THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

Cappella

GreyQueen and Karmacat I can understand why the ladies you dealt with had such problems GQ. I know my friend had awful problems with her insurance policies because she didn't have policy details or an evidence of identity I don't drive, but I have had problems with proving identity without a driving license in the past so I make sure now that I have an up to date passport, and that my name is on three of our utlitlies bills. I do have a bus pass and rail card but they're not usually accepted as evidence of identity.

DigForVictory
On my pen drives I have scanned:
Birth and marriage certificates
Passport details
Utility bills for the current year
Council tax bill and water rates bills for 2018
House bricks and mortar insurance details
House contents details
Life insurance policy details
Car and pet insurance details
Bank account details for all of our accounts (current and long and short term accounts)
Bank account standing orders and direct debit details
Our NHS numbers and relevant medical records
Copies of our last P60s
Pension authority details
Our solicitors details - they have copies of our wills and power of attorney documents.

Names, addresses and phone numbers of family and friends are stored in the cloud in a contacts file and my son and daughter can access it if necessary - which it was when I was very ill and MrC was at the hospital most full time with me.
My daughter and my son each have one of the pen drives. The other is in a very safe place well away from my house.

I do all of our banking online so I do have access to our accounts there, but I prefer belt and braces when if it came to the crunch I might not have easy internet access so better safe than sorry.

I think that's allDforV It took a little time to initially set it all up and scan stuff but now it's mainly just a case of checking it once a year and making sure it's up to date.

Right - first aid kit refurbishment today. Onward and downward people

Karmacat

Cappella wrote: »

GreyQueen and Karmacat I can understand why the ladies you dealt with had such problems GQ. I know my friend had awful problems with her insurance policies because she didn't have policy details or an evidence of identity I don't drive, but I have had problems with proving identity without a driving license in the past so I make sure now that I have an up to date passport, and that my name is on three of our utlitlies bills. I do have a bus pass and rail card but they're not usually accepted as evidence of identity.

I have a fun one for you all about evidence of identity On the Spanish holiday I went on at the beginning of this month, there were a lot of tourist spots we went to that had audioguides, and we used them whenever we could, they're usually very good, and of course you can pause them whenever you want, so win-win.


I think it was at Palma Cathedral - they wanted an ID document before they'd hand out the equipment. Neither of us wanted to hand over a credit card, and though I had my passport too, I wasn't going to hand that over in a million years. But I happened to still have my Senior Railcard for this country in my purse so I gave them that! It's an oblong piece of plastic, official looking, and it has my name on, what's not to like? It was fine too

GreyQueen

I buy pre-owned furniture in as-new conditon from charity shops. Because it's excellent value for money and I'm not giving 20% of the price to the tax man (VAT element of the price, of course). Plus it's fast and easy. My sofa was 10% of the price of the identical thing new from the same manufacturer.

If you can't see a discount for paying up front, there is a financial disadvantage built into the price. And you're being done-over.

As a person with a rare illness, I am constantly descriminated against whenever I apply for travel insurance. Because it isn't something they will have heard of, I have to go through an extral layer of their medical advisors, explain my condition and how it impact me (very little, usually). Then they stick a premium on my policy because I have my condition.

I have never had to claim on travel insurance, indeed, the only insurance claim I have made in my entire life was sub-£40 on my home contents after my storage shed here at the flats was burgled.

Insurers want to take your money and do not want to pay it out, which is why they weight the policies for the older age cohorts, due to the risk that you will become ill. Same with pets.

DigForVictory

GreyQueen wrote: »

I buy pre-owned furniture in as-new conditon from charity shops. Because it's excellent value for money and I'm not giving 20% of the price to the tax man (VAT element of the price, of course). Plus it's fast and easy. My sofa was 10% of the price of the identical thing new from the same manufacturer.

Which is why son who has just left home took a very well made bed of the 1950s with him, and apparently assembled it all before passing out. It's much nicer (mahogany & *very* solid steel) than anything currently held out for sale & he got it for £50 with a luxurious mattress. All of which fitted (for a given value of fitted - I drove in a semi recumbent position on wing mirrors only) into the Mondeo so I was able to ensure some of the essentials went to the right room.

I'm also taking a cheerful interest in my parents' plans to downsize as when I moved out, my place was furnished from the estates of two grandmothers. Not ideal but So Convenient for the Executors to load it all into one truck & ship it to me & let me deal with it.

Frankly I prefer charity shops as they are more cooperative with where & when to deliver.

Cappella

GreyQueen said

Insurers want to take your money and do not want to pay it out, which is why they weight the policies for the older age cohorts, due to the risk that you will become ill. Same with pets.

I agree Qrey Queen and I actually need to delete the pet insurance details from the USB drives. Last Christmas my idiot sister in law sent several bars of 85% dark chocolate through the post to us for Christmas. Unfortunately we were out, and when we got back it was to a very, very sick dog who'd managed to open the front room door, get to the parcels, thought it was a lovely treat for him, ripped the paper off and eaten the lot. Thank goodness for our vets, they were brilliant, but he was on a drip for two nights at the emergency vets and the bill was an eye watering £798. Luckily again, we have savings for 'domestic emergencies' and we were able to pay it BUT when we put in a claim the insurance company refused to compensate us. They argued that it was a direct result of our own 'carelessness and neglect' and told us that in consequence we weren't covered. I cancelled the
policy straight away - forgot to delete it though - and since then I've put a hefty sum away every month in a 'dog emergency' fund but I fume when I think how much we paid them in premiums for 7 years without making a single claim. Shan't make that mistake again though that's for sure.

DigForVictory

I wish there was an insurance policy for boys. Like the accident, health & generally being-an-idiot-puppy there is for dogs. I could have really done with an insurance company to deal with darts fracturing double glazed panels, cricket balls where they should not be & possibly a team dedicated to mopping up the mess of learning about alcohol. I suppose that's what parenting is - insuring your offspring don't do anything too atrocious in public but ye gods I'd love to have had a phone number to say X has happened - could you call the relevant offended adult & deal with it while I regain my composure, mop up the local damage & try not to either laugh or cry too obviously.
I did find one lovely pet policy that ticked nearly all the boxes, but when I rang them & had to explain species "hoped-to-be-human", they tried to sell me life insurance.

Cappella, were I your sister in law I'd have had plastique & moved countries, dragging my shame with me. It sounds like you let her live, which I regard as admirable, even if there are social constraints against practical Darwinism.
Mind, I'd have been tempted to send something inflammable to the insurance company - how is the action of an idiot in any way My 'carelessness and neglect'?

Karmacat - lovely use of local plastic - me, I've used my Costco card for photo ID & it's remarkably acceptable. Mind, my civil service building pass coaxed Apple into cooperation where previously they were insisting on passport or driving licence. The blather about "hand to a police station if found" seemed impressive.

[Deleted User]

We've just found and bought the table and chairs for the dining room that I've been looking for since we moved here.....in the BHF shop. Lovely pine round table and 4 farmhouse chairs (spindle back) for £130, love rescuing something and making it feel useful again! I'd much rather find a good solid pre loved piece of furniture than buy something new and usually not so well made.

jk0

DigForVictory wrote: »

I wish there was an insurance policy for boys. Like the accident, health & generally being-an-idiot-puppy there is for dogs. I could have really done with an insurance company to deal with darts fracturing double glazed panels, cricket balls where they should not be & possibly a team dedicated to mopping up the mess of learning about alcohol. I suppose that's what parenting is - insuring your offspring don't do anything too atrocious in public but ye gods I'd love to have had a phone number to say X has happened - could you call the relevant offended adult & deal with it while I regain my composure, mop up the local damage & try not to either laugh or cry too obviously.
I did find one lovely pet policy that ticked nearly all the boxes, but when I rang them & had to explain species "hoped-to-be-human", they tried to sell me life insurance.

Just stop miscreant's pocket money until the damage is paid off, surely?

DigForVictory

More in accidental damages than in pocket money.

jk0

DigForVictory wrote: »

More in accidental damages than in pocket money.

Then no pocket money for many years?
Edit: Alternatively, extra chores to earn back the cash.