Finally I have a mortgage I can start to pay off!

themadvix

Morning all,

Good job I didn't move that money into savings... most of it has disappeared overnight - I think it's headed to one of my CCs, but it hasn't arrived there yet.... But I did earn £34 cashback on that CC this year, which has been credited There will still be some money to transfer to savings though, but I'm going to leave it a bit to settle first.

Have done my usual Olio collection this morning - nothing exciting, all bread and pastries, so have just kept back a couple of bits for us and Niece. 

I have a little bit of work this morning and then, if it remains quiet, I'll carry on with the bunting. I still haven't finished the bits for family, but have started on a piece for a friend (she donated some tablecloths) for her birthday present.

MS things:
* Clicks done (5p won on HW)
* Free food
* 1P surveys (all the survey companies seem very quiet at the moment, or is that just me?)
* Had a follow up on a survey I'd done for Populous - possibility of a cash payment for an interview (virtual), so have put myself forward for that
* PA surveys (exception to the quiet rule)
* Little bit of work to do this morning
* RM survey item to post this afternoon

Gratitudes:
* DH and I have a daily 30 min yoga date for the rest of the month (and beyond?) - already feeling the benefits of it (Adriene's latest 30 day challenge)
* Sunshine, even if it is rather crispy out there!
* Electric car benefits - preheated before I went to Tescos - nice and warm and no scraping windscreens required

Have a good day all!

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, a preheated car sounds lovely!! As does a yoga date, what fun 😊😊

I keep being jealous of your Olio pick ups, but it just isn't happening much round here I don't think - and I suspect wouldn't be worthwhile to go and collect anything even if it was! I shall enjoy it vicariously through you 😊

themadvix

The preheated car is something of a necessity with an EV - the engine doesn't warm up the heater if there's no engine, so demisting/defrosting would be impossible. But it is a wonderful luxury too!

You'll have to see if there's a local alternative to Olio - last night (from a collector) I discovered there's a 'food rescue hub' that collects from all the supermarkets and distributes on a Saturday morning (here) and other places - you give a donation (£5) and can have what you want (within reason - usually 2 bags full). So there might be another option for you Cheery.

Cheery_Daff

Interesting, thank you. I've just had a quick check and there seems to be nowt here but the food bank, and quite clearly that's not appropriate! I did have another quick check of Olio and there is nothing within 10k, and only 3 things within 25k - I'm not sure it's a good use of time or resources to drive a 30 mile round trip to collect a reduced supermarket apple pie 😂😂 Will stick to just checking the reduced section of the supermarket (in fact my time is probably better spent actually growing some food here!)

themadvix

It was very much a local thing, so maybe worth finding on Facebook... but I suspect you're right - the size of our town (there are 5 large supermarkets) and the large working class population make it worthwhile, I think, in a way that it may not be outside of the commuter belt/big cities.

The reduced section is where all our Olio stuff comes from anyway - you pay for the privilege of choice! 😂 And perhaps growing it might be a good plan! 

Cheery_Daff

We're 7 miles from the nearest town anyway, and there's only one big supermarket there. Growing is definitely our best option i think 😂 and using up our massive store cupboard before it all goes out of date - I need to be eating food not collecting more of it! 😮😮

themadvix

We viewed the house. I’m not really keen, but DH is keener. The kitchen layout was really odd (split between two rooms, one of which is a conservatory/diner at the other end), with a step up. We’d have to replace the kitchen (it was all Aga branded and probably worth a fortune but not to my taste in terms of ease of use or practicality) but I can’t see way around weird layout. Also garden was a bit smaller than I’d like, although hard to tell with amount of carp in it (‘decorative carp’ rather than actual rubbish), and I think garage was smaller. I just didn’t love it. It was lovely and light and did have some plus points. Think DH is caught up on nicer area and better parking but I don’t think it’s worth moving if house isn’t right for us. Not a lot on the market round here yet, but we’ve not looked here in our price range, so we don’t know that there won’t be something that’s just a bit better for us. 

South_coast

themadvix said:

....(all the survey companies seem very quiet at the moment, or is that just me?)
* Had a follow up on a survey I'd done for Populous - possibility of a cash payment for an interview (virtual), so have put myself forward for that

One Poll definitely seems very quiet at the moment (and they've still not paid my money from 01/12 🤦‍♀️!) I had the Populus follow-up as well, it would be very strange if it's a group call and we're both on there 🤣! Kind of hoping I don't get picked though, what on earth can there be to say about beauty products for a full hour???

Sorry the house was a bit of a let-down. Worth going just to know that though, rather than turning it over and over in your mind 

themadvix

Oh that would be funny SC! But agree that it would be a rather uninteresting hour.

1P still owe me, but I guess I’m going to be even more delayed due to the identity/vpn fiasco.

Suffolk_lass

I also had a look at Olio again yesterday. Nothing happening for the last year in either of the two largest towns that are ten+ miles from us and unhelpfully, whoever registered the (5m away) smaller town has not put the County it is in - so it could be over 50 miles away. There is a community food initiative on FB but it has been radio silence for some months now and I suspect they may have lost their main people. Food banks (like Cheery) not for us. I will proceed with a seed audit this week, with a view to sorting out what we grow a bit earlier