We will get this debt down & the savings up

EssexHebridean

Oops - your diary had somehow slipped out of my bookmarks MaB. Sorry to hear you had covid over the New Year - what a way to start 2024. Sadly I suspect the figures on Covid are now largely irrelevant and we do simply have to start living with it now, I confess I thought that the reporting of test results wasn't happening any more - MrEH tried to do his and it returned an error message and page not found on the link we always used before!   We have always adopted a principle of keeping ourselves well away from other folk - and particularly anyone vulnerable - when unwell anyway. My Dad had a serious lung conditon for 5 years so there was never any possibility of going near him or Mum if either of us were even a bit off colour, and although of course he's no longer around, we still follow the same principles with Mum now. It does worry me that we 9as a nation) did all this learning about infection etc during covid and so many people now seem to have just decided it's no longer relevant - certainly I seem to be seeing folk out and about who quite clearly shouldn't be! (But then again you don't know if they have a boss who will put them on a warning if they don't show for work, or they are a single parent with a couple of kids and have to go and get shopping because there's nobody else to do it for them....it's a tricky one isn't it. )

Hoping your "stuff going on" has sorted itself and you're now getting back on an even keel - nobody needs upheaval to start a new year with do they.

Elisheba

No need to apologise @Makingabobor2. Hope everyone is feeling a bit better now 🤗🤗🤗

LittleMissDetermined

Hope everything is OK
LMD xx

foxgloves

What a long old poorliness this bout of Covid has been for you, @Makingabobor2. Had you been able to get a jab this Autumn? We always took advantage of them previously but now fall below the minimum age for vaccination. I thought that if cases rose, the powers that be might decide to extend jabs possibly to my age group, if not quite to Mr F's, but I don't think this will happen now. My best friend had it back in October - picked it up on a plane - she said she couldn't remember when she last felt so ill. 
Hope things are slowly getting back to normal. Take it slowly if you can. 
F x

Makingabobor2

Afternoon everybody.  Thanks as always for all your lovely comments.  Yes, @foxgloves,we both had our covid jabs, me because I am 66, and DH because, although he is younger, he is on the vunerable list due to a medical condition....he even got a spring one as well. This was the 2nd time DH had caught it, he had it first time round in 2020, but strangely wasn't as ill as this time, although he didn't feel nearly as ill as I did. But we are over it and apart from the fact I still feel tired if I exercise too much in one go, we are ok.  I'm slowly getting back into my routines and increasing my exercise routines.  Don't think this cold weather helps. 

Anyway, onto all things MSE. Today was DH's pay day and the first day we saw the effects of the NI change. So banks accounts have been checked and money moved around. Another very small mortgage OP made today, of just £10. Was going to keep it in the pot and add it in at the start of next month, but decided I like to see the balance going down.  And on the subject of mortgages.....after all the hassle we had the other month where they told us we hadn't paid, when we had and then finally got it all sorted and sent us compensation for the hassle etc. Well, today I got a letter saying as we had made so many OPs, they were lowering our monthly payment to keep us on track to finish at the end of the term!!!   Nooooo, the idea is for us to finish well before that date, which is what I told the mortgage manager when she rang me, and she confirmed that our OPs would indeed mean we would pay it off quicker and confirmed that the deal we are on, means we can pay as much as we want and there are no penalty charges.  So they are now saying our normal payment will drop by £60 a month....that's fine, I'll just add the extra £60 onto any OPs that we make. Its not worth the hassle of ringing them to try and explain, as half the time they don't seem to have a clue.  Anyway, said mortgage company, now has an OP calculator on its website, so I can get a more accurate idea of how quickly we can pay it off. I had been using the one on MSE, but never sure if its as accurate.

Just waiting now to see how much council tax and water rates go up this year and I can do the proper spreadsheets for April onwards. DH has to sort the car insurance next month as well, and from what I've read, people are saying its going up quite a bit. Hopefully we can keep it low as we've only been paying £16 a month for fully comp, this last year. For the first time ever, I actually have enough in the savings pot to be able to pay for it outright with any luck, so that will be a bit more of a saving as well. 
Housekeeping budget is doing well, almost half way through the 4 week period and still over half left, and a freezer full of stuff to use up. Think this weekend, all I will need is fruit & veg, or maybe a loaf of bread.  Will sit down and do a good meal plan later.  DH moans about some of the stuff I buy, but as long as its healthy and saving us money, I don't care, he can eat it or go without. He thinks we eat too much chicken, too many veggies and hates salmon...which actually isn't cheap unless you get the cheapie one in A!d*. but it is my 1 little luxury and I say its full of goodness to help our bones. 
He did pick up a good TGTG bag last night on his way past Gr**gs, for £2.95, he got 4 sausage rolls, 2 chicken bakes, 2 jam donuts and 2 yum yums.   Not the healthiest, but will certainly help, especially as Dh loves to have pie & chips on a Friday, he can have chicken slice and chips this week, the other one is in the freezer for next week, that will save me opening the new box of pies I bought in last week's delivery. Too much pastry for me, so I will have fish I expect. I must start making my own pastry, not done it for ages and it doesn't bloat me as much as bought stuff does.    Speaking of which, I am thinking of getting that book, Ultra Processed People, which is supposed to be excellent. Anybody read it?

Going to try and find some more survey sites to sign up to, as the ones I've been using, even P/fc, seem to have really slowed down a lot compared to this time last year.  Anybody got any good ones they can recommend? I'm already on P/fc, On*P*!!, Q/M**, SB and E*r*k*. 

Well that's about it for now. Will get on with my meal plan and then make a cuppa and watch Jepardy, it has become my guilty pleasure in the afternoon. Can only answer half the questions, but am gobsmacked at how much some of the contestants seem to know. 

Have a good afternoon everybody. 

foxgloves

Yes, I have read the book you mention. I borrowed it from the library. Found it interesting. Tim Spector's most recent book very good too. 
F x

Makingabobor2

Yes, I might see if I can get it from the library. Not been in our local library since before Christmas, must be time for a browse.  I've been listening to the podcasts on BBC Sounds that Chris did about the chicken, very interesting.   I think Tim is brilliant also. 

dawnybabes

I’m really enjoying jeopardy 😀😀

Makingabobor2

dawnybabes said:

I’m really enjoying jeopardy 😀😀

Its so nice to just have contestants answering the questions with no silly stuff going on from either them or the host

Makingabobor2

BTW @EssexHebridean, I quite agree with your comments re covid & infection etc. Ok, some people feel they have to go out even if they are infectious. But seriously, is it difficult to just pop a mask on in a shop or on a bus etc?