Advice needed regarding 'Sell and Rent Back' 14 June 2007 at 10:59PM in Debt-free wannabe 47 replies 4.6K views

janakajan

kimevans wrote: »

Jan

I understand what you mean about a lodger, I wouldn't feel comfortable with it either.
Glad you got rid of little bits & bobs that were costing you money.

What about the school lunches, packed lunches can be cheaper (& better, unless Jamies been in:rotfl: ) or will your child not budge on this?

I too wondered what the bin cleaners were:rotfl: Are you telling me they charge £8 to give your wheelie bin a scrub out:eek:

Hopefully you will be able to pick up some more savings tips on the other boards, they are great:D

You sound more in control & happier:D

Yes £4 per fortnight to clean a clean bin! I don't blame you for laughing - I deserve it, I'm a pushover! But the guy came around yesterday to collect payment, so I gritted my teeth and told him I would have to cancel, and it wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. Also, from Monday, Joel will be going onto packed lunches. - Thanks for your tips - much appreciated.

janakajan

wyebird wrote: »

I understand about lodgers, would be nice if you could find a friend who needed a room.
I have to phone mobiles a lot. Daughter at uni and parents who live on a canal boat! Have a contract phone from 3 for £17.50 a month which includes "any network" minutes(5 hours a month)and texts. Also have thought about skype phone, but as my parents are travelling they are only on line infrequently. Don't know whether any of those would be an option?

Thanks Wyebird. I keep looking at that offer you mentioned on the mobile phone - is it the deal from 3store? It's gone up to £20 a month now but that's still a very good deal. I thought I could put a bar on mobile numbers on my landline, and use this for all other calls, but I worry that there may be catches to it simply because it sounds too good to be true. Skype is good too, but, like you said, only if the other person is online at the same time.

janakajan

Between 8am and 12pm today, the electric meter is being installed. I hope they come soon and get it over with. I look after my second eldest son and his partner's two babies every Wednesday and Thursday from 10.30 until about 5pm-ish, so it will be chaotic if the man or men arrive after the babies are dropped off - or I should say even more chaotic.

I have cancelled the lottery, cancelled my bin cleaner, put Joel on packed lunches (starting Monday), and am watching some used (cheap) washing machines on eBay, collection within 10 miles - one of my son's will collect for me if I'm lucky enough to win one. Also keeping my eye on Freecycle. All this achieved thanks to all of you.

These small achievements are helping me to feel better, but I must admit that I've been having nightmares about the meter.

I suppose I should post this now in case he/them arrive and I lose it.

Thanks again everyone.

Shineyhappy

Hi I am glad to see you are being more positive! Freecycle is fab and is worth keeping an eye on.

All the little savings really do add up. I gave up newspapers as one of my cut backs and I did miss them for a while and now I noticed the upside as my recycling bin is so much emptier! I feel that it has to be better for the environment and so much less wasteful than before.

janakajan

lindens wrote: »

Just a few ideas from quickly looking at that SOA.
How much is the mortgage for? I'm not clever but if you could indicate the amount you still owe and the interest rate another cleverer person can tell you if it's good value or not.
Sorry Lindens, I meant to find this information sooner. Now I have found it. The last statement I have from the Mortgage lenders was in May, and the Early Repayment Figure was then £69,443.64. However, I would probably have to add the council discount to that figure (not sure if it's included or a separate issue), which is about £25,000.00.

janakajan

Just to let you know that the meter man has been. To my surprise he was very pleasant. I imagined that I would be treated like something despicable - like I have been stealing electricity from them and just been caught out, or something like that. But he acted as though it was just a normal procedure he was carrying out.

My son's partner has just sent me a text to say that I don't need to mind the babies today because her older child is off school poorly, and so she is taking time off work to look after him. I really hate to admit this, but it is such a relief. It means that I can devote some time to my writing, which has suffered terribly over the past week or so.

I feel as though I'm in limbo at the moment. The electric man told me he had put £2 on the meter. As soon as he had gone, I turned everything I could off, and I've checked the meter a dozen times already (though it still says £2). It's quite scary, but I'm going to take advantage of my unexpected free time, forget about all my troubles, and get on with my story.

Thank you all again.

milkydrink

I'm sure the meter company is more than happy with the arrangement, its the people who won't pay they have a problem with.

I had two meters in here for a while (there was one when I moved in & it took a while to get them replaced). My tip, try & get organised quickly about how much you use per week & make sure you do it regularly. I kept forgetting. The first time the gas went, we spent a couple of hours in the cold (it was Jan) trying to reset the boiler:o :rotfl:
My sister had them (her hubby is fanaticle about not owing anyone anything), they are used to them & just do it once a week like a shopping trip.

I wasn't laughing at you for pay to get your bin clean, I was laughing at all of us who were so puzzled by it:rotfl:
Don't feel too bad about it, I pay the window cleaner £15 a month to do mine (inside as well as out:o ). Now that is extravagant:o , I should do the inside myself:o , can't do the outside, don't do high ladders:eek:

Glad all is working out for you:D :j