We will get this debt down & the savings up

2Scratters

DH has gone to T'asda for his varifocal glasses as they do not charge any more for them. Just waiting for them to ring to say ready. He is chuffed with himself. This happened due to this site and someone saying about it on a thread. 

2 Scratters xx

Makingabobor2

LittleMissDetermined said:

One thing about B&Q is that they offer a 365 day return policy so if you do get an extra roll and then need to return it, you can

Hadn't realised it was 365 days, that's good to know. 

Makingabobor2

Having one of those times when you just feel fed up, for the last couple of days. I think I know why, DH has come down with some silly, nasty cough virus and has taken a couple of days off work. That just seems to completely throw me out.  He has stayed upstairs so as not to infect me and is wearing a mask when he comes down, bless him. But why do I get irritated by him being home? Isn't that awful?  Its not that I don't care about him, of course I do and I don't want him to be ill. But all I keep thinking is I wish he'd get back to work and I hope I don't catch it.....lol.   Normally I wish he was off work or retired, but that is hoping he'd be off and in good health so we could do stuff/ go places together. I feel really bad for thinking like this. 
Anyway, I went down to the local shops just now and he asked me to get him some Strepsills..... £5.75 a packet!!!  Don't think so, especially as I don't actually think they do any good anyway and are just full of sugar!  Instead I got him a packet of Vicks no sugar lozenges and some menthol sweets from the "cheapie" shop. I told him to just keep drinking warm drinks & honey, but my advice falls on deaf ears. 

Anyway, enough of my moaning. The budget book is still not finished completely as DH being home as completely thrown me out of my routine. It will be done my pension day in August though...hopefully. 
Still waiting on the £25 to land from 1P*!!, they say it should be here by 25th.  Finally got enough to cash out on P/fc later today, and also a small bit in the pot on Qm**. Its been a slow month so far, but to be expected really with unis on holiday etc. 

So I need to get on now as have the gas engineer coming tomorrow, so need to tidy up as he is moving a radiator and has to drain and refill the system, so can't have the house looking a mess.....lol.  Also I have some more cupboards to declutter.   Will do actual cleaning after he's gone. 

Hope everyone else is having a good day. Looking forward to the sunshine that is forecast for tomorrow. 

EssexHebridean

I think things that throw us off our usual routine just tend to make us a bit grumpy - particularly when it's been prompted by someone elses actions - whether intentional or not! 

That's great information about the DIY store's returns policy - and also the @sda varifocals thing too. 

LittleMissDetermined

EssexHebridean said:

I think things that throw us off our usual routine just tend to make us a bit grumpy - particularly when it's been prompted by someone elses actions - whether intentional or not! 

I second this! My OH was supposed to be working this last weekend but was off for a bad back... I just felt he was in the way  

Makingabobor2

Just to let you all know I am still here, just been busy and not got round to updating much. We've been away for a couple of days having to do some work for my dad and then catching up with our own stuff when we got back. 

Today is pension day, so the start of my next 4 week budget period. I haven't had time to sit down with the book today and update, but will be doing it soon as I get back from the optician tomorrow morning.  That is top of my To Do list for tomorrow.  
Optician will be spendy as I know I have to have new glasses, but I have budgeted for the 30% deposit and think I'll take the rest over the 10 months interest free that they offer. I keep debating about it, as it sort of feels like credit, but its not really as there is no interest and now I have the pension, I can afford the small payments. If I don't do it that way, then I would have to wait another couple of months to pay for them all in one go, and I am pretty desperate as I'm already well over due. I went for a test back in May and then decided to wait as I couldn't afford them then.  So I really need to get them now, as starting to struggle with laptop and driving etc.  

MSE wise, I am not doing too badly on my make £5 a day challenge. Hoping to get to my target this month, but P/fc has been slow. However I did manage to sell a brand new unused purse on FB and also got a £10 voucher for doing a Government survey. Not counting the voucher yet until I actually spend it though. It is a P/mrk one, so may pop in on my way from the optician as I could do with some new leggings. 

New Tentacled tariff starts tomorrow, so once I see how much in credit we are starting with, I will go online and see if I can lower the payments a bit. We have been paying £111, and they are quoting £156 for the new 12mth fixed tariff. We are about £250 in credit I think, will check it tomorrow, and then see if maybe I can get payment down to about £140?  Now I get pension, I will be getting winter fuel allowance anyway, so that will help. 

Right, off to stir fry some of yesterdays left overs. Have a good evening everyone, 

Makingabobor2

Hello to anyone in diary land who is actually still reading. I really need to make this more interesting and update more often. 
Just a quick update. I have finally got to grips with the budget book, just a few more savings pots to get added once I get them open on the bank account.   The thing that has come to light is that I wasn't allowing enough for housekeeping money & as prices have risen so much now, I really need to increase that. I have increased it by £20 this period and will see how it goes. I'm trying as much as I can to cut down, but its hard. Trying to be more healthy, and that doesn't always go hand in hand with saving money. 

As I expected, Optician was not cheap. So least said about that, the better I think. I was pleased that I was able to pay the large deposit in cash, which years ago I wouldn't have been able to do and it would have ended up just making a credit card bill worse.  As it was sooooo expensive, I did decide to pay the rest over the 10 months interest free. I felt bad about it, but have budgeted for it now, so I think it will be fine. It just means a bit less to go towards paying off F&Fs or savings pots. But at the end of the day, I need to be able to see. Especially as I'm spending a lot of time online doing surveys to try and make more money. 

Last year FIL gave me a strawberry planter and I never got round to doing anything with it this year. Just found a local lady who grows stuff to sell on FB and she has some very hardy strawberry plants that she says if they are planted now will be fine over winter and should produce good fruit next year. So I am getting 4 plants from her at weekend and will get out in the garden as weather is looking good for next week and I need to get sorted and tidied up out there. 

Our new fixed tariff started but when I looked online, they are still showing our old payment amount. I presume it will be updated some time before the 24th Sept when the next payment is due. Hopefully then I can go in and amend it as we are currently £360 in credit and I am pretty sure I can get the payment down a bit. Would rather the money sat in our bank than in theirs collecting interest. 

On the survey front I am very frustratingly about £9 short of this months target on the challenge to make £x amount per day. I always go for £5 as I think that's a good round figure and I'm unlikely to make it £10. I am hoping for a glut of studies later, but so far today has been slow. 

Well, I better go and get some dinner sorted. Its rainbow trout and rice today. I did a trip to Iceland on Tuesday for 10% over 60s discount and stocked up the freezer a bit. 

Have a good evening everyone. 

LittleMissDetermined

Catching up on diaries, opticians are a necessary evil I'm afraid, you definitely need to be able to see! It's great that you can do it on an interest free payment plan though.

Our strawberry plants did well this year and the fruit was delicious, much better than supermarket fruit. Hope yours last the winter. I'm going to see if mine survive over the winter, given the advice you've been told. 

londoner2019

Ooh, I need some help with my strawberry plant! I get the occasional tiny fruit come through but I think I’m doing something wrong. Planted in spring last year. Any basic advice? 

LittleMissDetermined

londoner2019 said:

Ooh, I need some help with my strawberry plant! I get the occasional tiny fruit come through but I think I’m doing something wrong. Planted in spring last year. Any basic advice? 

Plenty of water and a weekly feed is all I did, they’re also in the sunniest spot in the garden.