Hello everyone, please help AuntieMabel on her mortgage free mission!

Lois_E

Welcome back Auntie Mabel.

For changing banks, I recommend checking out which banks are signed up to the Faster Payments scheme, and what their max FP amounts are. I know some banks do FP up to £10k, but others have a piddly limit or don't do FP at all. See here for info. Good luck with switching and please let us know how you get on. I'm thinking of switching banks soon too.

AuntieMabel

Lois_E wrote: »

Welcome back Auntie Mabel.

For changing banks, I recommend checking out which banks are signed up to the Faster Payments scheme, and what their max FP amounts are. I know some banks do FP up to £10k, but others have a piddly limit or don't do FP at all. See here for info. Good luck with switching and please let us know how you get on. I'm thinking of switching banks soon too.

Thanks Lois,

That's something I hadn't even thought about. Will definitely investigate faster payments. I like the sound of First Direct due to their good reputation for customer service. We've had 3 complete nightmare separate incidents with Santander during the 18 months or so that we've been with them. Their customer service has been very poor on each occasion and I have no confidence in them at all now.

Will let you know how I get on.

cha97michelle

Your very welcome about the info. I don't mind at all helping anyone make the most of a situation.

I am very jealous of the allotment. It sounds great, and i guess you don't then have to worry if you can't get up for a few days as you will all muck in a bit for each other too.

Banking - i think a fair few do faster payments now. I regularly do these between lloyds, nationwide and hsbc. I wouldn't recommend lloyds personally. We have never had big problems, and they are helpful, but they constantly write and ring offering us credit we don't want, and want an annual account review which is basically a chance to try and sell you stuff you don't want. They have not asked about those for a while after i took the kids with me last time. :rotfl:

SmlSave

Have had some great news - have got a part share in an allotment

Oh you lucky thing

AuntieMabel

Have decided to go with First Direct for the new current account. There's £100 for switching using their switching service plus £100 if you move from them if you're not happy; £200 free overdraft which we don't really need but nice to know it's there; they do faster payments (thanks Lois ); and once you have a current account with them you can open a regular savings account and pay in £25-£300 a month and get 8% interest for a year! Think I'll put some of the OP money in there and use it at the end of the year for a biggie.

Glad I looked on the forums for allotment advice before a took a load of cardboard from all the kitchen work to the tip. Apparently it's great to use as a weed supressant! We want the allotment to be as chemical free as possible so I'm now glad of my cardboard mountain!

The tiler has been today to measure up. He's a friend and will let us have all of his 20% discount from the supplier so the tiles, adhesive and grout will only cost us £120 . Also he's charging us 'friends' rate rather than what he charges real customers for the tiling. Will have to make sure biscuit tin is full the days he's here!

Have used some of the money in my paypal account from ebay sales to buy some lovely storage tins and a bread bin . I'm replacing some that I bought in 1998 so I've had my money's worth :rotfl:

Have cut my rhubarb right back hoping I might get another crop. It came early due to the warm weather at Easter. Have enough for a massive crumble that will do the 5 of us for 2 days.

On a night shift tonight, might see if I can get on VO on work computer on my break to get a few surveys done - TBH at home I can always think of something better I could be doing as I find them SOOO dull!

That's enough to be getting on with

AuntieMabel

Sad news today, my lovely cat has died at the grand old age of 20. TBH, I was relieved in the end as he was so frail and a shadow of his former self. He was a splendid creature in his prime, long haired ginger with a mane to rival any lion - complete OCD when it came to grooming himself . Loved nothing more than chasing butterflies, he was never much of a bird killer.
In the end, he was only off his legs for 24 hours before he died, and that was quite long enough for me. We've had him longer than we've had the children, so it will be strange without him, but lots of happy memories

Radish72

Sorry to hear about your loss, sounds like he was he was a bit mad in his youth

yukkibear

sorry to hear about your cat. Sounds like you have lovely memories which is great x

AuntieMabel

NSD today which is aleays good news .

Out of 4 big chicken breasts I've made egg fried rice with courgettes and a red pepper which I found lurking in the fridge for tonight's meal, and a chicken pie for over the weekend. I've also made a loaf of bread and 12 muffins . (They're disappearing fast though!)

Funny how things happen, a friend's neighbour has asked if I'll offer a home to some kittens. She took in a cat from someone and it turned out to be pregnant (in hindsight, she thinks the previous owner saw her coming). She doesn't know that one of my cats died yesterday, it's just a coincidence as she knows that I'm a cat person. They won't be ready to leave the mother until late August which will be perfect for me as it will be after our holidays. I'll probably take 2 from her - we still have a lovely female cat aged about 7 who is very placid. I've never had kittens before as I've always taken adult cats from rescue places as they're always more difficult for them to find homes for. The boys are excited already . It's so good for children to have pets, although it's so difficult when a pet dies, they get so much out of it

AuntieMabel

OMG :eek:

Was just browsing the 'today's posts' part on the 'quick links', something I've never done before and the posts from some people are downright horrible. I know we've all got the right to our own opinions etc but the spite that pours from some people is appalling. They are so rude and really hurtful with the comments they make. I'm clearly very naive as I thought MSE was full of nice people .

Think I will stick to our lovely, supportive and kind board from now on. Am scared to go elsewhere!