The Mighty Frugaleers Meticulously March into March

[WreckTangled]

New thread. Sorry for lame title

ps- Anyone been affected by the budget?

We definitely have, by a few grand a year. Which is fine. I am not complaining.

However the assertion that the Tories look after the better off is most definitely not true! The last 5 years have been massively detrimental financially.

Which again, is fine. I believe in progressive taxation. Just not the assertion that the Tories are all for the rich.

I think the Tories are out to shaft as many of us as possible. Bastards!

Budget didn't seem that exciting to me to be honest, bit bland and I don't think any of it affects me - well, obviously it pretty much all affects me because of continued austerity and lack of investment, but I mean the small individual announcements don't. Really feel for the self-employed with their huge increase in NI contributions. I read the other day that 80% of self-employed people in the UK live below the poverty line already. Very worried about how they will cope and there is no incentive for entrepreneurial spirit or anything. Anyway rant over...

Made it into uni this morning on time and am feeling pretty good actually. The weather is lovely so it's really helping my mood the last two days. Today will be bit spendy as DH and I will probably be having our dinner out and then a drink or two in the pub when we go to a political meeting later.

DH has also agreed that we can try dog-sitting if we can find anyone local and willing, to get more experience of dog-ownership, especially in our flat with the guinea pigs. But first we have to order a roof for the pigs' cage to secure it.

£2.50 in charity shop on 5 books.

No pasta bowls. Did see a gorgeous ball dress for £20 in my size. Black strapless silk. With a silvery belt. But I didn't need it so left it behind. I've no events to go to...

Em personally I would move pre baby, we did it with a 7 month old and it was tough going - although our place needed a lot of cosmetic work doing (still doing it, 4 years later!!) We clearly live in different worlds lol, 360k round here would buy you an absolute mansion!

We were at a kids party the other day and a little boy similar age to my DS was sat drinking a glass of coke - he cheerfully announced 'Im getting 4 teeth out, you know!'... his poor mum was mortified lol. So far so good with our two but DD is a toothbrush refuser for sure. I'm hoping she will improve soon in that regard

Spring cleaning today so nil spent so far but off to get DS a haircut after school so that will be a fiver or so

I've known an awful lot of people who have moved house either the week before or the week after delivering. It always makes me wonder why the timing works out so exact like that. It's as if people have an instinctive urge to change their living situation to make a better nest for the baby, but then make the delivery far harder as a result.

I think it must be much more expensive to move at that time as they can't pack and have to pay removers to do the packing, and all the moving while they just stand back and cross their fingers. I suppose people just have to do what they have to do though.

blue it's crazy here. We looked hypothetically at houses in Devon the last time we were there visiting family. For the price of our flat we could get the Barbie dream house (5 bed country house inglenook fire place country kitchen scrubbed table Belfast sink aga) with a couple of acres of land for ponies. It's depressing. But then to do my job in the uk would be difficult. Dh is a fund accountant and that work is mostly in London. So we'd have to settle for lower wages and potentially not be by the sea...

We pay the price here but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. We have the country side the beach all on our doorstep. I have friends who now live and work in London. They're all "oooh trendy rooftop gin bar - couldn't do this in jersey" "oooh Alton towers for the day - couldn't do this in jersey". I'm all like "oooh leaving work at 5 and being on the beach by 530...couldn't do that in London!"

We had said if we move it'll have to be done by June. I'm due oct. So that's enough time to settle in. And I'll still be sort of useful and able to pack and supervise etc.

Yep Em. We pay a premium to live here (not as much as you), and I wouldn't have it any other way. I am not a city person.

I definitely pay a premium to live here ( rural Oxfordshire) and I had to pay a lot more for a much smaller( tiny) house but I have a big garden and village life. I love it.
Em, try and move prebaby. You will have soooo much more stuff to move post baby. And you may have less time and less sleep.

Funnyness here. Sort of. I've just deep cleaned kitchen. Final step was mopping the floor. Managed to spill the entire bucket of clean disinfectant water onto the tiles and some spilled onto the carpet. Oopsy. Anyhoo. Have mopped it up as best I can.

Catface watched the whole thing and has just decided to venture into the kitchen. Part of the carpet is still damp. She didn't like the wet feeling on her paws. Walked across but lifted them right up. Then sat on the other side looking at the dampness meowing at me as if to say "look. Now my feet are wet. And smelly. You're an idiot you are"

Re moving. I'm in two minds I suppose. I see it'll be easier pre baby. But then financially we may be better off post baby (another year to save). But then if we don't move pre baby will we ever move?

Moving either way we will have a lot of help. My parents will pitch in as will my sis and bil. We helped them so we are owed a favour. I also get a few "moving days" from work and could take annual leave if necessary.

We're also in that "have to find somewhere and out ours on the market and what if we sell before we find somewhere" thing. Initially before catface we had thought about selling then renting for a bit. But I don't want to move amcatface too many times. Don't want to stress her out.

Home for the afternoon now. Having a tea and am settled on the couch. Have the radio on instead of the tv. Yay.

em how easy is it to get a job over there, could we move there or do you have to be super rich to move (Isle of Mann), teacher and DH a project manager for IT role out thingy me jig.

I would love to be able to walk to the beach. But I guess all we could afford to live in would be a garden shed.

all with your jobs I think it'd be fairly easy to come to jersey. You'd only initially be on a 5 year licence but these are generally renewed. If you'd dh was to look for work within one of the finance places (bank trust co fund managers etc) he'd be on good money and as a teacher money is better than uk.

You'd also be entitled to buy somewhere I think. Or rent a place with an idea to buy in the future.

Em Do you not have to do the chain thing that we have in England, when you buy a house? That sounds much better.

We can do ipsos we had this idea that's it'd be better to be cash buyers.

The selling process here is generally done within 4 weeks once offers have been accepted. Court sits every Friday to pass contracts.

We don't want to put ours on the market until we've found somewhere. We've been told that ours will sell within 2 weeks of being marketed and we want obviously to have somewhere to go to!

Em Glad you have the positive thing going on, I honestly can't see an issue with moving, even very close to your due date. That's what family and friends are for, or just pay for it to be packed, it's hardly the end of the world. We moved close to having DC2, I was pregnant not incapacitated

How about sticking the flat on the market and seeing what happens? Hardly scientific, but more 'meant to be' type thinking. We had our last house on the market twice. First time we got no viewings. Second, sold in 24 hours. And allowed us to buy this amazing house, which wouldn't have happened if we had sold initially.

Just had a wonderful 4 mile walk with the dogs in stunning weather. I'll post the pictures from my phone. It's the reason we live where we do, despite it being a PITA at times.

DH has sanctioned further running related purchases, so I will be back with spends.

5 minutes from home. Wonderful wonderful Yorkshire.

Em That sounds very quick which should make things much easier.

The view from my house. 😊

Lovely Polka

I like Yorkshire, my sister lives there.

Em I think it also depends how house prices are going. In London they have been rising so fast that it outpaces any normal person's ability to save, so in recent years it wouldn't have made sense for anyone to delay if sizing up, as the gap just gets bigger iyswim. It might not continue like that of course but you may be able to get some predictions for the jersey market and see if that steers the decision? In the absence of any pressing financial argument one way or another I'd probably try and move pre-baby just because it is so nice to feel settled and nest, and to get to know mums local to you and then not start again later. But I agree with Need, I'd be happy to move pretty close to due date (assuming new place has functional kitchen and bathrooms) as it doesn't take too long to get a place liveable. I'd move any time up to about 36 weeks without worrying too much. Though obviously earlier gives more sorting out time! With family help you'd be fine, you could sit on the sofa with biscuits and direct operations

Houses here (london zone 4 but naice and green, good transport links) are silly. Would be around £800k for a 3-bed semi. i dream of the palace we could buy in other parts of the country but our jobs are here really. Hey ho. At least I do like the area!

Good point Seacow about getting settled pre baby, in terms of meeting new mums. One of my very closest friends I met at anti-natal classes local to me. We then went through having our second DC together too and starting school, high school, exams etc. She put lovely stuff about me of FB the other day and I cried. But yes, getting settled first might be a good thing.

Also I agree, this is why we pushed on house wise. A 5% increase on a £500k house is much more than 5% on a £100k house. Equity is often savings for folk.

I don't envy your prices at all. But good to be somewhere naice.

I lived in london for 6 years and you couldnt pay me to go back! (Uni mind you, so we were broke lol!). Theres nothing better than a good bit of open countryside, or better yet, the seaside. We have the best of both worlds here in NI if you can look past all the political stuff - lots of gorgeous beaches within a 30 min drive, plenty of country parks etc nearby and the house prices are still v low (esp where we are in the north west). We often head over the border to north donegal (ROI) for little day trips, the scenery there is lovely too. I sound like I work for the NI tourist board lol