We will get this debt down & the savings up

Blackcats

how annoying about the garden centre membership. We cancelled ours and it was due for renewal this month so I'll keep an eye on that.

Makingabobor2

So a good start to the new month, and the new 4 week budget period. Went to L*d! this morning and used my £5 off £40 spend, as well as 50% off the crisps DH likes ( max 3 packets per customer), also had 15% off bread rolls, then found a 15% off bag salad. Got some 4p carrots, parsnip and swede. Spent enough to trigger the free bakery item and also a free veg item. So nipped back in, as not sure if I will go again within the 7 days, and I got a Belgian bun for DH and a red cabbage. No point getting the potatoes this time as we still have a sack and a half in the garage. So all in all a good shop. Then nipped in Mr S, ( which I can do while still parked in L*d!), as I like Oatibix, and can't get them in L*d!, they had them with 80p off if you used N*ctar card. So bought 2 boxes, and then won't need any for ages. I don't have them every day, and only have 1 1/2 instead of 2, so they last a long time. Can't eat Weetabix as it upsets my IBS

Not much more to report on the MSE front really. Did a comparison check for the house ins renewal, and we will be staying with Adm*r*!. Been with them for years now, and even when others have come up cheaper, they are always happy to discount. This year it has gone up a bit, but only about £20 a year, so happy with that. We pay yearly now, as we have a "annual bills" pot, and it works out so much better than paying monthly.

So off to get dinner now, Jacket potato and salad, with some tuna I think. Then need to get the meal plan sorted for the next 10 days or so.

Blackcats

wow to your March survey earnings - that's brilliant. Well done!

Makingabobor2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81946785#Comment_81946785

Thanks, I was really pleased with it.

Makingabobor2

Well. what a busy week it has been. I don't like bank holiday weeks, as it throws me completely.

The 2 sunny days were lovely, and I managed to get a lot done in the garden, now have beetroot showing which is a surprise, as I've never sown them before, they are currently in large troughs in the greenhouse. On the front bedroom window sill I have tomatoes and peppers, which I also surprised and delighted me, as never grown them from seed either. I have also bought some tomato plants though, just in case, and a couple of courgette plants, all sat in the sun upstairs. Think last year I put them out too early, so not sure exactly when they should go out, my online googling seems to suggest anything from mid April to mid?? I have sown radish, but nothing showing there at all, so think they were cheap and nasty seeds, as the chocolate peppers of the same make aren't showing anything either. Potatoes and carrots are in, but can't see any signs of anything yet….am I just being too impatient?? I also harvested my first 2 sticks of rhubarb and made a lovely crumble with some strawberries added to it, that were sat in the fridge waiting to get used up. Very tasty it was too. Thinking of making a large amount of crumble topping and freezing it in small portions so its easier when I fancy making one.

My magazine arrived with the 2 for 1 garden entrance discount and free flower seeds. So will sit down and read that later. We are going for a long weekend just after my birthday in June and want to visit a RHS garden near there

Housekeeping pot is very much on target this period, and plenty of stuff in freezer/fridge and cupboards so should only need a few bits next week, some fruit and few bits of veg, maybe a loaf…..I keep saying I am going to start bread making, but just seem so busy. I did have to buy washing powder, fabric softener and loo rolls this week and must say I am shocked at how much they seem to have gone up. I like to buy a bigger packet/bottle etc as it works out cheaper in the long run, but it is mega expensive now.

Debt amount is on the decline still, which is always good news.

Took a bag of stuff to a different charity shop this week, as our local one is currently closed and having a new floor installed. Thought I'd have a browse while I was there and found a door curtain…just the one I have been after to match our lounge curtains (our porch door comes straight into the lounge). I had been wanting the matching one for ages, but it was very dear in D*nh*lm, this one is in perfect condition and only £6. So now I can donate the old horrible brown one to charity and hang up the lovely mustard/gold/ochre….whatever colour its really called….LOL

Today was just a massive cleaning day, after an early morning trip to the gym and picked up a couple of bags of compost on the way back. I have stripped the bed, cleaned upstairs and down, including a good deep clean of the bathroom. All cleaning cloths have had a good energy saving wash and now hanging on the line. Just need to get the compost out the boot of the car, and get some dinner. Then hopefully a relaxing weekend, with some time in garden.

Dakota_Rose

Great job on the charity shop find! I love it when the perfect find happens 😊

Makingabobor2

Well, a whole week has passed since my last update, and this will be a very short one as I'm not feeling 100% at the moment. Just wanted to say I have had a busy week, started on a few outstanding jobs, both indoors and in the garden, but had a few rubbish nights and been very tired. Then today I had to go back for another hearing test…can't believe its a year, since I tested the hearing aids. Hearing is worse in the right ear and I also have a few issues with noises sounding loud and echoey on TV and in my dancing class. Looks like I really do need to give the hearing aids another go, which is not good, as they are sooooo expensive….just short of £4K! I can pay over 12 months interest free, as long as I put down at least 10% deposit. DH thinks to use £1K from the EF for the deposit would be ok, but I am not a fan of that as it is not an emergency really, but I know we will get it back up again soon. DH's payrise kicked in this week, and my pension rise starts this month as well, for both the private and state pension, so its not that we don't have the funds, just that I would rather be putting the funds to the debt and not hearing aids. Although creditors are happy with the amount we are paying, I just wanted to pay it quicker. But I know that the longer I leave it, the worse my hearing will get. So we'll have a talk about it when DH gets in tonight.

Think the stress of this is what's making me feel a but yuk tonight….that plus too much sugar, which I really am going to do something about now.

So will try and do a better update over the weekend. Hope I'll feel better by tomorrow.

foxgloves

Hope you can get your hearing issues sorted out. £4K is a lot of money but there again, hearing is one of our primary senses. Am assuming this is private, rather than NHS hearing aids?

I'm convinced that my recent migraine was due to eating lots of sugar over Easter. It can make me feel very sluggish. Have had more energy since all the Easter choc has gone & sugary things have gone back to being a treat rather than a food-group. Hope you pick up soon.

F x

Blackcats

I hope you are feeling a bit better today.

Yes, £4k is a lot of money but sometimes we have to prioritise ourselves. In my view the big financial institutions can wait a bit longer for their money - a repayment delay won't make a difference to them but hearing aids will make a difference to you. I I know this is a DFW forum and I've not always been financially responsible (that's an understatement) but YOU are important.

Makingabobor2

Yes @foxgloves , this is through B00ts. I did start off with the NHS the other year, had the initial test….which was rubbish as I was in a room where I could hear everything going on outside in the corridor, so no chance of hearing his beeps properly. He just said…."yes you have a hearing problem" then suggested they put me on a waiting list for hearing aids, with no other explanation or discussions. But then told me the wait was well over 12 weeks just to get the initial appointment. My friend who had NHS ones, was basically just given them and told to get on with them, with no chance of any follow up appointments or help if she needed it. So I thought private was the best option, also it turns out that the NHS ones are way behind in terms of technology, so a lot of there's are like the basic ones that you can get privately and no good at all if you have other issues other than just general hearing loss. Once I went for a private test I could see the difference, she explained it all and showed me the graphs of it all on the screen and telling me what it all meant. I had never realised it was all so involved TBH.

Thank you @Blackcats , I think you are right. Although I still feel bad about having to spend that amount of money, I do think it is something I need to do. If I was 88 and not 68, maybe I wouldn't bother, but I think I have a lot more years ahead of me and so many things I want to do, that involve being able to hear correctly.