Cheery's path to fulfilment - finishing the DIY, looking after myself, appreciating the garden 🌻

Cheery_Daff

Some progress - I have booked my solo weekend away 😃 staying in a youth hostel, members get 10% discount as standard, but there was an additional members' offer which got me 25% off in total, so I got 2 nights in a private room for £52.50 😃 that's a saving of £17.50, and the annual membership is £20 so worth doing for me (this covered last year too). Although there was a non-members offer on too, just not quite as good.

So I'll renew, and use it as an excuse to go away for the odd night here and there to explore 😊

Shared loo and shower, but for £26 a night I'll deal with that, especially as I have a bedroom to myself. I'll do what I did last time and take breakfasts with me, and pre-cooked dinners, so I'll just be buying lunches (and cake) out. Very jolly.

Just need to book our joint hols now - not so cheap 😂 found done last minute deals though for a few nights - will make a decision tomorrow. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Cheery - I found the "seen most places within a 2 hr radius", issue with both NT and EH membership.  I think it's more of an issue with EH places, simply because most of them are ruins, they are not so easy to 'fall back on' for a rainy day visit - at least you can go inside some NT places.  We used our NT memebership alot when LG was a baby - very often going to the local place to eat our lunch in the gardens, just for a change of scene.  

I'm not saying I'll never rejoin NT - but I think a break is useful.  EH staff/volunteers are lovely, and without doubt they have 'made' any and every visit we've done, but the sparsity of places does make it difficult to retain membership. 

Greying X

beckstar1975

We made the decision to treat our membership as a charity donation, then if we go to visit places it would be a bonus. I believe in what they do and would donate to them so may as well get something out of it myself. It also helps as were about to have two at uni which will annihilate us financially so it's nice feeling we've still got something to do when we have no money with the teen left behind

EH is regional though, we used to go to Kent a lot on holiday and stay near Deal and there's tons of lovely EH places to visit down there (would recommend but really it's quite far for you, what about N Norfolk?)

joedenise

We are the same with NT.  We join and visit all the local places and then take a break for a few years before rejoining.  Never had EH membership as visiting ruins isn't really our thing.  We also used our NT membership when we were on holiday.

Watty1

Interesting comments re NT and EH.  They are on my radar for when I give up/cut down work so helpful to read comments.  

Cheery_Daff

It's definitely been worth it for me, and they've had all kinds of family activities over the summer so I would think worth it if you had kids that were into those types of things - activities would make repeat visits better i think (but I confess I haven't partaken in the Taskmaster activities myself 😂 although I did spot a couple of rubber ducks on the way round yesterday 😂)

When I signed up for membership last year, it was August and they had 20% off - I was offered either a further discount or an extra few months, I think. I chose to extend to December, it was £57 for 16 months. I've really enjoyed it, especially as I've often visited either in the winter, in the week, or at the very start or end of the day and so have frequently had the place to myself 😂 Had Conisbrough Castle to myself for half an hour yesterday 😂

Today's tasks are more mundane.

* change to bank
* pick up supplies
* rest of fence up
* plants out
* wash spare bedding(already in machine)
* wash our bedding

Plus a few other things too. Got up early for a run before we came to town so feels like I've started off well!

greent

We had NT membership when the kids were younger and we also used to go camping/ caravanning - we did really well with our membership visiting places in Devon and Cornwall, as well as the local places. 

I'd consider it again when we are both retired, especially if we still have a motorhome 😊

Cheery_Daff

£16 worth of change paid into the bank. They won't take it if not in bags, and we didn't have enough at home, so we had to sit and count it all out in the bank itself 😂 They also won't take bags that aren't full, so I'm still carrying round £6 odd worth of change 🙄 Is that a new thing? The woman said they've always done that, but I've definitepy paid part bags in before, and had the cashier count money themselves as well! Hey ho. £16 to holiday fund 😊

Had email from the gym - membership is cancelled and they won't take Septemver's payment 😊 £68 back to us each month. Will try to make use of August's membership (and will probably get really into it and wish I hadn't cancelled 😂😂)

badmemory

I put mine through the self service till at the supermarket.  You can keep on feeding those pennies in.  It also saves on parking fees to get to the bank.  Then they wonder why people no longer visit the town centre.

Cheery_Daff

badmemory said:

I put mine through the self service till at the supermarket.  You can keep on feeding those pennies in.  It also saves on parking fees to get to the bank.  Then they wonder why people no longer visit the town centre.

Ha, that's a great idea 😂 Maybe that's what I'll do with the leftovers!