Get a grip woman!

Suffolk_lass

On another tack, my eye test might have been free but the scan was £35 and the new spectaculars (one pair) will be £545 - so I paid £300 on my JL CC (at least I will get vouchers) and will have the other £280 to pay in a week or two. Sadly it won't straddle the month's statement which was 16th.

On the upside I can see clearly now (the rain has gone, I can see all obstacles in my way...) :rotfl:

Suffolk_lass

Karmacat wrote: »

Thanks for laying out the rationale behind what you're currently eating - sounds really good in itself, and since you also have some kind of physical intolerance going on, from what you say, its double good

Ooh, you have just reminded me, I must ring the Doctor's to find out about the referral to the allergy clinic (after the 999 episode last month) and book what I hope will be my final screening for cervical cancer.

redofromstart

The diet stuff is really interesting and useful as usual - thank you.

I've been trying to do something similar as I just can't shake off the latest mysterious illness. I probably need to record more as it might help if I named and shamed some of the rubbish I eat when I am busy despite having jars of nuts and seeds, and fruit to hand. The toaster blew up yesterday so at least I cant resort to easy lazy poison!

Suffolk_lass

redofromstart wrote: »

The diet stuff is really interesting and useful as usual - thank you.

I've been trying to do something similar as I just can't shake off the latest mysterious illness. I probably need to record more as it might help if I named and shamed some of the rubbish I eat when I am busy despite having jars of nuts and seeds, and fruit to hand. The toaster blew up yesterday so at least I cant resort to easy lazy poison!

:rotfl::rotfl::eek:

Seriously, please do feel free to post and be accountable on here - it is easier to support each other if we do it in one place.

Actually, my toaster has started to hum in a slightly alarming way. It is a £5 (T-co Value) job I bought when the posh Dualit one blew up, years and years ago - I am thinking it may even have been before we moved here (15 years ago) to tide us over and before I started my MSE journey. I can honestly say it owes us nothing. Naturally I won't be throwing it away yet though!

What to do with the four crumpets that are defrosted in the fridge (mostly because I can't get them back in the freezer having pigged two on Monday) - no wonder Tuesday scales were so upsetting :eek:

enthusiasticsaver

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

Conventional wisdom is that you would not want to be in 60% Equities once you are retired - 40 is normally the highest but the advantage with Vanguard is the passive tracker quality so it does not have a Strategy for sectors, just the FTSE 100.

I confess to being a bit more diversified - some European, some Global, some UK and in most cases, looking for either high dividend or a track record of growth combined with dividend. Rathbone is doing well (please don't let that be a kiss of death reference ).

It is all a bit new but I have been following the financial pages for years and frankly, should have done what I thought fifteen years ago, but I have always been afraid of debt (working class left-over, I think) so concentrated on that.

Yes I know when retired 60% equities seems high but our essential expenditure is more than covered by DB pensions and we have a large cash buffer so the investments are just being left to grow and we still have my second DB pension which pays out early next year when I am 60 :eek: and both our state pensions in 5 and 6.5 years time. I don't have the knowledge, expertise or confidence to pick individual funds so we have used the passive approach for 5 years and are now considering the IFA approach. As you have followed the financial pages longer than me you obviously have more experience. Are you relying on dividends for income or are you reinvesting them?

Suffolk_lass

At the moment the dividends are simply accumulating in the account but it is there to invest or withdraw as needed. We are not relying on them as DH is still working for a couple more months and my DB is paying enough for me but not us.

We are both also considering a small amount of work to top up our occupational pensions and NI contributions (my NI contributions were opted out of SERPS from 1987-2015, DH worked abroad for a number of years and did not always top his up from abroad). I am considering a Christmas temporary job or a regular part-time thing. DH can do a little bit of supply work or exam invigilating or marking (the latter two entitle him to pay voluntary Class 2 NI contributions which are much cheaper). Our other option is to do some self employed work. Alternatively we could pay Class 3 voluntary contributions (more expensive). So I am considering my options really.

Suffolk_lass

Day 2 consumption

Black coffee x2
skipped breakfast
Lunch soup (veg and courgette)with a tiny bit of cheese crumbled in and then greek yogurt with about half a teaspoon of runny honey and a peach (reduced in SM so needed eating!)
Large cup of tea during the afternoon - did not drink enough water
Supper was the leftover curry from Monday with 2 chicken thighs added (no rice) and the leftover cauliflower cheese - yum but felt lacking in veg, then berries and cream (we used up the remnants of the clotted cream from the afternoon tea I provided for ten of us on Saturday)
snacked on plums and figs.

Total weight loss at start of Day 3 is 3.6lbs

Suffolk_lass

Plans for today -

I will tidy my desk (out of control) and at least one crate of papers
Pottering in the garden
- I could collect a trug of goose-grass before it seeds everywhere
- I might take our the round-up gel and apply it to some bind-weed (so much it feels futile)
- I will harvest some salad leaves and radishes for supper and check out the courgettes - there were some thumb-length babies with buds the day before yesterday

Food plans -

• 2 black coffees (possible third)
• may have some yogurt for late breakfast but only if I am hungry - with nuts and seeds and frozen berries
• will have (same courgette and vegetable) soup for lunch
• must drink more water (and tea)
• will have steak and salad for supper
• snack on nuts, bowl fruit and cheese if hungry

enthusiasticsaver

Sounds like you are busy outside SL. Do you have a large garden?

I mowed the lawn yesterday which had sprouted enormously with all this rain we have been having. Wiped me out though. My healthy eating is going well too and I have lost 2lb since weighing myself a few weeks ago.
Yesterday was scrambled eggs for breakfast
Soup for lunch
Chicken salad for tea.
2 pears and a lemon Greek yogurt for snacks.

I keep chopping and changing my mind what to eat so will post the previous days meals.

Really hope I am fit enough to do a 5 mile coastal path walk tomorrow as weather is supposed to be nice and I have a 7 mile walk on steep cliffs near Hope Cove Devon to do next Tuesday with U3a so need to get my fitness levels back after this cough/cold.

Karmacat

All these food plans sound really good I'll be joining you soon