woah... are those MY finances??

Fmess

YAY! Congratulations on your 4lbs weight loss!!!

I'm glad you got the insurance issue sorted and well done on shopping around for your house insurance. I am also with DL for my car insurance which needs renewing at the start of March. I'm hoping to get it knocked down quite a bit too. Do you go for any of the extras? I've always had legal cover and breakdown but they cost nearly £80 combined and I've never needed them, so I'm wondering whether to get rid of them. I worry that as soon as they are gone, I might need them!

I've been to the gym again today and cleaned the house so I'm knackered. I wish it was bedtime!!

argomatt

I used to take the breakdown cover together with my car insurance but last time around I asked for quotes with and without the breakdown insurance, and found it was much cheaper to get the breakdown insurance elsewhere than to have it included on the car insurance

Fmess

Thanks argomatt, I'll investigate...

stewby

Hi Argomatt and fmess!! Hope you are both keeping well.


I have a signature account (which is probably not a good thing) but I pay £13.50 a month and it gives me monthly statements, travel insurance, car breakdown cover, gadget cover (which is great as we travel between england and scotland a lot), mobile phone insurance, ID protection and some discounts (which are a bit too confusing for me to understand).
Once, I have sorted this mess out and can start saving they have a special rate for savings accounts too.


I know people will probably rubbish it and say that it's a lot of money but when OH is travelling down south every month, that means we are using the travel, mobile phone and gadget insurance each time and we don't have to pay for it all seperately.


Anyways... nightshift last night and tonight. I am feeling pretty darn good which is a complete change from how I was feeling last year.
It's weird but I was so scared about leaving my comfort zone and thought it was going to be a massive mistake but it is actually the best thing I could have ever done.
:shocked:

Spend day yesterday cause of the home insurance and stuff but I am feeling good about today.


Hope everyone is having a lovely day and also have a good evening.
Hugs.

argomatt

Hi Stewby,

I had a package bank account for a while, which cost me £12 a month and included travel insurance, gadgets, breakdown and home emergency too, together with a load of other things I wasn't really interested in.. I had it when I was travelling in Australia and I think at that time it was definitely worth it.

I cancelled it when I wasn't planning any travels, I got breakdown insurance separately and had the home emergency added to my house insurance but thought as I never had claimed on any mobile phone insurance I would do without it.

I have since dropped my phone and smashed the screen :mad: which I have had different quotes all around £100 to replace it :eek: I am only 3 months into a 18 month contract too, so I have got to live with it for quite a long time now :(. I hadn't realised how much smartphones cost to repair. I definitely will get insurance for my next one.

I hope you have a good shift tonight.. I just got back from my first day back at college. I think it's 6 years since I have done any studying so it is hard to get my brain back into the right place to take the information in!

Fmess, I got my breakdown insurance with 2gether insurance but I checked them out when I was looking for my OHs car but they had got more expensive, we chose Start Rescue for her car in the end.

Matt:beer:

stewby

Yeah, I was the same as you argomatt. My dad told me to get it for when I went to NZ for 3 weeks as there was so much that could go wrong (six flights plus transport on the ground) that he wanted me to have proper travel insurance.


I have a lot of gadgets but because OH lived down south (and his family still do), we travel a lot and take the gadgets with us. So the gadget insurance is good for that (two laptops, an ipad, camera, etc).

I can't believe you broke your phone so soon after getting it. Is there any other way to fix it?? like at a market or a wee independent shop?? My dad got his screen fixed for about £40 at a wee independent shop.
:undecided

That is me back off nightshift and away to sleep another morning away.


Hope you all have a great day.
Hugs.

argomatt

I was so annoyed when the screen got smashed. It only fell from my pocket to the pavement while I was sat in the car, just after I opened the door, so it can only have fallen 30cm at the most!

Reading online, those phones are quite vulnerable to smashed screens.. I wish I had seen that earlier and I would have got a case or something to protect it!

The quotes for £100 ish to repair the screen were from an independent shop and from some guys working from the back of a van at a car boot sale.

I have seen kits on amazon / ebay for about £20 but looking at "how to" videos on youtube it seems like there is a high chance of me causing more harm than good by trying to do it myself. You have to soften the glue holding the glass to the touch screen with a hairdryer, carefully remove all the glass, clean the glue off with nail varnish remover, then glue on the new glass, all without getting bubbles under it and without damaging the touch sensitive part underneath, because if that goes it's about £300 for a new one of those :eek:

So for the moment it's a case of living with it, and we will see, either I will have a go at doing it myself and just buy a new phone if it isn't successful or save up and send it to be done properly. Either way I won't do anything till the credit card is paid off.

Are you working night shift again tonight?

I am about to get cracking with my homework from college. I just went to print some work and the black ink has run out, so that will mean a trip to tescos later and another £25 gone.. nearly cheaper to get a new printer. I normally search for them and buy online but as I need it now, I will have to pay over the odds for one. :mad::mad:

stewby

Oh god. That sounds like more hassle than it's worth (the phone screen not the college work). I would be too scared that I would mess it up and end up with either a completely broken phone or a £300 bill to fix it.
:eek:

What are you studying at college argomatt?? Anything interesting??


Is there not a way you can buy ink and refill the cartridges yourself?? Might work out cheaper (I don't know if you can still do that but you used to be able to).
:undecided

In non-money related news... was noseying around online and found a trip to barcelona (3 nights, flights from our wee airport to the place) and the hotel is one of the top 10 on tripadvisor. It's £850 for everything. We have never been to Barecelona together before (OH has been with friends before but I have never been) but OH seems really keen and is currently requesting the Monday and Tuesday off and then we will book. So it looks like I will be getting engaged in Barcelona. Hooray!!
:j

Not back on nightshift until Friday but I have a couple of teaching sessions on Thursday (new oxygen stuff) and Friday (new student thing).
It sounds awful but as a debted person, nightshifts, and in particular weekend nightshifts, are brilliant as I get enhanced rates. I do love my job though, the money is just a benefit.


Hope everyone is having a good day and evening.
Hugs.

argomatt

Hi Stewby,
I sent you a private message about the college, I hope you don't mind..

I have filled ink cartridges up in the past but I haven't seen the kits available recently, although I haven't really been looking to be honest I had forgotten you could do that! I will do some searching

A trip to Barcelona sounds great, I never have been to Spain. I would like to go to see the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao. The holiday you found sounds like a good deal too. I hope you have a great time, it sounds like you will if you are going to get engaged there!

I think I will be getting engaged this year, I am coming under increasing pressure to propose, not that I don't want to of course, just there has been so much going on late last year and early this year it hasn't been at the top of my list, but it has been of my girlfriend's!

I really have no idea how to go about doing it, I have been reading online that the ring should cost between 1 and 3 months pay!! Surely that can't be right :eek::eek:

I would like to arrange something really nice but I have no idea where to start..

Matt

stewby

I don't think the cost of the ring matters. (well depending on the girl I suppose).
I was with my OH when we bought the ring. It was about £450 and is perfect for me. I like minimalist sort of jewellery, don't like diamonds or gold so I have a beautiful ring that is platinum and has a sapphire in it. The price doesn't matter to me as the ring is perfect and if OH had bought one for £5000, chances are it would have been too OTT for me and I wouldn't have liked wearing it.


What is your OH like?? Does she like designer labels and big statements and things like that, or would she prefer something a bit more understated??
:undecided

I would ignore the price (unless you think that it would upset her to have a less expensive ring) and either go with something you know she would or take her with you (unless you want it to be a surprise).


Part of me thinks if you aren't ready to propose then don't do it but the other part of me thinks... oh my god, just do it already!! (OH has had my ring for 2 years now so I can guess how you gf must be thinking).


My opinon is that anyone can buy a giant diamond sparkly ring (and there is nothing wrong with that) but it takes someone who knows a person really well to buy something that matches them. If you know what I mean.
:undecided

Do you think she would value the ring more or the setting?? Perhaps compromise and get a less expensive ring and have a more "wow" proposal?? (like a holiday or a day trip away... perhaps even on a boat or something).


Nae worries about the PM. I do not mind at all.


Good luck with your engagement plans and just remember that you have to want to get engaged as well. If she loves you then she will understand if you want to wait. I waited two years as my OH wanted to wait until he was more settled (he was doing his training when we bought the ring). Good luck and let me know what you decide.
Hugs.