Live on £4000 for a Year, 2009 Challenge, part 2

MrDT

cw18 wrote: »

I have use of elder DS's T-mobile one when he's in Germany (they charge a small fortune for him to use it abroad, but cancelling early would have cost him the same as keeping it until end of minimum term contract!).

Used to use it when babysitting at DD's (but she now has a wireless connection on her b/band, so I use that). Was painfully slow in comparison to my home connection - but at least it worked!! DS told me that if he/I/we went over the usage allowance they just slowed the connection down ( :eek: ), but I don't think we've ever come close. Isn't anything like fast enough for his on-line gaming, and I find this forum (and another using the same s/ware) run much better if I turn off avatars, images and signatures. Also has a habit of disconnecting itself if you don't load something every 5 mins or so as busy times, and takes a while to connect so that can be frustrating too!! It is faster than accessing the 'net over my mobile phone though - and that's with T-mobile as well.....

Thanks for that too I can use dialup via my mobile at the moment, it's ok for online banking and email once in a while, but more than that and you lose the will to live. Think it's about 115kbps, three times the speed the old 56k modem managed, but it's torture by todays standards.

Definitely worth trying out a pay as you go option first to see what it's like. If there's not much benefit over the slow mobile dialup I won't bother - either muddle on as I am, or pay for a landline. Thanks for the input

patchwork_cat

I have spent allday on the phone trying to speak to a solicitor who is one of the executors of my step fathers estate. He has left some money for my children for when they turn 18. My step father said to me on the phone that if he died before they were 18 we would look after it for them. Unfortunatley he didn't write this in his will - to be honest I don't think he realised that the executors where also the trustees.

He appointed his son, my step brother and a solicitor to be trustee and executor. I barely know my step brother and so asked if they could make me a trustee too to look after the kids money. They have said no. I really can't understand why they would not want me to be for my own children and am really concerned. I feel undermined as a parent. I had a long conversation with step rothers wife earlier - he is avoiding the issue on the golf course!- she said she is worried about him as he is stammering and I am even more concerned about this. There are also other issueswith his brother and it is seriously involved and upsetting.

Frugaldom

Hi Patch, sorry to see you're having a bit of a rough time and my sincerest condolences for the loss of your step-dad. I'd try not to worry too much about things. If it's in the Will that your children have to inherit something and there's a solicitor as trustee then I would have thought s/he was duty bound to act accordingly. I realise that Scots law may be different (and don't know your location) but, from what I can gather, the sons could contest the will, as your children aren't blood relatives, so maybe it's best left in the hands of the legal system to avoid rocking the boat? Hope you get things resolved quickly and without too much trouble.

And MrDT, lovely as it is to see you back again, what do you mean by, "...it's torture by todays standards"? It's probably fast compared to ours. :rotfl: You should try living somewhere that has no mobile signal and Broadband doesn't quite reach - it is FAB! I kid you not! :rotfl: We get about 186k and can't use the telephone whilst online, but we do still need to pay the full price for the Broadband package. :mad: Thankfully, there's no electric fencing pulsating here, so we don't get interference from that, but the wind affects the signal by rattling the phonelines, so we can't even get a strong enough connection to watch a Y0uTube clip, play free bingo or access sites with streaming music/video. :rolleyes: As for TV, well... they have promised us that the digital signal should reach us by summer but, in the meantime, the date is looming for analogue to be turned off completely here. Fortunately, I'm not a big fan of TV.

Sun has decided to shine here. Washing's been out, dried, back in again. SM's been in for her coffee and her garden plans sound good.

Off out to play in the garden again - not long until summer! :j

SmlSave

Hi patchwork, is the solicitor one of the Executors/Trustees? If so then everything should be ok. i think there are very strict rules and Trustees, would you like me to ask my boss? I work for solicitors who deal with Probate.

MrDT

nykmedia wrote: »

And MrDT, lovely as it is to see you back again, what do you mean by, "...it's torture by todays standards"? It's probably fast compared to ours. :rotfl: You should try living somewhere that has no mobile signal and Broadband doesn't quite reach - it is FAB! I kid you not! :rotfl: We get about 186k and can't use the telephone whilst online, but we do still need to pay the full price for the Broadband package. :mad: Thankfully, there's no electric fencing pulsating here, so we don't get interference from that, but the wind affects the signal by rattling the phonelines, so we can't even get a strong enough connection to watch a Y0uTube clip, play free bingo or access sites with streaming music/video. :rolleyes: As for TV, well... they have promised us that the digital signal should reach us by summer but, in the meantime, the date is looming for analogue to be turned off completely here. Fortunately, I'm not a big fan of TV.

It wasn't that long ago we had rubbish internet connections here, how soon we forget!

Regards tv we have a similar issue here, our nearest analogue tv transmitter will be one of the very first to be decomissioned, and there's no digital signal yet! :eek: Luckily the house had a sky digital dish already in place, and i've scrounged a free sky box off a mate so we still get free tv Shame we don't get 'dave' on free to air sky though

Found a spare £3.07 worth of free bet 'points' in an old matched betting account earlier, so used that for a flutter on the cup final tomorrow. If my team win, I'm up £16.88, if they lose, I just lose the free points that couldn't be withdrawn anyway

SmlSave

I asked anyway...

If you wish to become a Trustee...

A) an existing Trustee can do a Deed of Appointment and Retirement which means they quit and give you the job.

all the Trustees agree to add you in - this has to be agreed by all of them - and they do a Deed of Appointment

this is in England and Wales and you shouldn't take what I say as gospel - always get legal advice from a solicitor!

grandma247

Good afternoon everybody. I hope your are all enjoying the sunshine today.
Had a busy week with 3 grandsons staying for a few days. Gone home now so having a quiet few minutes before making tea.

very easy free calendar maker program here
http://www.aplusfreeware.com/categories/mmedia/PhotoPrintCalendar.html
I have used this for pressies and there is nothing complicated about it, it is a small program too so not taking up a lot of memory.

We built some temporary cold frames from bricks obtained from freecycle on Monday and planted courgettes,2 winter squash, and french beans in them. Decided to do that because of poor crops last 2 years with the weather. they have been covered with double glazing glass we were given last year. hopefully we will get a better crop (you just watch it will be cracking the flags this year!)
We are a greenhouse down this year so we are trying to be creative in growing without buying/building another greenhouse till we can afford it.

Nyk. my favourite souffle is made with parsnips and served with a cheesy sauce. I have also tried it with a mix of carrot and turnip.

slowlyfading

Afternoon everyone

thought i'd do a little update from me. Paris was amazing, I love it there so much. If money was not an issue, I'd love to live there and work - I just love the lifestyle, and the way of life. -sigh- We went to the Paris Open on monday, and saw some impressive tennis - makes my own tennis skills seem a bit inadequate! lol we went to Versailles which is where Marie Antoinette lived, which was nice and the gardens were very impressive, massive!

I'm not doing vey well on the NSDs this month - I might scrape through this month, but I have a feeling I'll have to spend something this weekend lol The budget is still going okay though, I'm managing to keep my eye on it, and keeping on track most of the time I do need to do a sort out, and if I ever get a sunday off I'll do a carboot as I have lots of books I don't need! Also might try and get some stuff on ebay, its just the motivation :rolleyes:

I have read through the thread, just can't remember what I've read sorry!

sf xx

patchwork_cat

Thank you. I knew that they could add me in as a trustee. I am also pretty sure that as the solicitor is a trustee it is safe, I just can't understand why they wouldn't want to add me in, particularly as my step brother is finding it hard and is starting to suffer with stress. It is just me worrying and having always done everything for my children feel undermined it just doesn't feel right if you know what I mean that someone who has only met my children once can make descions like this. Thank you it helps to share!

SMLsave thank you for your research yes I am in England. When you posted I was sitting in the garden witht he kids trying to chill! Yes the solicitor is executor/trustee too.

whitewing

patchwork, I think men can find it unbearably hard to cope when a parent dies. I'm not saying that women don't but women are more likely to seek support. If you don't know your stepbrother too well, I think it would be just a big extra hurdle for him to have to cope with dealing with you.

I don't think you need worry. He will hopefully have enough respect for his father to do what his father would have felt right and the solicitor is accountable anyway by professional standards.

I have chosen my executors/trustees carefully and wouldn't want anyone else to be added in; however well-meaning.