Rising to the top of the ocean - and staying afloat!

freebyfifty

Evening rising,

I am just going to stick my oar in

As far as I know the weather on Friday is going to be bad :eek: If I had the choice I would be in the house and going nowhere. Stay safe. You'll be so tense driving home from the massage you'll have undone all the benefit from your massage.

As for the snow tyres - it really is up to you. I am going to get some but I am going to wait until next year now and just drive very very carefully for the rest of the winter. I know you're more rural than I am so you have to do what makes you feel safe. Can you not switch your car into 'manual mode' My DF has a automatic but can also use it manually if he has to. I don't know much about it as I have only driven it once but you have to press a button to change gear rather than it doing it - does that make sense?????????

rising_from_the_ashes

freebyfifty wrote: »

As for the snow tyres - it really is up to you. I am going to get some but I am going to wait until next year now and just drive very very carefully for the rest of the winter. I know you're more rural than I am so you have to do what makes you feel safe. Can you not switch your car into 'manual mode' My DF has a automatic but can also use it manually if he has to. I don't know much about it as I have only driven it once but you have to press a button to change gear rather than it doing it - does that make sense?????????

It was the plan to wait to next year but ...... having not had any chance to really get used to the car (only got it 3 weeks before I fell ill) and now finding us in the middle of icy weather .... :eek:

You can (kind of) switch it to manual - but it's only really gears 1 & 2 so really when you're starting off or maybe going down a big hill - not for general driving IYKWIM

StressedSteph

Morning Rising,

Hope you are feeling ok today and not skidding around outside in your automatic :eek:.

Expect you are off having a walk, I will go and clean up the house abit and check in later. xx

rising_from_the_ashes

Morning Steph we're back from morning walkies & Maisie's lying snoring in the middle of the floor:) - we met a rather enthusiastic pup today and it's tired her out


Going to have a Grrrrrrrr moment - just checked my e*bay items (did find a couple of things to sell!) and, despite having on that I only ship to the UK .... someone from the US is trying to buy one of them :mad: *sigh*

Pity too as it's a fairly expensive item (£40) so could've done with the money to go towards the tyres!

It's bloomin' freezing here this morning .... still not had a reply to my massage cancelling email - take it she's off sick ..... not quite sure what to do now!

StressedSteph

Hi Rising,

I have found that problem with #Bay. I had someone pm'ing me asking if I could post to Japan :eek:. Managed to get out of it, as the item was quite heavy and I quoted them a very high price for postage .
I guess you are within your rights to ask a higher postage cost if they are going to bid on something that specifys UK only?.

What a pain though. I have no clue how to post internationally. Can't be bothered with the hassle.

xx

rising_from_the_ashes

Right .... finances question please!

My budget for car maintenance this year is £300 - that was based on the service being around the £250 mark & £50 for the odd windscreen wiper (or similar) it not needing anything else done this year:)

I had planned on getting the winter tyres next year so hadn't included the cost of them

Obviously, they're going to pretty much wipe out the budget :eek: so, given that it's only January - would you just change your budget amount?

rising_from_the_ashes

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

mmmm So .... there's £187 in the car pot, with another £33.50 to go in on payday so that'll be it at 220.50:)

Sounds good BUT car tax is £100 (due Feb) which leaves £120.50 .... winter tyres are £270 ... so I'm around £150 short :eek:..... oh dear!

Right .... Bills account has a spare £50 - £75 in it (d/debits come to just under £580 & I stick £600 in it each month - it comes in handy for the odd emergency now & then!) so let's say £50 can come from there

Emergency fund will be at £100 at end Jan .... *sigh* - looks like that's going to be wiped out ... again!:(

Won't actually need to pay for them until Feb's salary has been paid (cut off date for c/card was yesterday ) which does give an extra month's "pot feeding"

Car pot will be at £0 :eek: - needs to get to £250 by Aug ... well prob Sept (will pay service on cc so won't need paid until Sept) so that'll be 7 months payments (Feb-Aug) @ £33.50 which is £234.50

A bit short but should be able to borrow the shortfall from the other budgets within the House & Car pot as it's not a lot .....

Hopefully it'll balance out after that (really don't like it being that tight) - next year, it's a small service (only around £120) but will have the MOT :eek: but it won't need any tyres

*phew* feeling a bit better now!:o

Really, really wish I could get the Emergency Fund off the ground but can't see where else the money's going to come from!

elantan

They are very tight budgets with little room for manoeuvre rising, are you finding them easy to stick to ?

rising_from_the_ashes

mmmm I know El but there's very little room for any changes in my SOA - with no pay rise for 3 years & everything going up so much & just the one income .... it's literally been squeezed as much as it can be!:eek:

Generally most budgets should be "stickable-to" - I've made some slight increases / decreases on last year based on what was spent then ... it just doesn't allow room for "one-offs" like the tyres - or things breaking down or OMG a fun thing happening

I'd love to stick an extra £100 in here & there to make things a bit easier .... but it's just not there (I think there was only around £50 left in the SOA - and that's without paying anything to the OD and providing I stick to my grocery budget ... which I never do:o)

beanielou

WE need a miracle :rotfl: