Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally

[Deleted User]

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

Thank you carboot for saying such nice things .

I'll look out for the programme on Christmas films and will look on ebay for a thing for measuring parcels. I hate wasting money :mad:.

How are you getting on with your full and final offers? Have you made any yet?

Ooops:o. Made a mistake about the TV prog time. It's The Nation's Favourite Biscuit or something like that at 9:rotfl:. The Nation's Favourite Christmas Movies is on Channel 5 after that, from 10.30 until 1.15.


Thanks for asking about my Full and Final offers situation. Alas, absolutely nothing has happened yet and for once it isn't down to my procrastination;). All our electrics went off during probably the coldest night of the year last week:eek:. We live in a very rural area and rely on oil for heating and electricity for everything else. We couldn't have any heating on because the electricity wasn't working to operate the boiler pump. We were frozen and couldn't even have a hot drink or anything from waking up in the morning until the emergency electrician came out about 12 hours later. At first I thought it was just a general powercut (we can't see any other houses from here to see if anyone else was in darkness and there had been several powercuts locally so far this winter) and no one that I phoned to ask was at home so I just waited for it to be restored Eventually it dawned that it was just us and an investigation of the circuit board/fusebox showed that everything was tripped. Nothing we did to reset it worked. Cue for an emergency call-out as the day was nearly over and I was worried about my freezers which for once are pretty full:eek:


I felt sorry for him working in the cold and dark but he was really thorough and I know he left things safe for us. He said our 1970s wiring is knackered and keeps tripping the fusebox. He split the circuits to just leave us a few sockets which he thinks are safe (for now). We will need a full rewire as soon as everyone is working normally in the New Year. At least we have heating:j and with a lot of juggling of what I can plug in where/when(and being careful not to trip over the outdoor cable reel that OH uses for outdoor equipment and is now snaking all through the downstairs rooms from an available socket) I am managing to cook. The cooker circuit is out of action:mad: so I'm relying on a 2 ring worktop hotplate (and the electrician said to just use one ring at a time so you'll appreciate it's a long slow process juggling pans and components of even a simple meal), a toaster and a Tefal Actifry to keep us fed. No idea what I'll be rustling up for Christmas dinner this year:rotfl: but at least there's only the 2 of us to cater for. The ancient microwave went to the tip a few months ago and I don't really want to buy another if I can help it as I hardly ever used it but I might have to invest in a cheapie for now. Oh, yes. I've got the kettle and can feed my tea addiction:j.. Miraculously, all that was thawing in the freezers was the frozen bread so that was a financial relief:j


Crikey, can't I rabbit?:o:o:o. Long story short, I'm waiting for confirmation from a website that checks credit agreements for free that the 3 debts that my CCA requests came back as enforceable really are. If they are I'll make offers on them first. I know my other 2 are unenforceable (the creditors told me so after my CCA requests) so I'm only paying a token £1 a month to them for now. General advice is to just walk away from them but I'm such a wimp:o and anyway I'd feel bad about doing it. I'll make really low F&Fs on them later. If the 3 I'm querying are also UE it puts me in a very good bargaining position indeed:j. I'm having to ration internet use (can't recharge laptop very often as need sockets for other things) so have put the whole debt-slaying situation on hold until we have full power.


Right, nothing else is using the sockets in the kitchen at the mo:) so I'm off to recharge my laptop.

elizabethhull

The Royal Mail template is definitely on eBay currently - between £3 and £4. Worth it I should think.

HairyHandofDartmoor

carbootcrazy wrote: »

Ooops:o. Made a mistake about the TV prog time. It's The Nation's Favourite Biscuit or something like that at 9:rotfl:. The Nation's Favourite Christmas Movies is on Channel 5 after that, from 10.30 until 1.15.


Thanks for asking about my Full and Final offers situation. Alas, absolutely nothing has happened yet and for once it isn't down to my procrastination;). All our electrics went off during probably the coldest night of the year last week:eek:. We live in a very rural area and rely on oil for heating and electricity for everything else. We couldn't have any heating on because the electricity wasn't working to operate the boiler pump. We were frozen and couldn't even have a hot drink or anything from waking up in the morning until the emergency electrician came out about 12 hours later. At first I thought it was just a general powercut (we can't see any other houses from here to see if anyone else was in darkness and there had been several powercuts locally so far this winter) and no one that I phoned to ask was at home so I just waited for it to be restored Eventually it dawned that it was just us and an investigation of the circuit board/fusebox showed that everything was tripped. Nothing we did to reset it worked. Cue for an emergency call-out as the day was nearly over and I was worried about my freezers which for once are pretty full:eek:


I felt sorry for him working in the cold and dark but he was really thorough and I know he left things safe for us. He said our 1970s wiring is knackered and keeps tripping the fusebox. He split the circuits to just leave us a few sockets which he thinks are safe (for now). We will need a full rewire as soon as everyone is working normally in the New Year. At least we have heating:j and with a lot of juggling of what I can plug in where/when(and being careful not to trip over the outdoor cable reel that OH uses for outdoor equipment and is now snaking all through the downstairs rooms from an available socket) I am managing to cook. The cooker circuit is out of action:mad: so I'm relying on a 2 ring worktop hotplate (and the electrician said to just use one ring at a time so you'll appreciate it's a long slow process juggling pans and components of even a simple meal), a toaster and a Tefal Actifry to keep us fed. No idea what I'll be rustling up for Christmas dinner this year:rotfl: but at least there's only the 2 of us to cater for. The ancient microwave went to the tip a few months ago and I don't really want to buy another if I can help it as I hardly ever used it but I might have to invest in a cheapie for now. Oh, yes. I've got the kettle and can feed my tea addiction:j.. Miraculously, all that was thawing in the freezers was the frozen bread so that was a financial relief:j


Crikey, can't I rabbit?:o:o:o. Long story short, I'm waiting for confirmation from a website that checks credit agreements for free that the 3 debts that my CCA requests came back as enforceable really are. If they are I'll make offers on them first. I know my other 2 are unenforceable (the creditors told me so after my CCA requests) so I'm only paying a token £1 a month to them for now. General advice is to just walk away from them but I'm such a wimp:o and anyway I'd feel bad about doing it. I'll make really low F&Fs on them later. If the 3 I'm querying are also UE it puts me in a very good bargaining position indeed:j. I'm having to ration internet use (can't recharge laptop very often as need sockets for other things) so have put the whole debt-slaying situation on hold until we have full power.


Right, nothing else is using the sockets in the kitchen at the mo:) so I'm off to recharge my laptop.

Your electticity situation sounds a bit dire :eek:. Not the best timing just before Christmas :eek:. Hope you can get it sorted soon.

Good luck with your full and final offers. If they come back as unenforceable then low offers should be accepted I would have thought. That will free up more money to sort out your electricity :rotfl:.

HairyHandofDartmoor

elizabethhull wrote: »

The Royal Mail template is definitely on eBay currently - between £3 and £4. Worth it I should think.

I'm going to get one Elizabeth, I'm sure it will soon pay for itself .

HairyHandofDartmoor

Well not a bad day's work. DH didn't chase up the missing bank statements, but I can't do it for him .

- Drop papers at accountants - DONE
- Collect prescriptions - DONE
- Post final parcel - DONE
- Chase DH's bank statements
- Check for surveys - DONE
- Do some work for customers
- Work on marketing -DONE
- Wash laundry DONE 2 loads :T

I'm posting while cooking so I'll have to keep an eye on it or dinner will burn :eek:.

Tomorrow is Mr T grocery shop day. The past two weeks I have failed miserably to keep to my £74 budget and as it's the week before Christmas I doubt if I'll be able to stick to tomorrow :mad::mad:.

DH keeps eating the mince pies I buy so I've had to hide some in the freezer :rotfl:.

I didn't get any surveys today, but I guess I shouldn't complain as I got four yesterday. I've unsubscribed from Panelbase after doing about eight surveys and then being told I was unsuitable :mad:. I got 15% through one of them before I was kicked out :mad::mad::mad:.


Have a good evening everyone .

mummytogirls

Sounds like a very productive day for you HHOD.

Laughing at you hiding the mince pies from DH in the freezer :rotfl: xx

HairyHandofDartmoor

He doesn't seem to understand that it's not Christmas yet :rotfl:.

System

Hope the dinner didn't get burnt , glad to see things are ticking along HHOD.

Sun_Addict

Another one here who won't be on budget with this week's shop. We won't be alone I'm sure!

I'm currently hiding sausage rolls from Mr SA, he's a devil with them and I bought them for Christmas Eve when the family are coming.

HairyHandofDartmoor

I managed to stir it just in time Cumbria :eek:.

Where are you hiding the sausage rolls SA :rotfl:.