Get a grip woman!

Watty1

Goodness that is one heck of an increase!

trix-a-belle

Ug, sorry to hear of your house insurance woes. I look forward to having no insurance companies who will insure me then, instead of the single option I currently have through Aplan due to my wfh activities (only others were Hiscox at 5 times the price last time I did a comparison)

Suffolk_lass

I had a call from the new broker, reassuring me they are still gathering quotes, but nothing through yet. Thank goodness this month's credit card statement reflects a quiet, single shop, Frugal Feb month here. It reins back in the escalating voucher producing spend for Feb so March might be a it better, despite the insurance (which I would like to put on the CC) which will actually hit in April. The final payment for the Scotland trip will also come out at the end of March, although half of that will be reimbursed.

A busy day (for us) today with the gardener coming early, so I can get him going unsupervised while DH and I get our haircuts and then DH is giving blood, so just me in the garden. I must complete my February plantings and scattering of wildflower seeds today too! Then we are going to the other side of the next town to collect another shelving unit - to go in the pig shed. This continues our "let's be more organised with our stuff" initiative.

To that end we now have more stuff in the loft which includes all the photos that have been in the back bedroom since DH brought loads home after his Mum went into a home (2018). They were in collapsible crates. They are now in plastic boxes with lids so less intimidating for him to bring down and sort through one box at a time.

We still have books, shoes, DS's toys and pictures in frames to go through and I would like to see books rationalised. He has mentioned a stack of books as a table leg (not as bad as it sounds). I have just looked at a bunch of images. The best options are not using paperbacks!! I like the idea of using some sort of clear cover to prevent yet more dust traps! on a central leg with a small top... Under discussion.

Just seen on another thread that Olive Oil prices have gone through the roof. Last year it was the war in Ukraine affecting sunflower oil. This is more serious and many ancient Mediterranean olive groves are being decimated by Xylella fastiodiosa bacteria. In Italy, over 21 million trees have been killed. It has been there 10 years and is spreading (it killed orange trees in Brazil). This might be a permanent thing and although opened olive oil will go rancid eventually, a few litres in my stores to cushion the blow might be helpful. A quick check and the two litre bottles I used to buy from Sainsbugs (for soap and furniture polish, as well as cooking and dressings) is more expensive (ie more than 2x) than the one litre bottles from Morries, or the one litre bottles in Asbo are 30p cheaper still (but miles further to drive).

More beekeeping frames were made up yesterday and we are slowly but surely getting ready for this year. Just a few every day will get them done in good time. DH nailed together the new brood boxes that came assembled (we ordered flat packed) but not nailed, so the frames can be stashed and then stored ready to go, as and when. This is also making a good bit of space where there was lots of "stuff".

Money
Nothing to see here. The last payment went yesterday (it's an optional one) that we could cancel, an online newspaper. No sign of pensions yet. I am really looking forward to my state pension and before receiving any I have had notice that it is increasing. More tax to take from my occupational one, and when DH's becomes payable in November, his occupational pension will also reduce as he will exceed the threshold for his regular income. They will both be most welcome though. I am saving almost nothing towards holidays and big things like house insurance, so each of these are depleting long-term savings, currently

Suffolk_lass

Hooray, DH's pension is in and mine is pending for Monday. Our credit cards are much better for March automatic DD and over £1000 less than December and January thanks to big things. Still no word from the insurance broker. Worst case scenario, if there are no new offers, I will increase the excesses 10-fold and suck up the extra £50+ per month (actually we pay in one lump, but it averages out to that over the year) that the existing provider is offering.

Last night we went to the other side of a neighbouring county town and collected a new to us rack (via faceache, about £50 cheaper than a new one) to go in the pig shed. The intention is to populate it with kit relating to the bees, with the aim of clearing enough space for DH to organise things a bit better in his workshop. He does feel taken over by bee equipment and apparently has no space to organise himself and is currently in the kitchen as a result! Mind you, it is warmer indoors and deeply unpleasant outside with our second day of heavy rain this week. He is not tidy anyway, but with all the organising going on indoors, outdoors is next!

Suffolk_lass

Bees
I asked DH to check the bee hives on the farm yesterday and the text came in that they were all light (we heft, to test their weight at this time of year). If light, we then take the roof off and the little cover of insulation that is in the middle to be able to see if the bees are in, or have emptied the precautionary box of fondant that we put there in case. Yesterday, all of the hives at the farm had eaten (or at least moved) the fondant, so while he was out with dog, I softened and cut up a 2.5kg slab of fondant and made up five takeaway boxes. Then, when he and dog got back, we took them back and swapped the empty boxes for full ones, so that the bees don't starve in this cold, wet weather. We then went on and checked the other three locations, but they are all OK, still heavy and at least some fondant on them all. How interesting, the difference between the locations.

What else? We attended the lunch that someone else was cooking yesterday and I helped with the running through of the washing up in the (commercial, 3 minute cycle) dish washer that saves so much time. Their third volunteer had an asthma episode as a result of a(nother) bad cold. Her daughters live in towns and grandchildren at half term are a sure fire way of getting sick, as all the nasty various covid viruses circulate in winter. No need to guess how she got sick!

Today is my next gardening deadline day to get the propagators filled with planted seeds! It might be in the kitchen as the weather remains grim here!

Have a good weekend all x

beanielou

Happy weekend. 

Suffolk_lass

Ooh, I forgot to say, the insurance broker came back with a quote for us yesterday, now confirmed by email. The same terms as my original policy renewal quotation and almost £1100 cheaper. Within the amount I had budgeted that the increase would be. Still about four times what most on here would expect to pay but proper.  Underwritten by Aviva. I just need to be clear what one of the conditions actually means that I need to get done around chimney inspection.

It will mean the chimney gets swept a second time each year (which means instead of an average £5-10 per fire in the woodburner, it is more like £15-20 each). And of course, the electric certification is already redone every 5 years, and the master thatcher has to provide a report on the condition of our thatch, last done in 2016 this is a ten year thing (probably next year, to be honest, as the ridge is going to be 15 early in 2026).

Just for completeness I used one of the comparison sites this morning; over £4750 - so that is why I have gone to a specialist broker.

We are off out for lunch today with friends we have not seen for about four years. I know one has recently been diagnosed with Parkinsons, while the other is still working, although I think he is about 64 and could have taken his occupational pension before now. We are meeting in a pub near them which we have been to before. Good roast dinner then!

Have a good day

joedenise

Wow! just wow to your insurance quote!  So glad I don't have a thatched roof even though I think they look brilliant and usually pretty houses/bungalows.

Enjoy your roast dinner, should be particularly good as you haven't had to cook it yourself!

KajiKita

Phew on the insurance! And well done for persisting 👏😊

Hope you enjoy your dinner 😊

KK

Suffolk_lass

Came to the forum this morning and one of the temptation banners said "How do you stay motivated with budgeting?" trouble is, it is in budgeting and savings part of the thread. I fully intended imparting my wisdom until I read the first page of comments. I think it just explains why I like it on the Old-Style, DebtFree and Mortgage Free boards. Too many smug-self-satisfied-supercilious-smartarses elsewhere in the forum. The Forum is supposed to support each other and offer advice, not evident over there. I'll stay here and keep my own counsel.

Lovely lunch with good friends yesterday, and it was our turn to pay so that went onto DH's CC (I would have passed him mine, if I had realised, mine at least attracts voucher rewards periodically). We won't dwell on that. We started discussing the TV programme, The Jury, that DH and I watched last week about a trial with two juries, separated in the same court room, unaware of each other and rerunning an actual case. There were a few legal experts watching the proceedings and the deliberations of the two groups to come to their verdicts. I found it compelling and appalling, as the juries did not methodically review the actual evidence and one group were basically persuaded to fall in line with one person, who clearly saw the whole thing as a competitive opportunity to impose his contrary views on others. Both our friends had been on jury duty previously and one had experienced a very similar situation. The other had been on a case that ended up being retried because there were people with intractable views who just became hostile if anyone tried to test the basis for these. I think the barristers watching the TV proceedings were appalled at the personalities and life experiences influencing the case so completely. They obviously came from the rather purist view that the evidence would win through because that is how they convey the evidence. Clearly it did not. God forbid I ever end up in a trial by jury, in any capacity!

My thatched house neighbour has kindly given me contact details for the sweep I need to use to get my chimney inspected with a b****y camera, to comply with the insurance providers conditions.

I do hate that I can compile a shopping list on the Sains site on my desktop, but DH with Nectar, and Smartshop apps on his phone, cannot see the basket. He was going to go and get some new T shirts there this morning, so I said, I would give him a list to get there too. Trying to log into the Sains App has since locked the account, so a five minute job has taken an hour (so far) this morning, and several attempts to get the three elements to work together on three devices with a consistent password. It is an impossible ask as you cannot reuse any password you have previously used, and clearly, any mistake requiring a reset precipitates password hell to the extent I never want to shop there again!!