Summertime 2026

greenbee

I am on gardening leave, so once I've dealt with lawyers and financials, I need to get a LOT of my OATS done. Obviously if I'd done the financial ones I wouldn't be frantically looking for paperwork now!

PennysIntoPounds

Plugging away at build admin.

The big flat clean has progressed to the kitchen appliances stage

Floss

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82031551#Comment_82031551

Do your art group ever do a swap session? Or is there a way your unwanted / unused kit could be donated for use elsewhere?

Brie

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82032027#Comment_82032027

Oh yes - happens quite regularly. I tend to watch for art supplies and frames on Freegle and I probably like maybe 1 frame in 10 that I get that way. The rest get taken to the art group and if no one there is interested then I take them to a charity shop. We've got one chap who is slowly bringing in about 40 years worth of art magazines and we had a bit of an "estate sale" when a local artist had died and the family were getting rid of all her bits in her studio. People are also very generous sharing their kit or letting others try things out.

All that said I went to Hobbycraft today but they didn't have the type of pens I wanted other than in huge packs with a lot of colours I likely wouldn't use. And at a high price. So I was good and didn't buy any. I think my local independent art store does carry individual pens so I'll pop in there at some point. His stuff tends to be better quality as well.

greenbee

Managed to get access to an old company pension via their new portal and then contacted them to find out why the other two weren't there. Not available through the portal for some reason (older schemes) but they are able to get the information sent to me.

Contacted a financial advisor, who is off on holiday and not back until I'm on holiday! So need to start contacting the others and get some calls set up for next week.

Logged into health insurance and submitted a year's worth of dental claims. Not sure I'm entitled to everything, but thought I'd better just get them in!

Made a note of expenses that need to be claimed - will have to track down the hotel receipt. May not get the tube fares as I tapped in and out, forgetting that I probably needed a receipt as I no longer had a company card (gave it up as it was in USD and dealing with the foreign transaction charges for UK travel was a PITA once I wasn't travelling in the US.

And have just discovered that my mortgage rate is actually fixed until 2029 not this year as I thought. So well done my past self predicting that mortgage rates were going to go up. I've checked what I can overpay, so can add that to the IFA conversation.

PennysIntoPounds

Amazing productiveness @greenbee 👏

I have done three vinted listings.

Got to smash the flat love and steps tomorrow

Floss

GB, check if you can identify individual transactions on your online banking - we would accept those for tap & go Tube or bus fares for NHS expenses claims, and would get screenshot or images of them.

greenbee

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82033166#Comment_82033166

Thanks Floss. I think that's what I did previously, so will try that. It may only be £6.20 but I don't see why I should subsidise them!

Rhyddid2026

I visited my best friend in their new house last night, they moved in 6 months ago. A very overdue task.

I also gave my nephew his birthday present on the way, only 1 day late, OAT prevention!

I've just cleaned the duck paddling pool to get the algae off. I've also potted up my beef and onion plant/tree thingy.

PennysIntoPounds

Going to need more detail on your beef and onion tree @Rhyddid2026 😂

I have not smashed steps and flat love today as chronic pain condition decided to be knackering. Will try again tomorrow, we can only try!

I have at least rewritten the to-do's on the appropriate pages in the diary, so I can see everything I can't do or don't want to do in an accurate and relevant way 🥂😁