Pulling my frugal pants on.

ladybird1106

Mortgage year ends April 2025. After that we can only overpay about £2500 (April 2025-April 2026)We only have £26,000 left to pay. So if I pay say £14,000 in November and then £14,000 in March ( which should cover the mortgage and any additional costs for paying it off in full) I know I will have to pay a penalty of £2,400 (roughly) in November. If however I bank the money till March next year I will lose £3,600 in UC plus the bank penalty of £2,400. Not sure if I explained that very well. I’m not going to worry about it too much🤣. 

Love 🐞

Idreamofplants

Sounds like a right headache ladybird - hope you find a solution that works for you

ladybird1106

Not looking forward to today as we are going to the solicitors to pick up the dad’s original will and collect his wife’s. Apparently other than taking money from her accounts before she passed, he didn’t sort out probate for her half of the house(they had spilt the house), which he told us he’d done🥺. I know exactly what’s coming and I know I going to be leaving feeling like a piece of 💩. I’m trying to stay positive and focused on the here and know but my mind keeps wandering to the past 😢. 

Spent several hours at dads yesterday clearing the spare room and almost emptied the freezer. Miss giddychops is very much looking forward to her pigs livers today🤢. Brought back several useful items for the eldest. Best treasure was a heated blanket which I will keep. Heating off and blanket on😊. Hopefully this will help keep the heating bill down. Each item I bring back I’m trying to see as a future save. We’ve ordered a skip for the weekend as I went in the loft 🤨.
 Hoping to get my washing out today but it’s not looking good out there🤬. Need to put the food delivery away. 

Love 🐞

Cherryfudge

I hope the visit to the solicitor goes better than expected. You are making real progress with the clearing and things like the heated blanket are a real find. You are right about future savings - although there's a balance with storage. I'm not even half way through all the cling film and greaseproof paper I rescued from Mum's house, and that's after giving some away... several years ago!

ladybird1106

I’m loving the heated blanket cherry fudge, heating would have been on. Bliss.
 I’m really turning into a negative Nelly, I’m sick of talking about dad and his issues with drink, I’m fed up with my focus been on his house and not my own and I miss spending quality time with my family. I’ve put over half a stone by snacking and not exercising.Will has been collected and it’s what I was expecting😳.
 So back to frugaling and time for me and mine.
Frugal wins
1. Heating the person not the house.
2. Vinted parcel sent (recycled box) only a £1 gained but I wouldn’t have got anything if it went to a cs.
3. Used oil from stash from dads to make tea along with homegrown herbs.
4. Picked up ys bread buns
5. cupboard, fridge, freezer and allotment inventory done ready for use it up October.
6. Free physical and mental health walk. (Rage walked)
7. Hoover from dads for eldest charged and does work ( he had 5 different hoovers we are in the process of checking which work ).
8. Miss giddychops enjoyed her pig livers for tea🤢
9. Youngest had homemade soup, we’ve had homegrown roasted tomatoes , rosemary and garlic potatoes and cucumber ( there was other stuff but it was shop bought.) . 

10. Current book is from the library 
11. wm, dw and car using cheap night electric tariff.
 Right back to drinking  my last glass of wine of the month . 

Sending love and positive vibes out into the world 🐞

Cherryfudge

Sorry to hear about the negatives. You deserve every bit of that nice heated blanket!

And that's a very impressive list of frugal wins, especially all the homegrown things. It sounds so flavoursome.

ladybird1106

Thanks cherryfudge. 

Another company contacted and informed of dad’s demise. Pictures chosen for power point that will be on during eulogy. Dad’s pet insurance cancelled as neither of us can afford it as we’re having take on the expense of household bills. 

Had a lovely visit from a wonderful friend, were meant to be going out, but I just couldn’t face it , plus trying to cut costs where I can. 

We should have been having a chicken dinner but I forgot to put the oven on. Soup made, not made it before and would have it again.
 Frugallness today.
1. Free exercise with miss giddychops 
2.  Lunch at home instead of cafe (ys bread and home grown cucumber) friend brought crisps
3.  Tea was chickpea, pasta and spinach soup ( homegrown rosemary, 2 tins of chickpeas from dad stash and last of his oil)
4. Made granola (used some coconut oil I brought back from dads)
5. Used natures tumble drier
6.  Today is my 3 nsd of the month 
7. Bucket used to collect water from the shower.
 Tomorrow I have to head over to dads ready for when the skip arrives. 

Love 🐞

Cherryfudge

Remember you may not need to pay Council Tax on your Dad's house for six months after his death: it's worth checking with the Council if they will exempt you. Also things like TV license can be stopped... just trying to save you a bit on the bills.

With my parents' estate, we eventually claimed back from the estate what we'd spent sorting it out - as we were beneficiaries.

ladybird1106

TV license cancelled thanks cherryfudge. Broadband has been moved to a cheaper tariff. The security cameras need WiFi. Spent most of yesterday emptying the loft, he had enough carpet up there to redo the whole house. The skip is half full, hoping the skip divers take the 2ft tall light up Santa and ⛄️. We also have individual light up Mary , Joseph and baby Jesus. We are going to see if his local church wants them. Not a lot in the skip of much use to anybody else. Emptied the oven of frying pans with congealed oil in🤢. Took several boxes of Christmas decorations and an assortment of other items to the cs.  I did bring home several future proof saving items . Too many to mention. 

Frugalness for yesterday 
1. brought home several future proof saving items from dads.
2. Lunch was leftover soup from yesterday.
3. OH has brought home from the plot another huge box of tomatoes and a tray of unripe tomatoes (must get bananas when I go shopping to help them ripen). He also brought home more potatoes and apples
4. Lots of free exercise going up and down the stairs to the loft and down to the skip.
5. 2 buckets of water collected from when I had a shower (for the loo).
6. Used natures tumble dryer.
Love 🐞

debtfreewannabe321

You've a lot on your plate LB I think you're doing really well, sending love to you