Dusty's Frugal Fortnights Return!

dustydigger

Well I lasted 15 minutes in the kitchen before I had to sit down. Managed the washing up,put away dishes,a quick swipe of the hob and some gunk on the bench,and prepped the potatoes,but the back was killing me so I'm taking 15 mins break,then do the veg. Have one last meal of lamb. From our family friend,so straight from a farm,so tender.

. Had a break,so back to doing the veg,then will try to do one tidying task in kitchen. I have no room in my usual cupboard where I store my bottled water,so have been stacking under the kitchen table. Looks so awful,messy and in the way. I really need to rearrange my cupboards. I was fine in the past,a place for everything and everything in its place,but once I started stocking up in case of shortages I have no space anywhere!

damn,I need extra storage!

tooldle

There is a column in the link for paying cash in via a debit card (automated payments columns). Just scroll down to see if your bank has a tick in the box. 

I completely understand about Mr Dusty. My mum always ran the household finances prior to her dementia. My Dad first took control of their finances when mum forgot to pay a couple of important bills. If anything, mum seemed relieved. When I took control a few months later, after Dad's death, she asked a couple of times how she would access cash and then made no further mention. Mr Dusty may be relieved to have his role in the finances reduced, particularly if he is becoming anxious. 

dustydigger

@tooldle
thanks for your concern,tooldle.He wants to keep to his old regime,just insists on taking out every penny every fortnight and allocating it. He refuses to use ATMs except the one in his bank,otherwise we could just use a debit card as and when we needed money,but he is adamant. Since his bank and mine are 7 miles away,he wouldnt like going all that way just to get money out of the machine repeatedly,so his old way of getting cash,then putting some in his savings account.and my share in my bank next door,and bringing home the rest to share out as daily expenses and his pocket money suits him,reassures him.

dustydigger

YAY,30/27 alcohol free days in Nov. I love getting gold stars

I usually aim for 27 AFDs,but will put down 25,to give some leeway for December,but I should reach the 250 AFD level this year,and achieve the choir singing,250 days =

May be a bit childish,but the emojis are such a delight. Many times I've thought of having a drink,then thought,oh no,I wouldnt get my cat swishing its tail on the moon if I did that. In August I missed my gold star because a friend insisted on buying me a whiskey at a do,and I was grumpy for days. Had gold stars ever since

Anyone can just pop in and see what we are doing,its fun looking at the emojis,and seeing how people are doing.Come and have a look anytime!

dustydigger

Had a bad day. Woke up and stupidly rushed to sit up,since it was 8.30. Set off the vertigo, which I very rarely get these days since I usually take great care in sitting up slowly. Of course I went really woozy. Took 30 mins to manage to get up the grit to stand up. I bent over so my head was way down at chest level,looking at the floor so I could gingerly shuffle to the loo.. Still a bit sickly,but havent vomited or fallen,as I have done many times in the past. I have even crawled to the bathroom at bad times in the past,so it wasnt too bad an episode. Still cant stand straight  though.

Oh well,its a different symptom for a change. My 6 weeks and counting cold is dying down at last,so of course it was time for something different! 

beanielou

Take care  x

Muddy_Walker

Hello Dusty 🌼
I have been following this thread and thoroughly enjoyed it! You also gave me a cracking idea - I used to sort my money from one month to the next which didn’t work so then did it weekly which just overwhelmed me. When I saw your thread I thought aha! Try fortnightly as I get paid mid month and hubby end of the month and I’m glad to say it has helped enormously!
so a big thank you for that.
I also love reading but mostly kindle unlimited dire detective stuff ……..🤣

Paspatur

dustydigger said:

Very sad for a man who was a chief accountant,overseeing staff pays,buying and selling millions worth of commodities,and preparing monthly and yearly accounts for head office and 8 factories, now puzzling over allocating £400 a fortnight. 

I don't understand why a man with an important job like that has no private/company pension and no State Pension only Pension credit. Are you sure his entitlement is correct?

dustydigger

Paspatur said:

dustydigger said:

Very sad for a man who was a chief accountant,overseeing staff pays,buying and selling millions worth of commodities,and preparing monthly and yearly accounts for head office and 8 factories, now puzzling over allocating £400 a fortnight. 

I don't understand why a man with an important job like that has no private/company pension and no State Pension only Pension credit. Are you sure his entitlement is correct?

We were living in Africa then,and Idi Amin totally destroyed the economy  and hyperinflation, insane inflation reduced wages to nothing. When we went there the average local pay as a top executive was 1700 shillings a month,ordinary workers got around 400,a houseboy got 100 sh a month. But he could feed himself easily. A massive pile of potatoes was one shilling! A kilo of meat was 4sh. A tray of eggs 1sh.A loaf of bread was 30 cents Soon inflation was at thousands of percent a year. By the 80s the currency was worthless,a thousand times less value than when we went there. Now they made a new currency ,dividing an old note of 100 sh to be only one shilling,but still it continued,till a bar of soap,50 cents before,cost 600 shillings.And wages were still  If you could find it that is.Everybody had to find some other way to exist when his whole pay only bought a bag of sugar!. The, last year we were there Mr Dusty gave up being an accountant and became a taxi driver Our original life insurance had been 100,000 shillings. Now with the divided currency that was 1000sh,and it cost almost that to go to close the account.All the western insurance companies closed down and left the country.

Bad times,and even when Amin was finally overthrown the political corruption continued,leading to civil war. We left Uganda like refugees,our big house and two cars lost to us,we came with barely a suitcase each,only to find Thatcher had instigated the worst recession since the Depression. No work available,and we had 4 kids,and had to live with my mother. Mr Dusty tried for hundreds of jobs but being a black foreigner in the 80s was not good,to say the least.Mr Dusty,mid forties by then,never worked as an accountant again.By the time the 80s recessions were over he was one of those long term unemployed in a very depressed area indeedFrom a top executive to being on the dole in one of the hardest hit areas in Britain for over a decade was no joke.He suffered major depression for years,was sort of relieved to get to 60 and go on pension credit.Being called a scrounging foreigner was very hurtful back then,after that he could say he was a pensioner!

But at least we  were safe,life had become hair raising in Uganda,as I have explained before.

As a result I am heartbroken at the plight of millions of people in today's worsening conditions. They havent lived through major recessions and dont have a clue  about the impact on jobs and homes. So sad;

oh on the matter of pensions. the African pension pot became worthless,wouldnt buy more than a loaf. Mr Dusty had done a little work in college vacation time here,and he gets a princely £18 a year,a one off payment in December!

I do better,getting £39 a week because I didnt work since I was caring for my mother and bringing up 4 kids.So we have always been on Income Support or Pension Credit. A lot easier today after Gordon Brown helped us so much,butback in the 90s with 4 kids,plus also supporting Mr Dusty's widowed mother.No old age pension there,we had to supply all her needs,and those of his daughters who lived with her..

No wonder I have been an Frugal expert for so many years!

It was eithet that or go under.

So when people denigrate unemployed and call them scroungers etc,all I say is try walking in their shoes for a while. You have no idea.........

 

Paspatur

Thank you for the detailed reply
I didn't realise your husband had not worked in the UK hence my confusion about the pension situation
Good that you had somewhere to flee to