From debt to freedom...

Spendless

Beautiful description and photo. You also have me yearning for a coastal trip and it's been so cold I've been reluctant to take the dog to the park opposite our house!. I always feel walks near sea  blows the cobwebs away and is good for the soul (regardless of any religious/spiritual beliefs). I'm seeing increasingly that connecting to nature is being recommended for good mental health.

As for ex - just one final hurdle to jump -  you'll get there. 

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Foxgloves, Cherryfudge, Spendless, SA, SH, Willowtree222, Dawneybabes and OBL.

You did have me smiling with the coastal visit / guarding the house!! The walk last week set me up for the week really. I have struggled to find time to get out on the cliffs but it made me realise afresh that those walks help me so much and I need to make time. The benefits are huge.

Cherryfudge- DD3 has me on the insurance as an additional driver but decided of her own volition that she would remove her dad from
tbe insurance. I think it’s as cheap as we can get it…it’s just that insurances seem to have gone up.

Busy week at work. I think we are all fighting various bugs and all just trying to get to half term!

Spaghetti bolognaise for tea followed by apple and blackberry crumble…so worth picking as many as we can!

I had my most recent electricity bill and have submitted a meter reading. This is a major technological achievement for me as I haven’t been able to get the app to work but somehow tonight I reset the password and got on!  The balance is still showing as over £1000 in credit even allowing for the £600 refund I had in December. I’m going to contact them tomorrow and request a partial refund again and ask them to review the direct debit as it clearly isn’t right at the moment. The new heating system involved solar panels so don’t know if that has had some impact as well over the last 9 months. 

Cherryfudge

What a wonderful thing - being so far in credit! But it's your money and I've have thought it would be better off in your pocket, apart from perhaps a bit of a buffer against cold weather.

The insurance seems a lot of money, but at least your daughter can drive and that will benefit her.

 I've not had crumble in ages, though I've made spiced bread pudding and pineapple upside down cake recently: perfect for winter. We still have loads of blackberries, too, so a crumble might soon be in the offing! With custard.  

dawnybabes

Ooh, fancy an upside down cake now 😍😍😍😍

savingholmes

It does sound like they are taking far too much of your money - hope you get a decent chunk refunded soon. 

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Cherryfudge, SH and dawneybabes.

Today has been a relaxing day, which I needed after a 1am finish for my shift at Job 2. It’s not normally that late but was busy last night!  DS1 and his gf came round for breakfast. I was quite touched that he wanted to have a pancake breakfast in honour of his birthday in preference to going out anywhere.  The traditions started in childhood are still there which I found comforting!!

Later today,  DD3-5 and DS3 and I went to our local Forestry Commission woods. It was so lovely, even with the grey and damp weather.  We walked along the track and enjoyed the sounds of the meandering river in full flow from all the recent rain. The trees had a thick coat of moss on them, such a vivid green and the types of lichen clinging to the branches and the trunk provided pockets of colour.  The sound of the wind through the  towering pine trees was good to hear.  One of those walks that makes you feel glad to be alive. It made me appreciate again, like last week, that I must make the time to get out each weekend as it makes me feel so relaxed afterwards.

Moneywise, I’ve kept spending as low as I can.  Hoping that I can make some soup for lunches this week as I have a week off from Job 1 and will have time at home to cook 😊.

Sun_Addict

I think Martin said on his TV programme if you are more than 2 months payments in credit you should request a refund. 

Spendless

My car insurance has gone up  almost £100 this year. No claims and I've been driving for over 35 years. Was best that could be found!

Yes definitely see if you can get some of that credit back. I'm sure you could put it to good use elsewhere.  

savingholmes

Glad you got out for a good walk in the woods... always makes me want to sing the 'if you' song...

Enjoy your time off. Try not to fill it up too much. 

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you SA, Spendless and SH.

Today has been a productive day! I got 2 carloads of rubbish to the tip. One trip was this morning and the other, I had to wait until DD3 had finished work because it was just too heavy to lift on my own.  We just got there in time! That has meant that an old uncomfortable mattress has gone as has various bits of rubbish cleared from the shed.

On my return I started to clear out the porch. Last year I used it as an area to put seed trays to start plants off. It gets lots of light and protects plants from severe cold. I don’t have a greenhouse at home, so it helps me to get plants ready for the allotment. The seed trays were washed and I got 2 types of tomatoes sown as well as Calendula, cornflowers, antirrhinums and lettuce. Love this time of year!

Late afternoon saw me accompanying DS2 for driving practice. He is coming along…his siblings were all very keen to start driving and counted down the days until their17th birthday. DS2 has been a little more relaxed about it ( having sisters that can drive him around perhaps hasn’t given him quite the urgency to drive?!) so has only started in the last few months. 

Sausage and apple casserole for tea followed by crumble and custard. It was a good way of using up any slightly past their best apples.