Simple living in the country - back to basics

Cheery_Daff

Thanks teapot - ours are doing 'exclusive member prices', presumably the same as Tesco.  Hey ho.

I had to go into town for a meeting tomorrow, but that's now been moved online. Great - except I ordered a book into the wrong blinking library, so I still have to go into town to collect it 🙄 Cant leave it as it's an interlibrary loan so the 3 week clock is already ticking (and it's written by someone on the interview panel so I want to get on with reading it 😂) So I'll be nipping in anyway, most vexing. 

I did snag a parking permit for work though, so at least I'll only have to pay for a little bit of town parking, not the whole day by the office.

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, just reading Martin's email - there are two more bank switches to do 😊

TSB is £125 and we're both eligible, so that's £250. You can also get £10 a month cashback for 6 months (which would be another £120 between us) but you have to use the debit card 20+ times a month for that and that might be quite the faff. We'll see.

The other is the co op - you can have that as an existing customer, but you can't have had any incentive from them since 2022. I've had a refer a friend bonus so not eligible. Mr Cheery is though, so that's £150 in total if we jump through all the hoops. 

So that's £400, or £520 if we get our act together to spend on the TSB card 😊

Just need to sit down and figure out which account to switch to which now 😂😂 I think I switched my Barclays into FD, but Mr Cheery's Barclays can go to the co op, and then I think we've both got a Starling one that can go to TSB. It's mostly me keeping track of all the admin, so I'm finding it MUCH easier if we're both going to/from the same banks so I'm not trying to figure out too many different processes 😂

Baileys_Babe

@Cheery_Daff this thread might help with the debit card transactions 
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6445857/savings-investment-dds-and-debit-card-deposits-an-updated-list/p1

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, thank you! I've seen that,  and used it to set up small DDs for switches,  but didn't go back to it after that and hasn't clocked that it included savings accounts that took debit card payments. Excellent. If it applies,  and I assume it does, but will obviously check,  then that makes it a LOT easier to do 20 transactions each month. Thank you!

EssexHebridean

You've just prompted me to look at the switching options Cheery - and I could do the Co-op one - I could in theory do the TSB one as well but realistically I'm not likely to faff about with DDs so that's probably not one for right now. 2 standing orders is simple though as I can just transfer some money to another of my own accounts, so that would work! Thank you! 

Cheery_Daff

Sounds like a plan EH! I did set up DDs for another switch, just two £1 annual ones, very easy to set up (and cancel) and met the requirements. Happy to dig out details if helpful 😊

Heads up for an 🐙 savings session 5.30pm today! 

CCW007

@Cheery_Daff I'd like the details if possible please. I assumed DDs needed to be monthly, hadn't thought about annual ones!  I've got a donor account ready but lacking the necessary DDs.

Cheery_Daff

CCW007 said:

@Cheery_Daff I'd like the details if possible please. I assumed DDs needed to be monthly, hadn't thought about annual ones!  I've got a donor account ready but lacking the necessary DDs.

I think it depends on the switch offer - the one I did was fine with it being annual but I think some of them specify monthly. 

I used the advice on the thread @Baileys_Babe posted earlier. For one, I linked that bank account to PayPal as a DD option (but then made sure PayPal still had my normal option ticked as favourite). For the second I set up an annual £1 DD with small direct debit .co.uk (all one word, no spaces). They seem to be set up solely for this purpose, and it was set up quickly. 

Obviously there are better ways of doing it - setting up a DD to one of your own savings accounts for a start, rather than giving some random website £1 😂 But in my case I needed it set up very quickly to meet the switch deadline, and this served its purpose. I must remember to cancel it once this next switch has gone through - won't be switching out of this one for now, as it's a joint FD account and we have a regular saver on the go.

Cheery_Daff

Busy day today! Continuing my productive work week too. Funny how some weeks you're just ON IT. This is definitely one of those weeks, and a good job too, as last week definitely wasn't 🙄😂 It had best continue tomorrow, I have SO much to do at the minute 🙄

On the non-work front

* MUST decide what to do about boots and reply to ebay woman. Feeling bad about sending them back, but equally I REALLY don't want to mess about with selling them on myself. Sending back is the best option- I'll reply to her tonight. 

* Job prep is ticking along. Contacted someone else for a chat today, and Mr Cheery has found a bunch of videos/interviews with panel members, so I'll watch those on Friday while I'm doing my rag rug or something. Tomorrow morning I need to email the admin person who sent out the letter asking for a strategy document they've asked us to respond to - I can't find a public copy anywhere, so need to ask if she'll send it (it's possible it doesn't exist, and they are talking theoretically, but I don't want to assume!)

* Need to set aside a day to go interview clothes shopping too - I have a dress I can wear if necessary, but the only thing I have to go over it is a rather bobbly cardigan. I also have boots I can wear, but they need reheeling. I might do that on Friday. 

* my dad's birthday is tomorrow. I've sent a card but it likely won't get there on time so I must remember to ring. I don't feel too bad - he didn't remember my birthday at all last year, and only got a Christmas card when I turned up at his house after New year 🙄😂

* Payday tomorrow, and it seems I will be up £58.07 as a result of the national insurance changes. I might add that amount onto my normal monthly savings total each month to make sure it gets put aside. 

* Octopods saving session this evening. I wasn't here. I did tell Mr Cheery, but he's full of cold and feeling rather sorry for himself, and when I got home he was asleep on the sofa, so I can't imagine there will have been much deliberate saving. Although he won't have had the oven or anything on I suppose! 😂

Nothing else to report. Not a NSD day. I took breakfast & lunch to work, but I did meet a friend this morning for a quick cuppa before work, and I stopped on the way home for a birthday card, and also picked up some pears. I was going to spend some of my co op points, but then realised my card wasn't in my purse. Must have got taken out when I did a bit of a purge before going on holiday - it's not one I use regularly. Must dig it out so I can use the points.

themadvix

Glad you're having one of those good weeks Cheery - they are like magic, but also gold dust. It feels so good though to get so much done.