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

Elisheba

@SuzeQStan I guess we will find out about the grated cheese!  I grated 900g yesterday and have put it in a big tub with a lid in the fridge.  My poor arm was aching afterwards!

Yeah, with my brother and family in general its just all very complicated and I'm not sure what the right thing to do is.  I'll need to think about it.

Elisheba

Morning all and happy Wednesday 

My self care special measures are working and I'm feeling fairly good today again.  It definitely seems to be getting a bit chillier outside, especially in the mornings - I am having to use my heated hoodie again - which I guess since it is November is to be expected!  

I watched The Martin Lewis Money Show last night for the first time ever, and happily discovered I was eligible to apply for a Rainy Day savings account with my bank, Barclays.  At 5.12% interest and easy access and unlimited withdrawals its the best out there just now.  I met all the criteria so opened one in bed this morning with my phone.  Not that I have any savings, but what I do have thanks to the glory of Amex is credit in my account for most of the month.  That may as well sit in the Rainy Day account gathering interest, and go back in the main account when it is needed at the end of the month.  Also, after Xmas, all the money I'm planning to put in the LISA can wait until the very last minute and earn some interest in the meantime.  My standard interest on the LISA is rubbish - 0.3% I think, which wasn't bad when I opened it but times have changed.  And I'm too old to open another one now. So it'll go in on the last day of the financial year, April 5th or thereabouts.

Today should be another NSD.  Breakfast was HM muesli, lunch will be HM soup and HM bread.  Dinner is going to be pesto pasta with mushrooms and peppers.  Hopefully I will get some hoovering and dishes done later.  Not sure what I will do this evening.  I could do with mending some bras.  The underwires keep coming out, and with the size I need a new bra is about £30, so I very much want them to keep going as long as possible.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Elisheba

SuzeQStan said:

I need to know what this toilet roll thing is about tho - pls dish! 😉

Oh, I talked about it earlier in my diary.  I made toilet cloths out of old flannel shirts and old napkins and use them instead.  I put them all in a sealed bucket and wash them in a hot wash. It is mainly for the environment as it doesn't save much money really - about £3/4 a month maybe if you buy recycled plastic free loo roll.  I got the idea from a thread on here but it seems quite controversial and to divide even the most frugal  . 

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Morning Elisheba,
Glad the self care measures are working. I'm in the NW and it feels quite mild here still. I got washing mostly dry outside yesterday which always makes me happy!
Do you work for a LA? If so i think our pay deal has now been agreed - i saw new NJC salary scales on Fb yesterday. 
love Deni

Elisheba

Deni_debt-free_dreamer said:

Morning Elisheba,
Glad the self care measures are working. I'm in the NW and it feels quite mild here still. I got washing mostly dry outside yesterday which always makes me happy!
Do you work for a LA? If so i think our pay deal has now been agreed - i saw new NJC salary scales on Fb yesterday. 
love Deni

Yes I do, and yes they have!!!  Yay!!!  However, although my Union is pushing for it and I imagine the others are as well, I think its unlikely we will see the backpay before Xmas.  Since I'm planning to put all of mine in my LISA is doesn't really matter to me, but I imagine that would be very useful for a lot of people before Xmas.

It poured all day here yesterday!  And this morning my hands are chilly as I type, which hasn't happened yet this year.  Winter is coming 

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Elisheba said:

Do you work for a LA? If so i think our pay deal has now been agreed - i saw new NJC salary scales on Fb yesterday. 
love Deni

Yes I do, and yes they have!!!  Yay!!!  However, although my Union is pushing for it and I imagine the others are as well, I think its unlikely we will see the backpay before Xmas.  Since I'm planning to put all of mine in my LISA is doesn't really matter to me, but I imagine that would be very useful for a lot of people before Xmas.

It poured all day here yesterday!  And this morning my hands are chilly as I type, which hasn't happened yet this year.  Winter is coming 

I think my council said they were going to pay backpay asap in recognition of the cost of living crisis. I'm using mine to overpay my mortgage so the sooner i get it the better please! I'm also probably changing my job in Jan so i'm unsure what happens if i leave before the back pay has been paid....

I've just put my scarf on and topping up my HWB

Elisheba

Deni_debt-free_dreamer said:

Elisheba said:

Do you work for a LA? If so i think our pay deal has now been agreed - i saw new NJC salary scales on Fb yesterday. 
love Deni

Yes I do, and yes they have!!!  Yay!!!  However, although my Union is pushing for it and I imagine the others are as well, I think its unlikely we will see the backpay before Xmas.  Since I'm planning to put all of mine in my LISA is doesn't really matter to me, but I imagine that would be very useful for a lot of people before Xmas.

It poured all day here yesterday!  And this morning my hands are chilly as I type, which hasn't happened yet this year.  Winter is coming 

I think my council said they were going to pay backpay asap in recognition of the cost of living crisis. I'm using mine to overpay my mortgage so the sooner i get it the better please! I'm also probably changing my job in Jan so i'm unsure what happens if i leave before the back pay has been paid....

I've just put my scarf on and topping up my HWB

From the NJC for Local Government Services

Backpay for employees who have left employment since 1 April 2022

If requested by an ex-employee to do so, we recommend that employers should pay any monies due to that employee from 1 April 2022 to the employee’s last day of employment.

When salary arrears are paid to ex-employees who were in the LGPS, the employer must inform its local LGPS fund. Employers will need to amend the CARE and final pay figures (if the ex-employee has pre-April 2014 LGPS membership) accordingly.

Further detail is provided in section 15 of the HR guide which is available on the employer resources section of www.lgpsregs.org

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Thanks Elisheba!
Still hopeful i might get backpay in December's salary but good to know

Elisheba

No problem.  We have just been told it will definitely be the end of December, but hopefully your salary team are a bit quicker than mine!  

That's another thought actually - are we still due the National Insurance reduction starting in November?  Or will in be on hold until there is a new budget - and probably cancelled completely?

SuzeQStan

IElisheba said:!  

That's another thought actually - are we still due the National Insurance reduction starting in November?  Or will in be on hold until there is a new budget - and probably cancelled completely?

Confession: stopped watching anything govt news related as it changes by the second. If you don’t like given govt policy just wait a couple days it will probably change….