Escape to the country & living off savings

Tresinia511

Well. I know it was all planned and you make your own luck etc, but still.... it's a wonderful life

Skint_yet_Again

Thank you that is such a lovely thing to say Tresinia 😊 

Little one is growing so fast dia. He’s running around now! He is such a joy 🥰 I’m so glad I am here to see him grow up.  I miss my own DS but in reality he is in his 30’s now and I do see him a couple of times a year. The only thorn in the wonderful life. 

“Payday” today. Can’t believe it’s the end of April already!  I have transferred the usual £833 from savings. 

I’ve just switched my gas & electric after reading this week’s MSE weekly email. I’m already with B Gas on a fixed tariff so it won’t cost me anything to stay with them. Direct debit based on usage and lower tariff costs is down from £77 to £63.63 from 1 June. I will mention it to DF later and see if he can get a cheaper deal. (Watch out for exit fees). 

I changed my bedding yesterday and swapped to my summer duvet. 4.5 tog.  Much more comfortable night sleep. It’s gonna be hot today so enjoy, but take care in the sun ☀️ 😎 

doingitanyway

OOh I will look at the energy guide too. Currently on a fixed Oct tariff, but I can exit without fees. So I will see if there is anything better out there for me.

My duvet is also too hot so it needs rethinking.

I think I will just do whatever you do to make my life simpler 

Skint_yet_Again

Thanks dia ☺️ but most of my ideas come from the weekly MSE email so I can’t take the credit. Definitely worth a read on a Wednesday as some offers are time restricted like the B gas one. 

Had a lovely morning walking in the country park with niece & little one. Had lunch in the cafe paid from entertainment fund for 3 of us & 3 drinks £21.50. Had a run around with the football in the shade of the big trees. Totally knackered this afternoon 😂 

Checked DF’s g&e tariff but he didn’t want to switch to bg so he remains on a fairly good fixed tariff until later this year. 

Tomorrow DF is coming in the morning to put together the wardrobe back together into the spare room. I have an appointment with the diabetic nurse in the afternoon and then down to my friends. 

Friday is aquafit in the morning then food shop. 

Skint_yet_Again

May already! This months money is as follows 

Phone sim-only £10

Tv licence 14.95

Water 21

Council tax £106

Union £2.35.    

Gas & Electric £77 (£63.63 from 1 June)

Annual bills £100

Birthdays / Xmas £50

Car pot £50

Petrol £40

Entertainment £100

Food £160.  

Aquafit £32.50

Income £833

Outgoing 763.80

Remaining £69.20

I have submitted my meter readings and the app is updated with my new tariff. 

I should have enough food in stores and freezer to last until next week so I will leave food shop until after the bank holiday. 

SuzeQStan

Morning 😊- Nice tidy reduction in your energy debit SYA!  Am a bit confused by my energy DD as end up having hundreds refunded each May for the last 3x years but they keep the DD at the same level and when I enquire they say it’s the correct amount!  Well that’s what the app says anyway - I’ll email CS see what they say

Skint_yet_Again

Hope you manage to get a reduction Suze. It’s not fair if you are overpaying by hundreds. 

The spare bedroom is now finished and the double bed, wardrobe & chest of drawers have been put back. I use the wardrobe for storage so I can now move stuff from the kitchen table and my room. Then I can move my shoes / sandals from downstairs back into my room. It will be nice to be tidy again. I will do a bit each day, it’s still too hot 🥵 

DF decided to start cutting down the laurel hedge in my back garden this afternoon but it was too hot for me. I will bag up all the green for a tip run on a cooler day. DF packed up about 2pm & I popped to my friends for a cuppa. 

doingitanyway

It is great that the spare room has been completed and is fully functional. It will be nice to have everything back where they belong. 

Skint_yet_Again

Yes it’s nice to have some space back dia. 

Aquafit was very energetic this morning. I decided to get some shopping including 2 boxes of tissues, dishwasher tablets, butter, olive oil & 2 handwash. Total spent £48.36. 

Meals will be
goose & courgette lasagne
sausage tray bake 
sausage & swede and carrot mash & broccoli 
lamb burger & butternut squash chips 
lamb burger & watercress salad
pork belly & tray bake med veg
pork belly & halloumi chips

Thankfully not as hot today just pleasantly warm. This afternoon I have been out in the garden bagging up the clippings from DF with his hedge trimmer. All the bushes are being cut down from 8 foot to waist height so I can trim them in future. Two big bags to go to the tip in the morning. 

Skint_yet_Again

Trip to the tip yesterday with 2 huge bags of garden clippings. It was cloudy and cold so I spent the afternoon resting and watching tv / reading a book. 

No plans for today other than a bit of sorting items into spare room. I am waiting for delivery of a cable from amaxon to see if I can connect my old vcr to my tv. I have been considering getting old video of DS converted to dvd but it will be a couple of hundred pounds so I need to finish carpeting the house and doing the garden/ fence first. I will see if the cable works £12.98

I have transferred money to pots and paid off diy items off my credit card from the diy (interest) pot. 

Household bills £100 = £310
(Insurances/ haircuts/ glasses/ car tax & breakdown/ dentist / boiler service / clothes)

Car pot £50 = £785
(MOT / service / tyres / repairs)

Birthday / Xmas / gifts £55 = £230

I have increased the birthday etc pot by £5 a month due to the increase in the cost of stamps and now giving money to my great nephew for Xmas £10 / birthday £10 / Easter £5