Get a grip woman!

Suffolk_lass

This is red or this is blue or this is green or, using colour codes, this is #DB7900

Busy_Mee

Hi Suffolk Lass 
Great news about the hob, I am so glad you found a solution. We have also been battered by storm Dennis but because we took precautions this time ( lined the bottom of our french window with towels) we haven't had a stream of water through the ceiling below as we did with Ciara. Luckily just a cosmetic job that Mr Mee can sort. But we will need to get the window company out to sort out the seal on the windows.

I am still not loving the new forum but I am sure we will all get used to it.

Suffolk_lass

Your window seals sounds much worse than our chimney register-plate issue.

We spent an hour reviewing the list of projects we compiled while on holiday and just after DH retired yesterday morning. Some progress but the three lists (indoors, in the workshop and outdoors) are all resolving themselves more slowly than I would like. We have also stalled slightly with the general refurbishing of the van because the wires of the replacement internal lights are visible and close to the switch. Not unusable but a poor level of finish. We are off to the big show this week, at the NEC and will look at alternatives for these together with the table mounting, oh, and the bathroom. So that seems like a fourth list really.

Karmacat

DH retired yesterday!  I want a jumpy-happy smiley in here

Suffolk_lass

  haha - Yesterday we reviewed the list we made when he first retired last summer. Punctuation and word order is everything. Thank you for making me laugh this morning. Lots of debris down the chimney all over the range!

Suffolk_lass

The other regular savers running at 5% matured over the weekend so I took the opportunity to pay a bit of a lump off the mortgage - another £1800+ has left the balance in my spreadsheet at £15k. Of course it won't stay there as the interest application/adjustment means my nice round figure won't stay that way in the online portal.

I also bunged DS £20 for fuel and gave him a £10 shopping voucher that will let him buy some toiletries.

Then I logged into the credit card where the statement has just been issued. It includes over £2k for DH's bike work and ferry crossing. If ever there was a need for an :eek: emoji, it is now!  (ooh, 16 now, up from 6 on the little drop down on this platform)

Suffolk_lass

Looking around for some sort cash stash for the instant saver accumulated funds. All the instant savers are dire now and with RBS and TSB both due to drop their CA interest I think it might have to be some sort of fixed rate one or two year bond. Very interested in what others have found. I have found a link to the Top 10 Fixed Rate bonds that seems to be up to date and given the way the banks are announcing I am dithering over whether to go for it, and for how long. 

To be honest my trust levels in the current government are not high and there is lots of chatter in the press about the impact of pension drawdown. I am hoping they do not change the rules in the forthcoming budget. We plan to start drawing down from DH's DC pot from the new tax year.

I'm also very taken with shangiijimmy's plan to do something financial on 29th Feb (he plans to OP 10x his daily interest).  It will be our last leap day in our mortgage and I am very tempted to pay it down to £100. Our rate is 1.24. Hmm, coffee and a ponder I think

themadvix

That’s definitely a big leap day action!!

 Agree about the savings accounts - is just awful at the moment. No insights here, but I do need to look soon.

Busy_Mee

I have just put £20k in a 3 year fixed rate ISA with the Coventry BS @ 1.6% but their rate has just dropped to 1.35%. However I have just noticed that B@rclays are doing a 3 year fixed rate cash ISA @ 1.7% and you can make 3 withdrawals of 10% during the 3 years.

Suffolk_lass

Hmm - so the 2 year fixed rate I was looking at from RCI at 1.65% is competitive. I'm not sure I want to go any longer than 2 years with cash. 

Our cash reserves might be depleted by a lump soon. We attended the camping and motorhome show yesterday and have almost 100% decided on buying e-bikes. "Fortunately" they were out of stock so the maker has offered us a bespoke discount code (15% off) so we can order them when they get here. That does give us a cooling off period. They are over £2k each (ouch) but the brand we covet and the design we want. We have been exploring what we want and the pros and cons for months and toying with the purchase for 2-3 years. So it isn't a snap thing