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Keeping up appearances.......

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  • Glad to hear you have had a nice birthday :T and well done on asking for things you would normally have had to buy :money: I have a house full of chocolate at the moment which is a shame as I am trying to diet :o

    I know what you mean about animals, we have two dogs, and when I add up what they cost, it is probably near enough £100.00 per month on their food and two lots of insurances - wouldn't be without them for the world though. We have labs - what is your "rather large"? :D
    Just keep swimming!
  • HappyNow
    HappyNow Posts: 1,558 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts I've been Money Tipped! Name Dropper
    poohbear59 wrote: »

    I have just been reading your posts and actually can't believe how similar we are.

    Ha ha - if you tell me you're also 5'2 with curly brown hair that will really freak me! Anyway, it's good that our circumstances are almost the same as we'll have someone to compare our progress with :)
    LBM Dec 2011. Aimed, but failed, to clear all unsecured debt by Feb 2019. Finally free of unsecured debt 21st May 21!

    Debt Dec 11: Unsecured £69,579 + Mortgage £59,948 = £129,527
    Debt May 21: Unsecured ZERO! ZILCH! Mortgage £22,332
  • HappyNow
    HappyNow Posts: 1,558 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts I've been Money Tipped! Name Dropper
    you've got me thinking of digging out a bottle of red as well now....

    So did you dig one out? Mine was lovely and because it was my birthday I was allowed the big half! Bit of a thick head this morning but worth it :)
    LBM Dec 2011. Aimed, but failed, to clear all unsecured debt by Feb 2019. Finally free of unsecured debt 21st May 21!

    Debt Dec 11: Unsecured £69,579 + Mortgage £59,948 = £129,527
    Debt May 21: Unsecured ZERO! ZILCH! Mortgage £22,332
  • HappyNow
    HappyNow Posts: 1,558 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts I've been Money Tipped! Name Dropper
    We have labs - what is your "rather large"?

    Mine is a German Shepherd, 15 months old so still puppy-ish but already weighs in at 31kg. She takes up far too much room and money and the carpet is always full of hair, but I love her. A Labrador would have been my second choice, they're lovely. Two must be a handful though!
    LBM Dec 2011. Aimed, but failed, to clear all unsecured debt by Feb 2019. Finally free of unsecured debt 21st May 21!

    Debt Dec 11: Unsecured £69,579 + Mortgage £59,948 = £129,527
    Debt May 21: Unsecured ZERO! ZILCH! Mortgage £22,332
  • poohbear59
    poohbear59 Posts: 4,866 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker Debt-free and Proud!
    HappyNow wrote: »
    Ha ha - if you tell me you're also 5'2 with curly brown hair that will really freak me! Anyway, it's good that our circumstances are almost the same as we'll have someone to compare our progress with :)

    You made me laugh :D I have brown curly hair but I am not 5' 2" or that would be really spooky. I have 4 kids, not 2. Going grey now and trying to decide on whether to go 'natural' and save on hair treatments :o

    I won't be getting slippers for my birthday as I asked for them for Christmas.

    I am looking forward to have someone to inspire and encourage me and to compare our progress too.
    business mortgage £0))''(+ Barclay's business kitchen loan £0=Total paid off was £96105 PPI claimed and received £13527
    'I had a black dog, his name was depression".
  • HappyNow
    HappyNow Posts: 1,558 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts I've been Money Tipped! Name Dropper
    Moneysaving update. This morning's project - our landline.

    I considered leaving BT following their recent line rental increase. I browsed the MSE home phone forum and got somewhat confused, then that confusion got worse when I tried to decipher my on-line bill. Anyway, I rang BT and said I wanted to move to a cheaper supplier and they immediately offered me £3 per month off our package, bringing it down to £11.60 per month for line rental with inclusive evening and weekend calls on a 12 month contract.

    To be honest I'm not even sure whether that's a fantastic deal or not! I may have got it cheaper from another supplier, but this was hassle-free and at least I have reduced it by £3 for the sake of one free phone call. Because of our rural location we have fairly regular line faults; I have always found BTs repair service to be good and don't know how it might alter if we had a different supplier (maybe not at all, I genuinely don't know!).

    We will use our free mobile minutes for calls other than evenings and weekends. I have made myself a diary note to check again in 11 months when we are nearing the end of this contract.

    Another box ticked for me!
    LBM Dec 2011. Aimed, but failed, to clear all unsecured debt by Feb 2019. Finally free of unsecured debt 21st May 21!

    Debt Dec 11: Unsecured £69,579 + Mortgage £59,948 = £129,527
    Debt May 21: Unsecured ZERO! ZILCH! Mortgage £22,332
  • If you're able to actually pay £120 in one go you can get 12 months line rental for that price (so £10 a month). I believe you get free evening and weekend calls to other BT landlines but you do have to make at least 2 calls a month from the phone or you get charged £1.50 for that month. We rarely use the landline to make calls so got caught out on that once, now we just make a few token calls (free of course!) to avoid it.
    Tesco CC [STRIKE]£201.17 [/STRIKE]/£189.36| HSBC CC [STRIKE]£1072.25[/STRIKE]/£1038.14 | Natwest OD [STRIKE]£1061.30[/STRIKE]/£1073.47
    Current monthly mortgage overpayment: £150pm
    GC: Jan £108.61/£200
  • HappyNow
    HappyNow Posts: 1,558 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts I've been Money Tipped! Name Dropper
    If you're able to actually pay £120 in one go you can get 12 months line rental for that price (so £10 a month). I believe you get free evening and weekend calls to other BT landlines but you do have to make at least 2 calls a month from the phone or you get charged £1.50 for that month. We rarely use the landline to make calls so got caught out on that once, now we just make a few token calls (free of course!) to avoid it.

    Thanks for the reply Daisy :). I did read about the twelve month advance payment thing on the MSE forum, but this is a really tight month for me so I couldn't take advantage of it. Hopefully next year.....

    I think that the biggest savings I am making (not just on the phone but on all my bills) aren't so much because I've found a cheaper deal, but more because I am finally aware of how much I am paying for everything. Taking the phone as an example, I used to reach for the landline during the daytime purely because I was sitting next to it - it never crossed my mind to walk into another room to get my mobile where the call would be free. For me, this money-saving malarky is much more about changing my mindset than my tariffs, and I am committed to doing that from now on with everything. I just wish I'd done it years ago!
    LBM Dec 2011. Aimed, but failed, to clear all unsecured debt by Feb 2019. Finally free of unsecured debt 21st May 21!

    Debt Dec 11: Unsecured £69,579 + Mortgage £59,948 = £129,527
    Debt May 21: Unsecured ZERO! ZILCH! Mortgage £22,332
  • Morning Happy

    Was it a late night or an early morning?

    Good news on the phone and being money savvy. I saw someone's signature the other day that said 'every pennys a prisoner' .... love it! It's amazing what we can save just by looking at it. Timeto make the pennies work for us I think.

    Hope you have a good day.

    HHX
  • HappyNow
    HappyNow Posts: 1,558 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts I've been Money Tipped! Name Dropper
    Morning Happy

    Was it a late night or an early morning?

    HHX

    Ha, a bit of both! Bed by 11, awake by 2, still laying there at 3 so got up and did some more money stuff until 5, then bed again until 8. I've been a poor sleeper for a couple of years now - not sure if it's financial worries or menopause. I hope it's menopause really 'cos that will be clear looong before my debts!

    Hope you have a good day x
    LBM Dec 2011. Aimed, but failed, to clear all unsecured debt by Feb 2019. Finally free of unsecured debt 21st May 21!

    Debt Dec 11: Unsecured £69,579 + Mortgage £59,948 = £129,527
    Debt May 21: Unsecured ZERO! ZILCH! Mortgage £22,332
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