Head out of the sand. Saving for a shiny future

atrixa

Ideally I'd like an electric car too, but when I looked the 2nd hand prices were sky-high and the range on the older models seems to be rubbish. Maybe in the next decade!

ForestBluebells

Yeah I’m hoping the new Toyota to be released will be better range then can get that once price comes down on 2nd hand. 2025-2030 🤷‍♀️😂

Skint_yet_Again

Hope your vet can help with making your older dog more comfortable. Books sound a bit of an eye opener. 😳 would you be better returning any unread ones & watching some motivational speakers on u tube instead? 

I know nothing about electric cars but I can’t see how that works with charging if you don’t have a drive. Are councils going to pay to put car chargers outside every home on every street ? 

ForestBluebells

I do have a drive so have a couple of options for where I could install a charger but for those without a drive then I believe they have ideas on how you can create a cable tidy within the pavement but also you can charge at the supermarket or work car parks too

my problem is I’m not that keen on the current electric cars available on the market. I kinda want a commercial vehicle with just 2 front seats and a large boot for the dogs. Rear seats are wasted space 

I got a refund on one already as I bought it 2nd hand but it has writing inside and was dirty so I complained and they refunded me. I’ll sell the ones I didn’t like online

MovingForwards

There are charging points but there's a connection fee on top of the cost of charging. I calculated there's no price difference between petrol and using a charging point, plus I'd be charging every day instead of filling up once a week.

Have you looked at getting a Renault Kangoo or similar type vehicle, and removing the back seats. You'll have the seat belt points for strapping the dogs in and won't require further modifications.

ForestBluebells

I like the van derived cars so would consider them but I’d rather a Japanese car so Honda or Toyota are my preferred car manufacturers

ForestBluebells

I had my first octopus energy challenge and I just turned off some plugs at the wall including my work stuff after work and I managed to reduce my energy use by 71% for the 2 hours! I also didn’t put the tv or radio on after work until the 2 hours were up and read instead. I ended up getting a £0.20 credit for my efforts 😂 still maybe I can find some more bits to unplug at the wall more ongoing. 

Went round my elderly neighbours and spent some time with her and cooked her dinner as she was feeling sad. Hopefully cheered her up a bit

finally bought myself some new running shoes as they were on offer in my size, not a great offer but £100. Better than full price though 

took my old dog back to the vet for more painkillers which made me feel bad as he was trembling in the car. So far no difference in him though 

im Already deep into my March budget as I switched to spending it on the weekend, bought lots of top up bits in Asda like laundry stuff and chicken for my dogs and … actually I can’t even remember what else but spent £35 there then went to Lidl to get something for dinner when my mum came over and ended up spending £25 on just absolutely random bits 🙈 

I also paid for brunch for us both so another £25

so now I need to be good as I’m on day 1 of March and already spendy 🙈

going for a run tomorrow so I’ve got that to look forward to

MovingForwards

You could buy a wind up radio, if you use one for background noise, it would double up as a torch in an emergency. 

The 20p's will mount up, well done for seeing a difference and adapting.

Shopping list and stick to it, keep a couple of nicer things in for when mom comes round, it will reduce the random spends.

Depending on the meds, some have to build up over time rather than have instant relief, give it a few more days.

ForestBluebells

Budget is out the window already this month, I was already over my food budget within the first 7 days 🙈 too many supermarket visits with my mum ending in random food purchases with no plan. I have a cupboard full of random food items though so next month I’ll try work through them more. I’m still on my gousto offer this month so the price reduction made me want to continue as it’s £28 for all my dinners and lunches for the week. 

Worried about all the price rises, I’ve turned my storage heaters down to the lowest input now as it’s not so cold out currently. every time I look at petrol prices they are going up! I don’t want to keep driving if I’ll have to reduce my savings to accommodate it. Will have to cut back on how often I go out. I need to ask for a pay rise 😔

I’m returning some shoes I bought as I don’t need them and it was an impulse buy, I already have a perfectly good pair of recent trainers (not running just normal shoes). 

I did buy some kit for my hobbies but cheaply and will make me more comfortable when running

more car repair costs but took it out my annual budget, that pot is sitting in the negatives currently but I know it will build back up over the year.  Need to replace an expensive lightbulb still on my car though  

old dog still won’t go on walks but is improving about going in the garden sometimes. He was struggling with pain yesterday but seems better again today 

Need to get back on track with my spending and be more careful 

MovingForwards

Are there any locations you can turn the heating off and not notice? 

If you tell us what the random food items are, we're bound to come up with recipe ideas to help you get through them.

Can you find out online how to change the bulb yourself, it will save garage costs.

Now the weather is improving, oldie should begin to feel a little more comfortable; I've certainly noticed a huge difference the last few days.

Edit to add -

Just noticed you're asking about water temperatures on Atrixa's diary, keep your water at 60° + to avoid any 'issues', especially if you've a hot water tank.