NST: November 2020 - Madness!!!

ldee2111

£1k into emergency fund this morning. I’ve started using next year’s planned budget early - it’s based on living on one wage and saving the other to bulk up our emergency fund ahead of anticipated job loss mid-2021. 
I’m interested to see how we get on with this - can we actually get by on one wage?!

f0xh0les

@ldee2111  I would be careful if you are saving one wage in anticipation of job loss, as those cunning benefits people will penalize you for having savings over a certain amount.  To quote:

If you've savings of £16,000 or over, you won't be eligible for universal credit. If you live with your partner, you must make a joint claim. Your partner's income and savings will be taken into account, even if they aren't eligible for universal credit.

And actually, if you have over £6k in savings, they drop the amount of money you get % wise,  as obv with £6k in the bank you are independently wealthy and have your own personal yacht, with servants.   So do prepare and save, but be careful where you put it, and when you take it out of your bank account because they will want to see past bank statements and they will ask you where it has gone unless you take it out as c/b when you do the shopping.   They do not question you spending £200 in T0sc0 every week but they will question you taking out £150 a week in cash - if you get my meaning.   I am utterly morally bankrupt.  I am sure you would not do anything of the sort.  I would not keep more than £6k in savings if I thought DH was going to be out of a job anytime in the next 3 -6 months but then  I am a bad person when it comes to things like this.   

ditty1234

foxholes I don't think you're morally bankrupt, this specific issue was on Moneybox yesterday and its just plain old vile. It was about renters paying up to a years rent ahead of time, hence locking people on benefits out of the system. ldee well done for getting your 1 k together, I am desperate to have a number w 3 zeros after it in my EF, and I am specifically looking to save for a rental or house deposit. But it will be years off! 
I am happy with an almost 8 Miles run I did this morning - took a long while, but still, I am really trying to extend my radius at the moment, lots of locally fields locally! 
So think I'm having my first December budget NSD day today. 
Have a lovely week everybody - just 3 more teaching weeks now and then Aaah. Can't find December list! I'll have to dig back and find the link. 
(the dog is looking at me hungrily, it's a bit early).

ldee2111

Thanks so much @f0xh0les - your post is so helpful. I didn’t know this at all! 

f0xh0les

I volunteer in a foodbank, we have some clients who have been refused all benefits as they have savings just over the limit, as they were in a position to have an Emergency Fund,  just in case.  Lots became unemployed through either illness or sudden redundancy and were told to live off their savings and come back when they had run out, but if they wanted their NI 'stamp' paid, they still have to rock up and sign on, and prove they are looking for work, while getting no assistance.  It  makes me so cross.   And honestly, I am utterly morally dubious.

greent

DH had 2 periods of unemployment lasting almost a year each and all the money he had was contributory jsa for 6 months as we had savings - which meant we had £1800 in total for 6 months for a family of 6 (I wasn't working at all) - and then nothing for the remaining time. We therefore spent our savings.... it took us until the past 12 months to recover financially. We had savings because we were careful with our money and adopted a 'just in case' attitude. And he had to sign on fortnightly at the local job centre who admitted that there was no help they could give him as they never had suitable jobs come up for him but he still needed to apply for stuff and keep a full record and go in fortnightly or they wouldn't have even given him his £69/ week or credited him with his NI. Dealing with them almost broke him...

Small spends in smkt today. But several things sold on fb00k Some more stuff being collected tomorrow, too

Thankful for: faceb00k sales, buyers turning up when expected, a gorgeous (and hot!) chilli for dinner, DH getting the Xmas lights down - along with the teatowels, mugs and glasses (ready for using from the 1st! )

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for another good night's sleep, for getting the back grass mown (albeit rather haphazardly...), for scrabble, for rugby, for the cmas lights going up in houses and gardens.

f0xh0les

Today I am grateful for @greent 's marvellous ninja saving tip (that spoilt my NSD but bagged me 3 gifts I was going to buy anyway but with 15% off + 8% cashback), for an amaretto hot chocolate with non-dairy whipped cream and marshmallows, and for His Dark Materials which I am loving! for tomorrow being payday!!!!!!!! and for finding an unexpected roll of wrap and 3 boxes of cards  in the suitcase with the tree bits!! Must have got them YS just after last year's nonsense and put them away.

My tree is up, but I need a new string of lights.  All the Star Wars baubles look marvellous and make me happy. Some people have a colour theme, I have Death Stars and Storm troopers.  It takes all sorts! 

Made a lovely veg soup, a lemon drizzle cake in a loaf tin, 6 vanilla choc chip buns, and 6 double choc chip buns, so after school snacks and lunchbox treats are sorted from stores for the next ... well probably 48 hours if I am lucky.  Still, the cost was literally pence.  Used up 6 pears by poaching them, and a few sad bananas by baking them, so the kids are full of fruit and a little bit of ice cream.

I have one kid off school for another week, one who is certain he is going to be sent home immediately on arrival tomorrow (he was off ill the last 2 days of last week) as his form seems to be isolating but he has not had the email, so he has to go in, and for only having three weeks left of the school run!!

mothernerd

A friend of DS1's (the one who was his Best 'man' has Jack Skellington at the top of her tree. Found this out last year when DS1 discovered that yes you could have an angel on the tree, but no, it couldn't be a weeping angel (from his wife who is the whovian). I sometimes look at the dalek trees and I will embroider the Darth Vader card for DS1 sometime (fairy lights around his head and 'I am disturbed by your lack of cheer' caption). There's also a series of Dalek cartoons - the Christmas one is ce -le- brate, the one in the bath is ex- fol-i-ate and I'm rather fond of pro-cras-tin-ate.

Spent extra time and care on getting ready this morning. Have washed my hair and cut it again, basically anything I could get old of got cut - short and chic now. Put Vick's on my feet (deep moisturising and not as slippy as vaseline) and even used perfume (well I'm not going to be going on holiday). Played Christmas music to cheer myself up, starting with Greg Lake and Mike Oldfield (always tempted to do the Gay Gordons in the middle of 'In Dulce Jubilo' which got me moving and in a great mood. Told mum I was making cauli cheese for dinner and did she want some (cauli was cut last Sunday and has been on the menu plan for days).

Tried sending money to DS1 again, having asked mum if I should send present money from her (not going through this torment again). Error massage again so rounded up the code book, card, pinsentry reader, the notebook I had written DS1's details in and the piece of paper with DS2's details and the jotting of the wording of the error message (and the meter readings from DS3 which have now been submitted) and phoned the bank. It warned me that waiting time was at least one hour. Well I spent nearly exactly 2 hours with the phone jammed against my left ear, all the bits on the footstool in front of me, Catherine Cookson on mute on the tv with subtitles and the laptop rather precariously on my lap. taking a drink meant swapping hands with the phone and cannot hear anything with my right ear. Once I'd been connected to an operator the young man was trying to be helpful. Took me through some security questions (name a direct debit which comes out of my account and mum's maiden name).

Asked if I had ever been given a passcode for telephone banking (not the same as the online one). Think I have but it wasn't in the double page spread in the notebook (including info on lost or stolen cards, membership number - which is not the same as my account number or card number). I said I thought the only time I'd used telephone banking was withing my branch using their dedicated phone - probably wrote the code on the letter I had with me at the time. So I had to go through the pinsentry route. Told him I needed to put the phone (and the laptop) down to put the card in the reader). Picked the laptop up to do the pinsentry one time code bit  and the phone slid off the stool. Picked it up again and it must have cut off when it fell (only a few inches).

Wasn't doing another two hours so will probably go in branch tomorrow and hope they can help me. Calmed down by making little scarves, a hat and earmuffs for some of my penguins (they also have orange beaks and feet now). Asked mum about her card for Australia as want to get those sent off and do another couple of errands (she had missed a birthday and panicking about another couple - thinks she might have already handed them out earlier in the year after her marathon 73 card writing stint)

Grateful for taking extra care on bits that make me feel good, for the helpful bank operative (even though the mission failed), for lovely music, for a Cookson I hadn't actually seen before (or read although it's nearly 40 years since I did read them). Even on mute it was a lot more comprehensible than the film mum had on yesterday.

facethemusic

Sunday- took DD with me to do the food shop for the week. Her school have asked that no presents are given to teachers this year, and a collection for the local food bank has been organised instead, so got some things off the list of requested items. I have to say this is a much better idea, I'm sure teachers appreciate the sentiment of gifts but they must get many items they don't really want. 
One room in the house is now painted and looks good. Need to get the furniture back in tomorrow, but that shouldn't take long. 
Grateful today for a woolie hat, snuggly blankets and hot water bottles (can you guess it was FREEZING again today 🤣)