend on a house you can set a goal and work towards it.

As for the deposit, that is the hardest bit as you have discovered- it really is a case of scrimping. All your current monthly bills like phone, car insurance etc., shop around, get a cheaper deal, ring them up and tell them you're paying too much. Owning a house is hard and money is always an issue for most people- I ring up my utility providers fairly regularly and push for a better price. This month I've had my landline bill lowered from £50 to £30 a month, and my mobile from £36 a month to £15.50. See what discounts you can get as a teacher, through your union or whatever. They are out there- sometimes to get a discount all you have to do it ask.

My friends are moving to a bigger house. They have had to save save save. One has taken a second job- he works Monday to Friday in his normal job then works every night in a pub behind the bar, and it earns them hundreds more per month. Even a few shifts a month could earn you another £50. Offer to babysit for people- you are a teacher so clearly responsible and experienced with children. What about private tuition? I know you are busy and have long days but at the weekends you could do a few hours private tuition for a little extra cash. This goes for Aaron too, I don't know what he does for a living but can he take a second job?

I scrimp and buy the cheapest I can find so that I can afford to do things, pay my bills etc. You won't find any brand names in my house :p

Sorry if this is teaching you to suck eggs, but I have been there and if you look at every option it is sometimes more achievable than you think.
Click to expand...

Great advice here.
 
Hi everyone :) Back to school already :(

There weren't any new builds near where we want to be so couldn't do that. We looked at a flat on Saturday (to rent) and really liked it so said we'd take it. Just need to sort references and things to confirm it all.
 
Well done on getting sorted so quickly! When will you be able to move in? Will you be closer or further from your family in the new flat?
 
She's emailed me this lunch time, looks like we'll be moving in on Saturday 20th July. We had wanted the 26th as I'll have finished school by then but she'll be away and had wanted someone from the 1st so it's a bit of a compromise. I've just got to send her copies of our contracts, payslips, bank details and employer references and she'll put together a tenancy agreement and will do an inventory before we move in.

The rent is £550, we had wanted around the £500 mark but it's a new build so the bills and particularly heating are really cheap so makes up for that.

This place is about double the distance from my family as where I am now. I'm about 50 miles/1 hour from them now, Manchester is 100 miles/2 and a half hours away. It's very close to Aaron's parents though, literally 5 minutes away.
 
Yeah I'll pop by and stay one weekend soon, sort out my stuff and then get to spend some time with them too. Really isn't that far to be honest, my Dad drove most of that way in April just to buy my mum a USB stereo thing for her birthday! They'd drive up and visit, I could drive down too so can still see them.
 
Caz said:
She's emailed me this lunch time, looks like we'll be moving in on Saturday 20th July. We had wanted the 26th as I'll have finished school by then but she'll be away and had wanted someone from the 1st so it's a bit of a compromise. I've just got to send her copies of our contracts, payslips, bank details and employer references and she'll put together a tenancy agreement and will do an inventory before we move in.

The rent is £550, we had wanted around the £500 mark but it's a new build so the bills and particularly heating are really cheap so makes up for that.
Click to expand...

Sounds good, so exciting for you, how many bedrooms?
 
Two bedrooms, we'll turn one into a study.
 
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