How much to live on

BooJewels

My Council Tax bill has come today too - up £16/month (x10).  That doesn't include this fuel rebate amount - which will pretty much cancel out the increase.  I shall just put that when it arrives in my fuel surplus savings account - I've accrued a little in there as both suppliers have refunded me amounts over the last couple of years that I put away, but never needed later.  So I think that, along with some credit in each account, will cover most of my forthcoming increases.  So I should be covered until next winter.

blue.peter

mummytummy said:

Ours has increased from £119 a month to £150 a month 😬

26%. That is a big one! Clearly, where you live is more significant than I'd realised.

arnoldy

Kim1965 said:

Certainly wish i had more db inflation proof pension. 

Outside of the public sector DBs are not inflation proofed - at best you will get 0%, 2.5%, or 5% cap on rises, even that is dependent on the financial health of the fund and by extension the willingness and financial health of the sponsoring Company.

YellowCarBlueCar

mummytummy said:

Ours has increased from £119 a month to £150 a month 😬

Is that comparing like with like?  Our council has unequal charges through the year - more for the first month, then 11 equal payments.  So could it be you're comparing your council's 'big' month this FY with a normal month last FY?
If not it seems to be a lot higher that 5% cap (2% CT + 3% social care) that they are allowed to levy without a referendum.

Silvertabby

blue.peter said:

mummytummy said:

Ours has increased from £119 a month to £150 a month 😬

26%. That is a big one! Clearly, where you live is more significant than I'd realised.

That's a whopping increase.  Ours has gone up by just £8 per month, but we were already over £200.  

GunJack

Silvertabby said:

blue.peter said:

mummytummy said:

Ours has increased from £119 a month to £150 a month 😬

26%. That is a big one! Clearly, where you live is more significant than I'd realised.

That's a whopping increase.  Ours has gone up by just £8 per month, but we were already over £200.  

ours is similar to SilverTabby's already over £200 and this coming year going to £212....and no CT relief for energy as we're in band E  

Silvertabby

GunJack said:

Silvertabby said:

blue.peter said:

mummytummy said:

Ours has increased from £119 a month to £150 a month 😬

26%. That is a big one! Clearly, where you live is more significant than I'd realised.

That's a whopping increase.  Ours has gone up by just £8 per month, but we were already over £200.  

ours is similar to SilverTabby's already over £200 and this coming year going to £212....and no CT relief for energy as we're in band E  

...and before anyone says it, we're in Wales so our band's values are lower, we don't live in a mansion

Band E as well.  Small 4 bed detached.

mummytummy

YellowCarBlueCar said:

mummytummy said:

Ours has increased from £119 a month to £150 a month 😬

Is that comparing like with like?  Our council has unequal charges through the year - more for the first month, then 11 equal payments.  So could it be you're comparing your council's 'big' month this FY with a normal month last FY?
If not it seems to be a lot higher that 5% cap (2% CT + 3% social care) that they are allowed to levy without a referendum.

They are all equal at £150 per month over 10 months, we’re in Band B in Staffordshire (Leek & Moorlands) 😊

BooJewels

I must correct my earlier comment about the rise in my Council Tax - I said it was going from £125 to £141 / month. 

It was only when I went to update my spreadsheet for next month that I saw I'd made a note that my regular payment should have been £136/month - but I was only paying £125 due to the delay in processing my single occupancy discount - I'd overpaid a little and they'd made an adjustment.  I'd totally forgotten about that.  So a 5 pound per month rise isn't so much after all.

[Deleted User]

Happy Easter to you all!

I am back after my Lenten break!

All well here. I have decided to continue my 3 days a fortnight teaching until July 22nd. Then that’s it! Full retirement replaces semi-retirement. I have worked extra hours in recent weeks due to staff shortages owing to Covid absences. I succumbed a month ago,  but fortunately symptoms were mild and I recovered within a week. So pleased I had had all three jabs.

Financially things are fine. The council tax has gone up about £7 a month but the increase will be cancelled out by the £150 rebate. We are on fixed rate for energy until November. All winter bills paid. I’m expecting monthly cost to increase by about £80 next December which has been put into calculations. 

So from September I will have income of slightly under £20000 a year for 21 months until state pension kicks in July 2024. This will be a few pence short of the full new amount so will be a great boost.

Car Tax, Car Insurance, Car Service and MOT also paid for the year as well as the House Insurance. That all came to about £1600 which was paid for out of annual bills account. 

Busy at home doing a little bit of decorating and seeing the garden is ready for the summer.

The exciting news is that I’m off to Cyprus for 7 days next week. My first holiday in 4 years. Have booked a lovely villa. Going after the Easter rush and with late discount saved quite a bit too! Then back to school but only 20 working days until July 22nd! 

I have also booked my first cruise for the first week in September to ensure I am out of the country at the beginning of the new school year. I don’t want to be tempted back after 41 years!  So a week cruising around parts of Spain and Portugal. If I like it I have 3 more I wouldn’t mind doing. I will use travel budget and savings to pay for them.

Take care and best wishes.