It's time to start digging up those Squirrelled Nuts!!!!

happyandcontented

MallyGirl said:

These unpredictable costs have somewhat influenced our retirement plan. Our daughter will be starting a 6 year course in a couple of weeks so that will probably mean we keep working till she finishes (a year longer than my original plan as every other uni would have been 5 years). She will be in halls for the first 3 years but will need help with deposits etc for the other 3, although I would hope that the same deposit can roll forward (call me an optimist!).
6 years is a long time so we will continue to monitor - if OH gets close to LTA then that will be the nod to quit. We had planned on some big holidays in the next couple of years but that seems a long way off right now (as does our refund for this year's thanks to Virgin and their 120 day refund shenanigans).

Our children are now all through the university years and in well paid professional jobs so our expenditure is finished in that direction.

However, none of them are married....one is getting married next year (COVID permitting) and so we will make a good contribution to that, but the others are showing no signs and what you do for one concerning weddings you are obliged ( we feel) to do for them all!

Like you, all our holiday plans have been abandoned and we are also awaiting Virgin refunds on October flights which may/may not be cancelled but which we can't now use do to US entry restrictions. I am just waiting o see how it goes and if necessary I will do a CC chargeback.

I am about to finish work taking early retirement, but the daily life that I had envisaged during retirement is very much curtailed due to Covid so I am not actually sure I am doing the right thing! 

We were considering buying a property abroad, but we cannot now even do inspection trips, so that is off the table for the time being. Even going to the shops or out to dinner has to be weighed against MIL (84. frail and with cancer) being compromised. 

We have worked all our lives, and we have the money to spend but we can't spend it!! I am a bit weary of it all now tbh, but on the plus side we are all healthy, employed, and solvent so it seems churlish to curse the virus for our own sakes. Many people are much worse off. I will have to keep counting my blessings whilst perusing property and travel !!!!!!!

Sea_Shell

I know what you mean happyandcontented.

We had such plans for 2020, it was going to be "our year"!!!

We too are healthy and solvent, so yes, blessings are counted.

Still wish I could wake up and this year was just a bad dream though!!

It feels like waking up to Sonny and Cher every morning at the moment!!?? 😉

Sea_Shell

Back from a lovely trip away.   Lots of fresh air and walking, taking in the views.   So nice to have a different view out the window after all these months!!!

We did fully self-cater in the end, it was just easier, and the lodge was fully spec'd up with all you need.     We'll take a view in a couple of weeks time as to whether we go anywhere else this year.

As for the finances....all I seemed to get whilst away was e-mails from our various providers telling us that our interest rates are reducing....again.   NS&I, TSB, Marcus....bang bang bang, one after the other.    Cheers.

So will have another look at the books at the end of the month and see where we are with everything.   

Stubod

...just adjusted our "budget plans" to reflect interest rates dropping to 0.5%. Would not have believed it possible a couple of years ago and thought I was being extremely pessimistic by originally setting them all at 1% fully expecting that would never happen! Have left the inflation rate at 4.5% and luckily does not change our overall spending plans too much, although we are still currently way below our predicted spend due to all things covid. Apart from NSI income bonds we will be leaving all our current cash accounts where they are as it has reached the stage where there does not seem to be that much point for the sake of 0.1's of a percent!

Sea_Shell

Just closed our NS&I, (only had £500 in it) as we'll use it to top up some 2% Reg Savers we still have for October.

westv

Stubod said:

...just adjusted our "budget plans" to reflect interest rates dropping to 0.5%. Would not have believed it possible a couple of years ago and thought I was being extremely pessimistic by originally setting them all at 1% fully expecting that would never happen! Have left the inflation rate at 4.5% and luckily does not change our overall spending plans too much, although we are still currently way below our predicted spend due to all things covid. 

You would like to think that if/when inflation does get back to 4.5% then interest rates would be higher too.

atush

Sea_Shell said:

Back from a lovely trip away.   Lots of fresh air and walking, taking in the views.   So nice to have a different view out the window after all these months!!!

We did fully self-cater in the end, it was just easier, and the lodge was fully spec'd up with all you need.     We'll take a view in a couple of weeks time as to whether we go anywhere else this year.

As for the finances....all I seemed to get whilst away was e-mails from our various providers telling us that our interest rates are reducing....again.   NS&I, TSB, Marcus....bang bang bang, one after the other.    Cheers.

So will have another look at the books at the end of the month and see where we are with everything.   

We took a 4 day trip to Devon, went out for lunch each day but self catered the rest. 4 days in Ludlow the same but ate dinner out once.

Perhaps i shoud have been more cautious ie eating out, but we've been stuck on our tiny isle w/o covid for 120 days or so, so thought i'd take a chance.  given i was an epidemiologist and knwo how to protect myself i was right as i tested negative on my return.

MallyGirl

We traveled around East Sussex, did eat out 3 evenings and a couple of lunches. I would have said I was pretty good with hand washing and distancing but I managed to pick up a horrid cold from someone which is still going strong after more than a fortnight

shinytop

atush said:

Sea_Shell said:

Back from a lovely trip away.   Lots of fresh air and walking, taking in the views.   So nice to have a different view out the window after all these months!!!

We did fully self-cater in the end, it was just easier, and the lodge was fully spec'd up with all you need.     We'll take a view in a couple of weeks time as to whether we go anywhere else this year.

As for the finances....all I seemed to get whilst away was e-mails from our various providers telling us that our interest rates are reducing....again.   NS&I, TSB, Marcus....bang bang bang, one after the other.    Cheers.

So will have another look at the books at the end of the month and see where we are with everything.   

We took a 4 day trip to Devon, went out for lunch each day but self catered the rest. 4 days in Ludlow the same but ate dinner out once.

Perhaps i shoud have been more cautious ie eating out, but we've been stuck on our tiny isle w/o covid for 120 days or so, so thought i'd take a chance.  given i was an epidemiologist and knwo how to protect myself i was right as i tested negative on my return.

How did you manage to get a test - did you have symptoms?  As carers for elderly parents we would like to get tested just in case but I didn't think you could do that.  

Bravepants

shinytop said:

atush said:

Sea_Shell said:

Back from a lovely trip away.   Lots of fresh air and walking, taking in the views.   So nice to have a different view out the window after all these months!!!

We did fully self-cater in the end, it was just easier, and the lodge was fully spec'd up with all you need.     We'll take a view in a couple of weeks time as to whether we go anywhere else this year.

As for the finances....all I seemed to get whilst away was e-mails from our various providers telling us that our interest rates are reducing....again.   NS&I, TSB, Marcus....bang bang bang, one after the other.    Cheers.

So will have another look at the books at the end of the month and see where we are with everything.   

We took a 4 day trip to Devon, went out for lunch each day but self catered the rest. 4 days in Ludlow the same but ate dinner out once.

Perhaps i shoud have been more cautious ie eating out, but we've been stuck on our tiny isle w/o covid for 120 days or so, so thought i'd take a chance.  given i was an epidemiologist and knwo how to protect myself i was right as i tested negative on my return.

How did you manage to get a test - did you have symptoms?  As carers for elderly parents we would like to get tested just in case but I didn't think you could do that.  

The problem with being tested "just in case" is similar to the problem of car MOTs, you could be fine at the time of the test, and thus show negative, but an hour later contract the virus!

Testing "just in case" is pointless and wastes valuable time and resources. Only get a test if you have symptoms is the advice.