Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

I was up and out for 9am this morning to pick up a work laptop with all its accoutrements, so I should now be set up for work calls and also have access to various online things that I can get through work but which work blocks on private computers. As I'm with the same employer, and my head isn't full of shift concerns any more, it may be that I will eventually be able to use employee discounts, read the employee chat groups and download wellbeing charts that I never had work time for in my old post. They aren't absolute priority but I'm mildly curious.

DH has been feeling under the weather over the weekend but seems to be on the mend now. He had missed a couple of days of tablets due to taking them to work to refer to during a lunchtime routine call from his consultant. They then stayed at work so he didn't have the visual reminder to take them in the morning. When he realised he'd not got them later in the week, he had a spare set from a different brand, which unfortunately are in a different format and give side effects. So this could all be part of the reason he wasn't well, but there was some general under-the-weather-ness too.

This morning he not only gave me a lift to collect the laptop, but he's been pushing on with a bit more dry lining and taken some electricals to recycling. Good to have those gone.

We are still being tempted by a new vacuum cleaner! But do we really need one? It could just be that DD has a spot cleaner which looks very handy, or on the other hand a steam cleaner would be great - and we don't have storage for much!

I've given DH an overdue haircut so that's money saved. I've also updated my accounts notebook, though I've not braved the spreadsheet yet. Looking at interest earned on on inherited money, I need to act soon and get an ISA or I'll be taxed on interest. I need to check facts and figures for this. How long have I got before it becomes a problem? And how to transfer an old ISA which is sitting there as the monetary equivalent of dainty china - more ornament than use. And do I want a stocks and shares ISA for possible better returns in the medium to long term? Too many questions.

The other things is: it's the last day of my old contract and I've not yet braved sending in a further appeal for the annual leave they've said I can't have. Pay won't be through until well into next week so I don't know how the agreed elements of holiday pay will be handled.

DH will be at the shop this afternoon so I will have quiet time to look at sending That Email. I also want to send a couple of bits with DH to the charity shop. I sent in a jumper the other day when he was taking a donation in, but it's not enough out of the house! 

Off I go, see you on the other side.  

Cherryfudge

Annual leave appeal sent: I read through carefully and tried to weed out any confrontational language but I feel a bit sad, as though I've upset the manager who has always been supportive. I hope she doesn't take it that way; after all I'm appealing against a decision made by Employment Support, not her. Employment support and the Union rep are copied in and I'm thinking of sending a redacted copy to the NHS Employment Support person who put me onto some of the things I've quoted in the letter.

I've now got a bit of a headache but I'll get over it. What a way to finish that contract.  

Now I'm going to start some research into ISAs.

Floss

Fingers crossed your appeal is successful x

Cherryfudge

Thanks @Floss. I had a quick email back from the manager to say she'd forwarded my original request to HR and hasn't heard back, so it seems I'm not the only one to have thought the wording of the reply from Employment Support left open the possibility of someone, somewhere deciding to make a final decision. Perhaps my email is just wandering around looking for a kindly face.  

I was bit tired after the afternoon's escapade so I haven't really managed much else. Dinner was the remains of the chicken pie with baked potatoes from the freezer, caramelised onions and mushrooms fried with bacon for me - DH had cherry tomatoes instead of mushrooms. I'm still eating Greek semolina cake for breakfast and snacks, so there's less than half now and it makes quite a nice breakfast!

I've read up a bit about ISAs and am beginning to get my head round what I can and can't do, and I've not spent anything. That's about it really!

Cherryfudge

We've managed a bit of a financial review this morning: as of today I have no fixed income though I get paid in arrears so there will be a pay packet at the end of the month.

I'm not quite in the position to do an SOA but we've had a look through our outgoings and noticed a couple of direct debits have edged up, and started a review of donations.

So, as of last month, I've stopped the payments to the YBS Christmas saver, as it came to an end anyway. That's £300 available in current that we didn't have earlier in the year, but not for long obviously as income won't be coming in from me. I've also cancelled my contact lens subscription as my eye check showed I don't need a new prescription, eye tests are now free as I've turned 60 (these were free or discounted under the lens scheme) and I've not actually worn the lenses for many months. £14.33 a month saved.

Donations-wise, we want to continue and some are priorities so we're working them into the budget. The two I was responsible for will have to be reviewed as they were covered by my income. I can still give according to what I have coming in but I'll need to be more active about it, rather than just let standing orders go out. Being a bit more mindful isn't a bad thing at all, but I found it too stressful in the past so we set it up so the bank would send out the money. That applied to as many bills as possible: good in that they got paid, not so good because we didn't really know what was happening.

The aim is to live mostly off what we have coming in. We have savings but I don't, of course, want to eat into them too much. If day to day expenses can come out of day to day income, that's the main thing. DH keeps mentioning starting to live off his pension, which is a possibility but if we can stave it off for a while, all to the good. Or is it all to the good if it means we give away less and people in a worse situation than us consequently have less? It's all quite complicated.

Today is mostly fine so bedding and towels have gone through the wash. I admit to giving the bedding 45 minutes in the dryer as we will need it on the bed this evening! Towels are on the line, more to give them a shake than in any hope of drying.

Dh has been wrestling the bike again - the new tire immediately got a puncture which is now repaired. This afternoon we are taking DGD1 out while Mum has an appointment. If the weather stays dry I might suggest the swings but I'll have to take a cloth to dry them off! I'm afraid I've already agreed to fish and chips with my friends tonight, which isn't very MS but it will be good to have some time together, especially as one is recovering from an op[

Cherryfudge

We had our trip to the swings with DGD1: her hands were so cold but she wouldn't wear a hat or mittens. Her mum sensibly put her in a cover-all and wellies as well as her coat, so the mud didn't ruin her white tights. Afterwards we listened to a busker playing the trumpet: he was excellent and DGD1 paid a lot of attention. We put a pound in his collecting box, which isn't much but this morning's financial sort-out was still fresh in our minds.

Before going home we went to the bookshop where DGD asked to get out of the pushchair and went straight to choose a book. DH suggested 'The Godfather' wasn't a good starting point but I think she went for it because it was bigger than the neighbouring books and looked like an easy win! She had more success on the stand with children's toys, asking for 'a boo one', 'a gree' one', 'a yed one', but actually quite keen on turquoise and pink (glittery high bouncing balls). She then spent a while taking packs of miniature highlighters out of the stand and putting them back exactly right. Good job the shop was quiet. She's very good at that sort of detail and has fine motor control so nothing got damaged.

Back to their house via b &m so I could get hot chocolate (£2.79 for a large tub while it's around £3.50 elsewhere) and chocolate H0rlicks.

This evening my friend and I split the chippie bill between us to treat our other friend who's recovering from her op. I paid (£21-something) and she's given me back £11 cash and insisted I keep the change. We always get confused sorting out the oddments of who owes what so I am happy with the slight profit that she insisted I had! The fish and chips were really good and we all watched a film together afterwards.

A slight downside at the end of the day in that I've been sent the company policy on long term sickness and annual leave and I think I may still end up short of some of what I would have had. I'm not going to go into it tonight though, I need sleep and it won't do any good to wind myself up.

Expenditure:
Entertainment £10 (£21 less £11)
Housekeeping £4.75

Floss

Cherry, have a look at this: 
https://www.acas.org.uk/checking-sick-pay/sick-pay-and-holiday-pay

Sun_Addict

I hope you can get the sick/holiday leave sorted out in your favour. Re the donations, even if you have to cut the amount you give you're still giving something and that's better than nothing. 

Cherryfudge

Floss said:

Cherry, have a look at this: 
https://www.acas.org.uk/checking-sick-pay/sick-pay-and-holiday-pay

Thanks @Floss, my difficulty is whether the ACAS statements can supersede local policy, which restricts how much can be taken forward from last year. Locally, it's looking as though they will take 20 days over, minus however many have already been taken before I went off sick. I think that may still be a bit more than they originally offered (I've not done the sums yet) but less than I think I should be paid for.

ACAS says four weeks can be taken over, which is a lot more than my organisation is permitting. It's a big organisation and not likely to have made rookie mistakes, but maybe there aren't many challenges to it?

Cherryfudge

Sun_Addict said:

I hope you can get the sick/holiday leave sorted out in your favour. Re the donations, even if you have to cut the amount you give you're still giving something and that's better than nothing. 

Thanks, @Sun_Addict, that's a good way to look at it.