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

HairyHandofDartmoor

Noella wrote: »

Thanks very much for the nice welcome to your diary, HairyHandOfDartmoor:). Your username is so long to type, what do you prefer us to call you? Calling a lady 'Hairy' (for short) seems a bit rude somehow:o. Anyway, I've subscribed to your diary and hope to drop in more often to read of all the nice things that will surely lie ahead for you. Onwards and upwards, eh?:beer:.


Thanks for the explanation about your allergies and the Furry Moron's part in them. Definitely a reason NOT to take on a cat then as they love and need stroking and cuddles. Trying to keep them off the sofas and beds would be a constant nightmare for you:eek:. Been there with that one:mad:. My nephew had similar reactions as yours to my cats and always went home after a visit looking as if he's been constantly crying whilst he was here:(



Call me nosy but I'm a bit concerned about your tiredness. I know you've been very busy decluttering but it sounds as if you found time for some rests in between. Maybe it's a reaction to having a regular job but that's only a few hours a day (when you aren't volunteering) but even when you are it's only a half day on some days. I'm not denigrating what you do, please don't think that or be offended as I'm concerned about you, but know as a full-time worker all my life (out of the house each day by 7.20 and not back before 6.30:() and then having all the normal household chores and cooking to do I used to feel a bit weary especially by Thursday but not excessively so even when I was in my 50s. I didn't work in the education sector so didn't have the school holidays to recover. I know you're vegetarian and I just wonder if you're anaemic in any way. It must be very difficult to get the full quota of nutrients from a vegetarian diet especially when money was so tight and you probably put your own needs last after making sure your lovely family were all fed and watered.


You mention headaches a lot too. I get them too especially in strong sun or if I'm stressed. They're a real nuisance aren't they?. I wonder whether you need glasses? You probably think your eyesight is excellent, I always did with mine and was mortified to discover it wasn't when I finally succumbed to having an eye test after a lot of headaches and being recommended to have one by a friend. She told me that unwittingly straining her own eyes all the time had been the cause of her headaches and it had been her GP's suggestion that she get them tested.


I seem to recall Thursday is one of your volunteering mornings. Have a good one:beer:

You're very welcome Noella, it's nice to get people commenting on my diary . Some people call me Hairy and some call me HHOD or HH. I really don't mind what I'm called :rotfl:.

I think I've always suffered a bit from tiredness and I wonder if it might not be due to stress making me tense up a bit. I don't think I'm anaemic as I take a multivitamin every day. You're right that two days a week I only work for an hour and a half and on other days I'm home by 2pm, so theoretically I should be bounding with energy. However I have got a lot of family stress at the moment, plus there are four to five adults to do housework/cook for, and my job is very physical and quite tiring. So maybe my tiredness is a combination of all that. I felt fine this morning after a good night's sleep .

I don't have headaches that often, only if I've got a bug or am exhausted. I did have a headache for a few days after our trip to drop DS3 at uni and the family party. But I think that was due to having driven 600 miles in three days, only having about four hours sleep for two nights, and being dehydrated as I can't drink much when I travel as I keep needing to stop for the toilet otherwise.

I have reading glasses so I'm sure that's not a problem, and although I do get tired frequently I don't actually get headaches that frequently.

My diet isn't perfect and I need to eat more fruit and veg, but I do have the mulitvitamin which hoefully helps.

It's really nice of you to be concerned about me Noella .

HairyHandofDartmoor

teafor2 wrote: »

Morning HHD You definitely sound like you've got the saving bug and are determined to make your wages work for you

Hope you have a good shift at work and fingers crossed for a dry playtime. xx

Thanks TF2 .

HairyHandofDartmoor

badmemory wrote: »

Headaches are also a sympton of anaemia. When I was 17 I was suffering from headaches & the optician sold me glasses but the headaches didn't go. Another optician a year later said you don't need glasses you are anaemic.



When I finally started needing glasses in my 50s it wasn't a headache that told me but my neck. I was working on a computer & my screen & sitting position hadn't changed but I had started to thrust my head forward so that I could see better.


If they were stress headaches they would have been happening 2 years ago when I am sure you were much more stressed & not now when you are doing so well.

Thanks Badmemory .

I actually don't get headaches that often. I did have one for a few days after our trip to drop DS3 at uni and the family party, but I was completely exhausted as we'd driven 600 miles in three days, only had about four hours sleep for two nights, I was dehydrated and driving in and around London is stressful.

I do have reading glasses so I'm sure that's not a problem . My diet probably isn't perfect but I do have a multivitamin tablet every day. But although I get an occasional headache, I don't have them that often. I think tiredness is more of a problem for me but I think that could be due partly to stress.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Noella wrote: »

From never posting on here at all I'm in danger of wearing out my welcome:o. Apologies but I just felt the need for a moan and a bit of advice please.

I bought an item of clothing online from a small business that I've dealt with happily over about 12 years. I haven't bought much because of my debts but I used to buy from them with birthday/Christmas money. Their quality has certainly dropped since I bought anything last and the latest item I received a few weeks ago was really shoddy, almost like 'second' or 'substandard' item:eek:.


I returned it at my own expense and by recorded delivery which is what they insisted on for returns and what they charge for delivery when buying from them. That means a total of about £9 for getting the item in the first place and returning it. Extortionate IMO:mad:. I checked on the Royal Mail website and they received and signed for it the day after I sent it about 10 days ago.


Since I bought mine they have reduced the price of this item on the website and although they have refunded me via Paypal they have only sent the reduced price that it is now and not the price I paid. It's a difference of £9.50


I emailed them to complain but didn't get a response so I bit the bullet this morning and phoned. The owner of the business gave me the sob story that they're a very small business finding it hard to compete in difficult trading conditions and as they need to resell the garment they can't afford to lose any more money on it.


What does anyone think of that? I'm gobsmacked. The garment was returned in unworn condition and carefully packaged. It's just as saleable as it was when they sent it to me in the first place. Should I just accept that I'm on a loser and never buy from them again or should I persist with demanding the correct refund? I suspect I'll get no joy but I hate being cheated which is how I see it.


I only became debt-free last year and treating myself is still a novelty to me (as it is to you HHOD). It was such a lovely feeling to buy something new to wear instead of charity shop garments. I know it's under £10 that I'm quibbling about but I haven't any spare money to 'throw away'.

I don't mind you posting at all Noella, it's good to have people posting on my diary .

I think I would insist on having the full refund. Their problems with their small business are theirs and you have your own problems to deal with. You shouldn't be expected to lose money because their business is struggling. They should be trying to please you because you've been a loyal customer in the past. They're not exactly encouraging you to buy from them again, are they?

Anyway that's just my opinion . If you can't afford to treat yourself very often then you need to get value for money.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Volunteering was good today and so was my lunchtime job, aided by sunny weather .

I came home determined to sort out the tax credits. I rang them and this time I didn't get cut off, so after waiting on hold for at least twenty minutes :mad: I finally spoke to an adviser. I told them about my miniscule pay rise at work from April and about the second PPI payment from the H@lifax. They said PPI isn't taken into account by tax credits, so that's good .

So that was one frog swallowed :T. The next frog was to look at the guarantor agreement that the letting agency had sent us for DS3's accommodation next year. We printed it off and read it and it states clearly that as guarantors we would be liable for the rent of all four tenants, three of whom we've never met :eek: :eek:.

We decided that we felt very stressed at the idea of signing that and I said to DH that my mental health would suffer if we signed it because I would spend a year worrying that one of them would default and we'd be liable for huge amounts of money . So we've emailed the agency and asked about the possiblity of paying six months rent for DS3 in advance.

Apparantly these type of guarantor agreements are very common. I have no idea if the other three parents have signed. I don't want to let DS3 down but it seems madness to sign such an agreement. I'm finding the whole thing very stressful .

What would you do in our position, would you risk signing it?

beanielou

Noella wrote: »

From never posting on here at all I'm in danger of wearing out my welcome:o. Apologies but I just felt the need for a moan and a bit of advice please.

I bought an item of clothing online from a small business that I've dealt with happily over about 12 years. I haven't bought much because of my debts but I used to buy from them with birthday/Christmas money. Their quality has certainly dropped since I bought anything last and the latest item I received a few weeks ago was really shoddy, almost like 'second' or 'substandard' item:eek:.


I returned it at my own expense and by recorded delivery which is what they insisted on for returns and what they charge for delivery when buying from them. That means a total of about £9 for getting the item in the first place and returning it. Extortionate IMO:mad:. I checked on the Royal Mail website and they received and signed for it the day after I sent it about 10 days ago.


Since I bought mine they have reduced the price of this item on the website and although they have refunded me via Paypal they have only sent the reduced price that it is now and not the price I paid. It's a difference of £9.50


I emailed them to complain but didn't get a response so I bit the bullet this morning and phoned. The owner of the business gave me the sob story that they're a very small business finding it hard to compete in difficult trading conditions and as they need to resell the garment they can't afford to lose any more money on it.


What does anyone think of that? I'm gobsmacked. The garment was returned in unworn condition and carefully packaged. It's just as saleable as it was when they sent it to me in the first place. Should I just accept that I'm on a loser and never buy from them again or should I persist with demanding the correct refund? I suspect I'll get no joy but I hate being cheated which is how I see it.


I only became debt-free last year and treating myself is still a novelty to me (as it is to you HHOD). It was such a lovely feeling to buy something new to wear instead of charity shop garments. I know it's under £10 that I'm quibbling about but I haven't any spare money to 'throw away'.

It's your money.
IMO you should get back the price you paid for it.
& I would not buy from them again.

beanielou

HHD~~I would not in a month of Sundays sign it.
I like you would be stressed to the max in case someone I dont even know dident pay for any reason.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Thanks Beanie .

I really don't want to sign it. We'll have to wait and see what the agency replies but I'm worried they might say he can't rent the house then . But I don't think I'd get a moment's peace of mind if we signed that agreement .

[Deleted User]

Thanks for your kind comments after I posted those 2 long diatribes (I think that's the right word) earlier. Thanks too to Beanielou about the refund. I'll definitely persist with it. Thank you both:T

I agree with Beanielou about the agreement. It's put you and DH in a very difficult position so I can understand how you feel you might be letting your son down. Didn't you mention before that one of your other sons might pay upfront or something? Would that mean he was liable if anyone defaulted though?. It's a lot of money to lose however much savings anyone has. I don't envy you all having to sort it out for the best for all concerned. Sending hugs.


Thanks for your reassurance that your health is OK:T. No wonder you had a headache after that mammoth journey especially having to drive some of it in London:eek:. I get dehydrated on long journeys too for exactly the same reason of needing to find loos:( so I understand what you mean .I hope all the stress over DS's tenancy doesn't result in another headache and a sleepless night.

teafor2

I've just replied to your comment on my diary HHD and asked how it was going with DS's lease - now I know

I'm afraid I wouldn't be willing to sign it either. I've said before people don't even like being guarantor's for people they know let alone 3 people they don't. I'd be stressed out for the whole year as well.

I think it's easier not to feel you're letting DS down if you have an option to pay up front, although that's not so great if you can't come up with the funds.

I'm really surprised the lease is common because I'm finding it hard to think anybody would be happy to sign something like that. What percentage of the 6 months would DS's first maintenance grant cover and what percentage would that leave you to find? xx