I’m not going to lie, May has been a pretty uneventful month for me in comparison to the rest of the year.
The start of the month was quite a quiet one and I spend most of the first Bank Holiday working on either the house or my blog.
?? A Weekend in Amsterdam
On the 5th May I made my way to Birmingham Airport for a very uncomfortable night’s sleep and two café chairs pushed together. It was all worth it though, because before I knew it I was on my way to Amsterdam for a three-day trip with Ashton, Tamsin and Laura. I had THE BEST time and the weather was absolutely glorious the whole time. I’m hoping to go back at some point because three days is nowhere near enough time for such a beautiful place, especially in the sunshine.
? My First Driving Lesson
When I got back from Amsterdam my weekends were a little quieter as I was on a little bit of a spending ban. I did, however, go out in my car for the first time with my Dad. I can already tell after only a few lessons that it is going take me quite a while to learn as I’m not a natural, but I don’t mind. I feel a lot better knowing I already have a car ready for when I pass and that I can take it at my own pace without the pressures of paying for an instructor.
Also, I definitely did not reverse into a bush on my first lesson. Nope. Didn’t happen.
? Tackling the Mess That is my Garden
Another thing that filled up my weekends was my garden. It’s starting to get a little warmer now and as my garden was an absolute state, me and my boyfriend decided now would be the best time to tackle it.
For those of you that don’t know, I live in a rented house.
We moved in around 10 months ago and since then we have had constant issues. We had no letterbox when we first moved it, the boiler was constantly breaking, the OLD boiler upstairs burst and leaked into our kitchen and the garden is a complete minefield.
All of these problems would have been absolutely fine if they were sorted out when asked, but my landlord and estate agent kept putting off and saying they would call me back. It took over two months for us to get the boiler fixed, which is awful considering it was December and absolutely freezing.
We’re still working on getting the garden sorted but with the state it was in, I think it’s going to be a while.
Admittedly, we have tried to do a lot of is ourselves but it was so overgrown when we moved in that the grass underneath has died and needs digging up and replanting – definitely doesn’t fall under ‘maintenance’ more like ‘renovation’. It’s just so frustrating knowing we shouldn’t be putting the money in to fix it, but they’re not helping us so we may have to.
? Tips for dealing with Landlords
With over 75% of people saying they’re happy with their landlord’s response to maintenance requests, so what I’m experiencing doesn’t happen often, thankfully. However, if you’re experiencing problems with your landlord there are a couple of things you can do.
- Keep a record of everything and if you have a conversation by phone be sure to email to confirm what has been said.
- Be aware of your rights. Yes, Landlords are covered by insurance from places like homelet.co.uk/landlord-
insurance, but you do have rights too. Do your research and find out what you’re entitled to. - Talk to other tenants, they may be able to help you and give you some good advice.
- Be a good tenant. As silly as it sounds, if you’re a good tenant then you’ll be able to make a better case. Pay your rent on time, keep the house in a good condition and respond to all communications in good time.
✍️ Launching My New Website
Towards the end of the month, I spent a lot of time working on my freelance website. Most of you will know (because I mention it quite a bit on Twitter #sorrynotsorry) that in the evenings I work on freelance projects to help pay for my travels. I felt like I had hit a bit of a slump so I decided to get myself excited in the freelancer world again, that I would set up my own professional website. It launched on the 21st and I am so in love with how it has turned out and I can’t wait to see where it takes me in the future.
? Four years, already?
On the 22nd May, me and my boyfriend celebrated our four-year anniversary of being together. We had a lovely meal at our local TGI Fridays, which only opened a few weeks ago. It was so nice to go somewhere new, especially as it was so hot that sat outside watching the world go by.
Despite there being ANOTHER bank holiday at the end of the month, it was pretty uneventful other than a quick visit to the WWII Weekend in Ironbridge. I’m off to Poland at the start of June to properly celebrate my anniversary, so I have been trying not to spend too much money. Bank Holiday Monday was spent making the most of an extra day off and celebrating my little brothers 19
Bank Holiday Monday was spent making the most of an extra day off and celebrating my little brothers 19th birthday.
What did you get up to in May? Was it as uneventful as mine?
Kirsty Leanne
xoxo
I’d say that your May wasn’t that uneventful really! It’s a shame about your landlord behaving like that – we had a landlord like that once, and it really does make life harder. Good luck with renovating your garden, and hope you enjoy your trip to Poland!