New home and struggling, help needed.

[Cholcis]

So myself, DH and 6 year old have just moved into a 3 bed terraced house. The previous owner left it a complete mess which meant I spent the first weekend in cleaning. We’ve had the roof done, electrics sorted and some basic plumbing issues temporarily sorted but the bathroom needs replacing, kitchen needs replacing and there’s a lot of cosmetic stuff that need doing (skirting, carpets, a room repainted). Every little thing I see and I hate. All I do is look at other peoples houses and compare to them. We bought the house for £165000 (35,000 deposit) to get out of renting our measly 2 bed flat (695 per month) for a mortgage of £595 per month. Obviously it was a no brainer with the added bedroom and garden but how do people get over the cosmetic stuff they can’t afford? DH doesn’t see anything wrong with the place but to me it’s dated. I want nothing more than to put in a new bathroom but we’ve got £18,000 in savings and we’re living off one salary (DH unemployed and looking for work). I know we could easily do the bathroom with that but then I don’t want to be left without enough for unexpected repairs. Has anyone got any advice? It’s driving me crazy. I’m crying all the time and obsessing over every little detail.

This is what we did when we did her room last weekend, she wrote her name on the walls, got splodges on the skirting etc but she had fun.

DH says he doesn’t want to do the bathroom because we shower for 5 mins max, use the loo and brush teeth. Would a plumber do tiles though? I’d want that doing too.

Some do some will know a local tiler. We didn't tile the whole room, just the areas that would get wet. The rest is painted so every few years I paint it a different colour and it's a whole new look. Plain white tiles so nothing to match

You need to see the bigger picture.
You are on the property ladder.
You have a bigger home.
You have a garden.
You are paying less.

Your priority is husband getting a job, in the meantime he can do the little jobs and you can plan for when he gets a job
... what is being done in that order.

You're on the way UP, try not to be impatient.

I'm over 2x your age, and I have learned two things about doing up wrecks- one is that I do stop noticing a mess after a while, though sometimes the sheer amount that needs doing can get me down. The other is that if I can get at least one room you spend a lot of time in (kitchen or whatever depending on your lifestyle) in reasonable order it can be a refuge from the rest and give me hope....
I have also learned a bit more patience*. Not much, and not enough, but a bit. 😊

• though after over 2 years I literally ripped the top layer off the truly horrible wallpaper (3 types of 'maching' pink flowery plastic paper plus borders and stripes even on the ruddy ceiling) off the bedroom walls/ceiling because I just couldn't stand it any longer, even though I knew it would be at least another year before I would be able to completely strip it and repaint due to other more urgent jobs... the blank lining paper was definitely preferable

I dont know what the situation is with the garden but if you have any areas you want to clear, cut the vegetation back and cover with heavy black plastic sheet usually sold as damp proof membrane

If you want to do up your kitchen but can't afford a new one there are companies who produce replacement doors, they're a lot cheaper than a brand new owner.