Living the Good Life - mortgage free and living in line with our values

themadvix

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81866035#Comment_81866035

Thanks for explaining about the jarred asparagus. Is it always so soft? It just didn't have any texture!

Agree about 🐙 - it really goes against the grain to criticise them, but the people who have been out to us have all mentioned that in this part of the business there have been changes and I think that's where the issues lie (whether the changes are/were to resolve the issues or have been caused by them, it's not clear).

beanielou

Oops to the rice!

beanielou

Oh & glad the octopods are finished.

Greying_Pilgrim

So glad the 🐙lot are gone - and most importantly that you're pleased with the work. Why oh why did it need to be done twice over…… Not a good advert for installation, but your house has been put back to how it should have been done in the first place - that's what really matters.

Eeeek to the IP - hopefully it will be OK? I have to be very disciplined with the PrC - I am apt to wander off 😬☹️

Greying X

TallGirl

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81866908#Comment_81866908

yes it’s always soft it kind of mashes into the chicken filling. Glad your house is back together and oh no to the milk disaster.

EssexHebridean

I'm glad that your tentacled saga has finally drawn to a close Vix - I'm afraid we weren't impressed with them when we had them quote for the solar either - not least as they would have gone ahead and installed on our elderly roof in spite of it - as it turns out - REALLY needing replacement first. I even flagged my concerns up to them about having no actual site visit to check because of that, but they reckoned they could see it was "fine" from the photos. I'm undecided whether they would have actually gone ahead and installed and trashed it completely or whether the installers would have arrived and said "not a chance" - at which point I have no doubt there would have been quibbling about any money we had already paid!

badmemory

The first thing my installers did before they would even quote was to check the loft for damp & proper insulation & check the roof was suitable & wasn't going to collapse before the warranty ran out on the solar. I would have thought that was important from their reputaion if nothing else. Can you imagine how many fewer sales they would get if someone was saying we had solar installed a year ago & now our roof has collapsed.

Suffolk_lass

Not so lucky with our cart-lodge roof which has a four panel array on it - the roof survey is MIA from the "survey". When we decided to fill in one side and fit barn doors to the other, we asked our carpenter to remove the brick plinth the centre post (it is only 2-bay) was on, he found the middle of the roof was sagging, under the weight (maybe the weight of the installers, more than the panels themselves) and the pillar post had been built around, not placed on top, so was structurally unsound. One part of the ongoing complaint with the solar installers.

themadvix

Evening all,

Our solar installers (E0n) also didn't bother to survey our roof properly, so 🐙 certainly aren't the only ones. And frankly, nothing they did was dangerous, whereas the idiots from E0n left our battery installation without a circuit breaker and not secured to the wall, so they definitely came out worst in the big energy company installations. It was only because we had been told we needed what we thought was a small amount of work done that we took this further before our solar was installed. SL that sounds very concerning!

Work has been extremely busy this week, hence the lack of posts. And it is set to continue to be busy for some time (possibly until the end of May - am awaiting to hear what the plan is with a new project from main client). In the tiny bit of down time, I've managed to keep progressing the Cambridge reports. By contrast, Mr MV's new role has been very quiet as he beds in and works out what he's doing. It's been a strange role reversal.

Frugal Food February is going well. I've allocated £150 for food this month, with £50 sat in the 'back-up' pot - only because if we go a little bit over I will be really disinclined to retrieve money that has already gone to savings. Spent about £56 on supermarket delivery, £22 in refill shop and £6 in WR (less £3.10 as that eliminated need for tomorrow's milk). So about £66 left. The freezer is slowly beginning to look a bit emptier, but then I happened on some things in the cupboard this evening that also need eating! Plus I've made a batch of Foxgloves's garlic flatbreads which will go into the freezer. I don't envisage we'll need much beyond milk, eggs and possibly a small top-up from R'ford later in the month. Tonight we had sada pulao and adrak phulli (a R'ford recipe box recipe) - this used up the last of the hg French beans. Tomorrow is gigantes plaki to use some of the open passata and a small pot of dried basil that I'd like to get out of the cupboard. Mr MV is going to use points for his lunch tomorrow at work (I've no idea how he has so many - they seem to go up rather than down, despite claiming he uses them all the time for paying!).

We actually went out for date night on Thursday (1st Thurs of month) - to the bar where we can get burritos delivered. So a nice evening in the pub and delicious burritos but a lot cheaper than a proper meal out. Also went to pub on Friday for a quick drink with BIL and SIL who were back from holiday, but I spent £6 and I think Mr MV must have spent the same. Yesterday was the refill shop and WR trip (dropped a few bits at the CS too), and today we've spent nothing but did go to a local RSPB reserve for a walk.

Have also done various adminny things, which while not MS (especially as I've now switched my work account away from Google to a paid service for £40/year), have made me feel much more organised - two loads of washing, a very good tidy up of my computer and made a start trying to sort out my (locked) LinkedIn account.

MS things:
* Totally forgot to cashout PA before payday, so that'll be there for next month
* Clicks and HW
* Still using stores - and still seem to have plenty more!

Gratitudes:
* Saw Mum, Sis and Niece yesterday morning, which was nice
* It stopped raining and I got a space easily in WR car park yesterday - I was so grateful the rain stopped - it's a 10 min walk to the refill shop and at least two out of the last three times it's been throwing it down when I've been
* A lovely walk in almost sunshine this morning and a nice sighting of a gadwall pair - a new bird for me and lovely, even if not the bittern or kingfisher I was hoping for.

Have a lovely evening all!

themadvix

Morning all,

Work is currently quiet, and I should be getting on with Cambridge reports, but am waiting to speak to a real person with Aviva to ask them a couple of things about home insurance policy before I take it out. Renewal quote came through £30+ higher than last year, so we won't be renewing with that co. - Aviva's gold-plated policy is £40 cheaper than the renewal, so it's looking promising. For most stuff we don't need gold-plated, but outbuildings cover needs to be decent and most of the cheaper ones aren't - and I have limited patience for faffing with home insurance - it's one of my least favourite jobs! I wish their policy documents (and it's not just Aviva) were more explicit about things like solar, batteries and heat pumps. 🙄

I have, however, heard from main client and large projects are both on, alongside the usual stuff, so likely to be very busy for the foreseeable. Can almost guarantee that work will arrive just before I'm about to head out this afternoon! 🙄 Meeting ex-Brownies friends for a catch up and games afternoon. Mr MV has the car, so I'm off by bike and train and a short walk, which will be nice as it's not raining today (or due to rain!). I may have to suggest we meet in an evening/are a bit more flexible for the next few meetings as I don't know that I'm going to have time for daytime catch-ups for a while.

Next cat sitting client has paid the bill - that starts next Monday.

My lunch will be the end of the bread toasted, with pistachio cream. I need to get it finished as it's a large jar and taking up a lot of space in the cupboard - not something I'd normally buy, although it's very tasty (it was a gift).

MS things:
* Clicks and HW
* Insurance faffing
* Plan to list two items on FBMP tonight
* PA bonus paid - might cash that out sooner than month end
* Big new project is on!

Gratitudes:
* A dry day for venturing out
* Big new project (was a little concerned main client was going to decline it/decline a large chunk of the work
* Enjoying the winter Olympics 😊

Have a good day all!