15months to debt free - I hope

Sun_Addict

Well done on the weight loss, you’re doing really well. 

A neighbour got a puppy 2 years ago at the age of 92. His previous dog passed away and his family persuaded him to get a new one as it kept him active. He’s out a couple of times a day walking, you wouldn’t believe how old he is if you saw him. So maybe Bear isn’t your last dog…

jwil

Well done on the weightloss!  That's brilliant.

A laptop pretty much sets itself up these days, there are step by step instructions as you switch it on for the first time.

ladyholly

Many thank to everyone for your comments.

I actually have the use of the computer all morning and most evening but just occasionally he comandeers it for himself in the evening which always irritates me especially when its because he is looking to spend money on stuff I dont think he needs like dash cams but shows no interest in spending money on the house like the hallway and stairs. I think I have enough saved for that now so need to get in touch with decorators. (I hate phoning tradesmen).

I will give the laptop some serious thought though but at the moment other things are more important such as a TV that doesn turn itself off when it feels like it.

With regard to Bear being our last dog although Mr LH is pretty fit I do worry if we had another one I would be left with it if anything happened to him and I am not that mobile. I would hate to take on a rescue and any dog would be a rescue and then have to rehome it as I couldnt meet its needs. If we could find one that needed minmal walking that might be an answer but hopefully it wont come up for several years as Bear is only about 6 years old although obviously we dont know his exact age and that is a vets estimate who dont always get it anywhere near correct.

Off now to get on with something useful. I was going to clean some windows but as it is pouring with rain that wont be happening. Bear even cut his walk short this morning as he is not a fan of getting wet.

FreetodoasIlike

Well done on your weight loss - you are doing well, as 3lbs is a lot. Alas, I’m just not losing the weight I need to, but then again I just need to try harder and try to be more mobile.

I know you love dogs. I do too (as well as cats, as I don’t think you have to be in just one camp). I always had cats because I didn’t think it was fair to have a dog when we both worked long hours out of the home. The cats had their own flap and were lovely. Now that we’re retired, I have walked several dogs. I used to walk my aunt’s dog when I was still working, as she lived just across the road from the school where I last worked. She was a very lively, quite untrained, border collie and was really unsuitable for her and my elderly uncle. Living in a terraced house, they didn’t have a garden (only a yard where she did her ‘business’) but she was totally the wrong breed of dog to have. The re-homing centre really should have done some background checks and got them a smaller, older dog for them. My uncle became ill and my aunt wasn’t mobile so she wasn’t getting the walks she needed at her young age. When my uncle died, and my aunt went into sheltered accommodation and she couldn’t have a dog, she was eventually re-homed to a family with young children, with a large garden, and was well looked after. It was heartbreaking for my aunt,  but really a blessing for the dog, in my opinion. I was still working at the time, and although I would have loved to have her, I didn’t feel it was fair on the dog.

Now, I walk dogs for my neighbours (don’t charge) - one for a couple who are out all day, one for my elderly neighbour’s elderly Labrador who is quite content with just walking around the block (bless her) and for another neighbour who is undergoing cancer treatment. I get my enjoyment that way. For those who say, get a dog and it will enhance your life, I really don’t want the responsibility of owning one. It’s not just the cost, but my partner doesn’t want one, and I have to respect that. So, I guess my point is, you can still love and walk dogs that aren’t your own. My friend (who is working) ‘shares’ a dog with a retired couple. They look after him during the day and she takes him on long walks at the weekend, and they dog sit for one another when they are both on holiday. A win, win situation all round. I suppose my point is that you don’t have to own a dog to love them. Anyway, as Bear is quite young, you still have a lot of years ahead of you. 

Anyway, enough about dogs! Have you thought about getting a tablet of some sorts? I was VERY lucky to be gifted an iPAD as a retirement gift but I know you can can get tablets that are a lot cheaper. Maybe use your Bay or E sales to save up for one? Just a thought if Mr LH is commandeering the laptop? My ‘phone is rubbish and inexpensive (my choice, as I don’t really ‘do’ ‘phones) so the internet is rubbish. When I was asked (not so discreetly by a nominated colleague!) what I wanted for a retirement gift, I told them “PC World” vouchers, which I would put towards a tablet, so I wasn’t greedy! I was lucky to receive an iPad, I know, but then again it was an Independent School, where ALL the kids had a school one for their work, so it must have been very heavily discounted! Moi, cynical? No - just grateful that I got my iPad!

ladyholly

 FreetodoasIlike

Hello lovely to hear from you. I do understand the dog problem. Collie puppies are so cute they often end up in unsuitable homes as do huskys as people dont realise how much exercise they need and a bored dog tends to find its own occupation that usually ends up destroying things. We have had two collies. The second one came from a home where the owners were moving and couldnt take him so he was put into rescue. The first was also a rescue but was found tied up outside their gates and it was thought he was an abandoned travellers dog. He was very difficult to walk and hated all other dogs but he ended up the most amazing dog who would do anything for Mr LH although less so for me ( Collies tend to be one person dogs).

There is an organisation that pairs people with people who need help walking their dogs but I cant remember the name of it. We were given our first dog when I was 21 and he could come to work with me but when he died we didnt get another one until Mr LH retired for much the same reason as you. We probably wouldnt have got one  until I retired as well but my friend was given her and then became ill and couldnt look after her so she came to us. She too was an amazing dog and looked after all our others both ours and fosters. In fact if she found a dog misbehaving even if it wasnt ours she had no hesitation in telling it off. She was great at helping fosters and new dogs to settle and gave them courage when needed. Not surprisingly she was a Jack Russell and like most of them had all the confidence in the world.

I make very little money from the ebay sales as it is all very cheap stuff but I do save it for Christmas and birthdays. I could get either a tablet or laptop with my attendance allowance as that goes towards household stuff but just havent got around to investigating. I am very good at prevaricating hence still not contacted decorators.

I am trying to more (Not specifically exercise as at the moment I am concentrating on the house which has been neglected for a while). as well as changing my diet to a healthier one.

Many thanks for your post.

ladyholly

Evening all. Well hasn't the weather been awful. The garden has had water lying in places it has never done before. It has gone now but the field we take Bear is almost a cross between a bog and a swimming pool. There are very few people using it strangely enough except Mr LH who takes Bear round it while I walk up the path then we do a road walk so he gets his full amount of exercise.

I couldnt clean the windows except the other side of the paatio windows to the conservatory as they are inside and then I decided to get down the curtains and wash them. They were pretty disgusting as I have been putting it off for ages. This doesnt sound much but they are pretty large and one only just fits in the washing machine so three loads including the pelmet. I hang them straight from the washing machine so they are quite heavy to hang up but dont need ironing that way. Anyway they are looking much better and I am proud of myself for doing them. I just need to do the ones at the other end of the lounge which are much smaller as they arent full length.

I have spent no money today but I cant say the same for Mr LH who now has his dash cam ordered. I cant really complain too much as he doesnt spend much on himself and even with the work on the car it only comes £125 pm and as the wax oil will extend the life of the car it is an investment or am I just trying to convince myself? Anyway it keeps him happy and gives him something new to play with.

Food today Breakfast - oats and fruit, lunch - salad, scrambeld egg which I put in the microwave too long so it was more a crushed omelette, b & b, Dinner - Beans on toast with no butter on the toast. Snacks grapes, banana - not shared with bear who had his own and a spoonful of yoghurt.

Have a good evening.

PennysIntoPounds

Washing curtains sounds impressive to me!

Sorry if I'm being intrusive again, but did Mr LH pay for that out of his own funds/pot? 125 pm sounds a lot to me!

Have you checked that you're in receipt of all the benefits you're entitled to, especially since you seem to do quite a lot that Mr LH can't help with because of his mental health?

ladyholly

Mr LH does not have his own money. All our money is dealt with by me.  Our car is a grey import from Japan and as such is very subject to rust (there are many that have been scrapped for corrosion). Cars that are not made for the UK market have no under seal as the Japanese do not salt their roads they use, I understand, volcanic ash of some description. This is why the amount of money he has had is so high as the wax oiling process is pricey. I don't really regard the cost as his personal spend as it benefits me as well. The sat nav that he has recently bought is a replacement as we would never find my bil without it and as he is quite elderly and waiting for tests to be done for life threatening diseases we may have to drop everything at short notice. He has no other family except a couple of cousins who are older than him and although I am not a blood relative my sister asked me to make sure he is ok. I am slightly irritated by the sat nav but again to be fair to him the police did recommend it as we are not convinced the owners of the dog we had a problem would not do something to the car as they know where we live and he is not a nice person. 
With regard to benefits yes we get what we are entitled to. 

Thank you for your suggestions and I hope you understand the reasons for the high expenditure. It is unusual for him to spend the amount he has this year but it is an old car and to get something similar would be pricey as it is a camper which he uses for festivals. I love his festivals as I get a few days peace.

jwil

You don't need to justify your spends, but I think there might be a typo there, which looks like it's £125 per month?  I'm assuming that's not correct, because that does seem to be a huge amount, and I think that is the concern.

I'm really impressed with how much you are achieving, and still hoping you'll come and do my house as well   

ladyholly

jwil said:

You don't need to justify your spends, but I think there might be a typo there, which looks like it's £125 per month?  I'm assuming that's not correct, because that does seem to be a huge amount, and I think that is the concern.

I'm really impressed with how much you are achieving, and still hoping you'll come and do my house as well   

Sorry jwil I have enough trouble keeping my house vaguely presentable. If you had seen the state of the curtains when I took them down you would know what I mean.

As I explained the £125 included the wax oling for the car which was pricey and a one off which will keep the car from disintegrating into a pile of rust. His real personal spends are much less as he asks for very little on the whole other than a couple of festivals and his cigarettes which the gp has reccomended he doesn't give up due to his mental health which declines severely if he gives up. He has cut down a lot in the last few years and they keep him on a more even keel so I dont begrudge him. It also save my health from dealing with the fall out.