Travelling On

Goldiegirl

I'm glad to hear that you feel your health has improved, and you are now on your own timetable. It takes a while to bed down into retirement, but it's great once you really do feel that your time is your own.

It's been pouring down here as well, for most of the day, so I haven't even been out. I've found quite a few odd bits and pieces that needed doing, and I've got a few things I can do tomorrow, after we come back from shopping.

I really hate swapping providers or banks, due to all the potential things that can go wrong and the potential for hiccups, so I do it as rarely as possible. I'd also be 'twitchy' about the lack of a receipt for the kitchen money. These things always turn out ok in the end, but I'm an admin freak, and I like to have the proper paperwork in my hand. I put it down to a life spent in admin roles!

I read on a different thread that you have been reading 'Snow' by Ryan Clifford. I've added this to my book list, as it sounds like something I'd enjoy, as I like it when its set in the UK. You also mentioned 'Flood' by Richard Doyle. I've read that, and loved it. I grew up in south Essex, live in north Kent and Mr Goldie lived on the flood plain in south London, so it's all very relatable. Richard Doyle did a similar book years ago called 'Deluge'. It's a similar scenario, but before the Thames Barrier was completed

Karmacat

Hi Goldie thanks for the above. "Snow" is proper apocafic, be warned, not like Flood, but its currently on kindle for 99p, so thats not too bad You're right about the UK locations - when its where you live, it makes a huge difference, it's not about New York or California.



I *do* feel I'm bedding into retirement now, as well as taking notice of the mad stuff on the national scene like Brexit. I really want to be finished with all of this preparatory stuff by the time I go away catsitting towards the end of February. Of course, I'll still be off having a bit of fun *before* then, but the focus is definitely on juggling, and finishing, the big jobs that need doing.

earthgirl

Hope you get the bank and payment things sorted. Thats kins of how I feel now I just want everything simpliyfied and in the one place so I can keep a beady eye on it!!

Karmacat

Oh thats right, you were mentioning it a couple of weeks ago! Great minds

Karmacat

Morning everyone! I didn't even look at the clock till 7.30, how utterly blissful :j

With that level of energy, although its almost two hours later than when I normally surface, I'm at my normal place for the morning: internet rounds are done, washing machine is on, that sort of thing. I'm going to check the finances now: is everything where I put it yesterday? what are the rates on those two savings accounts I'm using? And if the answers to those questions are good, then I can start setting up an isa. Thursday will be the time to set up the monthly in/out for the new bank account, because of the dates of various things.

teapot2

Morning KC, glad you slept well and are feeling like your health has increased by another level, that sounds very positive.

Hope all the financials get straightened out, its stressful getting it all set up but once everything is in place it will hopefully run smoothly and you can reap actual dividends I often think part of the problem is that all the different banks and accounts have different ways of accessing them, don't always run to a calendar month and requirements vary as to amount of money to be put in monthly or number of DDs to come out etc. I find it can take a while to get my head round it all.

Karmacat

Thanks teapot! You're dead right, the logon details are so fussy and complicated - necessarily so, against scammers, but its still a pain.

It was the logon details for one particular account that were delaying me - the paperwork was sitting all over the house, potentially but I finally got everything together and wrote the necessaries in the top secret file

So, the savings account that was confounding me is only paying 0.5% interest! Very not good. But the same company has a one year bond for 1.75%. So I've sent some dosh to that company, and when its arrived, I'll transfer the money to a new account.

I have to rescue the money from a finished Virgin Regular Saver too, which I think is also languishing at 0.5%, but thats for later. Lunch comes first

Karmacat

Navvying at the brambles a nice space has been cleared that gets plenty of sun, a fruit bush or a set of kale will sit there beautifully.

ETA - decided to do check the Virgin Regular Saver account, to get it over with. Happily, it's earning interest at 1.25% p.a. gross, so I'll leave it where it is for the moment, though it sounds ridiculously low. It's not really, in these days

ETA x 2: ordered a £3 Amazon voucher, hey ho. Only managed to do it because of three extra little gigs.


I'll be off on a U3A thing tomorrow morning, and I'll hop over to Sainsbo to use my Nectar points, still got £15.

the_cross_rabbit

Wow you've been a busy bee karma.
CRx

Karmacat

Hi CR, thanks This is all the admin stuff that was twanging at me last summer, when my attention had to be focussed outwards in spite of having retired for nearly two years at that stage, I really need to get all this stuff over and done.

This morning, I went to the U3A environmental group, had to turn down an offer of leading it, I'm not caught up on myself yet, and I would actually like some time just to myself for enjoyment, like my sister has.

After that, I was so close I popped in to Sainsbo to use half my remaining Nectar vouchers, just £7.50, plus I paid actual cash (horrors! ) for the interdental brushes I like, from Waitrose.

And this afternoon, its just about following up on ongoing stuff: moving the money and opening the bond, garden work, SB (ha! just had an instant survey), the caravan holiday stuff, texting and emailing brother and sister too. Cup of tea is in the offing first, though