How much to live on

Bravepants

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81980778#Comment_81980778

I believe that after a certain age machines take on a life of their own. They evolve and now we've entered the AI era machines have begun to rise up and attempt to escape their enslaving human masters! :)

My missus often tells me that she has experienced such evolution in our car. But I reckon she just keeps forgetting to put the handbrake on!

Baileys_Babe

Instead of using a tumble dryer to dry the laundry in the winter we use a dehumidifier, we run it overnight and you would make a saving on your overnight tariff.

Organgrinder

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81982362#Comment_81982362

Oh I love the winter! This year it's the Zugspitze arena with over 200km of pistes!

helensbiggestfan

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81982374#Comment_81982374

lol. we've got 3 years…Skynet, Cyberdine and all that. Judgement Day. 2029. Ha ha.

Well I've been without the car for 2 weeks so far. It's ok. First week I felt a bit like a lost soul but week 2 has been fine. It does mean rethinking how I do things and restructuring my life but I'm rising to the challenge!! I think it helps that I was becoming more and more disenchanted with driving. I always did find it a bit of chore, preferring my husband to be my chauffeur. I only ever drove out of necessity rather than pleasure.

Unlike my youngest son and my husband who I swear have/had petrol, rather than blood, in their veins.

It will be my sons 40th birthday in a couple of weeks. His gift from me is one of those "Experience Days". He gets to drive 4 performance cars of his choice. He is super excited. I did the same thing for my husbands 40th, he got to drive F1 cars.

Boys and their toys. 🤪

Beautiful day here…..the garden beckons.

tooldle

It really is quite easy after a while, living without a car that is. My folks never had a car and hence, I grew up getting around on foot or by public transport. For a good while, my little family also had no car (we did have a motorhome but not for daily use). After a 20 year gap, I bought a smart car. The car has done just under a thousand miles this year and I, average 40 miles a week on foot. Not for everyone of course but, benefits to both health and the wallet.
Good luck with your car free journey @helensbiggestfan

Alnat1

I'm quite happy to use the tumble dryer overnight at cheap rate.

The good thing is, clothes then won't need ironing. A money saver, as that would be done during the day/evening when it's most expensive.

If that logic doesn't quite work, shhhh, it worked on my hubby and I haven't ironed in years 😉

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81983151#Comment_81983151

The issue is a perceived risk of fire with tumble dryers, especially with certain makes/models.

Dryer Fires: The Hidden Fire Hazard Lurking in Your Home - Aspray Property Claims

How to check if your tumble dryer is a fire risk | London Fire Brigade

Nebulous2

Well that's my first month of full retirement in, and I'm doing my monthly finance round-up. My expenditure was less than £6 more than my income, so that's a win in my book. Costs include vehicle insurance, reduced quite a bit as I have no commuting or work use, and £240 net paid into my SIPP. I had considered drawing on the SIPP to see me through to state pension age, but I don't think that will be necessary until autumn-ish. I've done an ISA transfer which will generate around £1000 of cashback in 6 months or so. On the downside, some of my stoozing on credit cards will fall due this summer, and I don't know how easy it will be to get more, now that my circumstances have changed and with a drop in income.

Time has flown in, doing a lot of walking, aiming to average 50 miles a week, doing some gardening and planting vegetables which is a new venture for me.

The weather has been reasonably benign and we've had 5 days away. Saving on fuel - vehicle has barely been used except for the five days away, and we found a nice spot only 50 miles from home, so didn't use a great deal then.

We've been looking for a tradesman to do some work on our house for a while, and as it is a difficult task no-one has been willing to take it on. We've found someone who seems very good, and is prepared to try, so fingers crossed we can tick that off at last.

louby40

Nebulous congrats on your first month of retirement and I bet you've not been bored once.

We are currently relishing a cheap term time holiday in Tunisia (I was a teacher) and I still smile to myself when I realise it's 9am @and school has just begun and I'm lying on a sunbed. It will be a long time until I can get over that fact.

Not used a tumble dryer since our last one broke about 7 years ago. We now use a heated airer in our spare room with a cover or we dry outside whenever the weather allows.

Enjoy your bank holiday weekend everyone. We are off to explore El Gem, rumour has it that Gladiator was filmed there.

Organgrinder

Fabulous news @Nebulous2.

@louby40 I bet you don't miss the cost of trips in school holidays!

Anyway, my first week of using my home charger on my EV tariff has been an eye opener. Total charge 43kw/h. Cost £3.01 and more than enough left to possibly last until next weekend unless we go anywhere tomorrow or Monday. Currently averaging about 4 miles per kwh (probably a bit more in reality) so that will be 172 miles.

I'm only charging to about 80% and recharge at about 20-30% so only have about 100 miles of range within that.

In my old car which ran on LPG I was getting about 40mpg. That same 172 miles would have cost me £19.

Projected annual savings (taking into account increase in daytime electricity) £600.

Ok, the charger install eats up all of that and more but...the car was also £2,500 cheaper than the petrol equivalent.

I am wondering why I didn't do this sooner!