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

beanielou

Blimey. That’s a wee bit steep.

Cheery_Daff

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81887643#Comment_81887643

Indeed beanie - I confess my language was rather more fruity! 😱

Anyway, a nice evening visiting someone I've not seen for well over a year. She's 75 now, and busy writing her third book 🥰 her husband made us a lovely tea, but I couldn't quite place the flavour. Didn't ask cos we were busy chatting about serious stuff, but with a few bites left to go I spotted what may have been a flake of fish... 😬 and later in the kitchen I spotted an empty tin which looked suspiciously like it may have held fish... (but had no label - looked posh and like it had been in a box)

Anyway, having not eaten fish in over 30 years, I was in no position to judge - Mr C (who wasn't there, but who does occasionally eat fish) suspects anchovies 😬

I didn't say anything at the time - pal knows I am vegetarian, and has cooked for me previously, and did in fact check when she invited me round for tea, so I suspect her husband (who cooked) may have got a bit over excited about his new recipe book. Anyway, I shan't say anything (although I'm intrigued to know what it was if it wasn't anchovies!) I see her so rarely it's unlikely to arise again, and I can legitimately do a reminder at that point. I didn't even notice til I'd almost finished.

It's just funny as it happens so rarely that I didn't know what to do! 😂

What was less funny was when I got home and couldn't open the door 🙄 it's wooden, and it's gotten SO wet lately that it keeps swelling up. Mr C had a similar situation the other day (when i was in London) but did manage to open it eventually. That did prompt us getting another front door key cut (for the other door, which we rarely use). On this occasion Mr C was inside the house, but couldn't hear me banging, or his phone ringing, so I had to go in the front door anyway (and startled him as he was sat near it watching the TV 😂). What a palaver.

Greying_Pilgrim

That's interesting that you have had that experience with JL Cheery. We were with m&$, although it had become a convenience thing, as they had been good about insuring our previous property when it was empty (not selling), all thru the pandemic etc. But last year they gave up insurances, and said they were going to pass on our details to aV1va who backed their products anyway. Our renewal came in eye-wateringly high too - and I thought exactly the same as you (home insurance premiums were supposed to be reducing). So I took to the comparison sites. I realise in theory, our property is 'straightforward', but in some ways, that makes the large increase in prices even more confusing 🤔

At least it makes your notional hourly rate - when surfing comparison sites - higher, so much more to gain by doing it (says the woman who loathes comparison sites…….).

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

Ha, well that's true enough! Sorry to hear about M&S though, I didn't realise they'd stopped doing insurance.

I think we'll end up going with the Platinum one i mentioned the other day, assuming the small print is suitable - that was £550 I think, half the flippin cost! We've got £900 in the pot so that'll mean a decent wodge can be transferred to savings too

KajiKita

Wowsers … that is just eye watering! 😳

KK

Staffordia

Interesting regarding your insurance renewal, I've had to do both house and little car recently. Both have been around 60p cheaper than the comparison reminders I have received. Perhaps JL don't want your business?

Baileys_Babe

Previously we have had JL house insurance, we renewed for a couple of years as the quotes were competitive and then one year the quote was astronomical so unsurprisingly we insured with some one else.

EssexHebridean

Hmmm - on this occasion JL most certainly ARE undersold aren't they - whether knowingly or not! 😂 I've always tended to find that the AA are like that with car insurance though - you get a decent quote for a couple of years, then they seem to twig that they aren't going to entice me into their expensive breakdown insurance, and the next year the quote can only be that they are trying to get rid of me again! Fingers crossed they won't do that with home insurance though and you'll get a few years out of them with no switching needed!

peb

Possibly capers? Maybe thinking of them as it's taken years for me to work out capers are from bushes and anchovies are small furry fish. Don't like either.

A vegetarian friend hadn't realised that Worcestershire sauce had anchovies in and was therefore not vegetarian. He always used to drink tomato juice with Worcestershire sauce until I unsutably expressed surprise

Merlin's_Beard

That's a huge increase, especially as a %!