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SOLD

Jan21

I got the keys and went to the flat for the first time last night! Couldn’t go over until the evening but when I got there was presently surprised as I was expecting to find it really creepy with no furniture in it but it didn’t actually look that cold or creepy. My “SOLD subject to contract” sign was still there marking my territory 😀

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Thought I’d take some photos so I can compare how it looked when I moved in to how it looks when I’ve made it my own.

So it has been left pretty blank for me to do what I want with, got the decorators coming round today and the next couple of days to put that lovely White Mist paint on the walls and redo the ceilings so they are not as shiny. Also very tempted to get a carpet laid in the living room but I think that might be a bit of a stretch to the budget! We shall see 🙂

Can’t wait to be able to move in all the furniture and for it to start looking like home. I timed my commute home from work at it 10 mins! Currently thinking of all the extra sleep I’m going to get…

I’m off to go paint a wall, thank you for reading my blog and feel free to come grab a paint brush!

Moving Day Eve

Jan19

18 Days with no post is definitely not good, but it’s all for a good cause! I’ve been a very busy bee packing up my entire 24 year existence to move to my new flat! After collecting the keys tomorrow I will officially own my very own little bit of the world! Little bit excitable, can’t lie! I think I’m going to be spending the day tomorrow staring at my phone waiting for the phone call to tell me that the keys have arrived and generally being very over excitable and hyperactive. I apologise in advance to anyone who may cross paths with me tomorrow and I promise to do my best not to suffocate you with my excitable mood. Unless of course you are the horribly rude delivery driver who has delivered to me two days in a row with the most awful attitude I’ve ever met in any human being. The first time I gave you the benefit of the doubt but today sir you took liberties and as a result I will suffocate you, not with my happiness however, but with something else which I cannot actually think of right now as I am not naturally the violent type. But trust me sir if I see you again you will not win this time!

Aplologies I have digressed a little, or a lot. Back to the main purpose of this post: Look how not-so-shoddy my packing is!!

Proud to say I have picked paint!

I had no idea how difficult it would be to pick a paint colour. I spent a whole evening sat on the floor surrounded by colour cards and paint brochures completely unable to make up my mind which shade of white I wanted. I thought there was just White but it turns out white has it’s own colour spectrum. Why did no one ever tell me this? Don’t even talk to me about the Magnolias and the Creams, the choices just went on and on. This colour is going to be layered all over the walls of my lovely little home for the foreseeable future (or at least until I can afford to paint over it, and I’d rather spend that money on wine!) so it has to be done right first time!

So, drum roll please…

White Mist! Not too yellow, not too grey, no orange tinge and it’s not just plain white! Fingers crossed it was the right decision, I am happy with it but I know things look different when it is all over the wall.

I also knew I wanted a feature wall to brighten up the living room but this was an easy choice. Sumptuous Plum was the colour chosen for the feature wall back at my parents when I lived there and it is such a lovely colour that I had no trouble choosing this shade of purple for the feature wall. I am a little worried about putting a darker colour on the walls through fear of making the room look smaller but there is currently a dark colour on it already and I don’t think it looks small so we shall see.

Decided the easiest way to ensure I have everything is to make a list. I do like my lists, second only to a spider diagram. Luckily my flat comes with a lot of the essential bits that would have been most costly to buy. After tomorrow I will be the proud owner of a fridge, freezer, oven, hob and washing machine. Definitely adulting a lot more than I feel capable of adulting.

I think I have most of the essentials (I’ve even got a hoover!) but I know I’ve probably missed something… pasted my list below and if you find the thing that I’ve missed then I owe you a drink! Oh I am missing an iron and ironing board but do people actually iron?

Kitchen

  • Toaster (Purple of course)
  • Kettle (Purple, I’ve always wanted a matching kettle and toaster!)
  • Microwave ( Thank You Boxing Day Sales!)
  • Crockery (Thank You Santa)
  • Cutlery (Also Thank You to Santa)
  • Oven Gloves (Gifted from my Flatmate!)
  • Kitchen Stuff (If anyone knows what you call this stuff please let me know, we are talking Ladle, Potato Masher, Can Opener, Spatula that sort of thing – From the lovely Robert Dyas)
  • Spirilizer (Not needed I know… but I have sliced my fingers so many times using the old one from Amazon that I treated myself in the January Sales to an electric vegetable spirilizer…)
  • Blender
  • Saucepans
  • Wok
  • Glasses (I’ve gone a bit overboard here… Red Wine, White Wine, Champagne Flutes, Big Glasses, Little Glasses, Jack Daniels Glasses…)
  • Chopping Board
  • Knives and Knife Block (Multicoloured from ProCook)

So based on this list I believe I need to hunt down Tea Towels, A Bin and a Clock which is not too bad!

Living Room

  • Sofa (With the Flat)
  • TV
  • Dining Table and Chairs (GumTree Bargain!)
  • Brunch the Hamster who will of course be coming with me ❤

Just gotta hunt down a coffee table

Bedrooms

  • Bed & Mattresses x2
  • Wardrobes and Storage x2
  • Bedside Tables x2

Bathrooms

  • Are pretty much ok!

 

So thank you for reading my post on the eve of moving day! If anyone has any advice please throw it my way. I currently have a massive collection of butterflies in my stomach as the reality is sinking in but the massive sense of achievement that I have finally made it onto the property ladder after 8 years of saving is literally the best feeling ever.

Happy New Year 

Jan1

It’s New Years Day and while I would love to say that I’ve kicked off this year in a positive fashion I regretfully have to admit that I have not. After a very mixed New Years Eve I have not achieved much so far this year, but that’s ok because we still have 364 days to go. I did not feel that I had a positive 2016 either, however looking back to the 31st of December 2015 at how much has changed has proven otherwise. 

It’s scary to think that within a month I will have moved into my new home. (Providing nothing goes wrong!) I can’t wait to have that key in my hand and actually be a home owner. I seem to be doing this whole Adulting thing rather well lately! 

There are so many people piling on the pressure for a “New Year, New Me” but why do we need that? Surely unless you’re the scum of the earth “New Year, Improved Me” will do nicely? 

Happy New Year 🙂

Black Friday Bargains

Nov25

Black Friday is not something which I have ever taken part in as I normally work every Friday. I ventured out to the Black Friday Sales in search of a microwave I saw advertised in the Daily Mail Online this morning. I don’t have much furniture yet for the flat, but as things seem to be moving along rather quickly it seemed like a good idea to go grab this microwave. 

The microwave in question is a De’Longhi 800 Watt Stainless Steel Microwave, looks very shiny!!


A sneaky trip into Robert Dyas resulted in the sneaky purchase of a 12 piece kitchen utensil set. 

So thank you Black Friday for nearly completing the furnishing of the kitchen! First experience of bargain shopping went quite well I think. It nice to know that when I get a moving date I won’t be searching around franticly for anything to furnish the flat.
I’ve seen a lot of people complaining about Black Friday today but is it really doing any harm? So what if it has come from America or caused more traffic on the roads today? Some people really will complain about anything and everything. For people like me who have just bought their first home it was a much welcomed saving on something I needed anyway. A lot of things I have bought second hand, but when it comes to electrics I want these to be new so I know they are covered by warrenty and I won’t be encountering any hidden surprises which might blow my flat up!

 I didn’t find myself wrestling bargain microwaves out of the clutches of other shoppers so what is the drama? If you don’t like it don’t partake, no ones forcing you! 

Otato Nessie Ladle

Nov14

I was looking for kitchen appliances today after seeing a rather nice slow cooker advertised in between an episode of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. I could not find the slow cooker but I did however discover this Loch Ness Monster shaped ladle. 


It is made by a company called Otato and there’s a whole range of Nessie related kitchen utensils including the whole Nessie family in Blue, Pink and Green! Must be the most adorable kitchen utensil of all time? 

How could anyone be sad with this little guy to keep you company in the kitchen while you’re making your soup?


Just when I thought I couldn’t love this range any more I delve a little bit deeper and discover this little guy!!! 


Little Nessie Tea Infuser?! 

As I’m franticly adding a whole Nessie family to my basket and selecting next day delivery my flat mate says to me “Samie, when do you ever make soup?”

Now I’m having to regretfully remove this little collection of adorable little monsters from my basket to make room for the more boring things I need in life like an ironing board!

However if you are a soup maker or you have the benefit of being able to offer a loving home to these adorable little guys why wouldn’t you?! 

Homeless: 250 Ducks

Nov9

When I moved into my lovely little old flat 15 months ago we inherited a rather large built in display cabinet. Neither of us had much of value to put in it and so it was decided that the Ducks could move in. 


The Ducks were lovingly arranged into the cabinet by my flatmate Ellie, they have been a lovely central point to our living room ever since and earned our flat the title of “The Duck Residency”.

It has suddenly dawned on me that I do not have a big display cabinet in my new flat. Where will the Ducks live? 😦 

Hello

Nov2

Hello and Welcome to my little corner of the Internet.

My Name is Sam and I am 26 Years Young. I have recently moved to Fleet in Hampshire. The original purpose of this blog was to track the process of buying my first home, however this seems to have happened a lot quicker than planned! As a result you may be subjected to a collection of house related talk, my first attempts at DIY and day-to-day ramblings of my life.

I also bake cakes, normally celebration cakes for friend and family but also cupcakes and biscuits. I am currently also learning to cook. So as a result the occasional cake or cooking attempt will make its appearance on this blog. If a cake appears on this blog you will know that I have inevitably spent hours in my kitchen and potentially shred the occasional tear while surrounded by icing sugar and flour so approach with caution!

My friend tells me that I should blog about my life as apparently I am sitcom worthy and will make her millions. We shall see!

If you have stumbled across my blog by chance then hello and thank you very much for reading! I hope I have had something interesting to say! If you know me and are reading because you are interested in my ramblings then I am honoured to have your eyes grace the presence of my blog also. If you know me and I have forced you to read then that is just what supportive friends do! Unless you are my Dad. If you are Dad I have probably directed you here to persuade you into a new DIY project or I’ve found something for the flat. It will be worth your time. Honest.

Sam x