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

redofromstart

I agree with Hillwalker re VE. My OH paid about £400 for some rimless ones from them years ago, he needed a very low prescription reading glass at the time. It was his first time buying glasses, and they sold him super super thin lenses and every coating in the book. He refused the 'insurance' and when the lenses cracked a week in they tried to refuse to repair them on the basis he didn't take the insurance! Specsavers for us now, and they do super thin varifocals etc, current offer is the second pair of varifocals is free, from £119 for the two pairs. I think they have all improved though, I remember buying new ones form Boots when I was a student and the lenses being more than the frames.

HairyHandofDartmoor

earthgirl wrote: »

Well done on the 2nd PPI Wow!I would agree even a little in a pension pot would be good. My OH stopped paying into his about 15 years ago when he left his job, so it won't be that much, but he likes his business and quite likes doing lots of little side hustles too - like having the lodger etc so as ong as we are fit we are going to carry on working as we like it!

Thanks Earthgirl . It's definitely worth us looking at. But like yours my DH says he never intends to retire, althought I'm sure he'd like to work less hours.

Enjoying_life_more wrote: »

Well done, fabulous news I’m so pleased for you - it’s been lovely seeing you get the job and ppi refunds.

Thanks ELM .

HairyHandofDartmoor

Hillwalker11 wrote: »

For DH's glasses have you thought of Boots opticians?
I used to use Vision Express but was getting irritated by a huge bill every couple of years.I have a pair of reading glasses and a pair for distance( could never use varifocals).My last two pairs two years ago from VE cost £430, this was with the cheapest frames they sold.

I went to Boots in February, two pairs, total cost £62. What impressed me more was the actual eye test. Every so often I get a zig zag pattern around the periphery of my left eye, which lasts about 15 minutes.VE said it was nothing and was one of these unexplained things!
The Boot's optician diagnosed it straight away, Occular migraine.This made complete sense as until 10 years ago I had always been a classic migraine sufferer.
Also as an added bonus if you have a Boots card you get points!

Thanks Hillwalker . We could definitely get a quote from them once DH has his prescription.

redofromstart wrote: »

I agree with Hillwalker re VE. My OH paid about £400 for some rimless ones from them years ago, he needed a very low prescription reading glass at the time. It was his first time buying glasses, and they sold him super super thin lenses and every coating in the book. He refused the 'insurance' and when the lenses cracked a week in they tried to refuse to repair them on the basis he didn't take the insurance! Specsavers for us now, and they do super thin varifocals etc, current offer is the second pair of varifocals is free, from £119 for the two pairs. I think they have all improved though, I remember buying new ones form Boots when I was a student and the lenses being more than the frames.

Thanks Redo . No one rates VE then! It does sound like we could get them a lot cheaper if we shop around.

DH seems to like the idea of getting them online, but we'll get prices and find out which place would be the cheapest for his prescription .

HairyHandofDartmoor

I've had a tiring day! I did my volunteering, then my lunchtime job, then watched the TA for half an hour. Then came home had lunch, put the dishwasher on, folded up some washing, had a shower and then went to Pilates.

I feel shattered now but it's good to be busy . Spends today were 80p on a diet coke and £5 for Pilates. So I earnt more than I spend today .

I hope everyone's had a good Monday.

Onebrokelady

:j:j:j:j:j:j::T:T:T:T:T:T:A:T:A:T:beer::beer::beer::beer::beer:OMG Hairy,that's brilliant news,I'm so pleased for you,what a difference this year is turning out to be

I'm another one who can vouch for Glasses Direct and Boots,DD1 uses the former and has always been very happy with her glasses and I use Boots and have never had a problem plus like others have said you get points too, plus they always have special offers on the go

HairyHandofDartmoor

Thank you OBL . It feels a bit too good to be true at the moment and I'm still trying to absorb the news :T. Imagine if we'd never got around to applying for the PPI refunds, we'd have missed out on £9900 :eek:.

Thanks for the opticians recommendations . We will definitely be shopping around for DH's glasses and getting the cheapest price possible.

HairyHandofDartmoor

I feel a bit rough this morning . I put my light out at 10pm last night and got up at 8am this morning, so I had ten hours sleep. I still feel tired and a bit headachey though . Pilates is always a bit gruelling plus my job is tiring, I did nearly 15,000 steps yesterday, so I hope it's just tiredness and I'm not coming down with anything.

I'm determined to go to work though, I can't be off sick when it's only my fourth week in the job. Luckily I only have to do an hour and a half today. But I have arranged to meet a friend for coffee in our local pub tonight and I don't want to cancel that as I haven't seen her for a few months.

Hopefully I'll feel better as the day goes on. In good news the sun is out so hopefully it will stay out .

teafor2

Morning HHD Hope you start to feel better as the day goes on. Have you managed to make any progress on DS's lease? Hope it gets sorted sooner rather than later so it's off your mind.

Have a good day at work and enjoy your meet up with your friend. xx

HairyHandofDartmoor

Thanks TF2 .

I'm definitely going to work, but if I feel really rough I might re-arrange the meet up with my friend. I need to work on my assignment this afternoon too as I have to hand it in on Friday and there's still a lot of work to be done on it :eek:.

I want to prioritise work and my course over socialising, but I'll see how I feel after work. I tend to get a sore throat when I'm over tired and Pilates always makes me achey afterwards, so it's hard to tell if it's a cold coming on or not.

The letting agency are stilling waiting for one parent re the guarantor checks, so they haven't sent us the agreement yet. So we're biding our time!

I don't want to spend the entire £3,000 that I've got left from my B@arclaycard refund as that will leave us with no emergency fund, plus we still have the final VAT bill to pay, and it could be another three weeks before we get the cheques from the H@lifax and then they'll take another week to clear.

Once we get the H@lifax money DH thinks we should offer to lend DS3 the £3,000 to pay six months rent upfront, on the proviso that he returns the money in September when his loan comes in. It sounds better than signing a dodgy guarantor agreement anyway :eek:

elizabethhull

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

Thanks TF2 .

Once we get the H@lifax money DH thinks we should offer to lend DS3 the £3,000 to pay six months rent upfront, on the proviso that he returns the money in September when his loan comes in. It sounds better than signing a dodgy guarantor agreement anyway :eek:

I don't think I'm qualified to suggest what you SHOULD do, but I feel pretty strongly what you SHOULDN'T do ie, get embroiled in that guarantor agreement. It sounds like a potential recipe for a lot of awkwardness. Yes, it COULD be ok, but you don't have the spare funds if it all goes pear-shaped.

Hope you feel better as the day goes on. I agree work & assignments should be prioritised, but a social life, however small, is really important too, I value my friends hugely, from the ones I see weekly to ones I only see annually. They make you feel connected to the human race, they bring different points of view, sometimes you can help with their troubles, and there's a general warmth that is hard to replicate elsewhere.