Travelling On

Karmacat

teapot2 wrote: »

Glad you got back to sleep horrible to be lying awake for hours.

The online socialising sounds interesting, how does that work then? :think:

:o:o I've ended up sounding sort of mysterious, when its anything but: it's just that I've sent four personal emails today, thats all, but thats a big deal for me. And a big deal in a very good way, too: friendships maintained, not run away from. Two go way back to the mid1980s, one is more recent, the other is family. I'm a happy bunny.

Finally_Solvent wrote: »

Sorry the cheese caused you to have broken sleep but at least you enjoyed eating it and you managed to drift off for part of the night:). I love cheese omelettes, they're a big favourite of DH and I when we get home late and want a hot meal quickly.

One of the things I love best about all that is the "two forms of protein" thing, it just feels very luxurious to me.

Your online social plans sound interesting:). The only online activities I'm likely to be involved in today are concerning various lack of communication 'issues' with companies and maybe trying to sort out once and for all why my laptop battery rarely charges when plugged in:(. I'm fed up with using it tethered as it defeats the object of having a lightweight, portable laptop:rotfl:

See above for my tell-all about online social plans :rotfl::cool: Hope you get the battery sorted - I only use that facility very rarely, but when its useful, its really, really useful

Off outside in the pouring rain in a few mins, to collect *another* new computer mouse. I'm determined to be a lot kinder to this one. Write out a couple of birthday cards, pay my credit cards, and oh blimey, my home and contents renewal is due on 18th, and I've researched nothing whatsoever. That *has* to be done today or tomorrow.

**zooms off**

rtandon27

Karmacat wrote: »

...Today is an online social day - this is new for me, but being social means, y'know, being social. Who knew? I certainly didn't

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: LOVE IT! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Who knew 'social' was a thing?!?

Karmacat

I know, I know part of me is just ten years old, and not in a good way :eek:
After the emails, I did two birthday cards, unsubscribed from some newsletter emails, chucked loads of freebie mags (U3A and National Trust mostly) and a half dozen Sun newspapers (thankfully) and Returned To Sender another 3 postal catalogues chancing their arm. :eek: So wet outside!

Karmacat

Afternoon all :wave:

There was a lot more wetness in store for me this morning - I went to the Environmental Group of the U3A which wasn't wet at all, actually, but getting there, I had to get through standing water deeper than I've seen since I moved here. Not comforting. One lady there was about 70, and had a single grandchild, four weeks old - and she said she couldn't understand our congratulations, given what can be expected environmentally in that child's lifetime

I mean, I know. I do. But the human race has to go on (I think so anyway!) so some babies need to be born.

I also wish I could learn to shut up sometimes in meetings I'm always polite, but I do keep putting my spoke in

Anyway, there was a victory today: both credit cards paid up to date, and all the non-tax-sheltered money is listed for the tax return. It's a tiny amount, but like everyone else I have regular savers and instant access (oh, and a bond) coming out of my ears :cool:.

So tomorrow (because I'm about to lose the will to live):
- check those credit card payments show up, because they didn't even show up in Pending.
- enter the savings account tax payments into the hmrc form.
- find/ try to find the two dividend payments I get: SSE, who I like, and Santander, which was originally freebie shares from Abbey National I think. I've sold the Santander, but still need to declare until that point, of course.
- if I can find both divvy payments, input the info to hmrc. Don't submit the form yet, need to check it.
- work through home and contents insurance very quickly - looked at the renewal very quickly, they've lifted the amount by about 12%, don't know if I can do better.
- I also need to get my new computer mouse working, the mousepad on here is seizing up again.

As I've been finding tax figures, I'm also taking note of interest rates: a lot of easy access money is earning **appalling** interest rates. Must do better.

Have a lovely evening all

wishingthemortgaheaway

I hear you on the interest rates, it's almost getting to the point where I'm paying the bank to look after my money (which is what I guess those fee paying accounts are)
My isa is horrific, but I haven't got enough flexibility to do a fixed term one - my isa is my emergency fund and I need to be able to access it in and emergency.

The only thing that seems to be improving is the value of the house, but I'm having to spend an awful lot of money to keep it doing that. (We are still 'up' in terms of expense versus reward, but it's all hard work!)

rtandon27

I hear you on the savings interest! Our ISA's are pitiful!!!

OH & I have the constant 'discussion' about money that I think should be locked away at a higher interest rate vs. his nervous reluctance not to have it accessible!

Different generations I guess mean different opinions - I feel that if worse came to worse we could throw the expenses on one of the multiple credit cards we have, get the money out (with notice) and pay them off! He is resolute that it needs to be accessible which means we have a really crappy interest rate! - He's a stubborn old goat:o:D

[Deleted User]

I commiserate with everyone who's posted about woeful interest rates. It's demoralising having to be constantly vigilant about rates and having to faff about closing accounts and opening others for the tiny amount of profit it will make. I know every little helps but all the effort chasing so little is really annoying.


Now I'm debt free and can at last afford to save I'm constantly trying to find somewhere that pays reasonable interest so I can build my savings up as quickly as possible. I'm already retired so realistically don't have decades to do it in:(


I'm tempted by Peer-to-Peer saving but am wary of the risks:o. It would be nice to help someone else who is maybe having problems getting loans (as I was once upon a time). I keep reading up about the pros and cons but am still well and truly on the fence.

Karmacat

wishingthemortgaheaway wrote: »

The only thing that seems to be improving is the value of the house, but I'm having to spend an awful lot of money to keep it doing that. (We are still 'up' in terms of expense versus reward, but it's all hard work!)

My house has had an uplift of 25-30% since I moved in 2010, but that happened very quickly and never really budged since then. Odd.

rtandon27 wrote: »

I hear you on the savings interest! Our ISA's are pitiful!!!

OH & I have the constant 'discussion' about money that I think should be locked away at a higher interest rate vs. his nervous reluctance not to have it accessible!

Different generations I guess mean different opinions - I feel that if worse came to worse we could throw the expenses on one of the multiple credit cards we have, get the money out (with notice) and pay them off! He is resolute that it needs to be accessible which means we have a really crappy interest rate! - He's a stubborn old goat:o:D

I'm with you on the credit card use in that situation, RT - tell him so However, I've been doing a really, really bad job of investing all my money. Ie, I haven't and I apologise to the mse community at large for this :(

Finally_Solvent wrote: »

I commiserate with everyone who's posted about woeful interest rates. It's demoralising having to be constantly vigilant about rates and having to faff about closing accounts and opening others for the tiny amount of profit it will make. I know every little helps but all the effort chasing so little is really annoying.

Thats a good point about new accounts all the time. There are some interesting wrinkles, though - Virgin Money Regular Saver stopped taking deductions after a year, fair enough - but it still pays me the same rate, rather than closing it and putting it in some holding account. I like that As I said in the previous paragraph though, I've got a load of new accounts to do.

I'm tempted by Peer-to-Peer saving but am wary of the risks:o. It would be nice to help someone else who is maybe having problems getting loans (as I was once upon a time). I keep reading up about the pros and cons but am still well and truly on the fence.

Ratesetter had a referral scheme that was really well funded at one stage, and edinburgher pulled me into the 21st century with it :rotfl:money just sits there, accumulating at anything between 2.4% and 3.8% - plus initial bonuses. I have less than 1% of my money in there, so its not going to cripple me if it does fail. But I often get an email in the middle of the month saying "your loan has been repaid early" (what someone has borrowed from me). I can't recommend it, though, because I don't know enough about the market - I literally took a punt on it

Karmacat

Just to confirm that I've done naff all today I had the chance to go to the Mary Quant Exhibition at the V&A and it was fan-bleeping-tastic. Extraordinaire, mes amies! Put the cameras of my new phone to the test - ahem, there are three - one selfie and two of different ... focal lengths? ... facing out. I hadn't realised quite what an innovator she was.

HOWEVER. When my sister showed her Senior Railcard recently, the staff member joked that she must have stolen it from her mum. I walked onto the District and Circle, and a woman in her 20s leapt up and offered me her seat :o:o I'm not kidding. I'm mortified, but I'm not kidding. Luckily I've been about to clear up my act - these linen Next trousers I'm collecting, half price, tomorrow, being a case in point. I can get a proper haircut (last time was coming up to 4 years ago ....). I can use all the expensive Liz Earle gubbins I have (presents from SiL) instead of letting it sit in a cupboard and rot. I can smarten up the clothes I wear.


Just a few more fairly intense steps on the finances, and I'll be ready to rock and roll.

wishingthemortgaheaway

No, you've not done 'naff all' today, you seized the opportunity to be social, and do something that interests you, isn't that what retirement is all about?

Re: 'smartening up' I did a style day recently (ridiculously expensive, but definitely an investment) the thing I picked up mostly on was 'look finished' things like:
Don't just pull hair back into a mum bun - brush it into a pony tail properly
Wear a pair of earrings
Never less than foundation, mascara, blusher and lipstick - should take 90seconds.
Shoes & scarves appropriate for your clothes (rather than just putting the same old pair of scratty trainers on)

It's made a huge difference to my approach. I've still got some work to do, and some shopping for clothes, but, I'm getting there.