Simplifying Life

Charis

Council tax credit may apply before your pension date on grounds of low income. Also you may be entitled to help with prescription costs and medical charges, free sight tests and nhs dental treatment (if you can find an nhs dentist) - you can pick up a form to claim from a chemist or dental surgery or apply online. http://www.ppa.org.uk/pdfs/ppc/HC11.pdf
You don't have to be totally skint to qualify for some help.

I have noticed that the quick benefits checker programs don't always show up all the help you may be entitled to.

Herewegoagain

This thread is great, problem is it's so good that it's taking me FOREVER to catch up as I keep reading things twice in case I miss something:rotfl: :rotfl:

annelouise_2

Busy ploughing through all these posts and have just registered with freecycle in my local Uk area.Excited am I....

OH has said we need a set of bunkbeds for the short period that the 5 of us will be sharing his 2 bed batchelor apartment.......

We are in USA for 2 1/2 weeks and dd9 is in Lindos for 2 weeks with friends.We will just have to manage.

annelouise

ceridwen

mary43 wrote: »

ceridwen - you're very brave going for the big 'switch off' ! Don't think I could cope without my gas heating. Somehow we'll manage but I've yet to go on to a 'fixed rate'...............sorting that out on Monday. But what we will do is not use it as often as we have done.........keep the temperature down and put and extra jumper on, light a few candles for a focal point (plus I'm sure they do give off some heat )

Not that brave Mary....I'll still be using my electric! Its just that gas is going up much faster than electric and I'm guessing (I'm no expert mind!) that it will be cheaper to use electric for everything than gas at that point. So - it will be kettles boiled up for hotwater (apart from that electric shower - electric anyways) and halogen heaters for heating purposes. I'm hoping it doesnt come to it - there's plenty of other people in the same boat. However - according to my (admittedly) rough guesstimate I figure that at about August/September next year EVERYONE on a low income in this country will then be in "Fuel Poverty". All the current fixed/capped deals for fuel only go up to some point next year - and, in most cases, its August/September - same as mine will be. The current projections, as I recall, are that the average family will be paying £134 per month for fuel at that point (if my maths is right). I dont spend much less than the average family on my fuelbills - £134 x 10 = net income £1,340 per month - ie I reckon come the end of next year one would need to be picking up more than £1,340 net income monthly NOT to be in fuel poverty. Hence - I am one of the ones destined to be in Fuel Poverty come the latter part of next year the way things stand at present.

I am taking a leaf out of Moany Moany's book here (hiya Moaners:T ) - in that when she found things had changed mortgage-wise that their mortgage wasnt going to be paid off in time for projected retirement date of O.H. - she took action and overpaid it each month to make sure it would be paid off in time for retirement still. I feel exactly the same - I am not going to change my retirement plans just because of the State of the Economy. It's still all systems go for 60 as per plan.

mary43

ceridwen - thankfully our mortgage will be paid off at the end of October this year, bank loan will be paid off by March next year, plus I've an insurance policy that matures in October this year...........so I'm hoping to try and get ourselves on a more secure financial footing so we can cope with the price rises that are bound to happen.
This christmas is already bought and paid for, courtesy of our local charity shops -everyone having a box or basket or someone's ''unwanted' - some useful, some fun..........same goes for birthdays.
I always buy my clothes from the charity shops but haven't bought any now for some time.............when my friend had a clear out of her wardrobe I had a few of her cast offs, and she had some of mine.
With OH still not working he manages the 'kitchen' dept. and can concoct all sorts of stuff reasonable cheaply and with clothes he's the same as me. This morning he bought a pair of trainers for £10 that'll do him for 6 months till the next pair at £10 so £20 a year on footwear is very affordable.
Freecycle is a boon for getting rid of unwanteds and aquiring things (long as I don't get carried away and end up with yet more clutter...........lol)
Holidays we just don;t have and when we do get out allocated time off we visit my kids or MIL.
I rack my brain at what else we can do really. Just fingers crossed that everything falls into place as we'd like it but as I know only too well, life can get in the way sometimes.

EagerLearner

mary43 wrote: »

Eagel Learner - hello and thanks for the 'organisation' tips...........sounds like a better idea that the one I already have (list of'stuff to do', separate folder for household bills means I have to drag it all out to get numbers etc.) Think I'll borrow that idea from you if I may

Yes of course - I borrowed it off someone here on MSE anyway works very well. I got a clear/transparent A5 ring folder from WHSmith, as then I could pop notes behind the front flap with a bulldog clip, and still read them if the folder is closed, if that makes sense... It also means MrEL is not faffing around looking for numbers now, I can easily say 'can you phone...' and he doesn't get scared at the prospect of finding the info in the nasty Bills folder :rotfl:

I love the idea of a prettier item to put washing up liquid in as this would decorate my kitchen much better than the current Fairly liquid bottle... (bought on special offer)... can anyone recommend a high street shop (or online) to get a cheap pump bottle?

Today I have has an NSD day and been organised by making some very MSE Sag Aloo curry and also some lentil pate for lunch sandwiches, also a recipe from here. I was amazed at how organised I was and how much food has been made in one afternoon!

mary43

Thanks EagleLeaner - strangley enough I've got a pretty A4 ring binder thats sat on the shelf empty - must have bought it because it was reduced and I liked the design.............lol Be perfect for putting stuff in......can't be confused with all the other ring binders kicking about (load of soc.services ones, family history, and general history about where I was born.
OH doesn't normally have a clue where to look for something as its normally who deals with all the bills, phone calls etc. Be useful to have them all in one place.
Need to keep useful phone number, emergency ones (elec.gas.plumber,electrician,insurance) all on a page easy to see.
In our little phone book I always put the plumber under P for plumber.......OH flicks through trying to find the plumbers name..............so, total confusion and sometimes panic ! Maybe this system will suit both of us.

Not much done today apart from making three more Christmas cards..........kids have been in and out.......older boys brother visiting (hope he's not wanting to stay here tonight in a 'pit' out lad laughlingly calls his bedroom ! Younger lad out then in then out again with fishing tackle..........older one now out with his brother having been to Skegness and spent some of his money on much needed clothes and a pair of trainers (another box promised to me to cover for gift box !)..........OH watching football match upstairs (can't get channel 5 downstairs), breadmaker working away and creating a lovely smell and the washings on the line.Just have to keep one eye on the weather.

Don't know where you'd get a pump from for washing up liquid other than Poundland or wilkinsons maybe. I've seen them in the charity shops sometimes and wish I'd bought one............our 'somerfields own brand' container is a bit boring to look at (to say the least). Our local hardware shop sells stuff like that.......might have a look in there but he isn't cheap !

lilac_lady

ceridwen (just googled the name and am fascinated by the Arthurian story) I hope you stick to 60 as your retirement age. My mind needed a little push to go for it when I was 60 and this site (especially the posts on this thread) convinced me that I should definitely pack in paid work (and stress) at 60. Life is so good now that I'm afraid I'll get jinxed. I shop during the week, lunch now and then with my retired friends, go to cinema, read my library books, potter in the garden, and do housework as and when. I realise that sacrificing "things" when I was working in order to have a better retirement is the way to do it. Keep on frugalling all you MSE-ers, it's worth it.

shaz_mum_of__2

kayjay1809 wrote: »

I've been hooked for months, first thing I read with my cuppa in the morning is Rhonda's blog. Very inspiring :T

Me too :A

Shaz

Charis

ceridwen wrote: »

Its just that gas is going up much faster than electric and I'm guessing (I'm no expert mind!) that it will be cheaper to use electric for everything than gas at that point.

I wouldn't bank on it Ceridwen. Because the majority of our electricity is now generated...from gas. Since a lot of electricity is lost in transmission it will probably always be dearer than gas while they continue to use gas to drive the steam turbines to produce electricity.

In 2006, most of the UK’s electricity was generated by gas,

coal and nuclear stations.

Electricity generation accounts for around 30% of UK
carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. In the next decade,
many coal and nuclear plants will close, leaving the UK

increasingly dependent on imported gas. Feb 2007
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/postpn280.pdf