Really Expensive Toothpaste

I work in a place which sells toothpaste, but our prices are... shall we say... convenience-store prices, probably because it's a convenience store. Anyway, I refuse to pay £3 for a product that I know I can get for £1 and which is a quality brand-name product. So every now and then I make my monthly trip to Poundland with the aim of getting "stuff I don't need to buy every week" in order to save myself some money in a bulk trip. Deodorant also features on that list because my own store only sells expensive sprays.

So did I save myself any money when I went to Poundland yesterday? Did I fuck. Fifteen quid gone and I've come home with deodorant, toothpaste, a new nightie, a new t-shirt, five pairs of socks, incense, cheese crackers and a scented candle. Oh well. Basically my intended two tubes of toothpaste just cost me £7.50 each. Cheers Colgate.

I was SO LOOKING FORWARD to two days off work after the Day From Hell™ which involved multiple mechanical failures, torrential rain, enormous queues and two (count 'em) two problem shoplifters. I spent half my time trying to calm the shift leader down and preventing him from absconding into the horizontal rain without a backwards glance - which he had threatened to do. So how's my two days looking? Yeah, my phone rang, I stupidly answered it and even more stupidly I agreed to work tomorrow. I just couldn't say no when my colleagues are also having days from hell.

Must think of the money. Must think of the money.

Pay Goes Up, Pay Goes Down

I had given so many overtime shifts to J that I expected my pay next week to be low - but I am pleasantly surprised to see that it will be acceptable. Even more amazing, I have received a partial Universal Credit for last month. It's only £20 but that's still something. There was no deduction for my UC debt, either, which was a bit odd. But that's fine by me, an interest-free loan can happily wait till later.

I went into work to put myself down for some overtime today. Yeah there's a paradox - they have finally made me permanent, from 9 up to 12 hour contract, but because they've changed my days and times, I will only be £5 better off and it will also make it more difficult for me to do overtime shifts (they will clash with my new, weird hours). As always, I am the only one volunteering on the overtime board, three more times. I had to move a sister store shift so I could rescue my own store and am now working six days this week. Plus ça change. I have applied for a one-year temporary post as a shift leader. I figure I have nothing to lose.

Properties are still appearing, unsuitable or too expensive, but this is still a good sign. I am still waiting for the legal pack for the studio I want to bid on. I need to curb my enthusiasm. I can't rent a bedroom out in a studio, so I need to be confident I'm not going over the price of the cheaper one-bedders out there. The 50k half-bed has just SSTC, so I am hoping the studio shit heap is only worth 35. Except it's the cheapest on the market and all the "stretchers" like me can't opt for the one-bedder. Booo.

I wait.

Yellow stickered: toilet rolls, flour, salsa.

Free: eggs, potatoes, limes, clementines, rump steak.

Spendy McSpenderson: nylon swim shorts, neoprene lightsuit. Annoyingly, the lightsuit was far too big AND had a faulty zipper, so I've had to buy a smaller one and wait to see what the seller says about the bigger one.

C'mon C'mon C'mon

I'm absolutely itching for change.

I am sick of moving belongings in my tiny bedroom anytime I do anything at all. Going to the loo when I wake up, I need to pick up my bag of loo roll, soap and hand towel, and step over the laundry basket on my floor... then when I get back I need to put the basket on my bed so I can actually navigate the floor and get dressed... bedtime I have to clear off my bed to sleep... I have to relocate things in my kitchenette to make a meal... it goes on and on. I knew this space was mentally tiny when I took it, but I'm just losing patience.

Properties are being reduced all the time but they aren't the ones I can afford. It's still good news, because if a half-bedroom shoebox gets reduced to "offers over 50" and a proper one-bedder is on at 60, then surely that means a studio is worth 35-40. Right? Right?

Current budget at auction is 42K, and for a conventional sale, I could probably go to 45. C'mon market, drop some more options into view... it's frustrating to the eye teeth that the only properties I can consider are the dirt-cheap ones allowing me to buy with the cash I can scrounge. Everyone else can get a mortgage so they can easily outbid me.

I am not thrilled with my boss. I broached the subject of a bigger permanent contract and while she was very nice about it, she wants to hire many bodies on tiny contracts instead. I told her that I need a decent number of hours on a contract or I'll have to look elsewhere, so she told me that if another site offers me a decent contract, then I should take it. 😞 Work bestie is disgusted and feels like they're idiots to let me go. It's a nice sentiment but niceness will never get me a mortgage.

Argh. Just agitated and impatient.

Dropping Like Flies

The 55K-advertised, 74K-offered rat-infested heap of shit, I mean, the one-bedroom ground-floor flat with the courtyard garden and parking potential... yeah this is too much for one sentence. While viewing another property, the agent and I got chatting. That one-bedroom flat had gone to a bidding war, hence the offer of 74 when it was only advertised at 55K. As a recap, this property needed complete renovation, with flooring and ceiling not even intact. So cash buyers only, it would never get a mortgage.

Anyway. She clearly felt the 74K was ridiculous, commenting that even when complete the flat was only worth 90. No profit in it considering the entire flat needs gutting. So, surprise, the sale has fallen through.

They are falling through all over the place as the market stabilises.

I mentioned this flat to my friend M (who's in the building trades) and it piqued his interest... he's also looking to buy but his purchase all went pear-shaped during Covid, so he was thinking to save more for a year. The renovation wouldn't cost him as much because he can have his company arrange it and then invoice him at the end, with payment not due until after the sale. I note that I only have 41K or I'd take a punt on it myself... and to let me know if he wants to go halves on a property?

He's tempted, he says. I give it a 5% chance at best though 😂

Still, it is so nice to have someone to talk property with in real life.

Of Course It Went Wrong!

Poor J spent two hours at the check in desk with the bitch from hell, who just kept telling him she couldn't let him check in yet, because she couldn't get through to reservations on the phone, while she made fun of him to other passengers... then she handed him a page from the rule book saying he couldn't fly at all! I was madly texting the airline on Twitter, and also his stepdad, who then got on the phone with them internationally, and finally they called J, sorted it all out behind the scenes and he was able to board with seconds to spare. Then, at his stopover, he was taken into a room for questioning by border patrol, warned that he might end up with a fine, sat there in complete stress, before finally being allowed to get on the next flight.

What a nightmare. I must have gone half grey in the process. But at least he has made it to Finland now.

Currently cooking an entire packet of bacon which was free. Eating it with cous cous, which J left behind.

Emptying his bedroom took most of the day... he didn't have much, but sorting and storing it was a pain. Possessions, they suck!

Am Sad.

I dropped J off at the train station this morning, he's returning to Finland today 😢

J being J it is going to be dramatic, his passport is stuck with the DVLA so he has to fly back with an expired Finnish ID card and a letter from the Finnish embassy politely asking them to carry him. Then he left it so late to print a mandatory declaration form that we had to get a workmate's husband to print it... which J duly filled out and left behind this morning. Sigh. He also forgot to give me back my debit card, so that'll need to be posted back. He left it so late to book his coach to the airport that there were no suitable seats, so he had to pay another £40 for the train, which involves two changes and a tube ride, in London. Admittedly, the train takes half the time, so that's a win.

In the scheme of things I reckon the form is minor bordering on not an issue (they'll surely have them at the airport). I'm a bit more apprehensive about his flight, mainly the change in Latvia, which hasn't got a lot of time to spare. Eh. If it all goes pear-shaped, Finnair can rescue him in some way.

So yeah. I'm sad. I will miss him. And I'll worry about him quarantining and staring at walls and being antisocial. I hope he keeps in touch with work bestie T, who is likewise going to miss J sooo much.

Mood: sad.

Beach Weather

It continues. I loves it. Twice this week I've been for a dip (today, in my new swimsuit, which is realistically too tight but I got away with it slightly unzipped at the front). Had ice cream on the way home. Felt like summer. Sand everywhere though.

I have also misbehaved and bought a lottery ticket. I'm pretending it was free because I used money from my Revolut that I had forgotten existed. This also meant I had to buy cookies, marshmallows and fudge.

My bank has stupidly approved my loan extension, then said it was for review, then rejected it. Arses. It was only £3,800 but that's money I can't use to bid on the flat I want now. Arses.

Yellow-stickered barbecue chicken pasta for dinner. And marshmallows.

The Universe Has Five Weeks

That is, to show me a better prospect, before I bid on this squalid bucket of "fun".

I went to view the studio apartment. And although I really should have been prepared, I was really disappointed. It's in a dire state, in need of a kitchen, new bathroom, all the walls redone, the ceiling replaced and new carpet. I think the most disappointing part of it all is that I still know that it's going to be a fight to get this for the money that I have.

Essentially it's a dump, and the most unbelievable part was learning that the tenant still lived there! The place was filthy from top to bottom, but even removing layers of grime won't make this into a pearl.

Here's hoping that it doesn't get snapped up before auction and that I can keep a few thousand aside for the work.

J goes home in a few days so we decided to go out for a curry together - also because the "Eat Out to Help Out" scheme meant we'd get 50% off. Even at half price I wasn't impressed. I forgot coins to leave a tip but by the time we left, that didn't matter. They brought us one pappadum to share and a "pickle platter" we hadn't ordered and which wasn't free so had to be sent back. They brought our drinks (upsized from what we asked for, and charged at the higher price) then the mains took 40 minutes to arrive. I politely asked about rice and a staff member barked in my face that I hadn't ordered rice. We managed to get a tiny tureen brought at a ridiculous price. My meal was... edible. No spice at all, and not outstanding. J also remarked his "two-chilli" dish had no spice at all. Halfway through he winced in agony as he bit into a whole chilli. We rated the experience a 6/10. I'm pretty sure I can prep a 7/10 at home by nuking packets.

The two of us remarked that perhaps we'd been spoilt by the amazing Nepalese restaurant we used to frequent in Helsinki where every meal comes with free dahl, cucumber yoghurt, pappadums, naan, chutney and RICE.

PS. "Fallen through" studio at 45K has had an offer of 45K. It will be interesting to see if this goes ahead.

Well Well Well

The non-floored place that I went to see, which was advertised for 55K, has an offer in for 74K 😭
The studio that wasn't right for me, at "offers over 45K" which "sold" for 54K, has fallen through 😁
The "no holiday lets" flat in the bad street, sold for 34K in March, is now relisted at 65K, untouched 😂

The market is so volitile right now it's ridiculous. Lots of one bedroom places are appearing for around the 65-70K mark, which is disappointing. But they aren't selling immediately, and the more flats that appear, the faster the market will settle back down where it belongs.

Today a studio appeared for 35K guide price. It's in a nice area in a building I've been to before. I am trying not to get my hopes up and crossing my fingers that some idiot doesn't swoop in and offer 45.

Free food: bananas, clementines, strawberries, melon slices, bagels, crisps, chocolates, sausage rolls, rocky road.

Roundup For July

PA £30.24
Huyu £5.00 (Tesco voucher)
Swagbucks £5.00

Looks as though motivation is lacking (duh!). Tired. Also tired of having such unpredictable weeks. I did go kayaking and paddleboarding (and got a large wakeup call on how old, unfit and overweight I am).