Dusty's Frugal Fortnights Return!

dustydigger

Crazycatlady2 said:

I enjoy learning about your fortnightly method of budgeting. I’m concider if it as for example this week I get carers allowance, tax credits and hubbys wages nothing next week then following week child benefit and my sons DLA then nothing week after and we start again 😂 I’m always in a muddke as Direct debits are monthly etc so I never know what exactly is available or spoken for at any point. I’ll think on it some more x 

Ouch,that is a complicated situation. I am lucky that our finances are very simple indeed,just my pension,and our pension credit.

What I normally do is work over a 4 week period,divided into two segments. The day before a new fortnight starts I sit down and physically draw a 4 week calender,and I pencil in all the bills to pay,grocery deliveries etc for the two fortnights ahead.As the fortnights roll by bills or direct debits can change their fortnight,so I always make sure to have a solid bank buffer,and pay everything I can online,and deal with cash spending and any savings from my cash box. Works well for me,it will be interesting seeing how it works with the new energy expenses.

I dont to one of those zero sum budgets,I  would find it incredibly stressful accounting for every penny,but working on a fortnightly scale seems quite good for me.

Good luck with sorting yourself out. I revel in the peace of mind

beanielou

Sadly also the lack of immigrants also has a big impact on our NHS 

tooldle

dustydigger said:

@tooldle

economics is a very difficult complicated thing. They do say that if you have 3 economists in a room,at least 5 different theories will be posited! lol.

Like Japan,most of the western nations are now becoming post boomer societies,too few tax payers to support the oldiesas society demographics change. Most families today have only 1 or 2 kids,or even none.! I seem to remember articles warning of future difficulties analysing the situation and possible solutions as long as 30 years ago. Of course with our short term and adversarial political system nothing has been done.I would be interested in how societies like Norway,Denmark,Germany etc are coping.

I can surely see why young people are annoyed about the situation,but getting nasty with old people doesnt help one bit.Knotty problems indeed.

One of the most practical solutions in the short term of course is to encourage immigration,bring in an influx of young people who will work and pay tax and thus support us wrinklies.

hmm,whats that you say? We have cut down the flow of immigrants to a trickle,and left a huge community of 28,now 27 countries who could have helped supply us with tax paying folks Oh boy,you couldnt make it up.........

No simple solution sadly. It seems people across all age groups are unhappy at the moment. 

I don’t imagine the UK is particularly attractive to immigrants at the moment. Certainly in my place of work, some Europeans reassessed their plans post 2016, and left the UK. 

An influx of net contributors would be helpful, as would working with the resident population to enable changes designed to  help all to save and prosper. 

tooldle

beanielou said:

Sadly also the lack of immigrants also has a big impact on our NHS 

I know of a good few who left the NHS simply because of their promotion process. Most on the medical side are looking to climb the ladder and not to sit endlessly on a lower rung. A colleague who came to the NHS from India is now working in Canada, two from Pakistan have returned there, and a fourth from Africa remains here having left the NHS. Definitely not straight forward for those who are non Europeans. 

dustydigger

a few updates,since i seem a bit sporadic in posting lately

+ health. At last the shivers are gone, the ear infection is improving,but cant seem to shake of the waterworks problems or the bone pains around the shoulders and upper arms.even turning over in bed is painful. Because of the water problems I am up about 4 times a night running to the loo,then getting back to sleep is difficult. No wonder I go out like a light every afternoon!

+ still a week for my B12 jab,so hope it works better this time,this last 3 months have been pretty miserable.I have had problems with lethargy,doing very little work because of feeling tired,but I do think brain fog has been a little less,and depression perhaps less overwhelming. I am staying alcohol free,though a few times lately I have really had to try to keep my mind off wanting a drink. Could be that that is why less depression,because of course alcohol IS a major depressant.

---------

Mr D called me an hour ago to help him with something,and now Im doing supper,so I'll see you  tomorrow.

pollyanna_26

Crazycatlady2 said:

I enjoy learning about your fortnightly method of budgeting. I’m concider if it as for example this week I get carers allowance, tax credits and hubbys wages nothing next week then following week child benefit and my sons DLA then nothing week after and we start again 😂 I’m always in a muddke as Direct debits are monthly etc so I never know what exactly is available or spoken for at any point. I’ll think on it some more x 

Do ypu bank online vai an app CCL? I'm old school can't cope with smartphones arthritisx2 and fibro means the fingers struggle to connect with the brain. I use the phone banking system my bank has. Had to go into town recently as I always pay off anything I've spent on the credit card before the payment date.

Had a real problem last month when the phone banking system wasn't working and however hard I tried I was cut off after going through all the questions and didn't want a  late payment charge something that's never happened before.

I had to go into the branch in town first time in town since last October and it took ages to get the money to go through.

My youngest dd now deals with PIP and ESA SG via her smartphone she manges that ok but your son is a lot younger than her.

One good thing with phone banking is I get a weekly paper current account statement and a monthly one showing the direct debits etc through the post along with a monthly one when the CC is due.

I had an email from my local council when the first COL payment went into my account got a letter a couple of weeks ago no date on letter or postmark but I had to pick up the smaller payment from a post office with lots of ID. One thing was photograph ID. All I had was my bus pass. When that was due for renewal the council asked for a photo for the new one.

Luckily I got a set of four years ago in a photo booth. I'd done that after having my hair cut so a nice shiny graduated bob. I've been sporting lockdown hair since the start of the pandemic. Youngest trained as a hair stylist before her mobility took her off her feet. She managed a few quick trims but that photo was old and a long time ago. The council accepted it a few years ago but I was dubious the post office would. I haven't been on a bus for years but took that still in date pass and bank statements and other ID and crossed my fingers.

I used to send dds PIP and ESA forms signed for from the PO but was aware our postmaster and his wife had retired and a new couple had taken over who wouldn't recognise me.

She just looked at the undated with no postmark letter the council had sent- I noted the date in my diary when I received it so I didn't miss the deadline.

I hope you and yours are ok. I used to follow your thread so do take care of youself. I remember your own health wasn't good. The last tew years have made me realise that all the years of neglecting my health and being the doer have taken their toll. It helped ypungest a lot when we tried to get the wrong diagnosis looked at again/

Took 20 years but thanks to a brilliant GP  a lovely young counseller we got there in the end.

She's still ECV but her life is much better with the tools to deal with her problems and the right meds.

pollyx

pollyanna_26

Dusty I do worry about you  Rather than Mr Dusty taking the money out at the bank is there a cash machine near you you could go to with Mr Dusty to withdraw the cash. It's sad he was so good with figures but as he is making mistakes you can't afford money to go missing.

See if you can approach it in a gentle way.

I'me fit for nowt. It was pouring with rain when I left the post office. I had the big coat on and an umbrella.A chunky polo neck and gloves and struggled to walk to the Coop. I'm not used to that walk or crossing te road, just couldn't judge whete cars were heading.

The bank visit in town and back recently was straight there and back. A tourist town is not good I haven't shopped in town since a one off last October which was more than enough.

I manged to get my Cocodamol and Anti Allergy meds in the pharmacy next to the Coop.  Must have spent 2 hours in the Coop stocking up for a month.

My shopping was literally thrown into a lot  of those thin bags of those thin bags as I was getting the strong bags out.

Staggered out of the shop about two hours later still pouring with rain. Waited half an hour for a taxi wet and freezing . Started to feel dizzy and really weird.

A man about to enter the shop asked if I needed help but the taxi turned up and the driver packed everything in the boot. He carried all the bags to the door and then I flopped in the armchair.

When I started to put the shopping away a bottle of washing up liquid had leaked all over fresh food. No idea why someone would put WUL in a thin bag of fresh food luckily wrapped but I spent ages wiping everyrhing with anti bac wipes - only thing to hand but no energy to fetch warm water and a cloth.

Just hoping a couple of Cocodamol will knock me out tonight. Very low on sleep and trying to avoid the news.

Take care

pollyxx

beanielou

Take care polly  xx

pollyanna_26

beanieI watched the ceremony on the news the other day and was thinking of you. Only a couple of weeks to the 2nd to last Rebus book.Youngest will get it first. As a reader all my life I am very irritated I haven't been able to follow the plot in a book. It's very Alien to me not to read myself to sleep.

I hope your coat arrives soon and the PIP gets sorted. My first big coat was a real bargain Iused to buy my boot socks in a outdoors shop. Warm as toast and very long lasting 3 pairs for £10. When I went to pay for them they were half price and the shop assistant said thy were relocating andeverything was reduced. Youngest was already grabbing the bargains and I zoomed in on a knee length Craghopper coat. Very warm with a hood. That coat went to hospitals, dds face to face benefits assessments etc and the surgery in bad weather.

I used to have all sorts in my bag waterproofs, boots if the weather might break and sandals if it was dry when we set off. Thick cardigans if I was wearing a blouse and little cardie..I got to trust the big coat.

A few years later I began to worry I might be stuck if it need replacing so looked on the Big River site. There was a Craghopper coat similar at a very low price my coat had been discontinued but it was a good price. The new one has been worn a few time so it didn't feel  ignored but I doubt I'll ever need to track down another big, warm coat.

Keep plodding beanie I hope Miss Summer is ok after her vet visit. It's a pity she couldn't bring back the Summer  minus the heatwaves.

I find the only person I'm listening to on the news is Chris Mason. Larry the Cat likes him and that's good enough for me.

Keep plodding.

pollyxx

pollyanna_26

I lked Gordon Brown beanie he seemed a voice of reason among a lot of stupidity.

pollyx