Simple living in the country - back to basics

EssexHebridean

Oh for goodness sake I STILL need to get the wretched HRT thing sorted out - but it's still impossible to get an appointment booking online - I've tried and tried and tried now and can only assume that they must literally fly out to those who know exactly when they are released! I think as I will need a repeat prescription at some stage shortly I'll use that as a chance to send a message back asking for an appointment for the review they say I need - hopefully I can discuss the HRT thing at the same time. 

I meant to say earlier by the way that was a steep price to get your bike fixed - what a pain! My actual foldy bike cost less to buy than they are quoting for the repair on yours!  

Cheery_Daff

Ha, yes I did think it'd probably be cheaper to buy a new foldy one! Not a new Brompton though, they're eye-watering prices 😮 Mind you, they were when I bought mine 20 odd years ago. He did say they hold their value well and I'd likely get £1000 for it (without fixing it, although I suspect that's a little unrealistic). Tempting... but not yet - love my little Brompton and not ready to have it go yet...

Definitely working checking out HRT when you can - I feel SO much better. Brain fog has completely gone now, can think clearly, which makes all the difference 😊

cafelady

Hi Cheery. Another vote for ‘keep your Friday free’ if you can afford to. The quality of life it brings is so worth it. Also, you’d have to factor travel, parking and wear and tear on car costs into any extra pay. 

But obviously everyone’s situation is different and you need to do what’s best for you  

Merlin's_Beard

I'm on a four day week (though 37 hours) and I don't think I'd go back to a 5 day week if I had any choice. The free extra day is when I get all my doctors/dentists/appointments done that can't get done at weekends.

Cheery_Daff

I did contemplate compressed full time hours when I switched - it would have been fine at some times of the year, and completely impossible during term time - I often end up working more hours than I'm meant to every day sometimes 🙄 

If I did end up in a full time job again though, I'd definitely be arguing for compressed hours.

Completely wiped out today. Lay along the sofa all yesterday evening, and this morning. We nipped to a cafe for lunch, and had a quick whizz round the charity shops, and then I've been lying in bed watching Downton Abbey most of the afternoon 🙄

Up now and making a risotto, and hoping it's just missing this patch for a few hours rather than that I'm sickening for something 🙄

Elisheba

One way or another it sounds like you have needed to rest. Hopefully you'll feel more energetic tomorrow 🤞. And it's good to actually relax on your days off sometimes, rather than rushing about doing stuff.

Cheery_Daff

Thanks Elisheba. That's what Mr Cheery keeps telling me 😂 I do actually spend an awful lot of time lazing around, despite what it sounds like sometimes 😂

Anyway, working from home tomorrow thankfully, then in the office Thursday. Friday I'm at meetings in various other places - should at least be interesting, and then tea with a friend and a rehearsal for musical escapade I've got myself roped into. Then another couple of days off, and not much planned except the things I was meant to be doing today 😂

Suffolk_lass

I worked compressed hours with every other Friday off and WFH for the other one. It was great. On the WFH day I used to think. A much undervalued commodity in my old workplace. I could garden, do washing, clean and write at bizarre times and got loads done. The new present-ism regime had no idea what they lost when they insisted I dial in for four hours of pointless twaddle every Friday. I made a point of doing nothing after these as I effectively lost the non-working day on the back of this, without it being acknowledged. References to me "winding down in preparation for retirement" were met with an explanation that requiring someone to participate on non-working days is not routinely acceptable. Yes, I fulfilled their expectations and left.

Cheery_Daff

Don't blame you SL! 

So, an end of the month round up...

FOOD & HOUSEHOLD
Jan = £270.43
Feb = £156.35
SAVING = £114.08

JOINT TREATS
Jan = £132.55
Feb = £73.20
SAVING = £59.35

MY SPENDS
Jan = £88.90
Feb = £85.93 
SAVING = £2.97

So between those three categories, we've reduced spending by £176.40. Not too shabby at all. 

Some comments: 

• My spends included £29.75 for 6 weeks at Slimming World, and £45 for fixing my foldy bike, so other than that I only spent £14.15. 
• We did do a storecupboard stockup with the covid vouchers - usually we just end up spending them on treats.
• I've divided the excess among various pots (car maintenance, vets etc) and added a bit more to the income replacement pot. 
• MB was ridiculous. Down £99 in January, paid both annual subscriptions in Feb (a total of £285) and then down another £54. Shocking. However, I'm up £48 today so I'm hoping it'll slowly work its way right again.
• Diesel spends were down considerably too - from £424 in January to £178 in Feb. I don't think that's through any particular effort though, sometimes it just falls that way because of when the cars get topped up (one is pretty much empty at the minute), and I think there was a little extra Christmas visiting, although not much. Let's see how March pans out. 

Overall, things feel slightly more on an even keel now. 

I've got an expenses payment of about £77 due this month, although annoyingly they've quibbled £34 of it, saying I should have ordered it through work rather than paying myself (a one hour room hire in a library for meeting someone short notice when they didn't want me to go to their house). I'll fight it, of course, but I'm not sure I'll win. 

Electric bill arrived, we're slightly more in credit than we were last month, so it'll build up nicely for when the prices go up. 

Nothing else to report, I don't think. 

In terms of March plans, we're going to try to keep limiting things a little. I'm going to have my flute serviced next week which will be about £80, but I'll try to limit the rest of my personal spends. Going to try and do a bit more batch cooking - I made several portions of pasta bake for the freezer today. I'm considering an event later in the month that will cost £36 plus some diesel, but I'm not sure yet - we might be able to combine it with a visit to a friend, we'll see. 

KajiKita

Annoying about the quibble on the room hire. Were you actually aware of the policy beforehand and would it have been possible to use the work booking system in the timescale you were meeting the person?

Well done on all the savings and diverting the covid study funds. It’s an illustration of both how being conscious of every spend helps and how effective the YNAB pots are for tracking where the spend is / isn’t coming from 😊 Good to have the electric account with a buffer too. Hoping that this makes you feel a little less stressed / anxious. 

KK