Ding! Ding! All change, please... (now replaced with new diary on MFW)

milann

Beanie that seems ridiculous as you were there in person. 🙄 What happens if you’re not on line 😱

EssexHebridean

Yes - it's a no to in-person appointment making at ours too - very annoying as I often used to just pop in when passing to sort out my next appointment for a few weeks ahead. The website claims you can still book online but no appointments available ever, and the phone up thing was specifically just after 2pm last time I checked. Odd that you mentioned abusing the repeat prescription free text box SL - I did precisely the same yesterday which was when I (finally!) got the message back regarding times to call.  

Thanks to everyone for stopping by - nothing like a bit of Doctor's surgery chat to get people talking eh?! 

I'm just listening to the budget - good news on them keeping the fuel duty cut in place, and no increase on duty on a pint too. I think we already pretty much knew about the EPG, and I was relieved to hear that the savings arrangements will be remaining unchanged. I expect the main key stuff will be detailed out and picked apart through the rest of the day. 

Got the car back last night - bill just under £75 which I'm happy with - and that was paid straight away which no doubt Neil will be happy with! I've transferred the main bulk of the rest of the contents of the secondary car account across to the main one where it earns more interest, but I may have acted too soon on that as having got on my foldy bike this morning I discovered that the gears aren't working - I can see why - the cable has come adrift from the main shift assembly on the handlebar - but I can't work out how to get it back. I'll google a bit, and then if all else fails it will have to go in to the shop for a fix. It's annoying that it means I'm on foot for the rest of this week at least, and if it needs to go for a repair probably next as well. Sigh. 

Mid month DDs and SO's have gone out so I can amend the standing order for the garage rent any time from now. Not sure whether it's worth hanging on so that I can do the service charge one at the same time - we've had the statement of last year's figures, but not what they plan to charge us THIS year as yet, not sure how long they'll take sorting that out. Anyway we currently have a nice safe surplus in the joint account - that will reduce to the tune of a tank of diesel for MrEH's car at the weekend, and then again as a result of his next Oyster top up, but there will definitely be something left in there by the end of the month unless disaster strikes. The payment to my FD account ready to go to the Regular Saver has also gone. I've done a couple of shuffles across to the VSP accounts too. 

Hopefully we might be able to adjust the heating down a little from now as the next week is looking a lot warmer - good thing too as I had to scrape a good hard layer of frost off the car windscreen this morning - and yes, it was me had to do it too as MrEH is WFH because of the tube strike. A good call too as currently there is nothing running at all on the system. I was pleasantly relieved that the traffic wasn't too grim this morning - sometimes on strike days it can be dreadful. 

I reckon that's about it at the moment. All very "middle of the monthey" here! 

milann

Glad the traffic wasn’t too bad. I expected it to be horrendous but I suspect at least the other strikes that happened at least meant lots of folk were at home. 

lucielle

Good news on the car bill. Annoying about the bike. Roll on pay day!  

L

EssexHebridean

All downhill to pay day from here L! And yes - I reckoned the same with the lighter traffic Milann - although I'm not sure we had teachers out near us. 

Another bit of savings interest landed today - into one of our fixed term pots - it's definitely motivating to see the figures creeping up, I'm a convert to monthly interest! The first of those will be maturing in another couple of months now - my little 6 month one - and when it does I'll be shuffling the money straight across to my ISA I think as there will still be some time on the (relatively) reasonable rate on that. After that the remaining space in the ISA for the new tax year will be from joint funds I think - as I can't see me having "that" much extra to throw in there over the course of the year.

I'm currently debating about where to take the money from to fill MrEH's ISA. It's beginning to look like the electricity buffer fund isn't going to be required - certainly we'll be fine with the DD at the level it is for a while at least, and if the rates drop as seemingly expected in July then we should build a decent credit through the summer to set us up for the winter - of course. And the main car account also has a decent chunk in it at the moment - certainly more than is needed imminently with the next major expense likely being insurances and breakdown, plus MrEH's service and MoT test which all come up within August (I know!) so right now I'm tempted to take £750 out of each of those, then leave them alone for a while to build up again... It certainly beats removing money from longer term savings which always feels like a bit of a loss - even if it IS just being moved to somewhere with better interest! 

Having realised that I couldn't do mash this evening to accompany the sausages I applied some lateral thinking last night. We got some YS'd pittas a while ago which are lurking in the freezer - so I've got two of those out, plus the sausages, and I'll make chunky coleslaw (to stuff into the pittas alongside a couple of sausages each) using some of the veg that needs used (probably half a beetroot, half a carrot, the smallest red onion in the bag and the remaining cabbage or radicchio if the cabbage has passed its best) - plus we can have one of the sachets of mixed grains etc to accompany. Should create a nice meal hopefully and something a bit different, plus will still leave two of the sausages to roll over for another meal - those will get popped into the freezer. Hopefully stayfresh bags will maintain the freshness of the partially used bits of veg. 

The good news is that the weather is definitely a lot warmer today - indeed I tweaked the front room heater down a little last night and it still felt perfectly warm in there this morning - I may turn the temperature output down on the hallway one this evening - we'll see, it might be better to turn it down tomorrow ahead of going to Devon for the weekend.

Cheery_Daff

Glad it's warmer where you are - it probably is where I am too, but I got very cold yesterday (5 hours in a car with no heating, and another few hours in a very cold building) and just haven't managed to warm up yet. Currently sat in a giant poncho with a hot water bottle and the heating on, and trying to get warm enough to get enough enthusiasm to get up and do something useful 🥶🥶😂

Sunshine_girl2

EH interesting reading about the energy buffer fund. I started mine when you mentioned it in your diary. I am also thinking I won't need it , so if not I am using it for my airplane ticket to Australia next year. This is why I like MSE sharing ideas , so thank you. 

It's a tad warmer up here thank goodness . 

savingholmes

Hi EH - I'd somehow managed to not subscribe to your diary - but bookmarked and all caught up now. 

Sorry about the loss of EH's father. Glad the funeral arrangements went as well as they could have. 

Good luck with the house purchase and flat sale.

I'm lucky enough to have an energy fund surplus now which means that the loss of the £66 per month government help won't have as big an impact as I'd expected. Nice position to be in.

EssexHebridean

SG2 what a lovely use of the buffer fund - I really hope you don't need it and I'm glad that the idea gave you the push to start one yourself too! 

I've cleared the CC of the money for the first two nights Hebrides accommodation in the camping pod, MrEH's money for the beer he bought at the farmers market, and once those have cleared through I'll clear the  balance off from the joint account to square everything away.

I've also shifted the £750 from the electricity buffer fund and the same amount from the main car account as I mentioned earlier ready for MrEH to slide that across into his ISA this evening - I'll need to remember to update my money book so we know where we're at on that one too as his is a mixture of personal and joint funds at the moment.  Oh and while in the banking I sorted out the SO for the garage rent too so that's done. Just the Service Charge one to think about now but as mentioned I can't do that until the council send through the paperwork. 

EssexHebridean

Hello SH - lovely to "see" you - I knew you'd mentioned unsubscribing to some diaries due to time pressures to keep up and I just assumed mine was one of them!  Glad to hear of another person with a buffer fund for the fuel payments too - my hope now is that if prices do drop a bit later in the year I might have enough of a credit buffer ready going into the winter next year that I'll be OK - will definitely be keeping an eye on it though! 

Cheery - sorry, I missed you in the middle there too - that does sound like a chilly old day, I hope you're feeling a bit warmer by now! 


Today I have been a grown up....and have just ordered the replacement bracket for the oven door. We've had enough of it falling off!