As I've mentioned on here previously I've made the big decision to start saving to buy my own home. I love living at home with my family but I really don't want to be living at home much past the age of 30 and want to give my mum the opportunity to downsize and enjoy herself with the proceeds from selling the house. There is no 'Bank of Mum and Dad' for me to fall back on, no inheritance I can spend and I really don't earn a vast wage so it's going to be quite the struggle but hopefully worth the long wait.

I've got two options open to me when it comes to searching for my first home. I can either opt for a terraced house in the Valleys with plenty of space and room to make a profit if I make a few improvements or I can opt for a smaller property, a flat in Cardiff or Newport. Living in the Valleys and not a city really doesn't bother me if there is a train station in the town and the idea of space and spare rooms appeals to me. A more modern flat would need a lot less work and would mean I'm closer to friends so I've a lot of thinking to do.

I've found a few buildings I wouldn't mind living in with a bit of character and I've already made a Pinterest board to get a few ideas together for some interior inspiration. I've also started reading blogs such as this journal because I really don't know the first thing about dressing a home . If you know of any blogs about homes and saving tips then please leave me some links.

• Mortgage arrangement fee - This can be up to £1000 or added to your mortgage.
  
  
• Valuation fee - This is the fee lenders charge for a valuation to check the property exists and that it also offers sufficient security for the loan. This can be about £300.
  
  
• Legal fees - I'm looking at about £500, maybe more for this.
  
  
• Stamp duty - I might get out of this one as a flat or house in my area would be under £125,000 and therefore exempt.
  
  
• Surveys - Definitely going to need one of these to check if the house I want to buy is sound. This will set me back another couple of hundred pounds.
  
  
• Removal costs - I don't have much to move and have access to a van, one thing I don't need to worry about. 

• House repairs - There's bound to be a leaky sink, painting and other odd jobs to do. Going to need at least £500 for paint, carpet and other bits that need refreshing.

I also need to think about essential extras: light bulbs, lamp shades, toilet brush, washing up bowl, door mats, extension leads etc I will be moving in from my family home and not a rented home so I have none of these things.I've got a separate savings fund for these items and I'm picking up things as I go along and storing them in the garage for the day I get my own place.I've already amassed quite the kitchenware selection from charity shops and I treated myself to some lovely Le Creuset items with vouchers I was given recently.



I'm aiming to get as much furniture as I can from Freecycle and local auctions to keep costs down and I like the shabby, antique kind of look more than sleek lines so  I'm happy to paint any furniture I can find and have it a little mismatched until I can replace it with my own new items.

Any homeowners have some tips for me? What have I forgotten and what are the major pitfalls?

*collaborative post

Shirts can make me look a little bulky but I really couldn't resist this puppy print one from Monki. It fits perfectly, has a lovely silky feeling and was only £20. I've always been a bit hesitant about wearing shirts and blouses as a bigger woman, gaping is so annoying right? I've been sizing up and tucking them into skirts or wearing them under dresses so they don't drown me.



The lovely necklace was a gift from Sarah and I thought it worked well popping out under my collar with this outfit. I always wear quite small items of jewellery so I had fun wearing such a bold piece.

I thought the outfit looked a little sombre so I added a splash of colour with my new Maybelline lipstick. I can highly recommend the Super Stay 24 hour range. It stays in place, is easy to apply and has a lovely nourishing lip balm to seal the colour in.

The picture below is pretty much what I want to recreate this weekend. I plan on hanging out with Sookie as much as I can, catching up on The Bridge on iPlayer, making pancakes for breakfast and relaxing. Hope you all have something lovely planned.

At the end of January I attended the first Blogger Bake Club at Gwdihw in Cardiff and had a lovely afternoon. Who doesn't like a chat accompanied by a cup of tea and slice of cake? I'm going to try and persuade you to come to the next event because I think it's a great idea.

On the weekend I hosted a dinner party for the first time and got to try out the Foodelity service which I highly recommend. Take a look at my other blog Where Are My Knees? for more details, been posting over there a lot recently. Here is a snaps of one of the tasty dishes I rustled up: