New Year, New Plans

Well it's here 2014!

As I've previous mentioned it is a big year for me, we are 9 months away from the wedding. So I will of course be chatting some more about that and hopefully a review about the people I used.

So I decided I would share with you my plan for this year and we'll see how well I actually do!

1. Decorate my Dining Room. I know this might sound simple but it also involves restoring antique furniture, making curtains etc. I'm currently on the search for Wallpaper, which we can't decide on yet!

2. Plan my Bridal Shower which is at the end of March, I currently have no ideas of what it entails and what people are expecting, which means perfect blog material.

3. Actually plan the rest of the wedding, so much to do, so little motivation right now to do it! I'm sure things are not going to get any easier and I need to crack the whip so to speak! 

4. Make my hen party outfit, which is also at the end of March.

5. Think and make some Christmas crafts for my first Christmas in my house and hopefully with a Dining Room that is functional!

6. I do not really want to talk about weight but I kinda need to loose half a stone for my wedding dress, damm these chocolate biscuits taste so good, and people brought loads at Christmas.

7. Review my blog on what I have learnt about getting married.

8. Try to play less of The Sims 3, (I know I'll either have people booing or cheering about this) but I maybe should stop playing this and actually plan a bit of the wedding or do something constructive in my house.

9. Try to get out a bit more, last year was spent making invites, saving money, looking at house, this year I'd actually like to spend time with my friends, do things with Mike that do not involve housework, but actually go see things/people.

10. And I guess Finally actually GET MARRIED!

I hope you have some reasonable plans for the new year, with hopes and dreams!

Becky

Were Home Owners

Well Hello Everyone,

I finally have the internet and can at last blog! Well we have finally moved into the house and to be honest in some ways it was a nightmare! When we last saw the house in August it was all so beautiful and shinny but when the previous owners left, Oh my gosh! Where to begin?! I will admit I cried, not going to lie, I felt so disappointed it was not what I expected! So as I am a fan of lists I will give you my list of -- things I have discovered when moving into a new home..

1:- Don't Be Under The Illusion! I lived in a world where I thought the the previous occupant will have kept/left the house in a good state. Yes the couple did attempt  to tidy but a lot of things were filthy and the house had a funny smell (still does, I can't get rid of it)! Also people really do hide their imperfections.

2:- Don't Trust Any One. Our house is in a perfect state, yeah right! Our house needs a complete re-wire and yes the carpets might be new but doesn't mean they fit the room!

3:- Beware Of The DIY Man! Well more like I think I can DIY! The previous owner had good intentions but lacked the skills and conviction, which meant pretty much everything is on the cheap! The highlights are.....Our kitchen is not straight its on a strange angle, 2x homemade fire places (both electric, which were scared to turn on!), faulty electrics, tiles not straight and pretty much look like they could fall off. The best has to be random wire EVERYWHERE! Not a clue what some of them belong to!

4:- Are You Really Prepared? Be prepared for the strange and unexpected! We have discovered nearly everything has been No More Nailed (our house could be the endorsement), green paint in every room and it is a nightmare to cover over! The most shocking thing we discovered there are Stanley knife blades randomly everywhere.

5:- Check The Roof In Future! Did you know its cost £200 to have a tv airel! 

6:- Internet! When you find out your key exchange date ring your future internet provider, to arrange a connection day, as it takes over a month. 

7:- You Can't Do Anything Without Internet or Land Line! Oh my days, you can't not do anything easily without the internet or a land line! Try buying your TV License on your phone or doing your meter readings! You will require the patients of a few saints! But alas here is the the 2 worst phone apps out there at number 1:- Amazon! Number 2:- HSBC!

8:- Furniture! After 4 years we pretty much have all the furniture and other things we need to make a house a home, it was worth the wait. Plus we have known so many generous people! 

The Kitchen Chaos! Not fun to walk into after a full day at work!

Living Room starting to look normal!

9:- Arguments:- We've been in the house for 2 weeks and what haven't we argued about! Everything and anything, especially Where is this? Where did you put that? Why did you out it there? Also I developed a coping strategy when moving in, let people put things where they want and move later!

10:- Pay For Extra Help! We used the company Countrywide and as first time buyer were glad! They did all the chasing around, arranged our mortgage, answered every question and pointed us in the right direction. We couldn't have done it without Laura! She was our rock during it all!

But my ultimate tip would be get a good team behind you! Our best man, helped to paint/move furniture, my mum cleaned years worth of dirt and my dad is pretty much rewiring and sorting out our windows! You need people behind you for physical and emotional support, but because of all this our house is a home in time for Christmas!

I will be blogging again next week in a festive manor! Last minute Christmas present maybe!

See you soon

xxx

Critical Illness and Life Cover at My Age

As were in the midst of buying our first home, we had to have the very depressing conversation about Life Insurance, Critical Illness etc........I never thought about death for so long before, especially as I feel I am just starting my life!

The best moment was reading through the paper work and finding the top list of 39 things that are most likely affect you.......

1. Alzheimer's Disease
2. Aorta Graft Surgery
3. Aplastic Anaemia
4. Bacterial Meningitis
5. Benign Brain Tumor
6. Benign Spinal Cord Tumor
7. Blindness
8. Cancer
9. Cardiac Arrest
10. Cardiomyopathy
11. Chronic Rheumatoid Arthritis
12. Coma
13. Coronary Artery By-pass Grafts
14. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
15. Deafness
16. Dementia
17. Heart Attack
18. Heart Valve Replacement or Repair
19. HIV
20. Kidney Failure
21. Liver Failure
22. Loss of Hands or Feet
23. Loss of Independence 
24. Loss of Speech
25. Major Organ Transplant
26. Motor Neurone Disease
27. Multiple Sclerosis
28. Open Heart Surgery
29. Paralysis of Limbs
30. Parkinson's Disease
31. Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
32. Respiratory Failure
33. Serve Crohn's Dosease
34. Stoke
35. Systemic Lupus Erythrmatosus 
36. Third Degree Burn
37. Traumatic Head Injury
38. Type 1 Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus
39. Ulcerative Colitis

To be honest I haven't heard of a few of these, but it did  make me think as I was ticking in my box if any off these have affected my family, when you become an adult is death a big worry? While having this discussion with my solicitor I realized I actually fear losing Mike or becoming ill myself.

It made think how simple the decisions as a child were, my priorities were who to dress up as today, will my parents take me anywhere fun today, will I be treated to puddings or cake........Now I'm making decisions to decided to have Life Cover or Not.....and i'm saying this without having a pension! Ekkkk