From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

in_need_of_direction

greying, just reading about your possible pizza workshop reminded me of a time then teenage DD was at the home of a michelin starred TV chef.  i, off course, asked what she had had to eat.  Apparently the daughter of the house looked in fridge and freezers, announced "it's all dad's !!!!!!" and they ordered in pizza.  even where there's a chef in the family, it won't mean that fine dining is appreciated by all.

Greying_Pilgrim

in_need_of_direction said:

greying, just reading about your possible pizza workshop reminded me of a time then teenage DD was at the home of a michelin starred TV chef.  i, off course, asked what she had had to eat.  Apparently the daughter of the house looked in fridge and freezers, announced "it's all dad's !!!!!!" and they ordered in pizza.  even where there's a chef in the family, it won't mean that fine dining is appreciated by all.

Ha ha!  What a fantastic story inod!  

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

In money news;  I have checked the bill from the 'old' phone provider and it is payable in just over a week (same as the DD used to be), so I am not paying that today.  The money is in the account, but worryingly, there will be several days 'supply' 🙄 after this current billing date, and the account is showing that our next bill is supposed to be a full month's price........ We'll see if things change, but I remain underwhelmed by the ineptitude of our biggest british corporations.  

Also, the water supplier has been true to their word and issued a refund.  It is somewhere in the ball-park of half last year's bill, so it would point to future billing (even allowing for the price increases that we're all facing), of being much more in the ball-park of what we were using/paying when we were in the rental.  The money is a fair chunk of change, that I wasn't expecting up until recently.  I won't make any rash decisions, but at this moment in time, my thinking is that maybe this money would probably go a good way towards paying for a towbar, for the car.  It would take out the 'earning/saving' the money - and sometimes we (as a family) value that quite highly, and care for the products of our endeavours.  Possibly it we got given everything on a plate, complacency might creep in?  However, at this moment, my thinking is, the money could cover the fitting costs of a towbar.  We could have the work carried out 'now', whilst we are less likely to need a towbar, and then it would be up and running for when the weather gets better.  That's my thinking.  And it's not like there won't be "something else" that will take the place of the 'towbar savings jar' is there?  I mean, hello, real-life...... 🤣

OK, I'm going to shuffle off - I want this post to be a pure money one.

Greying X

edinburgher

I am also trying to instill greater discipline this year @Greying_Pilgrim, for exactly the same reasons. It is one thing to be able to pay a ridculously high grocery bill because we've been blessed with jobs that pay reasonably well, and another thing entirely to just accept that it's the right thing to pay said ridiculously high bill. I haven't put a figure on it, but I think I'd be happy if I could achieve a 10% reduction over the course of a year, ashamed to say that would be £,£££

Another voice who would support your DH consolidating any pensions that he can into a decent, honest, low fee provider. It doesn't matter if he only has relatively small pots, it's his/your family money, and you want it to work as hard as it possibly can Can I suggest Vanguard as a starter for ten? They are not the absolute cheapest provider in the world ever for well-heeled FIRE types, but they offer an understandable range of fairly priced, high quality products, and they have British CS staff. They are also good at sorting out transfers in online with minimal information, in my experience. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Thanks ed - I use V currently - have some index thingummy's at the (broad brush stroke) suggestion of yourself and MrMM 🥸 (who I don't think wears glasses......), so like V as a company.  Consolidation would help too if something happened, only one co. to  chase up.  And I'm sorry, but yes, I find - for the most part, TV licensing aside - UK CS to be far less of a fandango to deal with.  

Greying X

beanielou

I moved my mobile to Sky. Had I realised their mobile arm was all non uk based I absolutely would not have. For the sake of what I saved it was absolutely not worth it. 

edinburgher

@beanielou - I accept that globalisation means that we can't expect service that is universally based in the UK - it's probably helps to keep prices down. That said, it's not as if our prices are low for anything! 

Like yourself, I find it more stressful to make use of overseas customer service when it relates to something vital (like your mobile or other utilities) or a key financial service. When we remortgaged recently and we had to cancel an offer to accept a better one, I had the joy of speaking with Barclay's Indian CS staff. They were friendly, eager to help, but only got the job 1/2 done I will fully admit to being overjoyed when I called up at a weekend and spoke to someone with a broad English accent who got the job fully done by the next day

beanielou

Yes it’s hard. I will say I am hard of hearing and can you please slow down and it makes no difference. 

badmemory

beanielou said:

Yes it’s hard. I will say I am hard of hearing and can you please slow down and it makes no difference. 

I have said that so many times & no they pay absolutely no attention.  I know they want to get off the phone asap but they should realise that if you can tell what they are asking the whole thing would go faster & without the aggravation.

Blackcats

Has MrGP had an appointment with Pensionwise, the government backed pensions advice centre?  My DH found his 1 hour phone appointment very useful for starting to think through what options he might have.

https://www.pensionwise.gov.uk/en