Nice people thread part 4 - sugar and spice and all things

StevieJ

Anybody read Sarum? It follows five families from the Ice age to modern day in a place called Sarum (modern Salibury), a monumental book of about 900 pages. I read about a quarter of the book and stopped reading (can't remember why), from what I remember it was very good so I will have to go back and finish it. If you would like to revisit British history and pre history, this book would be good place to start.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sarum-Edward-Rutherfurd/dp/0099527308/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310991651&sr=8-1

Here is someone particulary taken by the book.

http://www.travelbeat.net/literary/archives/england/

lemonjelly

Given all the talk of defaults/eurozone/the US, I'm now wondering whether to go ahead with a S&S ISA this year or not, as the funds have just become available...

lostinrates

lemonjelly wrote: »

Given all the talk of defaults/eurozone/the US, I'm now wondering whether to go ahead with a S&S ISA this year or not, as the funds have just become available...

I'm putting my fingers in my ears and singing ''lalalalalala'' about our euros atm. Being cash poor sucks to high heaven, whatever any one says..I feel v.insecure at times, the little cash we have (way little than the debt we have) feels v. precious and most of it is in wretched euros.

LydiaJ

lostinrates wrote: »

Being cash poor sucks to high heaven, whatever any one says..

For a year and a bit, between collecting the life insurance and buying the house, I had loads of cash. I got used to it, and I miss it now it's gone. Now I have a house (and some debt to go with it) and hardly any cash, like most other people my age, and suddenly I have to watch my cash flow carefully instead of knowing there's this huge buffer of "house money" to bail me out if I need it. And I'm spending more on doing things to the house too. But I still think it's worth it to have this house.

lostinrates

LydiaJ wrote: »

For a year and a bit, between collecting the life insurance and buying the house, I had loads of cash. I got used to it, and I miss it now it's gone. Now I have a house (and some debt to go with it) and hardly any cash, like most other people my age, and suddenly I have to watch my cash flow carefully instead of knowing there's this huge buffer of "house money" to bail me out if I need it. And I'm spending more on doing things to the house too. But I still think it's worth it to have this house.

Its good you are feeling so happy!

Most of the time I feel the same, but there is a huge (emotional) security in having cash in the bank.

Blimey its cold, and grey. It feels like mushrooms, pumkin,chestnuts and hot spiced alcohol drink weather.

michaels

I sort of know exactly how you feel although mine is 'extension money' which is now rapidly disappearing (plus it is not real money in that I have a matching amount of mortgage it was just not worth repaying as the mortgage interest rate is less than the savings rate).

Life is always more complicated though with tax credits meaning that possibly I should not have any savings this year (except for ISAs) depending on what I earn later in the year and possible redundancy meaning that I should may be even cash in the ISAs and use it all to pay down the mortgage to maximise benefits entitlement.

And if that was complicated enough the extension money is the most easily accessed with the lowest interest rates but once it is spent I may then need to work out whether I should use money from my cash ISAs (pay a lower rate but can not be replenished this tax year) my regular saver (great rate which I would not want to forfeit by withdrawing before the 12 months are up) or my other main savings account (5% rate, 30 days notice and again can not be replenished).

Sometimes I think just living day to day and only worrying about an overdraft limit must be much more straight-forward.

LydiaJ wrote: »

For a year and a bit, between collecting the life insurance and buying the house, I had loads of cash. I got used to it, and I miss it now it's gone. Now I have a house (and some debt to go with it) and hardly any cash, like most other people my age, and suddenly I have to watch my cash flow carefully instead of knowing there's this huge buffer of "house money" to bail me out if I need it. And I'm spending more on doing things to the house too. But I still think it's worth it to have this house.

PasturesNew

Having money in the bank was better when there was a quaint thing called interest... as that interest (in 2007) would have paid my basic rent/basic bills on a nice little flat to rent.

I do have a fear of spending my house money though - so I can't fritter it on rent, or anything, except buying a house - and as I'm spending "my money" it's real and I don't want it all to go on a house.... but it's so hard not to be tempted by those costing £10-20k more than I have.

I've dossed about like this for several years now, it's great

LydiaJ

michaels wrote: »

I sort of know exactly how you feel although mine is 'extension money' which is now rapidly disappearing (plus it is not real money in that I have a matching amount of mortgage it was just not worth repaying as the mortgage interest rate is less than the savings rate).

Life is always more complicated though with tax credits meaning that possibly I should not have any savings this year (except for ISAs) depending on what I earn later in the year and possible redundancy meaning that I should may be even cash in the ISAs and use it all to pay down the mortgage to maximise benefits entitlement.

And if that was complicated enough the extension money is the most easily accessed with the lowest interest rates but once it is spent I may then need to work out whether I should use money from my cash ISAs (pay a lower rate but can not be replenished this tax year) my regular saver (great rate which I would not want to forfeit by withdrawing before the 12 months are up) or my other main savings account (5% rate, 30 days notice and again can not be replenished).

Sometimes I think just living day to day and only worrying about an overdraft limit must be much more straight-forward.

More straight-forward, yes, but also more stressful.

My tax credits have plummeted this year. They're assessed on last year's income, when I was getting lots of interest on the huge wodge of house money. Now I'm not getting that income and my TCs are right down. I can't claim for decreased earnings for 2011-12, though, because I don't know yet if they're going to advertise this extra responsibility thing at work, and if so whether I would get it.

Good news/bad news:
The builder is coming this evening to discuss finishing off my stuff.
The house is not yet sufficiently tidy for he can get at all the bits we need to discuss - must go and deal with it now.
I should soon have a shower over the bath instead of just the bath, and some other things I've been wanting.
That means I'll need to pay him soon - more pressure on the cash flow.
I'm going out to what ought to be a lovely evening with some people from church this evening.
I need to get the house reasonably tidy before going out.

michaels

Lydia the good bits seem to outweigh the bad - hopefully now you are either broken up for the summer or at least able to not have to do any marking and after school activities.

lemonjelly

michaels, I do similar with the halifax rewards. Do a FP once a month on all 3 accounts, £15 a month for 10 seconds work. Can't understand why loads of people I told about it don't do it.

Dad, mom, brother & his wife all opened accounts specifically for this.

Not bad having an account with only £1 in all month (except for the 3 seconds in transfer a grand in & straight out again).