Frugal, thrifty, make do, mend! Let this debt come to an end!

SuzeQStan

Keeping absolutely everything crossed for you Elisheba 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

I’d also try Nextd@@r app - we are rural
community and both Oli@ & Nextd@@r are well attended apps

Moorviews

It’s great that you love your new home and it must be so exciting for your dog to have a garden. I hope all the practical elements and expenses are soon sorted out so that you can settle in properly. You did very well with the oil price by recent standards. At least you have bought all your fuel now and can focus on how you ration it out and stretch it as far as possible. Keep cosy and enjoy yourself!

Elisheba

Evening, penny procrastinators,

Had an odd piece of good luck when I went to my optician's appointment. Went to put money in the parking machine, but once it was in it didn't register as having gone in. I pressed a lot of buttons and eventually the money came back out the bottom. Only it wasn't just my money, it must have been everyone who'd been caught by the faulty machine all day! Was about £15 - 20 in change! It was a Council carpark and there was noone to hand into, so I just kept it! So that'll pay for parking for the next few months if I need to visit a town.

The wood man did eventually show up, but it was while I was out at the opticians. I now have 1.2 metric tons or metric metres (can't remember the measurement unit) of wood on my pavement. Since I wasn't in he didn't get his Xmas present, so that's a tin of Quality Street for me 🤣.

Rather than a wheelbarrow I have ordered a sort of trolley on wheels. It tips so useful for the garden and moving wood, but I can also use it for camping as well. Don't feel so bad about spending money on something that has a few uses. It doesn't arrive until Thursday though, and I need to go to the old house tomorrow anyway to do a few bits, so the wood will be sitting there for a couple of days. It's not actually in anyone's way as there are only 5 houses in the close and noone uses that pavement anyway, so hopefully it won't annoy anyone too much.

Ordered new glasses, and a free second pair of prescription sunglasses. They sure know how to rack up charges at opticians. £69 for the glasses, £35 for the eye test which included some sort of scan of my eyeballs, and £35 for anti glare coating. One eye had gotten worse so I really did need them, but my annuals pots (which I had budgeted for glasses in) have fallen by the way side of late, so it's all just written down and accounted for at the end of the month.

I have the wood stove blazing away, with the damper open to fill right now. Feel like I need a bit of cosyness and comfort today. Had my first Welsh cake with jam after dinner earlier. It was okay, but a bit soda tasting for me. I have 3 more left so maybe I'll develop a taste for them 🤣.

Won't be doing anymore in the house now until Thursday I think. Hopefully I'll have gotten my second wind by then, because I'm sick of it now 🤣.

Heard a radio programme on Radio 2 earlier where they were taking about the rental housing crisis. They said (which I already knew) that people are bidding higher than the asking price for rentals, and which I didn't know, people are offering up to two years rent in advance! If I had two years rent to pay in advance I would be using it as a deposit to buy! 

I am so very, very lucky to have found my lovely little house with so few problems. It does all leave me feeling very insecure though. What if it happens again? I really, really need to get saving so I can buy something. A house, or a boat or anything that can give me back some sense of security.  However, one thing at a time. I need to get this house move done and paid for first!

Hope everyone is warm and cosy tonight. ☺️

Cheery_Daff

How odd about the parking meter! Glad the wood turned up eventually, and that you are nice and cosy and with a bonus tin of Quality Street 😁

Makingabobor2

Can't believe the wood man just left it on the pavement. I'd be putting in a complaint. He should have given you a time slot and checked you would be in. What if you were old & frail and unable to move it yourself. That's pretty bad customer service, glad you kept his chocolates....lol

Elisheba

Evening, thrifty frugalistas,

Excellent news today. I am not being downgraded in the restructure, and won't even have to interview as my role is being what they call assimilated into the new role. It's essentially the same job, maybe with a slightly wider remit. Phew! What a relief, and now I can properly relax a bit and enjoy my new home.

I've not done too much today as I'm quite tired after a week of very full on activity. Got registered at the doctor's, signed up at the library and took out some books, and finally found my shower curtain 🤣. Also updated my details at the DVLA, but still need to do my logbook.

I got a message earlier saying the oil was being delivered today, but if they did it was when I was out and it was dark when I got back so I've not checked. Potentially another box of Quality Street for me if I've missed the oil man as well as the wood man!

I can't see that the wood man had much choice @Makingabobor2 but to leave the wood on the pavement. It's not the sort of thing they can lug around - as far as I'm aware they just tip it out, and it's up to the purchaser to move it to the correct location. Anyway, my new trolley didn't arrive until later this evening so I bought a tarpaulin for the wood yesterday and covered it. Will build the trolley tomorrow and move it all to the wood store. The tarp will be useful fir some furniture upcycling I want to do in the summer, and protect the patio from paint.

My new neighbours are so nice. While I was out yesterday one of them left me a card and a bottle of prosecco, and another left a notecard with her contact details, an offer to add me to the village FB group and some What's on type brochures of events locally. It's like something from the television - one of my friends said to start running if John Nettles shows up 🤣.

All the house moving bills are paid now I think. I paid for the wood and the cleaner today. Still need to put the insurance claim in for poor old spotty cat, so I'll do that tomorrow. Once I'm certain everything is paid and sorted out I'll post the grand total on here, how much I was able to pay myself and how much debt I've accrued. It might be useful for someone else in 5he future.

I'm not sure if I mentioned in this diary before, but night driving of late has been difficult. Cars coming towards me really blind me, and there always seems to be someone who wants to overtake me when I'm pootling along so I must be going fairly slowly. Looking at my speedometer I'm generally at about 50mph on the A roads.

Anyway, since I'll need to be doing a lot of night driving with the massive commute I've been looking into things that might help. I've ordered new glasses as I said the other day so that might help a bit. They'll have the antiglare coating, but I've not noticed it making much difference in the past. And last night I ordered these yellow polarised clip ons for my glasses. Apparently that can really help with night vision and glare, so I'll see how I get on with them. I'm also going to make sure my inner window screen is sparkly clean, as any marks which you don't even notice in daytime can really blur things at night with lights coming towards you. So fingers crossed it gets a bit easier.

There is a mystery going on at my old house that I thought you chaps might appreciate. On the days when it's completely empty i.e. no cleaner, my energy app is saying I'm using 6p of electricity on top of the standing charge. Every switch is off, there is nothing there - what could it be? All I can think is the smart meter on the electricity box, but I was told that cost less than a penny. It's very odd.  That's £21.90 a year, which seems a lot if it is the smart meter.

Anyway, that's all my news for today. I'm sitting in front of the wood burner and going to have to take my jumper off it is so hot! I've got a nice glass of Chianti in front of me to celebrate the wonderful work news, and might see if anything good is on the telly. Hope everyone is warm and dry on this dreich winter day.

Sunshine_girl2

Does a smart meter use electric ? 

SuzeQStan

Oh Elisheba! WONDERFUL wonderful news so HAPPY to hear the brilliantly good job news.  

Re night driving / dazzled by the lights - it sounds daft but I find putting the visor down helps a great deal.

re the mystery leccy use - we once did an experiment to see if there was any hidden leccy guzzlers in the house by turning everything off and we eventually had to give up for a very small
amount that was being used. How long are you responsible for the additional leccy charges? Surely not now the keys are being handed over?

slm6002

Did you have a light in the loft that might have been left on?

beanielou

Great news on the job.
I have the same problem with night driving.
Loathe it & avoid it as much as possible.