The Road to Financial Security

shala_moo

Hi Pushkin, :wave:

Re: the furniture - Isn't there some sort or Purchase Protection on credit cards these days, or is that just if goods are faulty/lost. The goods are kind of faulty as they're not the colour you ordered.

Might be worth speaking to your credit card people about it, you would have a certain time frame I guess so might just be worth checking now in case you leave it too long.

Could I ask you a question too, I think I have the right person - do I remember you having Hive fitted for your heating? I was just wondering how you were getting on with it and if you'd recommend it at all.. sorry if it wasn't you!

Pushkin

Rang the CC company today regarding the missing chairs and the one in the wrong colour. Sadly there doesn't seem to be much they can do. I can't withhold any payment without incurring interest charges - as Bookwork mentioned :money: They did say if I still have issues a dispute can be raised with their dispute team so I feel I have at least got a potential issue logged on the system.

Trouble is it's not really money I want its the chairs! Although if the furniture company give me some compensation for the long delay and all this faffing I won't complain

Pushkin

Very excited - payout of £1.91 from TCB (been waiting a while!) although it now says could be up to 14 days before it's in my paypal account. Good things come to those who wait huh.

Feeling wistful today, I checked zoopla and the house we were going to buy last summer has its sold price listed - it was £10k less than we had agreed before it all fell apart. Does make me think we were very novice, naive buyers (& sellers) and did learn a lot.

On that note I think did some spreadsheet modelling to look at where we would be financially in 5 years when we would like to move. Even with the mort overpayments it doesn't look great. The capital we were using to part fund the move is being spent on this house so will be gone. While the mortgage will be a lot lower DH and I will be older (me nearly 50 DH the other side of it) which gets into shorter term mortgage agreements. Plus the consideration of if we will want to take on that kind of borrowing at that age.

Hmm probably little point in mulling it over too much right now - who knows how things will stand in 5 years time and I guess whatever happens improving our home for us shouldn't be seen as a negative and overpaying the mortgage at any level is better than doing nothing.

Pushkin

After a pretty busy, stressful week at work I have just finished and have next week off. Am sitting here with a beer, feel exhausted but the relief and a nice sense of relaxation is slowly filling my veins :j

No news on the delayed furniture (2 missing chairs, 1 chair in wrong colour) so I need to chase them up next week.

I paid the whole cc bill yesterday which included the furniture so am more annoyed than ever about the delays now.

Will be drawing up a list of jobs for next week with the aim of being at least a little bit productive.

Am meeting a friend for lunch tomorrow. Am having to push away thoughts of this being an unexpended cost for which I haven't budgeted. I haven't seen her since last May so shouldn't be quibbling about it. Almost need a stinge alert to go off when I start behaving like this!

Pushkin

Lazy lie in today, just having a cup of coffee before getting dressed and taking the dog out.

Today DH and I will be doing some long overdue work in the garden, we need to removed some concrete steps and flatten the ground down. Next month the garden office is being installed and the area needs to be cleared before then. Don't think it will take too long and hopefully DH will do a dump run as well.

Also need to complete research on an order new house phones, ours have been playing up and only one of them will charge on the the base unit now. Working from home I use the phone a lot so need reliability.

Do feel like there is a unforeseen cost every month right now -we have just had to replace the tumble dryer and now its the phones. grrr

Pushkin

Well my comment re the garden work ' don't think it will take too long' is the opposite of what is now potentially a bit of an issue.

We have removed about 10 bricks/slabs but the digging has revealed a multitude more that are buried pretty deep not to mention a concrete slab:eek: With our rather limited garden equipment (one spade, on fork - used to have a pick axe and wheelbarrow but they are MIA!) we decided we can't get this done. Reality is now we have to get someone in to do it. We have until 10 March when they are coming to lay the foundations for the new building so hopefully we have enough time.

The mind boggles as to why all those bricks are there - DH suspects they just chucked leftovers up there after various projects and with our neglect its all got buried.

Further issues with V0dafon£ and being unable to either set up an automated monthly top up or indeed add a freedom pack today. I find their website so frustrating, although I used the on line chat to connect with a customer service person and he sorted it out. Still don't understand why I couldn't do that myself. I get so annoyed with them and am often on the verge of switching to another network but always fear it will be too much hassle, mess things up and then not be any better.

Pushkin

Fraught day of phone calls & emails back and to between DH and me as he has been in touch with the company putting in the garden office regarding the immovable bricks we have on the site.

They are very kindly sending someone round to have a look this evening and advise. Unfortunately DH won't be back (he's in London this week) and I'm not great when it comes to the technical details of these things but am somewhat reassured by their fast response. I guess will see what the expert says and then decide how we get what needs doing done. Nothing is every straight forward huh!

Good, long dog walk this morning, I have downloaded an app that measures steps taken and am trying to build up to 10,000 per day - it's more than I thought - am averaging about 6,000 but being off work have no excuse this week. Today I might just hit the target!

Big shop at the supermarket although I did manage to come in £10 under my budget and pick up a onesie in the sale for one of DS's birthday presents - his current one (that he pretty much lives in) has a split at the crotch - not suitable for him to take on his up coming skiing trip!

Caught up on washing which I now need to put away, also need to clean the kitchen later.

Other jobs on the list for my week off:

Clean bedroom
Clean DS's bedroom
Clean Bathroom floor
Batch cooking for freezer (lasagne, veggie tart)
Clean lounge
Hoover through downstairs
Catch up on some admin
Shopping for DH birthday bits

Pushkin

The garden office saga continues, company doing the build came round yesterday and were very reassuring but bottom line is we need the bricks gone, the area flattened and a soak away built. Without meaning to sound too girly I get lost in a lot of this technical jargon so it's very awkward DH is at work.

I called the company who did our oak tree and our fencing and the guy has just come round (god send!) he will provide a quote later today but did question the position of the soak away which I thought the building company said could go under the building. Can't get hold of DH to check and I'm now very confused!

Also dread to think how much this extra work will cost - he reckoned 2 workmen for a days work so it will be at least £500 plus the cost of the soak away.

Why is nothing straight forward???

Now I need to ring the furniture company about the chairs of which their is no sign and has been no communication.

In more positive news I managed to walk 10,000 steps yesterday (shamefully I did feel quite stiff by the evening :eek:).

Pushkin

Tired today, had to get up early as I had my dreaded hygienist appointment. Half an hour of torture and £45 later I was done but did receive the shocking news I need to go back in 3 months for a 'deep clean' which is a double length appointment, which of course doubles the cost. :eek:

I suppose I should be relieved the costs are still relatively low - have heard horror stories from friends and family of dental costs in the £ thousands.

At least I got it over early, then went off to the shops with DS. Little bit annoyed that he brought neither his wallet nor his mobile phone as he had no intention of us splitting up (or it seems of paying for his father's birthday present himself - and yes softy mummy did pay for it!) I did try and have a browse round Debenhams but having a 12 yr old boy in tow somewhat reduces the pleasure. I will have to go on my own for a proper look round at some point.

Bought a few bits for DH's birthday next week, have already ordered his main present on line so just needed a few bits to wrap up - no matter how old we are it's always nice to have a pile of presents to open. I actually think they look better wrapped - the anticipation is often better than the reality of what is inside!

Oh and another disaster happened last night. We were eating our dinner (one pot chicken ) when the smoke alarm went off. Upon investigation the oven, despite having been switched off, was still on - if that makes any sense. The element thingy on the back of it was bright red and it was kicking out some heat. The only way I could turn it off was to switch it off at the plug.

I haven't used it since and told DH not to worry about it til the weekend as he's on the London commute slog this week. I did look at the cost of ovens last night - hopefully am being defeatist and it is repairable/a one off blip - but we may have to now shell out for a blinking oven. :mad:

Oh and while I'm feeling sorry for myself I rang the furniture shop yesterday afternoon - the person who answered (for reasons I don't understand) was unable to help me, the original sales lady was with customers so would ring me back. Well she didn't!

Am growing increasingly frustrated - will try calling again tomorrow but wonder if I should now just ask to speak to the manager. I looked on their website last night and the delivery times it shows are 7 days for red chairs, 14 days for black chairs. Yet nobody in this blessed shop can give me a date for my delivery or it seems be bothered to ring me back.

Sorry for the War and Peace effort...

Pushkin

Early pick up at Heathrow this morning, had to get up at 5 and kept waking up throughout the night as I was scared of oversleeping. The journey up there made me so glad I don't have to do a commute like that every day. Such heavy traffic on the M3 before 6am.

Got home before 10, had an hour monging on the sofa then took the dog for a long walk (in the rain :eek:). Went for a granny nap, still feel quite groggy - jet lag without the holiday huh

I have however been somewhat productive and made 2 lasagnes and a quiche with some leftover vegetables - how frugal :T

Tomorrow I must revisit the list of jobs I rather over optimistically posted last weekend - will have to do a few of them - show willing at least.

Quote for the garden brick removals came in at £200 + vat - was expecting £500 so pleased with that.

Still no word from the furniture shop regarding the chairs but I can't face that call today.

Just watching Mamma Mia at DS's request. Curtains closed so the grim weather is blocked out.