Moving on

Cherryfudge

Having braved the rather daunting process of finding a new phone tariff (daunting to me, straightforward IRL thanks to MSE), I checked network coverage, got a PAC code and am trying to sign up to the one that came top of the recommendations.

For some reason it firstly pops a notice up to say they are sorry, they can't add this to my existing usage. I thought the idea was I buy into it and they do the swapping? This was before I got to the bit where personal details go in. It allowed me to put my name and email, then I keep getting 'network error' messages (network seems fine) and it won't allow me to complete the form.

I think I will try again later, which is a tad annoying now I've got the bit between my teeth. I've also worked out that in the past year I've spent £206.05 on what was originally a less than £7 a month deal. The new one, if I can get it, will be £34.08 including the maximum data I've used at any point in the past year.

Cherryfudge

Phew - looks as though I finally got there after two or three servers taking too long to respond and stuff like that. I expect the deal is popular but it was worth the hassle to save about £160 a year.

Next target is the Twink1 account but I'm going to have another trawl for resources first. They have been very handy! There's no reason to keep it up over the summer and I can start again should I need to.

Watty1

That is actually a very impressive saving.

Cherryfudge

I am hoping there's an even bigger saving to come - DH's phone turns out to be costing us £26.48 a month! He went out of contract last August and they're clobbering us for it, though interestingly his tariff includes a £10 'loyalty discount'!!! In other words, they are providing what he can get elsewhere for £2.31, charging about eleven and a half times that and trying to make him glad they aren't charging nearly sixteen times as much.

I tried (with his permission) to order a SIM for him this evening but ended up on a page I'd not seen before so will wait till I am a bit more awake.

I've had three hours at work this evening, and there was nosh left over from a training session so I had rocky road, millionaire shortbread and Bakewell Tart - after yesterday's cream egg and white chocolate, perhaps the diet should start tomorrow. As it was, I had the rest of the pea soup for lunch and jacket potato with beans, cheese, pepperoni and mango chutney for dinner.

A couple of V1nted parcels arrived - new bra and old book. I've done more ironing, a tiny bit more gardening and some hand washing. Sleep needed soon.

Laura_Elsewhere

We are with a phone network called RWG, in Wales, which is perfect for us- we paid £15 each as a deposit in summer 2022, and since then have literally paid nothing whatsoever!

they don't actually do that completely-nothing deal for new customers any more but they don't actually do one that I think is a fiver a month.

we get 75MBs of data, which works fine for us as we really only use our phones when out and about for small important things- we don't need masses of data for games or videos, just some data for looking up roadworks when the M6 suddenly slows to a crawl, or checking weather forecasts halfway through a day out, sending Dad an email to say we'll be there by 6, that kind of thing.

We also get 100 free texts and 100 free minutes of phone calls- again, mostly we FaceTime family from home and only need the out-and-about phonecalls for urgent things.

In four years, we only needed more data once, when I went on holiday for a week camping, and we wanted me to be able to not worry about running out- we bought an extra 5GB very cheaply and in fact I barely touched it after all, as the 3/4GB does most of our needs!

Worth considering, if anyone doesn't use their phone for lots of data out-and-about!

it's always quite funny when younger relatives moan about their phone contracts, and we smile cheerfully and say "nothing at all for four years!" - they struggle to believe it's possible :)

Cherryfudge

That's incredibly good value @Laura_Elsewhere ! I use more data than you, though not a lot judging by what's available, so it's not for me but what a huge saving! Incidentally it seems my data use is partly because we live in an older house (1930s) and the broadband signal doesn't get through the walls even with a Wi-Fi extender.

This evening I'm exhausted, though sitting down for severeal hours has improved it. I'm not sure if it's partly due to the change in medication, but the other 'symptoms' aren't bothering me so it could just be a day with a couple of pre-schoolers! Tonight I realised those new tablets have the mark on them so they can be halved, so I've taken half a one tonight, putting me back on the dose I was on till last week. I feel too tired to make a good decision. The new SIM has arrived for my phone (only ordered yesterday) but I'm too tired to do that, either.

We had a nice time time looking after the children but were rather limited by the weather - since when is June about heavy showers, gusty wind and 14 degrees? We took them to the nearby soft play place which is very good, and treated them to a snack and drink there, but on the way back a sudden squall hit us, so much out of the blue that all we could do was wrestle the rain cover over the children and hold it down. We both had light coats on but our clothing was soaked to the skin in a few yards. By the time we got to the top of the road, the worst of it was over and the little one had fallen asleep - so much for my soothing reassurances that the storm was 'nearly over now'!

Dinner was mackerel, veg and cous cous: very quick and easy. I've been trying to stay awake from after lunch onwards (in fact I dozed slightly in my 'break' while DH did the first part of taking the children out), but as usual I've revived in the evening, partly in order to push on with Duolingo. I actually came first in my 'league' last week and am second now that I've moved up which is all very motivating. However, the higher you get, the more competitive the opposition seems to be so I really want to keep up.

Spending today has been the soft play centre and a small amount of groceries. I also treated myself to a soup flask (it's that sort of June) from Ald1: it's very pink which won't go with anything I own but will be hard to lose, and also has a carrying strap so I can manage it when I have two bags to carry round on Thursdays.

Watty1

Soup flasks are wonderful. Especially if they have a wide enough neck to pop something like a chilli in too. And in pink ….bright pink is just perfect for such a cheerful thing 😊

Cherryfudge

Yes, I'm all for cheerful colours! I remember asking for a cheerful umbrella once! I wear quite a lot of navy blue so bright colours always look good with that. 😊

Once again, the weather can't make up its mind, apart from not being all that warm. I got a good night's sleep and am having a quiet day. DH has a day off but is spending a couple of hours volunteering as they were short of helpers. I've used the time so far to put my new SIM into my phone and set off the process for transferring my number. (Anyone moving into Leb ara, it seems the PAC code goes in after you've got your SIM and temporary number. I was worred that I might have missed something as the computer told me I had to add the PAC code when signing up).

A nice surprise was getting a referral code that I may yet be able to use to transfer DH's phone to a (much) cheaper deal. I pulled out of the process part way through as I'd got onto some page I'd not seen when registering mine. It says I could get 'up to' £50, but whether that means 2/6 in old money, I'm not clear. It could be 5p for the first one, £1 for the second, etc.

I have a few other jobs to do - timesheets, prep for tomorrow's lesson and anything in the garden. I've also tidied a few things to go in the loft and donated a few odds and ends.

rtandon27

ooo - a pink flask - I missed that on first read - I have gadget envy - I've got a navy thermos with built in spoon, and every time I use it for a work lunch, it reminds me of childhood cold winter days back across the pond with campbell's tomato soup and a cheese sandwich.

Cherryfudge

I didn't manage most of my jobs: I've come unstuck as I didn't record what I was doing at work on May 8th. More dredging to do, just when I thought I was getting better at keeping a record.

DH and I went for our 'free' hot drinks at the garden centre (hot chocolate and English Breakfast tea) then bought the rose DH wanted: 'Gertrude Jekyll' while we had a £5 off voucher. It was still £2 cheaper on line but, as DH pointed out, we could be sure the condition of one we chose ourselves. I'd bought him the same rose years ago but it died from lack of proper care and this time we have a place (almost) ready for it - just needs more compost dug in to improve the soil but it's empty and weeded. That's a job for the weekend.

I've mown the grass and it's still growing wildly in places while scanty in others, but if the forecast rain happens tomorrow, it will be set up to thicken. I haven't got any further for tomorrow's lesson but there's a website where I can print out a wordsearch that then acts as rehearsal for spellings, so I'll get that done before bed.

Our meal this evening wasn't the curry I'd been inspired to make while reading @Greying_Pilgrim 's thread. When I dropped in on @Sun_Addict , I remembered I had sweet potatoes to use so sweet potato casserole with peanuts and lime, it was. Plenty left for two or three more helpings. I've taken parsnip soup out of the freezer so that I can use my new flask tomorrow. :) @rtandon27 you aren't the only one for whom flasks bring back memories. I have my Dad's that he used to take to work every day. I can still see him standing in the breakfast room with it. 😊

I had my church group this evening and tomorrow I'm working afternoon and evening.