We will get this debt down & the savings up

joedenise

Have you thought about putting the money into Premium Bonds? They're reasonably easy to get back in a few days if necessary. Your DH would be able to contact them if anything happened to you to get the money back fairly quickly.

Makingabobor2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82170129#Comment_82170129

Never given that any thought TBH. Wonder what the chances of winning anything would be if I just bought a couple of hundred £ worth?

ellenvan

Small chance, but you never know.

Somewhere on MSE site there is a premium bonds probability calculator.

Makingabobor2

Well thanks for the suggestion of PBs. I did run the idea past DH…he had no idea how they even worked! How can he get to be the age he is and not know these things?? Anyway, he's not sure about it, and said he had no thoughts one way or the other! Why are men so stupid sometimes?

So how has today gone so far? Another item finally sold on V!nt*d, only £4, but it all helps. DH also sold a pair of motorbike boots that he asked me to list for him, so that's encouraging as well.

Another £10 cashed out of P/fc last night.

Nipped out to get a chicken for the weekend, and stopped at GC to drop off some old unwanted plant pots. Had a quick whizz through the GC but managed to resist all the temptation. The Christmas display is amazing if you like that sort of thing. Personally I just hurried through 'cause don't want to think about it. I browsed the lovely food hall and did find a reduced (red & white stickered, in their case), loaf which DH will enjoy. Also had a browse in the LL Kitchenware shop. Apparently they have over 400 Christmas items! So basically 400 things, you never knew you needed, and have managed to survive this many years without having them! There was a time, pre LBM, when I probably would have bought a few, but now I limit myself to what I actually need. I did need a silicone spatuala, and while I was paying for it I asked her to check if I was still registered as I hadn't had any vouchers from them for ages. Apparently yes I am, and maybe buying the spatula will trigger the vouchers to start again.

Hoovered and steamed the kitchen floor and just about to hoover upstairs and then do some online stuff, and maybe some piano practice, as not touched it for a couple of weeks or more as been so busy.

Oh yes…DH put the pull out shelf thing in for me last night in one of the kitchen cupboards. Not sure about it and still debating whether to keep it or return them both. Think I may have to do some cupboard shuffling and sort out some more stuff we don't want. I hadn't realised just how much of the actual shelf space you lose, at the back and about 3 cm on one side. They may work if I move stuff around. We had also been thinking about maybe getting a cupboard for the dining room to keep stuff I don't use so often. So going to do some jiggery pokery and see what I can sort out. I am sure there is quite a bit of stuff I don't use. Then I was thinking how people keep saying about starting to stockpile a few bits!…Where would I put that?? Watch this space and I'll let you know what happens.

foxgloves

We like using PBs as some of our regular monthly savings. We started buying them nearly 3 years ago & have had 5 wins. 2 x £100, 2 x £25 & 1 x £50. We enjoy the fun of having them & thinking 'What if...?' much like pre-LBM when we did the National Lottery. On prize draw day, Mr F always goes off for work saying, "Let me know when you get that knock on the door from Agent Millions', lol. They are utterly random so every £1 bond has an equal chance of being selected as any other £1 bond, it's just that someone with the maximum amount invested has 50,000 numbers in each monthly draw compared to our few thousand numbers. We'd never go back to doing the lottery....I like that we can get the whole of our PB money back into our account if we need it.

Makingabobor2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82170949#Comment_82170949

Yes, I think I'm still considering it. So do you still buy a few more every month? Or did you just stick with your original ones?

foxgloves

No, we treat our PBs as one of our regular savings accounts, so it is 'paid into' (as in we buy some more) every month.

Makingabobor2

So, apart from having to put some petrol in the car ( from the petrol pot) on the way to the in-laws this morning, we have managed not to spend anything else. I do have a Mr S order coming tomorrow though, but on a Saver slot, so only costing £1…anytime between 6 & 10am. Although I've never known it come at 6 on a Sunday. Housekeeping pot is about where it should be for this time in the budget, and with any luck I won't be having to buy much the next couple of weeks. I have checked the prices of the things I've ordered to make sure its the best value, and also had £2.50 worth of points to use. DH wanted some beer, so he has paid for that himself from personal spends. Its always good if he wants that, as it means I can get a smaller shop if needed without having to spend £50. We have a chicken from the butcher for tomorrow which I will cook in the SC and get at least 3 meals from, and possibly some extra. So even though the price of a decent chicken has gone up, I still think its good value overall, and also chicken is full of protein, which is excellent. I will have to pop into either A!d! or L!d! on Tues when I go for my covid jab, as we buy oatmilk or almond milk, and I refuse to pay Mr S's prices for that.

So I did have to pay for the covid jab I am having, but as its at B00ts, I will get points…. as long as I remember to take my card to the till and actually ask for them apparently. So that's quite good. I still have quite a few point left from when I paid for my hearing aids deposit as well.

DH put the other shelf pull out thing in this afternoon, and now I have thought more about it, I think they will work ok. I just need a day when I can clear out all the cupboards and move things around a bit. Keeping the cardboard box they came in, as it will be useful for taking stuff to the CS next week. We also dropped some bits at the tip on the way to In-laws, so feel like we are gradually decluttering a bit more now.

Another pair of old motorbike boots of DH's sold on V!nt*d, so pleased with that. He had been advertising on some random specialist FB group and I told him V!nt*d was better, but he didn't want to believe me. Strange how they sold so quickly after weeks and weeks on the other group…LOL Think I've only got a couple of bits left on there now, so will go through the wardrobe and see what else I can find. Its strange but now I've had my September/autumn reset I feel much more energised and enthusiastic about all things MSE. DMIL owed me for something she had asked me to get for her, and I didn't have any change, so she said to not worry about it. Only £3, but to me that feels like a win.

So that's about it now. Think its time to put on my pjs and snuggle under a fleece and see what's on TV. DH is playing his guitar and I am too tired to play piano now, so will have a practice in the morning.

foxgloves

I defo agree that a chicken is still good value for how many meals it can make.

My piano playing has lapsed recently & I've missed it. Will try & re-instate a daily play this week.

Good news on those boots selling. Mr F has some nice shirts which could be sold but he won't use online selling sites because he thinks they're full of crims. While I've defo encountered some weirdoes on there, I have always been paid.....except for one buyer years ago who paid by cheque which never arrived in the post & she was convinced I'd stolen it so I could keep the item. I pointed out that she only had to look at her bank statement to see that I couldn't cash what I hadn't received but I think she was too dim to understand this!

Makingabobor2

Oh dear @foxgloves , love that story. There are some dim people around. I used to encounter lots of problems in Eb*y years ago, but V*nt*d seems a lot better, apart from the one problem I had with that rain jacket, but that was down to the courier and I was eventually compensated the full amount.