Giving every £ a job

Blackcats

Thank you SH - there's a car boot sale near us in mid August which we plan to take our unwanted "treasure" to.  We've been talking about doing a car boot sale for a very long time, so I'll hold myself accountable on here to actually doing it.

I agree EH - the costs for restaurants and bars have increased a lot and I'm sure that they don't have much option but to pass the costs on.  It's a fragile balance between making enough money and not frightening away customers.  The little town we visit is a very seasonal place with businesses having between May and the start of October to make their money.  The town hall is very powerful and grants businesses permits to operate and charges them significant amounts.  In the winter the town is very quiet and almost all of the hospitality trade are closed.  Our family who live and work there usually just about scrape through the winter but last winter the higher cost of utilities, petrol and food meant they were into their overdraft at the start of the season before they even paid their start up costs.  I hope I'm wrong but I suspect that they won't earn enough this summer to make it through next winter.

a couple of money related positives from chez Blackcats ...
credit is building up nicely on our octopus account.  I actually look forward to our statement arriving instead of the dread of the winter bills.  We now have the equivalent of 6 months of the £66 government subsidy as our own credit balance.

I've opened a Skipton regular saving account - £250 a month at 7.5%.  It still helps me to have the discipline of a regular saver.  My first direct saver matures in October and I'll re-start that.  I'll have stopped working by then so it might be re-cycling money rather than new savings but let's see how we go.  OH will get state pension from March next year which will be a great income boost.

savingholmes

Great news on SP for DH.

The 7.5% account sounds fantastic.

foxgloves

@Blackcats - Same here with the Cephalopods credit building up. You are quite right that it feels like saving up for those winter energy bills. I know that back in the Spendy Era, I'd have been at that credit like a rat up a pipe, getting it refunded back to my bank account (for wasting) then moaning when winter bills resulted in my monthly DD being increased. 
Re general savings. I think you & I are similar in that saving still feels like quite a new concept for us. I don't chase interest rates - I probably should - but the habit of putting money away to build resilience has now, I think, become engrained & I do feel.more secure for embracing this behaviour.
7.5% is an excellent rate.
F x

EssexHebridean

Love the focus of looking at energy credit in the account in terms of the government subsidy - that's a brilliant idea! 

That Skipton regular saver really is a cracking rate isn't it - first one to beat FD for quite a while I think! 

[Deleted User]

Hello Blackcats I have been reading through some ogf your other threads and was wondering how your pension income and budgeting are now shaping up since your downsized in 2015. Just being curious!
Please feel free to look at my thread here;
The Senior Wonder Years! - Page 4 — MoneySavingExpert Forum
You already have visited this one but it is a great read
How much to live on — MoneySavingExpert Forum

Best wishes

Blackcats

Thank you @foxgloves - yes indeed I'm still getting used to the concept of saving.  I have been chasing interest rates particularly as I got a lump sum when I drew my pension.
@savingholmes and @EssexHebridean I was impressed by the Skipton savings rate.  It's a maximum of £250 a month and it will be nice when it matures next summer.
@[Deleted User] - thank you for visiting my diary.  I'm looking forward to catching up on your threads.

money saving today - a fab Lidl £1.50 box and some good items from olio.

washing just about dried on the line and ironing done - iron switched off a little before the completion of the final garment (a la Foxgloves).

£75 cashed out on prolific - this has been a very good month with 2 very well paying surveys, a bonus payment and undertaking lots of lower paid but quick studies.  The money is going into the holiday savings pot along with the £11.75 underspend on all budget lines.  Not much but better than a deficit.

I've also reviewed a couple of subscriptions and paused them u til September as we are well stocked up.  One was very easy to pause and the other was so fiendishly difficult to pause that I cancelled.  I can always start it again the the autumn.

Blackcats

A rain-free Sunday afternoon so we will make our flasks and go for a walk shortly.
end of month/start of new month budgets done and re-set.
I'm trying a completely separate pot for groceries this month - it's still in my Chase account and I can move the money from groceries into spending account when money is spent.  I think it will help me keep my records better and also help keep me within budget. 

 We've been busy (well not exactly busy but we've done a couple of hours) of sorting boxes in the garage.  Lots of long forgotten "stuff" in there.  We are planning a boot sale next Sunday unless it's raining.  It's been on our to do list for a very long time.

Joined our local leisure centre last week and have been swimming a couple of time which I really enjoyed.  I used to take my children there 30 years ago for swimming lessons and haven't been there for years.. pleasantly surprised at how it's been utterly transformed into a really modern, well organised leisure centre. 

[Deleted User]

waving hello! Just caught up on your diary and you are doing amazing! 

Sun_Addict

Good news about the leisure centre. I was a member of my local one for many years, used to go several times a week to various exercise classes. Sadly they went downhill just before the pandemic. No idea what they’re like now. 

savingholmes

Great news on the leisure centre. 

Well done on the garage review and decluttering. Good luck with the car boot sale when it happens.