Simple living in the country - back to basics

KajiKita

Sending a hug:
(((((((Cheery))))))))

Hopefully a productive, non- internet day today will help you feel more positive.

KK x

themadvix

I hope a good night’s sleep (in an actual bed) and an internet-free day help you to feel more your usual self!

Greenbee’s point is interesting, because I think MSE makes people seem far more real than LI!

Tescodealqueen

Completely understand how you are feeling. Not going on holiday for 18 months during the pandemic meant our savings had increased quite a bit (our holidays are our thing really). A new roof, new boiler and replacement freezer last year really hit home and of course we are going on holidays again. We are very lucky really but I hate to see how far our savings have gone down but I know we are lucky to have been able to accumulate them. Having said that the roof was original on a 120 year old house so I guess it was due.

FreetodoasIlike

I totally get it too. We’ve just bought a new cooker as the glass in our oven door smashed. I suppose we could have replaced it but, as it was on its last legs anyway (making an annoying ‘whirring’ sound from the fan) we decided to get a new one.

Gosh Tescoqueen, a new roof does indeed sound very expensive, but obviously necessary. I also worry about the “big” things that could go wrong. I live off my private pension until my state one kicks in at the end of the year. My partner is retired and has a state pension, as well as a private pension, so we do Ok. We’re certainly not well off but we manage and we are lucky that we are able to. I also pay a top-up fee for my mum, who is residential care, as I wanted to choose her care home, which is better than the ones the Local Authority would have identified for her. The cost (like everything else) has gone up. It’s now £62 a week, which I can still manage to pay, but my private pension didn’t increase in line with it! I just hope that we don’t need any structural work doing In the house for the foreseeable future!

At least you know Cheery that if anything major (heaven forbid) happened, you could sell up and buy a smaller property and be mortgage free. That must be very reassuring for you. Your house sounds fantastic. I know you’re not “lucky” per se as you worked hard for it and you’d always lived a fairly frugal lifestyle and continue to do so. You deserve it. I bet though, that some of your ‘acquaintances’ (not friends) look at you and Mr Cheery and wonder how you did it. I bet they think you won the lottery or on the premium bonds - they probably don’t realise that if they had made different financial choices, they could have done the same!

ElmoR

Somewhat concerned about the large number of strike days coming up too Cheery

Going to have to raid savings pot to meet all the various standing orders and debits that go out in a typical month.

Cheery_Daff

Thank you all 😊 I did indeed feel better after a good kip and some Internet free time, although the general background anxiety is still there (about everything, not just this). And ElmoR, no, the looming strikes are not helping! (Although let's all hope they do in the long run 🙄)

FreetodoasIlike, you are right of course that we can downsize if needs be, and that is ultimately very reassuring, yes! Although moving was so traumatic last time that this would very much be a last resort 🙄😂 But it is still an option. 

Anyway, the sun is shining 😊 and I am working at home today 😊 Although J wasn't smiling when all the power and Internet went off as I was about to go into a meeting 😂

We are tackling dragons today in the Cheery household. I've emailed the garage (and am now studiously avoiding checking my home emails). I have a work task which is a bit difficult and requires asking for something from an outside organisation, but if they say no we'll have to pull out of an entire project 🙄 And Mr Cheery has to ring HMRC to sort out missing pension contributions. 

If we make it to the end of the day without tears from one or both of us it will be a miracle!

Stiff drink tonight i think, tears or not!

Mrs_Money_Penny

Fingers crossed for positive outcomes xx

beckstar1975

Indeed - I'm a different union as admin and we've messed up our balloting, although many staff from the other unions are on strike today. I hear whisperings that there are many days and I really feel for you - people are at their limits and morale is through the floor

themadvix

Good luck with the dragons Cheery - I think slaying them is better than eating frogs! It definitely sounds more dramatic.

Cheery_Daff

Ha - I always think of it as taming them - I'm too much of a softy to be eating frogs or slaying dragons, thinking of it in those terms makes me out it off even more! 😂😂

Thanks beckstar, there are a lot of people on their knees at the minute 🙄 The talk is 18 days for us, over Feb/March - hoping it won't come to that but it might well do. 

I suppose at least my goal of working less than half the days in each month will come to pass 🙄 although my plan was that it would be through spreading out my annual leave, not being on strike! 🙄

Anyway, Mr Cheery's dragon has been given a long lesson in manners (many phone calls to HMRC) but still requires further training (letters etc) 🙄😂

One of mine has also had some lessons but by correspondence (an email and letter drafted) - i now need to wait to see if it responds... 

Is this analogy breaking down yet?! 😂

Oh, and the car insurance quote has come through at £327. Sadly that's just for one car, so I imagine the other will be similar 🙄 I'd like to get them both under £500! I'm sure they were last year! They're with the same organisation, same start date, but classed s two separate policies as they don't do a joint one - going to see if I can change that. Both fully comp as for some reason it came out cheaper last year, but we usually only have TPT. Need business use at the minute or else I can't claim expenses for meetings etc but I was told that was standard and didn't cost more (but I think that may have been during covid when nobody was going nowhere anyway!)

Still, house insurance is due first, so I'll tackle that first. Maybe not today, done quite enough tackling for one day quite frankly 🙄