The Mental Debt Struggle...

Keedie

Hit the Black Friday sales for the kids Christmas presents and I've got some great bargains from The Works and my nieces and nephews will be very happy and I've managed to get some stuff for my friend's kids as well. Got 3 kids presents for £12 and another 3 for £25 for the older kids. All with free delivery and they came today. I went back for the other stuff I needed but didn't want to pay £1.99 delivery, so I had them sent to the store near my East London Sister's house and she'll pick them up for me in the week.

I was also excited to see that Care Co and Cool Crutches both have Black Friday sale and so I've been able to cross 3 things off my AWE List with my PIP money. I now have a nice black folding walking stick with a carry case that can fit in my rucksack and I can use when I need it, which is most days to be honest. I've also got a nice pair of black crutches, and I was tempted to get one that had nice white stars on them, but I realised that I'm just not cool enough to pull off such a snazzy design 😂. Also I have my rollator finally and this one folds into its own carry case and can go in the boot of the car and has a little space for me to clip my walking stick and has a detachable satchel. I'm quite pleased with myself as I've only brought things that I genuinely need and I got 25% off the stick and crutches and 21% off the rollator. So the PIP funds can stretch further. Yay.

I met with a friend yesterday and we went to Pizza Express so that we could use our Tesco Clubcard rewards, with the £0.50 club card voucher being worth £1.50 off the bill. So was really happy as we both got a drink, shared a starter and got two mains that we split and I only spent £13.50 after I used some clubcard voucher rewards. We said that we'll rotate the venues in line with our clubcards so we can continue to eat on the cheap 🤣.

Sun_Addict

Sounds like you got some great bargains. I hate paying p&p too, it’s good your sister can pick them up for you. I’ll have a look at Care Co because Mr SA could do with a fold up walking stick.

Keedie

Yeah paying £1.99 delivery for a £12 order is ridiculous. Asda was also trying to charge me £0.50 click and collect fee plus £3 for having a basket under £25 and all I was trying to do was buy a Spiderman cutlery set, plate and bowl for my nephew and the total was £6, but click and collect charges (not even delivery) would have made it £9.50 for no reason. So I just popped in there and paid the £6 only.

@Sun_Addict, the folding walking stick I got was from Cool Crutches, as the handle is moulded for the right hand (they sell the left hand mould as well), as the current folding stick is too thin and smooth and I needed something broader as my hand was cramping. But Care Co has folding sticks and folding crutches.

Keedie

Forgot to say @Sun_Addict, that Care Co is cheaper but my hands (and skin) are hyper sensitive to different materials and so I'm trying my hand at a more expensive model. But if that doesn't work, I'll send it back and get the one I saw on Care Co for a fraction of the price. There's good choice on there. They also have folding crutches.

badmemory

I hope you got it VAT free.  As you get PIP you must be entitled I'm sure.

Keedie

Yes I got the VAT exemption on all items @badmemory. Sadly I only discovered that was a thing within the last year, so spent many years before that buying everything full price 🤦🏾‍♀️. We live and learn...😂.

badmemory

Hope you didn't mind me putting in a reminder.  So many people don't know & the sooner they do the better.

Keedie

Definitely don’t mind @badmemory. I just wish we’d known this when my dad was alive. We could’ve saved so much money on all the things we brought him to help make his life more easier towards the end. That’s the downside of relying on Amazon as well instead of going directly to companies that deal with mobility aids etc. Amazon may be cheaper but often the difference in product quality can be quite stark as well. Well in my experience. But maybe I was just being overly cheap 🤣

Sun_Addict

CareCo are literally a stone’s throw from my workplace so that’s handy. I knew about the VAT free for registered disabled but only found out by chance. There are so many things that no one tells you. 

Keedie

There really is so much out there that no one tells you about! I feel like I'm discovering everything by chance... And if it wasn't for this forum or off-handed chats with people, I wouldn't have insight to have the things that I do, and yet they're all so useful. It's good that you can fit CareCo into your daily routine @Sun_Addict, and it won't be 1,000s of steps out of the way (I still can't believe how many steps you do in day!). Have you ever looked at what you've done in a month or a year? I reckon you've walked the equivalent of a motorway route at least.