Simple living in the country - back to basics

Cheery_Daff

😂😂 Yes, I used to describe myself as Groupie Girlfriend but then I ended up carrying quite a bit of stuff so it changed 😂

Has a lovely sleep, and woke naturally, and not too early either. Apparently it's going to be sunny all day! 😃

Cheery_Daff

And it has indeed been sunny all day! We trotted off out for breakfast, but our favourite haunts were already full of tourists 😂 so we ended up having a very nice sandwich in one of the market towns, and a potter round the charity shops.

Been out scything in the field - almost another row done now - but now it's pretty near dark. So early! 😱 Been a lovely autumnal day though 😊

I've been doing some investigations around bank switching, after Redo (I think?) mentioned using a burner account rather than your main bank account. We both have individual current accounts that we don't use, and are prepared to sacrifice. So, this might be a plan.... (excuse all the abbreviations!)

1. Switch my C current account to L (before Tuesday) = £175
2. Switch Mr's Cheery's C to L = £175
3. Switch my L to FD = £175 (already set up FD as a joint account so can only do one - unless they'll also let Mr Cheery open a separate solo current for a switch??) 
4. Switch Mr Cheery's L to B = £175
5. Set me up another random current account - possibly just back with C again.
6. Switch my new C to B = £175

= £875

Unless FD will let Mr Cheery open a solo account for a switch - will read the T&Cs.

They're the only switched available at the minute - we already have a NW joint account (which I only use for MB - not switching that as there'll be far too much casino-related admin 😂). 

Then we'll just sit on those ones until something else becomes available. 

Does that sound like a plan?? Not done this before so it feels too easy (but I guess it's like a lot of MSE stuff - takes a bit of admin and reading of instructions, and not instant, but worthwhile!)

I assume spreading it out a bit would be sensible? Just opened FD so we'd do solo L accounts then leave things for a bit?

Cheery_Daff

Right, an hour of reading round MSE banking threads and my headache is getting worse, but I THINK I have a better plan...

1. Switch my C to L before Tuesday = £175
2. Switch Mr Cheery's C to L before Tuesday = £175
3. Set me up an account with M, and add 2 DDs
4. Set Mr Cheery up an account with S, and add 2 DDs
5. Once DDs are set up, switch my M to B (before 30th Nov - timings may be tight) = £175
6. Once DDs are set up, switch Mr Cheery's S to B = £175
7. Switch my L to N, which we already have a joint account with, but that's fine - we've never received a switching bonus so it still counts = £200
8. Switch Mr Cheery's L to N = £200
9. Switch Mr Cheery's N to FD (which is a joint account, so we can only do one) =£175

= £1275

We are then each left with a solo account with B, and I have a solo with N, and Mr Cheery with M (which is outside this process, as it's being used for his occasional MB activity).

And we have our main joint account with C, plus joint with N (my MB account, and which has 2 regular savers attached) and joint with FD (for fee free overseas spending and the regular saver). And, I suppose, as I will have solo account with N by that point, I could theoretically do another regular saver on there (but we'd be well past having enough to fill them all 😂 Unless I get this job!)

Clear as mud, yes??

Karmacat

Yes, totally clear as mud!  I'm so sorry, that just leaves my brain completely blurry 😮 you've obviously worked and studied very hard to do it, and you're brilliant at admin, so I'm going to say, yes, that works!  I hope you're free of Roadie Girlfriend duties so you can work through all that.  And have a brilliant evening anyway  

Cheery_Daff

It left my brain quite blurry too KC 😂😂 It makes much more sense written down on paper, I promise 😂 Anyway, we'll see if it happens! 

beanielou

If you can pull that off Cheery then that would be awesome 🤩 

redofromstart

I dont think it was me unless it was a while ago as I do run a switching account (with two standing orders to savings accounts) for this exact reason. My wages get paid in and then I move them to my original 30 year old account.

Cheery_Daff

Ah, apologies, I've checked and it was Merlin's Beard. Not sure why I thought it was you!

Made some tea, did a workout, did a bit of flute playing, and then a nice bath, where I used up a face mask, a hair mask, and some kind of weird nose strip. A tiny bit of space cleared under the sink- they must have been there years 🙄

CCW007

Cheery_Daff said:

Ours is rated a G (the worst 🙄) which I knew, of course. What surprised me looking at it properly was how much was assumed:

Delurking! Our previous house was rented on a farm owned by a university, the other houses were rented for peppercorn rents to workers and we were the only "commercial" tenants so they were reluctant to spend money doing the houses up.

We had an EPC done and the woman doing it was horrified to learn that the highest temp we had achieved in teg house with the heating on constantly was 17! Single glazed windows with huge gaps, no insulation in the loft, roof felt hanging off, high level cistern froze!

In the winter of 2010 when we had snow, we went outside and the roof was completely clear due to all the heat escaping. We got an F on the EPC due to having energy saving light bulbs (that we installed 🤣)

Cheery_Daff

Is that all if took to get you up to an F?? Also sounds like an awful situation! Hope you're somewhere warmer now! 

Had a lovely relaxing day 😊 Feeling the need for a bit of a vague plan for tomorrow though, so here goes.

* more scything (although forecast is pretty bad so we'll see)
* flute practice
* Meal plan
* batch cooking and get at least one meal in the freezer
* paint toenails to match fingers 😂
* check Mr Cheery's missing NI years (which involves first finding his login details, which might be quite a production)
* start process of both of us doing our first bank switch! 
* apply for second accounts to do second switch from (although do a bit of reading about soft/hard credit searches first...)
* make sure clothes are washed for the week
* catch another mouse - we took one up to the moors earlier this evening, but have heard another since..

That's it I think. Band practice for me so I'll be out 4-7.30, and we might want an early night as Monday is going to be another long one. Roll on Christmas, I am in high need of a proper long rest! 

I was looking at dates over Christmas for taking time off. I do like a fortnight over Christmas and new year. I've got a work event on Tues 19th, so not sure whether to work the rest of that week then have a full fortnight and go back on the 8th Jan? Or just have 19th as my last day and go back earlier? Or, my current preference, and most likely, have 19th as last day and still not go back til 8th Jan, giving me 19 days off for 5 days of annual leave... 🤔

Yep, that's decided. I've never once regretted a linger holiday from work, and almost always regretted thinking "I'd best just work those extra couple of days before/after Christmas, get some stuff done while it's quiet" 🙄 I think a good proper rest is more important for me at this point!