Breaking Through, Travelling On

ZTD

Karmacat wrote: »

There's no real news, DDFW, thats why I'm just calling it rumours -

It's not really a rumour...

Karmacat wrote: »

the number of people hit by new restrictions on taking out largeish amounts of cash has reached a tipping point ...

Do you know of any personally?

Karmacat wrote: »

but bank runs have been caused by less. They never bothered to inform customers of the change in policy, so people aren't terribly happy with them.

Their Policy: It's not really your money and we don't have to give it to you. But we didn't inform anyone for 3 months because we don't have to.
My Policy: I have so little in my account it costs you more to run than you make from it. I haven't informed you of this for getting close to 20 years - because I don't have to.

However, it does have a knock-on effect: First Direct are a subsidiary, I'm going to have to look at moving now.

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

Totally agree with considering a current account with the credit union. Our CU current account would attract a charge - in the region of 30 squid pa I *think*. However, I'd change to them like a shot if the commercial banks change the way they do business with financially *careful* people who they don't actually want on their books 'coz they make no dosh out of us. Suits me fine, who's a/c ya gonna raid when it all goes pear-shaped? - I mean, it's not like the precedent has not been set elsewhere.......

Unfortunately, if it came to that, probably anything with a FSCS guarantee would be raided. It's unlikely it will come to that. The Gov will just print money, like they did to finance the first bank bail-out.

Karmacat

Yikes, a charge of 30 squids ... ouch, that would hurt! Thanks for letting me know, Greying.

Z - hmm, perhaps I was a little hasty in calling it a rumour - Martin has been publicising the situation too, I see. At the very least, they've got a publicity nightmare on their hands...


ETA - I can't put either of the above posts properly. I think I'm just tired, so I'm not going to struggle over it. You're both good people, I hope you'll forgive me.

I don't know of any personally in this round, but I got caught myself a couple of times - once when I was paying the deposit on the French place. That was so traumatic I blacked it out so I got caught again when my endowment matured 18 months ago. Both times, it was in the tens of thousands, and I had to shift in online in £18k wodges. Tiresome, but it didn't feel arbitrary, like today's news does. And it *had* been in their literature ... I seem to be saying it a lot today, in various places, but I'm bad on detail which is why the diary is so important for my future finances!

Karmacat

Just popped on to Greying's thread, and remembered about the three gratitudes as she wrote out hers today, so here are mine:
- for family and friends, circling round one another, happily and continuously.
- for waking up to watch the Snowdonia Marathon, and seeing a black cat run across a road that had been closed off for it.
- for a nice-sized kitchen to cook in, and food to cook in it.

Greying_Pilgrim

Karmacat wrote: »

Yikes, a charge of 30 squids ... ouch, that would hurt! Thanks for letting me know, Greying.

I think, as I said, that is per annum Karma - so not as good as 'free' banking :money:, but more than comparable to some 'package' accounts - especially where you don't 'use' elements of the package eg breakdown cover when you've no car, travel insurance when you go camping in the UK (generally not covered )

Greying

Karmacat

Thats very true, Greying, thanks for that

Trouble is, as I'm now having to dip into savings to pay ordinary bills, that arrangement wouldn't be appropriate for me. I appreciate the info, though, when I'm back earning a proper wedge, as they say , I could well be doing that.

mizmir

Morning Karma. Still up and down with the shingles but wanted to check in and glad I did. Have been feeling sorry for myself and frustrated with not being able to do things - then I read your three gratitudes. Love that. So am going to focus on the good stuff and might steal that for my thread. Thanks.

Karmacat

Thanks Mizmir! I'm not surprised you're still up and down, its a nasty, nasty thing to be suffering from just take it easy - its viral, isn't it, so as well as the actual pain, there's the long-drawn-outness of a viral infection (they're long for me, anyway, and for most people, I think).

I'm on the very last stretch of the tax returns, and finding out some interesting things, some of which will have to be investigated *after* the return is lodged like where the money went for my Friends Provident shares, they were taken over in 2009 by somebody called Resolution, no idea what happened there, 2009 was the worst year of my adult life, so I'm sure I wasn't paying attention.

Anyway - good news! I still have an open current account at cahoot, and if I get a card from them, I can use ATMs!!! Linking that to my new bank account, and then funding it, will be another job for after 31 January - I'm really pleased I don't have to go through all that faff again, and it gives me a fallback if HSBC throw a wobbly.


ETA - intense email sent to previous spread bettor last night has drawn a result already - phone call taking details of my current cheque card, once its verified, they'll send dosh to that account.

And once they do that, I can use that to fund my once and future cahoot cheque account :j I need to keep making notes of all this stuff, I'll completely lose track otherwise

Karmacat

I've finished the tax return :j

A small part of me is sick with worry in case I run out of money before I run away to wander about Europe, but its no good giving in to that, thats probably the usual apocalyptic mumbo jumbo that anybody raised on John Wyndham feels

Happily, the money from the daft spreadbetting company is now in my current account! So this afternoon (after some chocolate, I think!) I'll do the biz with getting another current account working.

And papers can be put away :j

mizmir

Yay to completed tax returns! And to chocolate... am wondering if I can pop out and get some as a reward... :EasterBun

Karmacat

Ooh, thank you :rotfl::kisses3: I haven't actually gone to get any yet - after I've posted this, I'll take a walk round the block, I reckon.

I ended up, as you do, putting things onto Amazon the recent talk about decluttering books has been encouraging me no end. Only came back on here when Amazon software had a fit about accepting one of them, there's been a double entry for the ISBN, so there may be problems on that. I'm happy, but some are really pushing it - there's a slim little booklet about the history of racism in Liverpool - its a mahoosive port, there's been a black community there for hundreds of years - and its listed at anything up to £30. I didn't want to start a really destructive bidding war, so I undercut the lowest price by about £4, not by the amount thats actually deserved. I'll do more when I feel like it, quite frankly

When I'm back - French accounts (different time period from the English, so it all has to be done again) but that'll only take an hour, because its already done.

I can just *feel* what its like to get my life back after all this anual admin :j:j:j